Patent Description:
Agricultural harvesting machines, such as balers, are used to consolidate and package crop material so as to facilitate the storage and handling of the crop material for later use. In the case of hay, a mower-conditioner is typically used to cut and condition the crop material for windrow drying in the sun. In the case of straw, an agricultural combine discharges non-grain crop material from the rear of the combine defining the straw (such as wheat or oat straw) which is to be picked up by the baler. After the crop material has sufficiently dried, a baler which is typically towed by an agricultural vehicle will pick up the crop material and form it into bales.

A round baler may generally include a frame, supported by wheels, a pickup unit to engage and lift the crop material into the baler, a cutting unit, a main bale chamber for forming a bale, and a wrapping mechanism for wrapping or tying a material around the bale after it has been formed in the main bale chamber. As the baler is towed over a windrow, the pickup unit lifts the crop material into the baler. Then, the crop material may be cut into smaller pieces by the cutting unit. As the crop material enters the main bale chamber, multiple carrier elements, e.g. rollers, chains and slats, and/or belts, will begin to form a bale of hay within the chamber. These carrier elements are movable so that the chamber can initially contract and subsequently expand to maintain an appropriate amount of pressure on the periphery of the bale. After the bale is formed and wrapped by the wrapping mechanism, the bale is ejected out of the rear of the baler and onto the field.

Once the bale is formed, it needs to be transported from the field to a different location, such as a staging area, where the bale is stored. A bale retriever that includes a bale fork or similar pick up mechanism may be used to pick up multiple bales and move the bales to the staging area. Some bale retrievers are autonomous in that they automatically relocate the bales without direct operator control. However, such bale retrievers may not be capable of accurately identifying the locations of the bales in the field.

<CIT> discloses a system including a mobile machine for collecting bales which are located across a field. The mobile machine is configured to collect a bale with a first bale carrier when moving in a forward direction and collecting a bale with a second bale carrier when moving in the reverse direction. A computing device is foreseen which is configured to receive location information of the location of the bales and this computing device will automatically determine the path to follow to collect the bales, using this location information.

<CIT> describes the use of self-powered, autonomous vehicles that include a self-propelled drive system, tracks or wheels operatively connected to the drive system, a power supply operatively connected to the drive system, an attachment mechanism for attaching equipment to the vehicle and an intellectual control operatively connected to the drive system, power supply and attachment mechanism. One such an attachment mechanism is a bale collecting device having a vision system to identify the best way to pick up a bale determined on the type of bale which needs picking up. It is possible to move one or more of the autonomous vehicles from field to field, home to field or from generally any first location to a second location.

What is needed in the art is an autonomous bale retrieving system for efficiently locating and transporting bales.

Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein provide an autonomous bale retriever with a bale location sensor and a controller which is operably coupled to the bale location sensor. The controller is configured to receive bale drop location information and receive at least one bale feature signal from bale location sensor. The controller is also configured to identify an exact bale location of the bale based at least partially on the bale drop location information and the at least one bale feature signal from the at least one sensor, generate a steering control signal based at least partially on the exact bale location, and output the steering control signal to the steering assembly.

In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bale retriever as set forth in claim <NUM>.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for retrieving bales as set forth in claim <NUM>.

Advantageously , the at least one bale feature of the bale may comprise a reflectance of one or more areas on the bale.

The controller may be configured to identify the exact bale location and the exact bale orientation based at least partially on the reflectance of one or more areas on the bale.

The at least one sensor may comprise an optical sensor and/or a LIDAR sensor.

The bale retriever may further comprise at least one lighting device carried by the chassis and configured to emit nonvisible light.

The controller may be further configured to generate a bale location map from the bale drop location information.

One possible advantage that may be realized by exemplary embodiments disclosed herein is that the system may generate a bale location map and subsequently determine the exact location of the bales in order to facilitate the automatic retrieval of bales in a field.

Another possible advantage that may be realized by exemplary embodiments disclosed herein is that the controller of the bale retriever may generate 3D image data of the bale by sensing the amount of light emitted by the wrapping material and/or the crop material within the bale.

The terms "forward", "rearward", "left" and "right", when used in connection with the agricultural vehicle and/or baler are usually determined with reference to the direction of forward operative travel of the agricultural vehicle, but they should not be construed as limiting. The term bale drop location information may refer to any information concerning the ejection cycle of the baler, including a heading, travel speed, coordinates of the bale ejection location, etc. The bale drop location information may include sensed bale feature(s) from the baler at the drop location. The term bale feature may refer to any characteristic or parameter concerning the bale, including the shape, size, weight, winding or rolling geometry, or density of the bale, the wrapping material around the bale, and/or the crop material within the bale.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to <FIG>, there is shown a bale forming and retrieval system <NUM> for forming and retrieving bales B in a field. The system <NUM> generally includes at least one agricultural work vehicle <NUM>, which tows a baler <NUM> in a forward direction of travel, and at least one bale retriever <NUM>. The system <NUM> may automatically produce, locate, and retrieve the bales B. It should be appreciated that the system <NUM> may generally be utilized with work vehicles, balers, and/or baler retrievers which any suitable configuration. Additionally, for purposes of providing an example of a bale production and collection operation, the system <NUM> will generally be described herein with reference to performance of the bale production and collection operation following the example baling operation described herein. However, it should be appreciated that the system <NUM> may generally be utilized to perform a bale collection and transportation operation following the performance of any suitable baling operation within any suitable field.

The work vehicle <NUM> may include front and rear wheels and/or tracks <NUM>, <NUM>, a chassis <NUM>, a prime mover, and a steering assembly <NUM> carried by the chassis <NUM>. The work vehicle <NUM> may or may not include a cab for housing an operator. The steering assembly <NUM> may include variously configured valves and cylinders for steering the wheels and/or tracks <NUM>, <NUM>. As shown, the work vehicle <NUM> is configured as an agricultural tractor, such as an autonomous, semi-autonomous, or operator-driven tractor. However, in some embodiments, the work vehicle <NUM> may correspond to any other suitable vehicle configured to tow a baler across a field or that is otherwise configured to facilitate the performance of a baling operation itself, including an autonomous baling vehicle.

The work vehicle <NUM> may also include a controller <NUM>, with a memory <NUM>, and one or more sensor(s) <NUM> for sensing various operating parameters of the work vehicle <NUM>. For example, the work vehicle <NUM> may include a positioning sensor or device <NUM>, such as a global positioning system (GPS) or the like, which tracks the position of the work vehicle <NUM>. The work vehicle <NUM> may also include a speed sensor, inclinometer, moisture content sensor, etc..

The baler <NUM> produces crop material bales and deposits the bales onto the field. As shown, the baler <NUM> is configured as a round baler configured to generate round bales. However, in some embodiments, the baler <NUM> may have any other suitable configuration, including being configured to generate square or rectangular bales. It should be further appreciated that the baler <NUM>, while shown as being towed by a work vehicle <NUM>, may also be a self-propelled baler that does not rely on a separate vehicle for propulsion and/or power to function. In such a configuration, the work vehicle <NUM> may not be included as part of the system <NUM>.

As is generally known, the baler <NUM> generally includes a frame <NUM>, a hitch or tongue <NUM> pivotally connected to the agricultural vehicle <NUM>, a baler PTO shaft, and wheels <NUM>. The baler <NUM> further includes a crop collector or pickup unit <NUM> connected to the frame <NUM>, a bale chamber <NUM> connected to the frame <NUM>, a wrapper <NUM>, and a tailgate <NUM> (as shown schematically in <FIG>).

In a bailing operation, crop material is lifted from windrows into the baler <NUM>. The crop material is moved rearwardly toward the bale chamber <NUM>, wherein the crop material is rolled into a bale of a predetermined size. The bale chamber <NUM> may be in the form of a continuously variable bale chamber <NUM>. Hence, the bale chamber <NUM> may include multiple rolls or rollers, one or more cylinders and/or pivot arms coupled to the movable rollers, at least one belt, and a bale density pressure mechanism. Together, the rollers and the belt(s) may create a round circulating chamber which expands in between an empty bale position and a full bale position for engaging and rolling the bale B. When the bale reaches a predetermined size, the bale is wrapped with a wrapping material M by the wrapping mechanism or wrapper <NUM>. The wrapping material M may be a mesh, twine, or stretchable net wrap. The wrapping material M may or may not be embedded with a reflective material. Once wrapped, the tailgate <NUM> opens to allow the bale B to roll out of the bale chamber <NUM> and onto a bale ejection mechanism, such as a kicker or a ramp. The ramp may move the bale rearwardly and deposit the bale onto the field or onto a bale holding device which is connected to the baler.

The baler <NUM> further includes a controller <NUM>, with a memory <NUM>, and one or more sensor(s) <NUM>, <NUM> for sensing operational parameters of the baler <NUM> and/or features of the bale B. The baler controller <NUM> can be operably connected to the tractor controller <NUM> via an ISOBUS communication interface.

The baler <NUM> may include a positioning sensor or device <NUM>. Additionally, the baler <NUM> may or may not include one or more baler sensor(s) <NUM> for sensing at least one bale feature of the bale B at its drop location. Thereby, after bale ejection, the sensor <NUM> may determine where the bale stopped relative to the baler <NUM>. Each sensor <NUM> may be mounted to the baler <NUM>, for example on the tailgate <NUM>. Each sensor <NUM> may provide at least one bale feature signal to the baler controller <NUM> and/or vehicle controller <NUM>, which may then correct or otherwise update the estimated bale drop location information in order to provide the actual bale location after it has stopped rolling after being ejected from the baler <NUM>. Each sensor <NUM> may be in the form of any desired sensor, such as an optical sensor or a LIDAR sensor. It should be appreciated that the baler <NUM> may not include the bale detection sensor <NUM>; and thereby, the baler <NUM> and/or the work vehicle <NUM> may only record the locations of the bale ejections. Additionally, each sensor <NUM>, or another sensor of the baler <NUM>, may also identify the rolling direction of a bale B during bale formation.

The bale retriever <NUM> may include front and rear wheels and/or tracks <NUM>, <NUM>, a chassis <NUM>, a prime mover, a steering assembly <NUM> carried by the chassis <NUM>, and a bale pick up or carrier <NUM> which contacts and picks up the bale B. As shown, the bale retriever <NUM> is a separate vehicle, distinct from the work vehicle <NUM> or baler <NUM>, which may operate simultaneously within a field to produce and collect crop material bales. However, the bale retriever <NUM> may include any vehicle that can be used to collect bales standing within the field, including any suitable autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle. In some embodiments, the bale retriever <NUM> may be in the form of the work vehicle <NUM>, as discussed above, which has a bale pick up <NUM> attached thereto. For example, upon completion of the baling operation, the baler <NUM> may be unhitched from the work vehicle <NUM> and a suitable bale pick up <NUM> may be installed on the work vehicle <NUM> to allow for the collection of bales from the field. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the bale retriever <NUM> may be in the form of a self-propelled bale carrier.

The steering assembly <NUM> may be configured to be automatically and/or autonomously controlled to allow the bale retriever <NUM> to be directed along a predetermined path(s) across the field, either additionally or alternatively to manual control of the steering assembly <NUM>. For example, in some embodiments, the steering assembly <NUM> may include or form part of an auto-guidance system for automatically steering the bale retriever <NUM>. In such a configuration, the bale retriever <NUM> may correspond to a fully autonomous vehicle, a semi-autonomous vehicle, or an otherwise manually operated vehicle having one or more autonomous functions (e.g., automated steering or auto-guidance functions).

The bale pick up <NUM> can be removably connected to and carried by the chassis <NUM> of the bale retriever <NUM>. The pick up <NUM> can be in the form of any desired mechanism. For instance, the pick up <NUM> can be in the form of forks, a bale spear, arms which may be actuated by one more actuators, or the like. The bale retriever <NUM> may also include additional devices, such as a holding platform or trailer, which operates in tandem with the bale pick up <NUM>. For instance, the bale pick up <NUM> may lift the bales B from the field and, for example, place the bales B on a holding platform (which may include a conveyor).

Each bale retriever <NUM> further includes a controller <NUM>, with a memory <NUM>, and one or more retriever sensor(s) <NUM>, <NUM> for sensing various operational parameters of the bale retriever <NUM> and/or features of the bale B. The bale retriever <NUM> may include a positioning sensor or device <NUM> which tracks the position of the bale retriever <NUM>. Additionally, each bale retriever <NUM> may also include one or more sensor(s) <NUM> for sensing at least one bale feature of the bale B.

The retriever controller <NUM> is operatively coupled to the steering assembly <NUM> and the sensors <NUM>, <NUM>. The controller <NUM> is also operatively coupled to the steering assembly <NUM> and, in some embodiments, one or more other components of the bale retriever <NUM> (e.g., the engine and/or the transmission) for electronically controlling the operation of such component(s) (e.g. electronic control based on inputs received from the operator and/or automatic electronic control for executing one or more autonomous control functions).

The controller <NUM> may further be operatively coupled to one or more other work vehicle controller(s), vehicle controller(s) <NUM>, baler controller(s) <NUM>, and/or a data center <NUM> by way of a network <NUM> of the system <NUM>. The data center <NUM> may also be configured to receive, process, and record data concerning with the system <NUM>. The data center <NUM> may include at least one processor, such as an image processor, which conducts an algorithm, including a machine learning algorithm or other deep-learning artificial intelligence algorithm, to at least partially generate a bale location map <NUM> which indicates an exact and/or estimated location of the bales B on the field. It should be appreciated that the vehicle controller <NUM>, the baler controller <NUM>, the retriever controller <NUM>, and/or the data center <NUM> may solely or collectively generate the bale location map <NUM> and/or conduct imaging processing for processing the signals, e.g. image data, from the sensors <NUM>, <NUM>. The bale location map <NUM> may be generated for the entire field or portions thereof such that the map may be created and updated in real-time as the baling operating is being carried out in the field. It should be appreciated that the network <NUM> may be any suitable network, including a wireless network having one or more processors or nodes. Additionally, the network <NUM> may broadly represent any combination of one or more data communication networks including local area networks, wide area networks, neural networks, etc., using a wired or wireless connection.

Each sensor <NUM> may be carried by the chassis <NUM> and connected to the front of the bale retriever <NUM>. It is possible for each sensor <NUM> to be mounted onto a portion of the bale pick up <NUM>. Each sensor <NUM> may provide at least one bale feature signal to the retriever controller <NUM>. Each sensor <NUM> may sense one or more areas on the bale B. For instance, each sensor <NUM> may sense a reflectance of the wrapping material M and a reflectance of crop material in the bale B, which may be less reflective than the wrapping material M. Additionally or alternatively, the reflectance of a first area and a second area, for example an area of the bale B which receives less visible light and/or nonvisible light, may be sensed. Furthermore, additionally or alternatively, the reflectance of a reflective material placed on one or more sides of a round bale or square bale may be sensed. Hence, each sensor <NUM> and/or sensor <NUM> may sense the reflection of visible light and/or nonvisible of one or more areas on the bale B.

Each sensor <NUM> may be in the form of an optical sensor, such as a camera or RGB sensor, or a wave-ranging sensor, such as a radar or LIDAR sensor. If the sensor <NUM> is configured as a LIDAR sensor, then the LIDAR sensor may create a 3D image of the bale B to determine the specific bale location and orientation relative to the bale retriever <NUM>. Therein, the sensor may use LIDAR technology to identify the flat surface versus the round surface of a round bale. Alternatively, the sensor <NUM> may be in the form of a camera which may generate image data to identify the location and/or orientation of the bale B. Each bale retriever <NUM> may include a single sensor <NUM>. It should be appreciated that the bale retriever <NUM> may include two or more sensors <NUM>, such as a LIDAR sensor and a camera. It should also be appreciated that each bale retriever <NUM> may not include the sensor(s) <NUM> for sensing bale feature(s). In such a configuration, the sensor <NUM> on the baler <NUM> may be the only sensor which senses the bale feature(s).

Each bale retriever <NUM> may also include one or more lighting device(s) <NUM> for emitting nonvisible light onto the bale B, as shown in phantom in <FIG>. Each lighting device <NUM> may be carried by the chassis <NUM> and operably connected to the controller <NUM>. If the wrapping material M is embedded with a fluorescent material, the nonvisible light may interact with the wrapping material M of the bale B which may cause the wrapping material M to fluoresce. If the sensor <NUM> is in the form of a camera, the additional nonvisible light from the lighting device <NUM> will help the camera more easily identify the wrapping material M and accordingly the round side or the long side of a bale. Each lighting device may be in the form of a light emitting diode (LED) or similar light. It is noted that each bale retriever <NUM> may or may not include the lighting device <NUM>. Thus, the sensor <NUM> may sense visible light and/or nonvisible light which is reflected from the bale B. In another embodiment, one or more lighting device(s) <NUM> can be located on the baler <NUM>, in addition or alternatively to the lighting device(s) <NUM> on each bale retriever <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the controller <NUM> can receive the bale drop location information, the at least one bale feature signal from one or both of the sensors <NUM>, <NUM>, and any other desired information from the data center <NUM>, the vehicle controller <NUM>, and/or the baler controller <NUM>. For instance, the controller <NUM> may also receive a time of day or estimated position of the sun, or other light source, in order to determine the orientation of the bale B. Thereafter, the controller <NUM> may identify an exact bale location and/or bale orientation of the bale B based at least partially on the bale drop location information and/or the at least one bale feature signal from one or both of the sensors <NUM>, <NUM>. The controller <NUM> can also generate the bale location map <NUM> independent of or in conjunction with the data center <NUM>.

The controller <NUM> can identify the location and orientation of the bale so that the bale retriever <NUM> may engage the bale B on the desired side for proper transport. For a round bale, the controller <NUM> will identify and distinguish between the flat surface and the round surface. For a square bale, the controller <NUM> will identify and distinguish between a first, long side and a second, short side which has a smaller cross-sectional area than the long side. In the case of round bales, the controller <NUM> may identify the curved line corresponding to the outer perimeter of the bale B. The height H and the radius of curvature R of the vertical wall can be used to determine the orientation of the bale B. For instance, the radius of curvature R will be smaller if the round surface of the bale B is substantially facing the bale retriever <NUM> (<FIG>) and larger if the flat surface is substantially facing the bale retriever <NUM> (<FIG>). Hence, the controller <NUM> may correlate a given radius of curvature R to a corresponding bale orientation.

The controller <NUM> can also receive and/or identify the rolling direction of the bale B during bale formation. As can be appreciated, the wrap will have a tail hanging loose from the bale, and it may be advantageous to identify which direction the bale was rotated during formation to help retain the integrity of this tail during transport of the wrapped bale B. It should be appreciated that the rolling direction and/or tale orientation could be determined by the baler controller <NUM>, being documented the bale ejection point, and/or by the retriever controller <NUM>. For instance, the rolling direction of the bale B may be sensed by one or both sensors <NUM>, <NUM> through identifying a color of the wrapping material M on a specific side of the bale B or by capturing image data and subsequently conducting image processing to identify the winding geometry on the flat surface of the bale B.

The controller <NUM> may also generate and output a steering control signal based at least partially on the exact bale location and/or the exact bale orientation to the steering assembly <NUM>. Therein, the controller <NUM> automatically controls the operation of the bale retriever <NUM> via control of the steering assembly <NUM> such that the bale retriever <NUM> is moved across the field without any operator input (e.g., for autonomous vehicle operation and/or when otherwise operating in an autonomous mode). Additionally or alternatively, the controller <NUM> may be connected to the control mechanism, e.g. one or more hydraulic cylinders, of the pick up <NUM> so that the controller <NUM> may reposition the pick up <NUM>, e.g. reorient an angle thereof relative to the bale retriever <NUM>, to contact and lift the bale B.

In some embodiments, various data pertaining to the system and/or the field may be stored in one or more data centers, such as the remote data center <NUM> and/or the memory <NUM> of the retriever controller <NUM>. Such data may, for instance, include any data collected during the performance of the prior baling operation, such as the position data associated with the location of the baling paths relative to the field, the heading data associated with the heading of the vehicle/baler along each baling path, and/or the position data associated with the specific location of each bale within the field. In addition, such data may include one or more operator inputs, one or more user-defined system preferences, and/or other system inputs relevant to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, such as data associated with the specific type of bales being collected (e.g., round bales vs. square/rectangular bales), data associated with the specific size of bales being collected (e.g., <NUM>×<NUM>, <NUM>×<NUM>, or <NUM>×<NUM>), data associated with a desired or selected location for the staging area at which the bales will be aggregated, data associated with a desired spacing or arrangement of the collected bales within the staging area, and/or any other relevant data. Furthermore, such data can also include field data associated with the characteristics of the field, such as the topography of the field.

In some embodiments, the work vehicle controller <NUM> and/or the baler controller <NUM> may, for example, record the current GPS coordinates of the baler <NUM> each time the baler <NUM> ejects a bale B and output such GPS coordinates as the bale drop location information to the network <NUM>. While the bale B may roll slightly after being ejected by the baler <NUM>, the expected location of the bale B can be defined to be an area surrounding the GPS coordinates of the baler <NUM> at the bale drop location so the bale retriever <NUM> can head toward the expected location of the bale B and get relatively close to the bale B for retrieval.

In some embodiments, the controller <NUM> and/or data center <NUM> is configured to define the expected location of a bale B based at least partially on the baler travel path and one or more operating parameters of the work vehicle <NUM>, the baler <NUM>, and/or the field, such as a travel speed, a heading, a volume or weight of the bales B, an inclinometer reading of the work vehicle <NUM>, topography data of the field, etc. The controller <NUM> may generate an expected zone or perimeter around respective GPS coordinates to signify the expected area for location of the bale B. For instance, the controller <NUM> may generate a circular perimeter of <NUM> meters, or approximately <NUM> feet circumferentially surrounding the GPS coordinates. Additionally, the controller <NUM> may alter the perimeter if data indicates a hill or slope is present. For instance, the controller <NUM> may generate an ellipsoidal perimeter to accommodate the slope of the field and projected movement of the bale B due to the slope of the field. However, it should be appreciated that the controller <NUM> and/or data center <NUM> may not be required define the zones or expected locations of the bales B. For instance, the baler <NUM> may deposit the bales B on one of their flat ends so that the bales B are not likely to move after being deposited onto the field.

In some embodiments, the controller <NUM> can operate the bale retriever <NUM> in various operating modes. For instance, the controller <NUM> can operate the bale retriever <NUM> in an energy-saving mode wherein the sensor <NUM> is turned off until the bale retriever <NUM> nears the estimated bale location, for example the zone surrounding the GPS coordinates. Then, the controller <NUM> may operate the bale retriever <NUM> in an active bale-searching mode wherein the sensor <NUM> is turned on and the controller <NUM> processes the sensor signals to identify the location and orientation of the bale B.

Referring now to <FIG>, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of a method <NUM> for retrieving bales or otherwise operating the system <NUM>. The bale location map <NUM> may be generated (at block <NUM>). For instance, the data center <NUM> may generate the bale location map <NUM> from the bale drop location information, including bale ejection coordinates. Alternatively, if the data center <NUM> does not generate the bale location map <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may generate the bale location map <NUM> from the bale drop location information. The controller <NUM> may receive any desired information from the vehicle controller <NUM>, the bale controller <NUM>, and/or the data center <NUM>, such as the bale drop location information and/or the bale location map <NUM> of the estimated locations of the bales B (at block <NUM>). The controller <NUM> may then steer or otherwise direct the bale retriever <NUM> to the general or estimated location of the bale B (at block <NUM>). Thereafter, the sensor(s) <NUM> of the bale retriever <NUM> may sense at least one bale feature of the bale B (at block <NUM>). The controller <NUM> may then receive the at least one bale feature signal from the sensor(s) <NUM> (at block <NUM>). Then, the controller <NUM> may identify the exact bale location and/or the exact bale orientation of the bale B based at least partially on the bale drop location information, the bale location map <NUM>, and/or the feature signal(s) from one or both of the sensors <NUM>, <NUM> (at block <NUM>). Thereafter, the controller <NUM> may generate a steering control signal based at least partially on the exact bale location (at block <NUM>). Then, the controller <NUM> can output the steering control signal to the steering assembly <NUM> and accordingly steer the bale retriever <NUM> to the bale B (<NUM>). The controller <NUM> may also generate and output a bale pick up signal for adjusting a position of the pick up <NUM>. The bale retriever <NUM> may then retrieve the bale B. Therein, the bale retriever <NUM> may collect one or more bale(s) B and transport the bale(s) B to the desired location.

It is to be understood that one or more of the steps of the method <NUM> can be performed by the retriever controller <NUM>, the baler controller <NUM>, the vehicle <NUM>, and/or the data center <NUM> 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(s) <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and/or data center <NUM> described herein, such as the method <NUM>, is implemented in software code or instructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readable medium. The controller(s) <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and/or data center <NUM> load(s) 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, the controller(s) <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and/or data center <NUM> may perform any of the functionality of the controller controller(s) <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and/or data center <NUM> described herein, including any step(s) of the method <NUM> described herein.

Claim 1:
A bale retriever (<NUM>) for retrieving bales (B), comprising:
a chassis (<NUM>);
a bale pick up (<NUM>) carried by the chassis (<NUM>) and configured to contact and pick up a bale (B);
a steering assembly (<NUM>) carried by the chassis (<NUM>) and configured to steer the bale retriever (<NUM>);
at least one sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>) carried by the chassis (<NUM>) and configured to sense at least one bale feature of the bale (B) and provide at least one bale feature signal; and
a controller (<NUM>) operatively coupled to the steering assembly (<NUM>) and the at least one sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>), the controller (<NUM>) being configured to:
receive bale drop location information; and
receive the at least one bale feature signal from the at least one sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>);
the controller (<NUM>) is further configured to:
identify an exact bale location of the bale (B) based at least partially on the bale drop location information and the at least one bale feature signal from the at least one sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>);
and characterized in that;
identify an exact bale orientation of the bale (B) based at least partially on the at least one bale feature signal from the at least one sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>).
identify the exact bale orientation by initially identifying:
a round surface and a flat surface for a round bale; or
a first side and a second side which has a smaller cross-sectional area than the first side for a square bale;
generate a steering control signal based at least partially on the exact bale location; and
output the steering control signal to the steering assembly (<NUM>).