Patent ID: 8386129

Claim:
A method of guiding a vehicle including motive and working components over an area being treated by the working component, which method comprises the steps of: providing an XY pixel grid corresponding to the area, said pixels having predetermined areas and rectangular configurations; creating a raster-based database pixel grid page comprising said XY pixel grid for said area; providing a processor on the vehicle; providing a GNSS guidance system connected to the processor on the vehicle; receiving GNSS positioning signals with said guidance system; providing said GNSS positioning signals as input to said processor; computing GNSS-based positioning for said vehicle with said processor; defining a GNSS-defined reference point on said area and storing the reference point coordinates with said processor; computing X and Y pixel indices based on said GNSS-defined vehicle position in relation to said reference point with said processor; treating portions of said area with said working component; with said processor marking pixels in said treated area portions as treated; guiding said vehicle over said area utilizing said treated pixel information to define swath edges for said vehicle; controlling said vehicle working component using said treated pixel information; predefining said pixel grid page to cover said area or a vehicle track through said area; creating additional raster-based XY pixel grid pages in said area; expanding said database by tiling said pixel grid pages over said area; creating with said processor a linear or multidimensional database comprising said pixel grid pages; accessing with said processor said database; marking pixels in said database as treated; guiding said vehicle using said treated pixel markings; driving an initial pass over said area with said vehicle; treating pixels within said initial pass with said working component; marking with said processor said treated pixels as treated in said database; providing said vehicle working component with ends; defining a swath coverage area with said working component ends forming opposite edges of said swath; with said GNSS system and said processor seeking pixels in proximity to said swath edges; with said GNSS system and said processor guiding said vehicle along said swath edges; detecting a vehicle direction of travel with said GNSS system; walking up the pixels in the vehicle path to a target pixel; testing pixels alongside said vehicle path for treated conditions based on a swath width of said working component; and guiding said vehicle towards said target pixel using said treated condition pixel information alongside said vehicle path.