Patent Publication Number: US-2021173410-A1

Title: System and method for controlling the direction of travel of a work vehicle based on an adjusted field map

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure generally relates to work vehicles and, more particularly, to systems and methods for controlling the direction of travel of a work vehicle based on an adjusted field map. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A harvester is an agricultural machine used to harvest and process crops. For instance, a combine harvester may be used to harvest grain crops, such as wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn, soybeans, and flax or linseed. In general, the objective is to complete several processes, which traditionally were distinct, in one pass of the machine over a portion of the field. In this respect, most harvesters are equipped with a detachable harvesting implement, such as a header, which cuts and collects the crop from the field. The harvester also includes a crop processing system, which performs various processing operations (e.g., threshing, separating, etc.) on the harvested crop received from the harvesting implement. Furthermore, the harvester includes a crop tank, which receives and stores the harvested crop after processing. 
     Many crops, such as corn and soybeans, are planted in rows. As such, when the harvester travels across the field, it is desirable that the direction of travel of the harvester be generally aligned with the orientation of the crop rows to maximize harvesting efficiency. In this respect, some harvesters use a GNSS-based location sensor and a field map depicting the locations of the crop crops within the field that was generated during the previous planting operation to guide the harvester relative the crop rows. However, GNSS-based sensors are subject to signal drift such that the frame of reference of the data currently being captured by the GNSS-based sensor and the data used to generate the field map may be offset. Such an offset may result in harvester being misaligned with the crop rows. 
     Accordingly, an improved system and method for controlling the direction of travel of a work vehicle would be welcomed in the technology. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Aspects and advantages of the technology will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the technology. 
     In one aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a system for controlling a direction of travel of a work vehicle. The system may include a location sensor configured to capture data indicative of a location of the work vehicle within a field. Additionally, the system may include a controller communicatively coupled to the location sensor. As such, the controller may be configured to receive an input indicative of the work vehicle being positioned at a starting point associated with a guide crop row present within the field. Moreover, after receiving the input, the controller may be configured to determine the location of the guide crop row within the field based on the data captured by the location sensor. Furthermore, the controller may be configured to compare the determined location of the guide crop row and a location of a selected crop row depicted in a field map to determine an initial location differential. In addition, the controller may be configured to adjust the field map based on the determined initial location differential. 
     In another aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a method for controlling a direction of travel of a work vehicle. The method may include receiving, with one or more computing devices, an input indicative of the work vehicle being positioned at a starting point associated with a guide crop row present within a field. After receiving the input, the method may include determining, with the one or more computing devices, a location of the guide crop row within the field based on received location data. Additionally, the method may include comparing, with the one or more computing devices, the determined location of the guide crop row and a location of a selected crop row depicted in a field map to determine an initial location differential. Furthermore, the method may include adjusting, with the one or more computing devices, the field map based on the determined initial location differential. Moreover, the method may include controlling, with the one or more computing devices, the direction of travel of the work vehicle as the work vehicle travels across the field based on the adjusted field map. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present technology will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the technology and, together with the description, explain the principles of the technology. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A full and enabling disclosure of the present technology, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which reference to the appended figures, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a partial sectional side view of one embodiment of a work vehicle in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of the work vehicle shown in  FIG. 1 , particularly illustrating various components of the work vehicle in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a schematic view of one embodiment of a system for controlling a direction of travel of a work vehicle in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a top view of one embodiment of a crop row sensor suitable for use within the system shown in  FIG. 3  in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example top view of a portion of a harvesting implement of a work vehicle being positioned relative to a plurality of crop rows within a field in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, particularly illustrating the location of a guide crop row being laterally shifted from a location of a selected crop row depicted in a field map of the field; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an example top view of a portion of a harvesting implement of a work vehicle being positioned relative to a guide crop row within the field as the vehicle travels across the field within in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, particularly illustrating the guide crop row being rotated relative to a selected crop row depicted in a field map of the field; and 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for controlling a direction of travel of a work vehicle in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. 
     
    
    
     Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present technology. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     In general, the present subject matter is directed to systems and methods for controlling the direction of travel of a work vehicle. Specifically, the present subject matter may be used with an agricultural harvester or any other work vehicle (e.g., a sprayer, a tractor, and/or the like) that travels across a field relative to one or more crop rows present within the field. In this respect, a controller of the disclosed system may be configured to control the direction of travel of the vehicle such that the vehicle maintains a predetermined positional relationship with the a guide crop row present within the field based on data received from a location sensor (e.g., a GNSS-based sensor) and a previously generated field map of the field (e.g., a field map generated during a previous agricultural operation). 
     In accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, the controller may be configured to adjust the field map such that the crops rows depicted in the map are aligned with the crop rows within the field. More specifically, the location sensor may be subject to signal drift such that the locations of the crop rows present within the field are offset from the locations of the crop rows depicted in the field map. In this respect, before performing an operation (e.g., a harvesting operation) on the field, the operator may move the vehicle to a starting point of the guide crop row within the field and provide an input (e.g., to a user interface of the vehicle) indicating the vehicle is positioned at the starting point. After receiving the input, the controller may be configured to determine the location of the guide crop row based on data received from the location sensor. Furthermore, the controller may be configured to compare the determined location of the guide crop row and the location of a selected crop row depicted in a field map to determine an initial location differential. In one embodiment, the selected crop row may correspond to the crop row depicted in the field map closest to the location of the guide crop row present within the field. The initial location differential may generally correspond to the lateral distance or offset between the crop rows present within the field and the crop rows depicted in the field map. As such, the controller may be configured to adjust the field map based on the determined initial location differential. For example, the controller may be configured to laterally shift the frame of reference of the field map based on the initial location differential such that selected crop row depicted in the field map is aligned with the guide crop row present within the field. Thereafter, the controller may be configured to control the direction of travel of the vehicle as the work vehicle travels across the field based on the adjusted field map. 
     Additionally, as the vehicle travels across the field, the controller may be configured to further adjust the field map when the crop rows present within the field deviate from the crop rows depicted in the field map. For example, in certain instances, as the vehicle traverses a curve, location sensor signal drift may result in the curvature of the crop rows present within the field differing from the curvature of the crop rows depicted in the field map. As such, in several embodiments, the vehicle may include a crop row sensor (e.g., a mechanical sensor or a vision-based sensor) configured to capture data indicative of the location of the guide crop row relative to the vehicle. In this respect, as the vehicle travels across the field, the controller may be configured to monitor the location the guide crop row based on data received from the crop row sensor. Thereafter, the controller may be configured to compare the monitored location of the guide crop row and the location of the selected crop row depicted in a field map to determine an operational location differential. The operational location differential may, in turn, generally correspond to the angular offset between the crop rows present within the field and the crop rows depicted in the field map. As such, the controller may further adjust the adjusted field map based on the determined operational location differential. For example, the controller may be configured to rotate the frame of reference of the field map based on the operational location differential such that the selected crop row depicted in the field map is aligned with the guide crop row present within the field. 
     Referring now to the drawings,  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate differing views of one embodiment of a work vehicle  10  in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. Specifically,  FIG. 1  illustrates a partial sectional side view of the vehicle  10 . Additionally,  FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of the vehicle  10 , particularly illustrating various components of the vehicle  10 . 
     In general, the vehicle  10  may be configured to travel across a field in a direction of travel (indicated by arrow  12 ) to relative to one or more crop rows present within the field. As shown, in several embodiments, the vehicle  10  may be configured as an agricultural harvester (e.g., an axial-flow combine). In such embodiments, while traversing the field, the vehicle  10  may be configured to harvest and subsequently process the crops present within the field. However, in alternative embodiments, the vehicle  10  may be configured as any other suitable type of work vehicle, such as an agricultural sprayer, a tractor, and/or the like. 
     As shown, the vehicle  10  may include a chassis or main frame  14  configured to support and/or couple to various components of the vehicle  10 . For example, in several embodiments, the vehicle  10  may include a pair of driven, ground-engaging front wheels  16  and a pair of steerable rear wheels  18  coupled to the frame  14  As such, the wheels  16 ,  18  may be configured to support the vehicle  10  relative to the ground and move the vehicle  10  in the direction of travel  12 . Furthermore, the vehicle  10  may include an operator&#39;s platform  20  having an operator&#39;s cab  22 , a crop processing system  24 , a crop tank  26 , and the crop discharge tube  28  that are supported by the frame  14 . As will be described below, the crop processing system  24  may be configured to perform various processing operations on the harvested crop as the system  24  transfers the harvested crop between a header  30  of the vehicle  10  and the crop tank  26 . Moreover, the vehicle  10  may include an engine  32  and a transmission  34  mounted on the frame  14 . The transmission  34  may be operably coupled to the engine  32  and may provide variably adjusted gear ratios for transferring engine power to the wheels  16  via a drive axle assembly (or via axles if multiple drive axles are employed). Additionally, the vehicle  10  may include a steering actuator  36  configured to adjust the orientation of the steerable wheels  18  relative to the frame  14 . For example, the steering actuator  36  may correspond to an electric motor, a linear actuator, a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, or any other suitable actuator coupled to suitable mechanical assembly, such as a rack and pinion or a worm gear assembly. 
     Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a harvesting implement, such as a header  30 , and an associated feeder  38  of the crop processing system  24  may extend forward of the frame  14  and may be pivotally secured thereto for generally vertical movement. In general, the feeder  38  may support the header  30 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the feeder  38  may extend between a front end  40  coupled to the header  30  and a rear end  42  positioned adjacent to a threshing and separating assembly  44  of the crop processing system  24 . In this respect, the rear end  42  of the feeder  38  may be pivotally coupled to a portion of the vehicle  10  to allow the front end  40  of the feeder  38  and, thus, the header  30  to be moved vertical up and down relative to the ground to set the desired harvesting or cutting height for the header  30 . 
     As the vehicle  10  travels across the field having one or more crop rows, the crop material is severed from the stubble by a plurality of snapping rolls (not shown) and associated stripping plates (not shown) at the front of the header  30  and delivered by a header auger  46  to the front end  40  of the feeder  38 , which supplies the harvested crop to the threshing and separating assembly  44 . The threshing and separating assembly  44  may, in turn, include a cylindrical chamber  48  in which a rotor  50  is rotated to thresh and separate the harvested crop received therein. That is, the harvested crop is rubbed and beaten between the rotor  50  and the inner surfaces of the chamber  48  to loosen and separate the grain, seed, or the like from the straw. 
     The harvested crop separated by the threshing and separating assembly  44  may fall onto a crop cleaning assembly  52  of the crop processing system  24 . In general, the crop cleaning assembly  52  may include a series of pans  54  and associated sieves  56 . As such, the separated harvested crop may be spread out via oscillation of the pans  54  and/or sieves  56  and may eventually fall through apertures defined in the sieves  56 . Additionally, a cleaning fan  58  may be positioned adjacent to one or more of the sieves  56  to provide an air flow through the sieves  56  that removes chaff and other impurities from the harvested crop. For instance, the fan  58  may blow the impurities off the harvested crop for discharge from the vehicle  10  through the outlet of a straw hood  60  positioned at the back end of the vehicle  10 . The cleaned harvested crop passing through the sieves  56  may then fall into a trough of an auger  62 , which may be configured to transfer the harvested crop to an elevator  64  for delivery to the crop tank  26 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the header  30  may include a header frame  66 . In general, the frame  66  may extend along a longitudinal direction  68  between a forward end  70  and an aft end  72 . The frame  66  may also extend along a lateral direction  74  between a first side  76  and a second side  78 . In this respect, the frame  66  may be configured to support or couple to a plurality of components of the header  30 . For example, a plurality of cones or row dividers  80  and the header auger  46  may be supported by the header frame  66 . Additionally, the snapping rolls (not shown) and associated stripping plates (not shown) may also be supported on and coupled to the frame  66 . 
     In several embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the header  30  may be configured as a corn header. In such embodiments, the plurality of row dividers  80  may extend forward from the header frame  66  along the longitudinal direction  68 . Moreover, the row dividers  80  may be spaced apart along the lateral direction  74  of the header frame  66 , with each adjacent pair of row dividers  88  defining an associated stalkway or recess  82  therebetween. As the vehicle  10  is moved across the field, the row dividers  80  separate the stalks of the crop such that the separated stalks are guided into the stalkways  82 . Thereafter, the snapping rolls (not shown) pull the stalks downwardly onto the associated stripping plates (not shown) such that the ears of the standing crop are snapped from the associated stalks upon contact with the stripping plates. The auger  46  may then convey the harvested ears to the feeder  38  for subsequent processing by the crop processing system  24  ( FIG. 1 ). However, in alternative embodiments, the header  30  may be configured as any other suitable type of harvesting implement, such as a draper header. 
     It should be further be appreciated that the configurations of the vehicle  10  and the header  30  described above and shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  are provided only to place the present subject matter in an exemplary field of use. Thus, it should be appreciated that the present subject matter may be readily adaptable to any manner of harvester and/or header configuration. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a schematic view of one embodiment of a system  100  for controlling the direction of travel of a work vehicle is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. In general, the system  100  will be described herein with reference to the work vehicle  10  described above with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . However, it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the disclosed system  100  may generally be utilized with work vehicles having any other suitable vehicle configuration. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the system  100  may include a location sensor  102  provided in operative association with the vehicle  10 . In general, the location sensor  102  may be configured to capture data indicative of the current location of the vehicle  10  within the field. Specifically, in several embodiments, the location sensor  102  may be configured as a GNSS-based satellite navigation positioning system (e.g. a GPS system, a Galileo positioning system, the Global Navigation satellite system (GLONASS), the BeiDou Satellite Navigation and Positioning system, and/or the like). In such embodiments, the location data captured by the location sensor  118  may be transmitted to a controller(s) of the vehicle  10  (e.g., in the form coordinates) and stored within the controller&#39;s memory for subsequent processing and/or analysis. For instance, based on the known dimensional configuration and/or relative positioning between the location sensor  102  and the header  30  (or one or more components of the header  30 ) of the vehicle  10 , the location data from the location sensor  102  may be used to geo-locate or otherwise determine the current location of one or more crops row present within the field. 
     Additionally, the system  100  may include a crop row sensor  104  provided in operative association with the vehicle  10 . In general, the crop row sensor  104  may be configured to capture data indicative of the location(s) of one or more crop rows present within the field relative to the vehicle  10 . In several embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the crop row sensor  104  may be configured as a mechanical sensor mounted on a row divider  80  of the header  30  of the vehicle  10 . Specifically, in such embodiments, the crop row sensor  104  may include a sensor arm  106  having a base portion  108  installed into an aperture  84  defined by the row divider  80  such that the sensor arm  106  is able to rotate relative to the row divider  80 . Additionally, each crop row sensor  104  may include a potentiometer  114  configured to capture data indicative of the rotation and/or positioning of the base portion  108  relative to the row divider  80 . Furthermore, the sensor arm  104  may include first and second sensor arm portions  110 ,  112  extending outward in the lateral direction  74  from the base portion  108  and rearwardly along the longitudinal direction  68 . In this respect, as the vehicle  10  travels across the field, the adjacent crop rows present within the field may contact the first and/or second sensor arm portions  110 ,  112 , thereby rotating the sensor arm  106  relative to the row divider  80 . For example, when the vehicle  10  travels around a curve, the sensor arm portion  110 ,  112  positioned on the outside of the curve may contact the adjacent crop row, thereby rotating the sensor arm  106  relative to the row divider  80 . The potentiometer  114  may capture data indicative of the rotation of the sensor arm  106  relative to the row divider  80 . Such data may then be used to determine the location of the crop row(s) relative to the vehicle  10 . However, in alternative embodiments, the crop row sensor  104  may correspond to any other suitable sensor(s) or sensing device(s) for capturing data indicative of the location(s) of one or more crop rows present within the field relative to the vehicle  10 . For example, in one embodiment, the crop row sensor  102  may be configured as a vision-based sensor (e.g., a camera or LIDAR sensor). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the system  100  may include a plurality of crop row sensors  104  of the vehicle  10 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 3 , in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, the system  100  may include a controller  116  positioned on and/or within or otherwise associated with the vehicle  10 . In general, the controller  116  may comprise any suitable processor-based device known in the art, such as a computing device or any suitable combination of computing devices. Thus, in several embodiments, the controller  116  may include one or more processor(s)  118  and associated memory device(s)  120  configured to perform a variety of computer-implemented functions. As used herein, the term “processor” refers not only to integrated circuits referred to in the art as being included in a computer, but also refers to a controller, a microcontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmable circuits. Additionally, the memory device(s)  120  of the controller  116  may generally comprise memory element(s) including, but not limited to, a computer readable medium (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), a computer readable non-volatile medium (e.g., a flash memory), a floppy disc, a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disc (MOD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), and/or other suitable memory elements. Such memory device(s)  120  may generally be configured to store suitable computer-readable instructions that, when implemented by the processor(s)  118 , configure the controller  116  to perform various computer-implemented functions. 
     In addition, the controller  116  may also include various other suitable components, such as a communications circuit or module, a network interface, one or more input/output channels, a data/control bus and/or the like, to allow controller  116  to be communicatively coupled to any of the various other system components described herein (e.g., the steering actuator  36 , the location sensor  102 , and/or the crop row sensor  104 ). For instance, as shown in  FIG. 3 , a communicative link or interface  122  (e.g., a data bus) may be provided between the controller  116  and the components  36 ,  102 ,  104  to allow the controller  116  to communicate with such components  36 ,  102 ,  104  via any suitable communications protocol (e.g., CANBUS). 
     It should be appreciated that the controller  116  may correspond to an existing controller(s) of the vehicle  10 , itself, or the controller  116  may correspond to a separate processing device. For instance, in one embodiment, the controller  116  may form all or part of a separate plug-in module that may be installed in association with the vehicle  10  to allow for the disclosed systems to be implemented without requiring additional software to be uploaded onto existing control devices of the vehicle  10 . It should also be appreciated that the functions of the controller  116  may be performed by a single processor-based device or may be distributed across any number of processor-based devices, in which instance such devices may be considered to form part of the controller  116 . For instance, the functions of the controller  116  may be distributed across multiple application-specific controllers, such as a navigation controller, an engine controller, a transmission controller, and/or the like. 
     Furthermore, in one embodiment, the system  100  may also include a user interface  124 . More specifically, the user interface  124  may be configured to receive inputs (e.g., inputs associated with the location of the vehicle  10  within the field) from the operator of the vehicle  10 . As such, the user interface  124  may include one or more input devices (not shown), such as touchscreens, keypads, touchpads, knobs, buttons, sliders, switches, mice, microphones, and/or the like, configured to receive user inputs from the operator. The user interface  124  may, in turn, be communicatively coupled to the controller  116  via the communicative link  122  to permit the inputs to be transmitted from the user interface  124  to the controller  116 . In addition, some embodiments of the user interface  124  may include one or more feedback devices (not shown), such as display screens, speakers, warning lights, and/or the like, which are configured to provide feedback from the controller  116  to the operator. In one embodiment, the user interface  124  may be mounted or otherwise positioned within the cab  22  of the vehicle  10 . However, in alternative embodiments, the user interface  124  may mounted at any other suitable location. 
     In several embodiments, the controller  116  may be configured to access a field map associated with a field across which the vehicle  10  will travel. As will be described below, the accessed field map may, in combination with location data received from the location sensor  102 , be used to control the direction of travel  12  of the vehicle  10  as the vehicle travels across the field to perform an operation (e.g., a harvesting operation) thereon. More specifically, during a previous operation, a field map depicting or otherwise identifying the locations of one or more crop rows present within the field may be generated. For example, in one embodiment, during a planting operation, a field map depicting the locations where seeds were deposited in the field may be generated, with such locations of the seeds corresponding to the locations of the crop rows. The generated field map may be stored within the memory device(s)  120  of the controller  116  for use during a subsequent operation. Thereafter, when it is desired to perform the subsequent operation (e.g., the harvesting operation), the controller  116  may be configured to retrieve or otherwise access the stored field map from its memory  120 . 
     In one embodiment, the controller  116  may be configured to access the stored field map based on an input received from the operator of the vehicle  10 . For example, a plurality of field maps may be stored within the memory device(s)  120  of the controller  116 , with each field map corresponding to a different field on which the vehicle  10  may perform an operation. In this respect, the operator may provide an input indicative of the particular field on which the vehicle  10  is located to the user interface  124  (e.g., by interacting with the input device(s) of the user interface  124 ). Thereafter, the user interface  116  may be configured to transmit the operator input to the controller  116  (e.g., via the communicative link  122 ). Upon receipt of the operator input, the controller  116  is configured to access the corresponding field map from its memory  120 . As will be described below, the controller  116  may be configured to notify the operator when the accessed field map is incorrect and does not correspond to the field on which the vehicle  10  is currently located. 
     As used herein, a “field map” may generally correspond to any suitable dataset that correlates data to various locations within a field. Thus, for example, a field map may simply correspond to a data table that provides the locations of the crop rows present within the field. Alternatively, a field map may correspond to a more complex data structure, such as a geospatial numerical model that can be used to identify the locations of the crop rows present within the field. In one embodiment, the controller  116  may be configured to display the field map to the operator of the vehicle  10  (e.g., via the user interface  124 ) as the vehicle  10  travels across the field. 
     Additionally, in several embodiments, the controller  116  may be configured to receive an input indicative of the vehicle  10  being positioned at a starting point associated with a guide crop row present within a field. More specifically, at the start of an operation (e.g., a harvesting operation), an operator may drive or otherwise move the vehicle  10  to a starting point of a guide crop row within present within the field. Once the vehicle  10  is positioned at the starting point, the operator may provide an input indicative of the vehicle  10  being positioned at the starting point to the user interface  124  (e.g., by interacting with the input device(s) of the user interface  124 ). Thereafter, the user interface  116  may be configured to transmit the operator input to the controller  116  (e.g., via the communicative link  122 ). Upon receipt of the operator input, the controller  116  is configured to determine that the vehicle  10  is positioned at a starting point of the guide crop row. 
     As used herein, a “guide crop row” may generally correspond to any crop row present within the field used to guide or otherwise control the direction of travel  12  of the vehicle  10  as the vehicle  10  travels across the field. Specifically, in several embodiments, the operator may move the vehicle  10  to the start point of any crop row present to initiate the operation. Once at the starting point, the operator may align the vehicle  10  with the crop rows such that a guide component of the vehicle  10  located at a predetermined positional relationship relative to the one of the crop rows within the field. The crop row positioned relative to the guide component may, in turn, correspond to the guide crop row. As will be described below, as vehicle  10  travels across the field, the relative positioning between the guide component and the guide crop row may be used to control the direction of travel  12  of the vehicle  10 . For example, in one embodiment, the guide component may correspond to a specified row divider  80  of the header  30 , such as a row divider  80  having a crop row sensor  104  positioned thereon. In such an embodiment, the operator may position the specified row divider  80  such that one of the crop rows is aligned with a stalkway  82  defined by the specified row divider  80 . In this respect, the crop row aligned with the stalkway  82  defined by the specified row divider  80  may correspond to the guide crop row. As the vehicle  10  makes subsequent passes across the field, the crop row corresponding to guide crop row may change. However, in alternative embodiments, guide component may correspond to any other suitable component of the vehicle  10 . For instance, in an embodiment in which the vehicle  10  is configured as a sprayer (not shown), the guide component may correspond to one of the nozzles (not shown) mounted on the sprayer. 
     After receiving the input indicative of the vehicle  10  being positioned at the starting point of the guide crop row, the controller  116  may be configured to determine the location of the guide crop row within the field. As described above, the system  100  may include a location sensor  102  configured to capture data indicative of location of the vehicle  10  within the field. In this respect, once the vehicle  10  is positioned at the starting point of the guide crop row, the controller  102  may be configured to receive location data (e.g., coordinates) from the location sensor  102  (e.g., via the communicative link  122 ). Thereafter, based on the received location data and the known dimensional and/or geometric relationship between the location sensor  102  and the guide crop row, the controller  102  may be configured to determine the location of the guide crop row within the field. For example, in embodiments in which the guide component of the vehicle  10  corresponds to a specified row divider  80 , the controller  102  may be configured to determine the location of the guide crop row based on the received location data and the dimensional/geometric relationship between the location sensor  102  and the stalkway  82  with which the guide crop is aligned (e.g., the stalkway  82  defined by the specified row divider  80 ). 
     Additionally, the controller  116  may be configured to compare the determined location of the guide crop row and the location of a selected crop row depicted in a field map. As described above, the location sensor  102  may experience signal drift. Signal drift may, in turn, cause the positions of the crop rows present within the field (e.g., at the time of harvest) to differ from the positions of the crop rows depicted in the field map (e.g., generated during planting). Specifically, such signal drift may cause the frame of reference of the location data currently being captured (e.g., to determine the location of the guide crop row) to differ from the frame of reference of the location data captured during the previous operation and used to generate the field. As such, in certain instances, the determined position of the guide crop row may be offset (e.g., in the lateral direction  74 ) from all the crop rows depicted with the field map. In this respect, the controller  116  may be configured to compare to determined location of the guide crop row and the location of a selected crop row depicted in the field map to determine an initial location differential. As will be described below, the controller  116  may use determined initial location differential to adjust the field map such that the selected crop row is aligned with the guide crop row. 
     The selected crop row may correspond to any crop row depicted in the field map. For example, in one embodiment, the selected crop row may correspond to the crop row positioned closest to the determined location of the guide crop row. Such a selection may require the least amount of adjustment to the field map to align the selected crop row with the guide crop row. However, as all the crop rows in the field are generally parallel, the controller  116  may be configured to select any other crop row depicted in the field map as the selected crop row. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example top view of a portion of the header  30  of the vehicle  10  positioned relative to a plurality of crop rows within the field. More specifically, the illustrated portion of the field includes crop rows  126 ,  128 ,  130 , which are currently present within the field (e.g., crop rows that will be harvested by the vehicle  10 ). Furthermore,  FIG. 5  also illustrated the locations of crop rows  132 ,  134  depicted in a previously generated field map associated with the illustrated portion of the field (e.g., a field map generated during planting). As shown, the crop rows  126 ,  128 ,  130  currently present within the field are offset from the crop rows  130 ,  132  depicted in the field map by lateral distance  136 , such as due to signal drift associated with the location sensor  102 . In the example shown in  FIG. 5 , it may be assumed that a row divider  80 A of the header  30  may correspond to the guide component of the vehicle  10 . As such, the crop row  128 , which is aligned with the stalkway  82  adjacent to the row divider  80 A (i.e., the stalkway  82  defined by the row divider  80 A and an adjacent row divider  80 B), corresponds to the guide crop row. In this respect, upon receipt of an input associated with the vehicle  10  being located at the starting point of the crop row  128  from the operator, the controller  116  may be configured to determine the location of the crop row  128  based on data received from the location sensor  102 . Thereafter, the controller  116  may be configured to compare the location of the crop row  128  (i.e., the guide crop row) to the location of a selected crop row depicted in the field map (e.g., the crop row  134 , which is closest to actual location of the crop row  128 ) to determine the initial location differential (e.g., the lateral distance  136 ) associated with these crop rows  128 ,  134 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 3 , in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, the controller  116  may be configured to adjust the field map based on the determined initial location differential. As described above, the controller  116  may be configured to determine the initial location differential between the guide crop row currently present within the field and the selected crop row depicted in the field map. Such differential may, in turn, be indicative of how the locations of the crop row present within the field differ the locations of the crop rows depicted in the field map. In this respect, the controller  116  may be configured to adjust the field map such that the selected crop row depicted in the field map is aligned (e.g., in the lateral direction  74 ) with the guide crop row. For example, in several embodiments, the controller  116  may be configured to shift the frame reference of the field map in the lateral direction  76  such that the selected crop row in depicted in the field map is aligned the lateral direction  74  with the guide crop row. However, in alternative embodiments, the controller  116  may be configured to adjust the field map based on the determined initial location differential in any other suitable manner. 
     Thereafter, the controller  116  may be configured to control the direction of travel of the vehicle  10  as the vehicle  10  travels across the field based on the adjusted field map. More specifically, after adjusting the field map, the operator may proceed with the operation (e.g., the harvesting operation) to be performed on the field. In this respect, as the vehicle  10  travels across the field, the controller  116  may be configured to control the direction of the travel  12  of vehicle  10  based on the adjusted field map. For example, the controller  116  may be configured to transmit control signals to the steering actuator  36  (e.g., via the communicative link  122 ). The control signals may, in turn, instruct the steering actuator  36  to adjust the direction of travel  12  of the vehicle  10  such that the guide component (e.g., one of the row dividers  80  of header  30 ) of vehicle  10  is maintained in predetermined positional relationship with the guide crop row. 
     In several embodiments, as the vehicle  10  travels across the field, the controller  116  may be configured to control the direction of travel  12  based on data received from the crop row sensor  104  in addition to the adjusted field map. As described above, the vehicle  10  may include a crop row sensor  104  configured to capture data indicative of the location of the guide crop row. In this respect, as the vehicle  10  travels across the field relative to the guide crop row, the controller  116  may be configured to receive data from the crop row sensor (e.g., via the communicative link  122 ). The controller  116  may then be configured to analyze or process the received data to determine the location of the guide crop row within the field. As such, the controller  116  may be able to monitor the location of the guide crop row as the vehicle  10  travels across the field. 
     Additionally, the controller  116  may be configured to compare the monitored location of the guide crop row and the location of the selected crop row depicted in a field map. In certain instances, as the vehicle  10  travels across the field, the crop rows present within the field may curve. As such, the signal drift experienced by the location sensor  102  may cause the positions of the curved portions of the crop rows present within the field (e.g., at the time of harvest) to differ from the positions of the curved portions of the crop rows depicted in the adjusted field map (e.g., generated during planting). Specifically, such signal drift may cause the frame of reference of the location data currently being captured (e.g., to determine the location of the guide crop row) to differ from the frame of reference adjusted field map. As such, in certain instances, the determined position of a curved portion of the guide crop row may be angularly offset from the corresponding curved portion of the selected crop row depicted in the field map. In this respect, the controller  116  may be configured to compare to monitored location of the guide crop row (e.g., as determined by the crop row sensor  104 ) and the location of the selected crop row depicted in the adjusted field map to determine an operational location differential. As will be described below, the controller  116  may be configured to use the determined operational location differential to further adjust the adjusted field map such that the selected crop row is aligned with the guide crop row. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an example top view of a portion of the header  30  of the vehicle  10  being positioned relative to a guide crop row  138  within the field as the vehicle  10  travels across the field. More specifically, as shown, the guide crop row  138  curves in the illustrated portion of the field. Furthermore, a corresponding curved portion of a selected crop row  140  depicted in a previously generated field map is shown in the illustrated portion of the field. Moreover, as shown, the guide crop row  138  currently present within the field is offset from the selected crop row  140  depicted in the field map by an angle  142 , such as due to signal drift associated with the location sensor  102 . In this respect, the controller  116  may be configured to monitor the location of the guide crop row  138  based on data received from the crop row sensor  104 . Thereafter, the controller  116  may be configured to compare the location of the guide crop row  138  to the location of the selected crop row  140  depicted in the field map to determine the operation location differential (e.g., the angle  142 ) associated with these crop rows  138 ,  140 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 3 , the controller  116  may be configured to further adjust the adjusted field map based on the determined operational location differential. As described above, the controller  116  may be configured to determine the operational location differential between the guide crop row currently present within the field and the selected crop row depicted in the field map as the vehicle  10  travels across the field. Such differential may, in turn, be indicative of how the locations of the crop rows present within the field differ the locations of the crop rows depicted in the field map. In this respect, the controller  116  may be configured to further adjust the adjusted field map such that the selected crop row is aligned (e.g., angularly aligned) with the guide crop row. For example, in several embodiments, the controller  116  may be configured to rotate the frame of reference of the field map such that the selected crop row in depicted in the field map is angularly aligned with the guide crop row. However, in alternative embodiments, the controller  116  may be configured to further adjust the adjusted field map based on the determined operational location differential in any other suitable manner. 
     Furthermore, in one embodiment, the controller  116  may be configured to determine when the accessed field map does not depict the field across which the vehicle  10  is traveling. As described above, the controller  116  may be configured to access one of a plurality of field maps stored within its memory  120  based on a received operator input. However, in certain instances, the operator input received by the controller  116  may be indicative of the incorrect field map. In such instances, features depicted in the accessed field map may not be present in the field across which the vehicle  10  is traveling. For example, the data received from the crop row sensor  104  may indicate that portions of the guide crops row currently present within the field are curved. However, none of the crop rows depicted in the accessed field map may have curved portions. As such, in several embodiments, the controller  116  may compare the guide row present within the field to selected crop row depicted in the accessed field map as the vehicle  10  travels across the field to perform the agricultural operation. When a feature of the guide crop row (e.g., a curve) is not present in the selected crop row (e.g., the selected crop row is completely straight), the controller  116  may be configured to notify the operator (e.g., via the user interface  124 ) that the incorrect field map has been accessed. Thereafter, the operator may provide an input (e.g., via the user interface  124 ) indicative of the correct field across which the vehicle  10  is traveling, thereby allowing the controller  116  to access the correct field map from is memory  120 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method  200  for controlling the direction of travel of a work vehicle is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. In general, the method  200  will be described herein with reference to the work vehicle  10  and the system  100  described above with reference to  FIGS. 1-6 . However, it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the disclosed method  200  may generally be implemented with any work vehicles having any suitable vehicle configuration and/or within any system having any suitable system configuration. In addition, although  FIG. 7  depicts steps performed in a particular order for purposes of illustration and discussion, the methods discussed herein are not limited to any particular order or arrangement. One skilled in the art, using the disclosures provided herein, will appreciate that various steps of the methods disclosed herein can be omitted, rearranged, combined, and/or adapted in various ways without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , at ( 202 ), the method  200  may include receiving, with one or more computing devices, an input indicative of a work vehicle being positioned at a starting point associated with a guide crop row present within a field. For instance, as described above, the controller  116  may be configured to receive an input from the operator (e.g., via the user interface  124 ) indicative of the vehicle  10  being positioned at a starting point associated with a guide crop row present within a field. 
     Additionally, at ( 204 ), after receiving the input, the method  200  may include, determining, with the one or more computing devices, the location of the guide crop row within the field based on received location data. For instance, as described above, the controller  116  may be configured to determine the location of the guide crop row within the field based on received location data. 
     Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 7 , at ( 206 ), the method  200  may include comparing, with the one or more computing devices, the determined location of the guide crop row and a location of a selected crop row depicted in a field map to determine an initial location differential. For instance, as described above, the controller  116  may be configured to compare determined location of the guide crop row and a location of a selected crop row depicted in a field map to determine an initial location differential. 
     Furthermore, at ( 208 ), the method  200  may include adjusting, with the one or more computing devices, the field map based on the determined initial location differential. For instance, as described above, the controller  116  may be configured to adjust the field map based on the determined initial location differential. 
     In addition, as shown in  FIG. 7 , at ( 210 ), the method  200  may include controlling, with the one or more computing devices, the direction of travel of the work vehicle as the work vehicle travels across the field based on the adjusted field map. For instance, as described above, the controller  116  may be configured to control the operation of a steering actuator  36  of the vehicle  10  to control the direction of travel  12  of the vehicle  10  as the vehicle  10  travels across the field based on the adjusted field map. 
     It is to be understood that the steps of the method  200  are performed by the controller  116  upon loading and executing software code or instructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readable medium, such as on a magnetic medium, e.g., a computer hard drive, an optical medium, e.g., an optical disc, solid-state memory, e.g., flash memory, or other storage media known in the art. Thus, any of the functionality performed by the controller  116  described herein, such as the method  200 , is implemented in software code or instructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readable medium. The controller  116  loads the software code or instructions via a direct interface with the computer readable medium or via a wired and/or wireless network. Upon loading and executing such software code or instructions by the controller  116 , the controller  116  may perform any of the functionality of the controller  116  described herein, including any steps of the method  200  described herein. 
     The term “software code” or “code” used herein refers to any instructions or set of instructions that influence the operation of a computer or controller. They may exist in a computer-executable form, such as machine code, which is the set of instructions and data directly executed by a computer&#39;s central processing unit or by a controller, a human-understandable form, such as source code, which may be compiled in order to be executed by a computer&#39;s central processing unit or by a controller, or an intermediate form, such as object code, which is produced by a compiler. As used herein, the term “software code” or “code” also includes any human-understandable computer instructions or set of instructions, e.g., a script, that may be executed on the fly with the aid of an interpreter executed by a computer&#39;s central processing unit or by a controller. 
     This written description uses examples to disclose the technology, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the technology, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the technology is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.