Implement Working Depth Compensation for Slope Guidance Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Auto-guidance systems in agriculture face challenges on sloped terrain, leading to inaccuracies in planting, weed control, and harvesting due to geotropism and soil dam formation, resulting in damage to crops and inefficiencies in farming operations.
Innovation Solution
A working depth compensator system that adjusts navigation points and waylines based on the slope and working depth of the terrain, using a combination of GNSS receivers and computing systems to offset reference points and guide agricultural machines accurately, allowing for precise operation on sloped surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If auto-guidance systems use standard navigation points for farming operations on sloped terrain, then the system structure remains simple and easy to operate, but the positioning accuracy deteriorates due to geotropism and terrain slope effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from 2D horizontal navigation points to 3D spatial reference points by incorporating vertical elevation data and working depth information. This dimensional expansion allows the system to account for terrain slope and geotropism effects, improving positioning accuracy on sloped terrain while maintaining reasonable system complexity through computational geometry transformations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts reference point parameters (horizontal position, vertical elevation, and depth offset) based on terrain slope angle and working depth. By changing these parameters according to environmental conditions, the system achieves accurate positioning on slopes without requiring fundamentally different hardware, thus balancing precision improvement with system complexity management.
2Measurement precision
If the navigation point is kept close to ground for accurate positioning, then positioning accuracy improves, but the system becomes more sensitive to terrain variations and operating conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic reference point adjustment where the vertical offset and horizontal position of navigation points are continuously modified based on real-time terrain slope measurements and working depth settings. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain high positioning accuracy across varying terrain conditions while preserving versatility through automated parameter adjustment rather than requiring manual reconfiguration for each terrain type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calculations of corrected reference point positions based on predicted terrain slope and working depth before actual farming operations begin. By pre-computing adjusted navigation parameters, the system prepares for terrain variations in advance, ensuring both accuracy during operation and adaptability to different field conditions without real-time complexity.
3Ease of operation
If standard auto-guidance is used without depth compensation, then the system is easy to operate, but unintended results occur due to geotropism and soil dam formation on slopes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary computational layer that automatically calculates and applies depth compensation corrections to navigation points. This intermediary processing layer acts as a mediator between the simple auto-guidance interface and the complex terrain compensation requirements, maintaining ease of operation for the farmer while ensuring reliable farming outcomes through automated geotropism and soil dam prevention calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service depth compensation by automatically adjusting reference points based on embedded terrain data and working depth parameters without requiring operator intervention. The auto-guidance system independently corrects for geotropism and slope effects, maintaining operational simplicity while improving reliability through automated compensation mechanisms that adapt to terrain conditions.
4Manufacturing precision
If reference points are adjusted for working depth and slope, then farming precision on sloped terrain improves, but the computational complexity and data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms with computational geometry transformations. Instead of physically adjusting hardware components for depth and slope compensation, the system uses software-based coordinate transformations and mathematical models to calculate corrected reference points, achieving high farming precision while minimizing computational and hardware complexity through algorithmic solutions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A mobile machine includes a receiver with an antenna configured to receive position information, an implement associated with the mobile machine and shiftable in a direction lateral to the machine's forward movement, and a computing system in communication with the receiver. The computing system is configured to record values corresponding to the position information and a working depth along a first path, determine one or more reference points for a second path based on the recorded values, a ground surface slope, and a working depth or height along the second path, and adjust a lateral position of the implement relative to the mobile machine based on the one or more reference points for the second path.