Safe autonomous agricultural machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12048262-B2
Application number	US-202017430757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2020
Priority date	Feb 15, 2019
Publication date	Jul 30, 2024
Grant date	Jul 30, 2024

Abstract

A system includes a series of converters provided along a boundary of an agricultural cultivated area. A converter is configured to emit a second signal in response to an incoming first signal. The system also includes an autonomously driving agricultural machine including a transmitting device configured to emit the first signal in an environment of the agricultural machine, a receiving device configured to receive the second signal emitted in response to the first signal, and a processing device configured to determine a position of the agricultural machine with respect to the boundary based on the received second signal. An arrangement and/or a conversion characteristic of converters is designed differently at a first section of the boundary than at a second section of the boundary.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a series of converters arranged along a boundary of an agricultural cultivated area, wherein each converter of the series of converters is configured to emit a second signal in response to an incoming first signal;
an autonomously driving agricultural machine including a transmitting device configured to emit the first signal in an environment of the agricultural machine, a receiving device configured to receive the second signal emitted in response to the first signal by a converter of the series of converters, and a processing device configured to determine a position of the agricultural machine with respect to the boundary based on the received second signal,
wherein an arrangement and/or a conversion characteristic of converters is different at a first section of the boundary than at a second section of the boundary.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the conversion characteristic relates to the strength of the second signal in relation to the first signal.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the conversion characteristic depends on a type of the first signal.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement relates to a distance of a converter from an adjacent converter.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement relates to a vertical height of a converter.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of converters are arranged to be vertically offset at at least one location along the boundary.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein both signals include electromagnetic waves corresponding to one another, and the converter is designed as a reflector.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein both signals include different electromagnetic waves, and the converter is designed as a transponder.

9. A method for determining a position of an agricultural machine with respect to a boundary of an agricultural cultivated area, comprising:
arranging a series of converters along the boundary of the agricultural cultivated area, wherein each converter of the series of converters is configured to emit a second signal in response to an incoming first signal;
emitting at least one first signal in an environment of the agricultural machine;
receiving at least one second signal emitted in response to the at least one first signal; and
determining the position of the agricultural machine based on the at least one received second signal.

10. A control device for an agricultural machine, which is configured to autonomously drive on an agricultural cultivated area, the control device comprising:
a transmitting device configured to emit at least one first signal in an environment of the agricultural machine toward one or more converters of a series of converters arranged along a boundary of the agricultural cultivated area, each of the series of converters being configured to receive the at least one first signal and emit a second signal in response thereto;
a receiving device configured to receive a plurality of second signals that have been emitted in response to the at least one first signal;
a memory device configured to store positions of the one or more converters of the first signal in the second signal along the boundary of the cultivated area; and
a processing device configured to determine a position of the agricultural machine with respect to the boundary based on one or more of the plurality of received second signals.

11. An agricultural machine, comprising a control device according to claim 10 , wherein the agricultural machine is configured to determine an impending crossing of the boundary based on its determined position.

Assignees

• Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen

Inventors

• Zhihu Chen

Classifications

• G05D1/617

  Safety or protection, e.g. defining protection zones around obstacles or avoiding hazards (arrangements for controlling the position or course of two or more vehicles for avoiding collisions therebetween G05D1/693; arrangements for reacting to or preventing system or operator failure G05D1/80) · CPC title

• G05D1/247

  using signals provided by artificial sources external to the vehicle, e.g. navigation beacons · CPC title

• G01S17/74

  Systems using reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. IFF, i.e. identification of friend or foe · CPC title

• G01S13/876 Primary

  Combination of several spaced transponders or reflectors of known location for determining the position of a receiver (G01S13/874 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01S13/75

  using transponders powered from received waves, e.g. using passive transponders {, or using passive reflectors} · CPC title