US5509486A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of steering an agricultural vehicle
Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corp
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Filing: 1994-08-12
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Granted: 1996-04-23
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Expires: 2014-08-12
Abstract
Abstract The invention described herein uses the periodicity of the relative height of the surface of a crop or soil surface that is measured over a large area to control the position of a farm vehicle as it passes between rows of crops. The range and angle of return wave energy that are caused by a scanning beam of energy that sweeps across the crop canopy are measured. Signal processing techniques are employed to utilize the range and angle information to derive steering correction signals to control the farm vehicle. There is no contact with the crop and, therefore, there is no entangling with the crop or weeds with the invention. In addition, a plurality of heights are simultaneously determined across the path of the vehicle which are averaged by signal processing techniques. In this manner local anomalies due to weeds, clumps of soil, damaged or missing plants and erosion will not confuse the device or decrease its accuracy.
Inventors
- 👤 David P. Anderson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 17:46
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01B; A01B69/00; A01B69/007; A01B69/008; A01D; A01D41/00; A01D41/12; A01D41/127; A01D41/1278
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
A method for controlling an agricultural vehicle comprising: scanning a beam of wave energy through a scanning angle over a growing crop, receiving an analog signal from said growing crop, converting said analog signal to a digitized signal, analyzing the characteristics of said digitized signal to obtain information on the range of said growing crops from said agricultural vehicle and the angle of the scanning beam at a plurality of defined scan intervals, converting said range information to height data at each scan interval, extracting periodicity information from said height data, computing a steering error for said agricultural vehicle from said periodicity information after each sweep, and utilizing said steering error to control the direction of movement of said agricultural vehicle.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
121 words
A method for controlling an agricultural vehicle comprising: scanning a beam of wave energy through a scanning angle over a growing crop, receiving an analog signal from said growing crop, converting said analog signal to a digitized signal, analyzing the characteristics of said digitized signal to obtain information on the range of said growing crops from said agricultural vehicle and the angle of the scanning beam at a plurality of defined scan intervals, converting said range information to height data at each scan interval, extracting periodicity information from said height data, computing a steering error for said agricultural vehicle from said periodicity information after each sweep, and utilizing said steering error to control the direction of movement of said agricultural vehicle.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
148 words
A method for controlling an agricultural vehicle comprising: scanning a beam of wave energy through a scanning angle over a growing crop, receiving an analog signal from said growing crop, converting said analog signal to a digitized signal, analyzing the characteristics of said digitized signal to obtain information on the range of said growing crop from said agricultural vehicle, converting said range information to height data at each scan interval, computing the discrete complex Fourier transform of said height data, selecting the kth element of said discrete complex Fourier transform which is designated as F(k), where k is a function of the row spacing of said growing crop, computing the phase angle of said F(k), computing a steering error for said agricultural vehicle as a function of said phase angle of said F(k), and utilizing said steering error to control the direction of movement of said agricultural vehicle.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
148 words
A method for controlling an agricultural vehicle comprising: scanning a beam of wave energy through a scanning angle over a growing crop, receiving an analog signal from said growing crop, converting said analog signal to a digitized signal, analyzing the characteristics of said digitized signal to obtain information on the range of said growing crop from said agricultural vehicle, converting said range information to height data at each scan interval, computing the discrete complex Fourier transform of said height data, selecting the kth element of said discrete complex Fourier transform which is designated as F(k), where k is a function of the row spacing of said growing crop, computing the phase angle of said F(k), computing a steering error for said agricultural vehicle as a function of said phase angle of said F(k), and utilizing said steering error to control the direction of movement of said agricultural vehicle.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as claimed in claim 2 comprising the further step of multiplying said height data by a window function before said discrete complex Fourier transform of said height data is computed.
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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) | 1999-04-23 | 1999-10-23 | 2000-04-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-04-23 | 2003-10-23 | 2004-04-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-04-23 | 2007-10-23 | 2008-04-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |