Patent ID: 9139977
Filing Date: 2015-09-22
Classification: E02F,G01B

Abstract:
1. A system for determining an orientation of an implement on a vehicle, comprising: a camera mounted to the vehicle; a sphere within a field of vision of the camera and mounted to the implement, the sphere including a plurality of markings thereon to enable a determination of an intermediate orientation of the sphere with respect to the camera, wherein each of the plurality of markings has a unique shape, and wherein the determination of the orientation of the implement is made using the intermediate orientation of the sphere; a positioning system antenna mounted to the vehicle at a fixed distance in a fixed direction from the camera; a positioning system receiver/processor coupled to the positioning system antenna; and a control system adapted to adjust the orientation of the implement based on a desired orientation of the implement and the determination of the orientation of the implement; and wherein: the positioning system receiver/processor is adapted to determine a vehicle position and a vehicle orientation in a world reference frame; the determination of the intermediate orientation of the sphere with respect to the camera is in a vehicle reference frame; the determination of the orientation of the implement is in the vehicle reference frame; and the determination of the orientation of the implement in the vehicle reference frame and the vehicle orientation in the world reference frame enables a determination of a further orientation of the implement in the world reference frame.