Implement GPS Steering with Optical Vehicle Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for guiding tractor and implement combinations in agricultural settings rely on GPS receivers on both the vehicle and implement, which can be cumbersome and require precise lateral error calculations, limiting precision and compatibility with various vehicles.
Innovation Solution
An implement with a GPS receiver and control system determines its own position and estimates the vehicle's lateral error relative to it, using cameras to capture optical targets for precise steering, eliminating the need for a GPS receiver on the vehicle and enabling precise guidance without relying on vehicle-mounted position determination systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS receivers are installed on both vehicle and implement, then position guidance capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the GPS receiver from the vehicle and relocates it to the implement only. The implement control system determines its own position using GPS, while the vehicle's position is estimated relative to the implement using camera-based optical target detection. This eliminates the need for a vehicle-mounted GPS receiver, reducing device complexity while maintaining guidance capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an optical target on the vehicle and a camera on the implement as an intermediary measurement system. Instead of relying on vehicle GPS data, the system uses the camera to capture images of the optical target, thereby estimating the vehicle's position and orientation relative to the implement. This intermediary approach enables precise relative positioning without requiring GPS on both units.
2Measurement precision
If lateral error calculations are performed for both vehicle and implement, then guidance precision is improved, but calculation complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the lateral error calculation requirement from the vehicle control system and consolidates it in the implement control system only. The implement control system calculates lateral error based on its own GPS position and the estimated vehicle position from camera images. This eliminates the need for separate vehicle lateral error calculations, reducing computational complexity while maintaining guidance precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the position determination and lateral error calculation functions into a single implement control system. Instead of having separate calculation systems on both vehicle and implement, the implement control system performs all necessary calculations by combining GPS data with camera-based vehicle position estimation, thereby simplifying the overall computational architecture.
3Measurement precision
If vehicle-mounted position determination systems are used, then vehicle positioning accuracy is improved, but compatibility with various vehicles is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an optical target-c camera system as an intermediary that works independently of vehicle-mounted position determination systems. The camera on the implement captures images of the optical target on the vehicle, enabling position estimation without relying on specific vehicle GPS or positioning hardware. This intermediary approach ensures compatibility with various vehicle types while maintaining positioning accuracy through relative measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal positioning approach where the implement control system can determine vehicle position using camera-based optical target detection regardless of the vehicle type. This method is adaptable to different vehicles without requiring vehicle-specific positioning systems, thereby achieving both positioning accuracy and broad compatibility across various agricultural vehicles.
Data Source
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AI summary
An implement includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver and an implement control system. The global positioning system receiver is configured to obtain position information for the implement. The implement control system is configured to determine a lateral error for the implement based on the position information, estimate a lateral error for a vehicle relative to the implement, the vehicle being attached to the implement, and steer the vehicle to guide the implement based on at least the lateral error for the implement and the lateral error for the vehicle.