Agricultural Machine Steering Across Headlands With Mixed Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural machines face challenges in achieving precise and economical steering, particularly in the headland area, due to the limitations of GNSS-based systems which require high accuracy and incur significant costs, and existing methods struggle with precision in unstructured environments.
Innovation Solution
A steering method that uses lane guidance independent of GNSS position data to steer the agricultural machine along an initial lane, followed by automatic turning using uncorrected GNSS position data to navigate through the headland, and then reverts to lane steering along the target lane, allowing for precise and cost-effective operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If RTK-based GNSS positioning is used to achieve high positioning accuracy in the headland, then positioning precision is improved, but system cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the field operation into two segments: structured areas (working lanes) and unstructured areas (headland). Different positioning methods are applied to each segment - optical/mechanical sensing for lane following and GNSS for headland turning - thereby avoiding the need for expensive RTK systems throughout the entire operation cycle
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different positioning qualities to different spatial locations: high-precision optical/mechanical lane following is used in structured working areas where crop rows provide reference, while GNSS-based positioning is used in unstructured headland areas where such references are unavailable
2Measurement precision
If RTK-based GNSS positioning is used to achieve high positioning accuracy in the headland, then positioning precision is improved, but operational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the positioning requirements by operational area, applying expensive RTK-only solutions only when absolutely necessary (headland turning without prior positioning), while using cheaper optical/mechanical lane following for the majority of time spent in structured working lanes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs cheaper positioning methods (optical/mechanical lane sensors) for the majority of operations, reserving expensive RTK corrections only for brief headland turning maneuvers, thereby reducing overall operational costs while maintaining sufficient accuracy
3Device complexity
If optical or mechanical lane sensing is used for steering in the headland, then system cost is reduced, but positioning precision deteriorates due to unstructured environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the operational environment into structured working lanes where optical/mechanical sensing excels, and unstructured headland areas where GNSS positioning is used, thereby matching each method to its optimal operating conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adapts the positioning method to local environmental characteristics: optical/mechanical sensors are used where crop rows provide structural references, while GNSS is deployed in headland areas where such references are absent
4Measurement precision
If GNSS-based control is used throughout the entire operation including working lanes, then positioning can be maintained, but cost efficiency decreases due to unnecessary use of expensive corrections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the operation into headland turning phases and working lane phases, applying GNSS corrections only during headland turning where they are necessary, while using free optical/mechanical lane following during working lane operations to maximize cost efficiency
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a steering method for an agricultural machine (1).To enable cost-effective and precise steering of an agricultural machine in the area of a headland, the invention provides that the steering method comprises the following steps: - Steering (S100) of the agricultural machine (1) along an exit track (23) in a working area (20) until reaching a headland (25) adjacent to the working area (20) at an exit point (PA) of the exit track (23), by means of a track steering system independent of GNSS position data; - Automatic steering (S140) of the agricultural machine (1) through the headland (25) until reaching an entry point (PE) of a target track (24) in the working area (20), by means of a reversing steering system that steers the agricultural machine (1) based on an actual position (PI) of the agricultural machine (1) determined exclusively using GNSS position data; as well as steering (S100) the agricultural machine (1) along the target lane (24) by means of lane steering.