Method and apparatus for automatically steering a vehicle in an agricultural field using a plurality of fuzzy logic membership functions
US6819780B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 2, 2001 |
| Grant date | Nov 16, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 18, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB60W2555/00
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A combine having a camera system is disclosed in which pictures of the ground in front of the vehicle are processed to extract the slope and intercept of a characteristic line indicative of the boundary between the cut and uncut portions of the field. A fuzzy logic algorithm compares the slope and intercept using four input membership functions and a single output membership function. If the slope and intercept extracted from the image are deemed acceptable, they are used to navigate the vehicle through the field. If they are not acceptable, the combine continues to use slope and intercept values previously deemed acceptable to guide the vehicle. This process of image data extraction and quality analysis continues repetitively as the combine traverses the field harvesting crops.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.