Vision-Guided Articulating Agricultural Implement Control for Crop Alignment

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing agricultural implement positioning systems fail to accurately align with crops due to reliance on tractor position and direction changes, ignoring actual crop location and characteristics, leading to incorrect positioning and inefficient operations.

Innovation Solution

An autonomous agricultural implement system using vision sensors and controllers to monitor crop and terrain characteristics, autonomously adjusting the implement's position and orientation to align with crops, avoiding obstacles, and ensuring precise cutting or operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If automatic positioning systems use tractor position and heading to control implement location, then automation is improved, but positioning accuracy relative to crops deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomatic implement positioningVSAvoidimplement alignment with crops

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces GPS-based mechanical positioning systems with vision-based optical detection systems. Cameras mounted on the implement capture images of crops, and image processing algorithms determine crop location and characteristics, substituting the mechanical GPS-tractor-heading control mechanism with an optical-field-of-view-based control system that directly senses crop positions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces vision sensors (cameras) and image processing algorithms as intermediaries between the implement positioning system and the crops. Instead of directly using GPS coordinates and heading angles to position the implement, the system uses cameras to capture crop images, processes these images to identify crop locations and characteristics, and then uses this intermediate visual information to control implement positioning, adding a sensing layer that mediates between the control system and the physical crops.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Extent of automation

If implement positioning is toggled based on direction of travel, then automation is improved, but operational accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomatic side selectionVSAvoidcutting precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback control by continuously capturing images of crops with mounted cameras, processing these images to determine actual crop locations and characteristics, and using this feedback information to adjust implement positioning in real-time. The system monitors the field of view for crop presence and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the implement position, rather than relying on pre-programmed toggling based on travel direction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Extent of automation

If GPS sensors are used to monitor tractor position, then automation is improved, but crop detection capability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetractor position monitoringVSAvoidcrop location detection

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces vision sensors (cameras) and image processing algorithms as intermediaries between the implement positioning system and the crops. Instead of directly using GPS coordinates and heading angles to position the implement, the system uses cameras to capture crop images, processes these images to identify crop locations and characteristics, and then uses this intermediate visual information to control implement positioning, adding a sensing layer that mediates between the control system and the physical crops.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20250287856A1Autonomous articulating agricultural implement controllers and methods for same

Publication Date: 2025.09.18 RAVEN INDUSTRIES INC

AI summary

An autonomous agricultural implement arm system includes a sensor interface, a controller and an actuator interface. The sensor interface is configured for coupling with one or more vision sensors. The one or more vision sensors are directed toward crops and terrain proximate to crops. The controller, in communication with the sensor interface, is configured to identify crops or terrain proximate to crops based on observations of the one or more vision sensors, determine one or more characteristics of the identified crops, and generate implement instructions according to the determined one or more characteristics of the identified crops. The actuator interface, in communication with the controller, is configured to couple with the one or more implement actuators. The actuator interface is configured to relay the implement instructions to the one or more implement actuators for articulation of the agricultural mower implement.