Method and stereo vision system for managing the unloading of an agricultural material from a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10015928-B2
Application number	US-201615337577-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2016
Priority date	Aug 10, 2015
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

A spout identification module is adapted to identify a spout (e.g., or an associated spout position) of the harvesting vehicle in the collected image data. A relative motion detector detects the relative motion of a receiving vehicle and the harvesting vehicle or detects the relative motion between the spout and a container of the receiving vehicle. An alignment module is adapted to determine the relative position of the spout and the cells in the container via processing of the image data such that the spout is aligned with the longitudinal axis or a lateral offset from the longitudinal axis based on the detected relative motion and where a longitudinal size of the deadband volume is adjusted based on the relative motion.

First claim

The following is claimed:

1. A system for facilitating the transfer of agricultural material from a harvesting vehicle to a receiving vehicle, the system comprising:
a receiving vehicle comprising a propelled portion for propelling the receiving vehicle and a container for storing agricultural material;
a stereo imaging device facing towards the container of the receiving vehicle, the imaging device collecting image data;
a deadband volume associated with a front end ora rear end of the container, a longitudinal axis extending between the front end the rear end of the container, the container divided into distinct, separate volumes or cells;
a spout identification module for identifying a spout of the harvesting vehicle in the collected image data;
a relative motion detector for detecting the relative motion of the receiving vehicle and the harvesting vehicle or for detecting the relative motion between the spout and the container of the receiving vehicle; and
an alignment module for determining the relative position of the spout and the cells in the container such that the spout is aligned with the longitudinal axis or a lateral offset from the longitudinal axis based on the detected relative motion and where a longitudinal size of the deadband volume is adjusted based on the detected relative motion.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the relative motion comprises the relative velocity and relative acceleration of the receiving vehicle and the harvesting vehicle or the relative velocity and relative acceleration between the spout end and the container of the receiving vehicle.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the relative motion comprises the relative velocity of the receiving vehicle and the harvesting vehicle or the relative velocity between the spout end and the container of the receiving vehicle.

4. The system according to claim 3 where an X direction is coextensive with or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, where a Y direction is substantially perpendicular to the X direction, and where the alignment module is adapted to adjust the longitudinal size of the deadband volume based on the relative velocity in the X direction.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein the alignment module is adapted to increase the longitudinal size of the deadband volume in response to an increase in the relative velocity in the X direction and wherein the alignment module is adapted to decrease the longitudinal size of the deadband volume based on a decrease in the relative velocity in the X direction.

6. The system according to claim 1 where an X direction is coextensive with or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, where a Y direction is substantially perpendicular to the X direction, and where the alignment module is adapted to adjust the lateral offset based on the relative velocity in the Y direction.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the alignment module is adapted to increase the lateral offset in response to an increase in the relative velocity in the Y direction and to decrease the lateral offset based on a decrease in the relative velocity in the Y direction.

8. The system according to claim 6 wherein the lateral offset is increased in response to an increase in the relative velocity in the Y direction and wherein the size of the deadband volume is increased in response to an increase in the relative velocity in the X direction.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein the alignment module is arranged to direct in the spout end along the longitudinal axis with the lateral offset in accordance with a first mode that comprises relative movement of the spout end to the container in the front-to-back direction, where front is direction of forward travel of the harvesting vehicle.

10. The system according to claim 1 wherein the alignment module is arranged to direct the spout end along the longitudinal axis with the lateral offset in a accordance with a second mode that comprises relative movement of the spout end to the container is the back-to-front direction, where front is direction of forward travel of the harvesting vehicle, or a second mode.

11. The system according to claim 1 wherein the longitudinal size comprises a fixed deadband component that is static over time and a dynamic deadband component that is dynamically adjusted based on the magnitude of relative motion in the X direction.

12. The system according to claim 1 wherein the lateral offset comprises a first lateral offset component that is based on a slope of the ground or lateral wind speed, and a second lateral offset component that is based on the magnitude of relative motion in the Y direction.

13. The system according to claim 1 wherein alignment module or a data processor is arranged to update the first lateral offset component at a lesser rate than the second lateral offset component.

14. A method for facilitating the transfer of agricultural material from a harvesting vehicle to a receiving vehicle, the method comprising:
collecting image data by a stereo imaging device facing towards a container of a receiving vehicle;
establishing, by a data processor, a deadband volume associated with a front end or a rear end of the container, a longitudinal axis extending between the front end the rear end of the container, where the container divided into distinct, separate volumes or cells;
identifying, by a spout identification module a spout of a harvesting vehicle in the collected image data;
detecting, by a relative velocity detector, the relative velocity of the receiving vehicle and the harvesting vehicle or detecting the relative velocity between the spout and the container of the receiving vehicle; and
determining, by an alignment module, the relative position of the spout and the cells in the container such that the spout is aligned with the longitudinal axis or a lateral offset from the longitudinal axis based on the detected relative velocity and where a longitudinal size of the deadband volume is adjusted based on the velocity.

15. The method according to claim 14 further comprising:
adjusting the longitudinal size of the deadband volume based on the relative velocity in an X direction, where the X direction is coextensive with or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, where a Y direction is substantially perpendicular to the X direction.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the adjusting further comprises increasing the longitudinal size of the deadband volume in response to an increase in the relative velocity in the X direction and decreasing the longitudinal size of the deadband volume based on a decrease in the relative velocity in the X direction.

17. The method according to claim 14 further comprising:
adjusting the lateral offset based on the relative velocity in the Y direction, where an X direction is coextensive with or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, and where a Y direction is substantially perpendicular to the X direction.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the lateral offset in response to an increase in the relative velocity in the Y direction and decreasing the lateral offset based on a decrease in the relative velocity in the Y direction.

19. The method according to claim 17 wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the lateral in response to an increase in the relative velocity in the Y direction and increasing the longitudinal size of the deadband volume in response to an increase in the relative

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Nykamp Alex J
• Bonefas Zachary T

Classifications

• A01D43/087

  with controllable discharge spout · CPC title

• A01D43/073 Primary

  with controllable discharge spout · CPC title

• B60R2300/107

  using stereoscopic cameras · CPC title

• B60R1/00

  Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles · CPC title