US5019983A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Automatic steering apparatus using reflected signals
Assignee: Eaton Corp
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Filing: 1989-02-21
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Granted: 1991-05-28
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Expires: 2009-02-21
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus for automatically steering a farm crop vehicle between rows of corn by sensing the locations of the rows ahead of the vehicle. The apparatus senses the location of the plants as the crop vehicle approaches them. The data thus obtained are processed by an on-board microcontroller to determine the lateral location of the crop vehicle relative to the rows and provide a feedback signal. Another feedback signal is provided by integrating that lateral error data. In addition to the plant sensors, the harvester has a Doppler radar system on its left side that provides ground-velocity information for the left side, and a similar system on the right side. The radar outputs enable the microcontroller to measure the turning of the vehicle. This is used to produce yet another feedback signal that improves the automatic steering. This turning-feedback signal stabilizes the loop. The microcontroller provides steering commands for automatically tracking the rows.
Inventors
- 👤 Herman P. Schutten
- 👤 Dwight B. Stephenson
- 👤 Oliver W. Johnson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 10:04
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05D; G05D1/00; G05D1/02; G05D1/021; G05D1/0227; A; A01; A01B; A01B69/00; A01B69/007; A01B69/008; A01D; A01D41/00; A01D41/12; A01D41/127; A01D41/1278; G05D1/0255; G05D1/0257; G05D1/0231; G05D1/0238; G05D1/024; G05D1/0242
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
224 words
A steering system that automatically steers a vehicle to track rows of spaced-apart plants, comprising: plant sensor means on the vehicle for sensing said plants when the vehicle encounters plants and for providing signals thereupon: means for ascertaining from said signals of said plant sensor means the lateral position of said vehicle relative to said plant rows and providing lateral-position information signals; integration means for receiving and integrating said lateral-position information signals and providing integrated signals; wave transmission and receiving means for ascertaining, from reflections of transmitted waves, the speeds of parts of the vehicle relative to the ground, comprising: at least two means spaced apart laterally of the vehicle, which transmit said waves toward and receive reflected waves from the ground, for measuring the ground speeds of their respective locations on the vehicle and for providing ground-speed signals accordingly; processing means utilizing said ground-speed signals for determining speed-difference information between said locations on the vehicle of said means for measuring the ground speeds of their respective locations; means for combining said lateral-position information signals and said integrated signals and said speed-difference information to provide steering command signals; actuator means receiving said steering command signals and responsive thereto for orienting the steerable wheels of said vehicle proportional to said steering command signals and thus steering said vehicle to follow a course along said rows.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
224 words
A steering system that automatically steers a vehicle to track rows of spaced-apart plants, comprising: plant sensor means on the vehicle for sensing said plants when the vehicle encounters plants and for providing signals thereupon: means for ascertaining from said signals of said plant sensor means the lateral position of said vehicle relative to said plant rows and providing lateral-position information signals; integration means for receiving and integrating said lateral-position information signals and providing integrated signals; wave transmission and receiving means for ascertaining, from reflections of transmitted waves, the speeds of parts of the vehicle relative to the ground, comprising: at least two means spaced apart laterally of the vehicle, which transmit said waves toward and receive reflected waves from the ground, for measuring the ground speeds of their respective locations on the vehicle and for providing ground-speed signals accordingly; processing means utilizing said ground-speed signals for determining speed-difference information between said locations on the vehicle of said means for measuring the ground speeds of their respective locations; means for combining said lateral-position information signals and said integrated signals and said speed-difference information to provide steering command signals; actuator means receiving said steering command signals and responsive thereto for orienting the steerable wheels of said vehicle proportional to said steering command signals and thus steering said vehicle to follow a course along said rows.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
A steering system as in claim 1 and wherein said wave transmission and receiving means comprise Doppler radar means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
A steering system as in claim 1 and wherein said means for combining comprises means for adding.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
170 words
A steering system that automatically steers a vehicle to track rows of spaced-apart plants, comprising: plant sensor means on the vehicle for sensing said plants when said vehicle encounters them and for providing signals thereupon; means for ascertaining the lateral position of said vehicle relative to said plant rows by obtaining lateral-position-information signals from said plant sensor means; means for integrating said lateral-position-information signals to provide integrated signals: means for transmitting waves toward laterally-spaced-apart areas of the earth and receiving reflected waves therefrom; means for processing said received reflected waves to provide signals regarding the rate of change of heading of the vehicle relative to the earth; means for processing (a) said lateral-position-information signals and (b) said integrated signals and (c) said signals regarding the rate of change of heading, to provide steering command signals; actuator means receiving said steering command signals and responsive thereto for orienting the steerable wheels of said vehicle proportional to said steering command signals and thus steering said vehicle; whereby said vehicle tracks said rows.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
170 words
A steering system that automatically steers a vehicle to track rows of spaced-apart plants, comprising: plant sensor means on the vehicle for sensing said plants when said vehicle encounters them and for providing signals thereupon; means for ascertaining the lateral position of said vehicle relative to said plant rows by obtaining lateral-position-information signals from said plant sensor means; means for integrating said lateral-position-information signals to provide integrated signals: means for transmitting waves toward laterally-spaced-apart areas of the earth and receiving reflected waves therefrom; means for processing said received reflected waves to provide signals regarding the rate of change of heading of the vehicle relative to the earth; means for processing (a) said lateral-position-information signals and (b) said integrated signals and (c) said signals regarding the rate of change of heading, to provide steering command signals; actuator means receiving said steering command signals and responsive thereto for orienting the steerable wheels of said vehicle proportional to said steering command signals and thus steering said vehicle; whereby said vehicle tracks said rows.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
A steering system as in claim 4 and wherein said means for transmitting and receiving waves comprises Doppler radar means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
A steering system as in claim 4 and wherein said means for processing comprises means for adding.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-05-27 | 1994-11-26 | 1995-05-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-05-27 | 1998-11-26 | 1999-05-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-05-27 | 2002-11-26 | 2003-05-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |