Abstract:
Disclosed is apparatus for determining cross track error between a stored planted location and the actual physical location of plants. An array of active light sensors is mounted on a vehicle for travel above the plants. The array of active light sensors generate an electrical signal from each sensor corresponding to the reflected light from the sensor. A computer system generates a reflectance curve from the array of sensors to determine the location of a plant below the array of sensors and also generates the cross track error.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/035,590, filed Aug. 11, 2014, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Current guidance systems assume that guidance lines created with GPS are a true reflection of the actual planting lines. Reducing error from GPS drift by adding options such as Real-time kinematic (RTK) correction will help create a very repeatable guidance line, but does not take into account the small errors that occur during the planting or application process. If there is an accidental shift during planting, the guidance line will indicate the rows were planted straight, but the plants will emerge shifted. 
         [0003]    Additionally, GPS units may track slightly differently between GPS units creating a slightly different guidance line placement between planter and application equipment. Each of these instances of variation from the calculated guidance line would be corrected by a sensor controlled guidance line which responds to the plant location rather than assume planted location. 
         [0004]    Many sidedress applicators know of these issues and choose to manually guide the equipment through the field rather than let an error in GPS guidance destroy a large section of their plants. The problem with this is human error can also cause incidental drift which will also lead to damage of plants. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,626 divulges the idea of using light sensors for guidance assistance, but does not provide any details on how to determine actual row location. 
         [0006]    Current systems calculate cross track error based on where it is assumed the rows will be at. Using light sensors, the cross track error will be created from accurate measurements of the physical location of the plant row. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention consists of an array of active light sensors mounted on an agricultural vehicle and an associated computer system for detecting the actual location of plants in a row and computing the difference between the actual row location from the location generated during planting using a GPS system. The array of active light sensors and associated computer system determines the location of a plant in a row by identifying a peak reflectance value which corresponds to the center of the plant. The sensors and associated computer system are able to distinguish desired crop plants from foreign vegetation, such as weeds, and to disregard sensor readings from the foreign vegetation. The sensors and associated computer system are able to distinguish between soil and vegetation readings and disregard soil readings so as to identify rows of plants and to disregard sensor readings of temporary abrupt changes in vegetation location that are caused by unintended seed placement or errant plant growth. 
         [0008]    The sensors and associated computer system are, in preferred embodiments, interconnected with an automatic steering system to steer an agricultural vehicle along the path of the actual row of plants or to a parallel GPS manual guidance system to assist in guiding the operator along the path of the actual row of plants. 
         [0009]    In another preferred embodiment, the sensors and associated computer system can more accurately detect the path of the plants compared to the direction of travel of the vehicle by using at least two sensor arrays over the same rows. The system would be able to more quickly respond to changes in path direction by calculating the difference in location between a front mounted and rear mounted array. The system could then predict the path direction very near to the current location of the vehicle, which is especially useful for detecting when rows of plants start to curve. 
         [0010]    In another preferred embodiment, the sensors and associated computer system use an array of active light sensors mounted on a vehicle to determine the lateral position of vegetation relative to a ground engaging member of the vehicle and determines a crow-track driving error. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an array of sensors scanning a single plant to create a reflectance curve. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an array of sensors used to find the gap between rows by comparing reflectance curves. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0013]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , an array of active light sensors is passed over a growing plant. Each sensor in the array measures a reflectance value when it is over a part of the plant. The reflectance values are compiled to form a reflectance curve of the plant biomass. This reflectance curve is used in a variety of ways to determine cross track error from accurate measurements of the physical location of the plant row and to assist in guidance of an agricultural vehicle on which the array is mounted as it passes through a field of crops. 
         [0014]    In  FIG. 2  there is illustrated apparatus comprising an array of sensors that are used to find the gap between rows. If a crop type has little to no peak reflectance value at the center of the plant, sensors can be used to indicate the total area of two plants. Knowing the gap between rows based on planter spacing, the system can calculate the center of the gap between rows to create a cross track error from. 
         [0015]    The computer system calculates a cross track driving error by determining the lateral relative position of vegetation as measured by the sensors to a ground engaging member of the vehicle. The computer system includes a means to store a Zero Error Position on the sensor array that defines the vehicle is traveling the desired path whenever vegetation is passing under Zero Error Position. The computer system also is used to determine the direction of cross track vehicle driving error by comparing the position on the active light sensor array that vegetation is passing under to the Zero Error Position is used to determine the magnitude of cross track vehicle driving error by comparing the position on the active light sensor array that vegetation is passing under to the Zero Error Position, for example by adding the spacing between light sensors on said sensor array from where vegetation is passing under array to the Zero Error Position. In a preferred embodiment, a display is used to show an operator of the vehicle the direction and magnitude of cross track vehicle driving error. 
         [0016]    In another preferred embodiment, the computer system is interconnected with an automatic steering system and uses the direction and magnitude of cross track vehicle driving error to automatically steer vehicle down a desired path. In this embodiment, a further refinement automatically determines when the cross track driving error from the active light sensor array is sufficiently accurate to automatically engage steering. 
         [0017]    In another preferred embodiment, the computer system accepts and uses a manual input to compensate direction and magnitude of cross track vehicle driving error for changes in vegetation biomass. For example, the manual input can be a user entered vegetation biomass parameter (e.g. growth stage, plant height). 
         [0018]    In another preferred embodiment, the computer system automatically compensates the direction and magnitude of cross track vehicle driving error for changes in vegetation biomass using an algorithm that compensates for changing biomass by interpreting sensor signals without any user entered vegetation biomass parameters except for crop type. 
         [0019]    A particular application of the present invention is detecting cross track driving error with the active light sensor array mounted to a vehicle used to detect the middle of a row space between adjacent rows; that is, using the array to identify adjacent rows of plants and calculating the line of halfway points. In another application of the present invention, the active light sensor array mounted on a vehicle is used to augment the cross track driving error of a parallel GPS manual guidance or automatic steering system, and may include comparing active light sensor readings to a GPS readings of a parallel guidance line system and/or comparing active light sensor readings of one row of crop to another row of crop sensed by the active light sensor array. 
         [0020]    In another preferred embodiment, the active light sensor readings from vegetation are compared to a mechanical row feeler system. 
         [0021]    The present invention can be used to determine a cross track driving error by using the active light sensor array system to detect the location plants and compare it to the stored row spacing as planted, as well as verifying the location of two or more rows or one or more row spaces by comparing detected row space to actual planted row spacing. 
         [0022]    The present invention can also be used to detect cross track driving error with the active light sensor array mounted on a vehicle by computing a rolling average of sensor readings in the direction of travel or, alternatively, computing an average from two or more sensors laterally positioned relative to the direction of travel. 
         [0023]    The present invention can also be used to detect cross track driving error with an active light sensor array where system compensates for one or more wind parameters, such as wind speed and wind direction. In a preferred embodiment, the wind parameter is measured in real time on vehicle and wherein an algorithm uses the combination of wind parameters and sensor data to detect a row offset distance correction for cross track driving error. 
         [0024]    The present invention can also be used to detect GPS drift based on plant row location compared to GPS created guidance line location. The invention shifts the GPS created guidance lines to the corrected location based on the location of the vehicle relative to the crop rows. In a preferred embodiment, an algorithm calculates a temporary correction for the guidance from a GPS created guidance line based on the sensor array detection of shifts in the plant rows. 
         [0025]    The present invention can also be used to more accurately detect the path of the plants compared to the direction of travel of the vehicle by using at least two sensor arrays over the same rows. In this arrangement, the invention is able to more quickly respond to changes in path direction by calculating the difference in location between a front mounted and rear mounted array. The invention is able to predict the path direction very near to the current location of the vehicle, which is especially useful for detecting when row of plants start to curve. 
         [0026]    The present invention can also be used to correct cross track driving error for vegetation on slopes that do not grow perpendicular to soil surface by using slope readings from a real time slope sensor on the vehicle. 
         [0027]    In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cross track driving error of a mounted or drawn implement is determined for the purpose of either passively or actively steering the implement equipment. 
         [0028]    The sensors preferably have a narrow and defined viewing area to determine an accurate amount of biomass directly in the viewing area of the sensor. The sensors also preferably sample data at a very high rate, even more preferably above 100 Hz. 
         [0029]    The foregoing description and drawings comprise illustrative embodiments of the present inventions. The foregoing embodiments and the methods described herein may vary based on the ability, experience, and preference of those skilled in the art. Merely listing the steps of the method in a certain order does not constitute any limitation on the order of the steps of the method. The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention, and the invention is not limited thereto, except insofar as the claims are so limited. Those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.