US-12620159-B2 - Tracking modified ground coverage at a site

US12620159B2US 12620159 B2US12620159 B2US 12620159B2US-12620159-B2

Abstract

Described herein are systems, methods, and other techniques for generating a ground coverage map that indicates portions of a site that have been modified by a vehicle operating within the site. First and second modifier data regarding an operation of a site modifier device of the vehicle at first and second times are captured using a site modifier sensor attached to the vehicle. First and second coverage regions are predicted based on the first and second modifier data, the first and second coverage regions corresponding to regions within the site that are modified by the site modifier device at the first and second times. First and second coverage images are computed based on the first and second coverage regions. The first and second coverage images are accumulated to generate the ground coverage map.

Inventors

Augusto Opdenbosch

Assignees

TRIMBLE INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20221219

Claims (17)

1 . A method of generating a ground coverage map that indicates portions of a site modified by a vehicle operating within the site, the method comprising: capturing, using a sensor attached to the vehicle, first and second modifier data indicating sizes and shapes of coverage regions for a site modifier device at first and second times, the sensor being configured to monitor operation of the site modifier device of the vehicle; predicting, at a central processing unit (CPU), first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively, the first and second coverage regions corresponding to regions within the site that are modified by the site modifier device at the first and second times, respectively; computing, at a graphics processing unit (GPU) using one or more graphics shaders, first and second coverage images based on the first and second coverage regions, respectively; accumulating, at the GPU using the one or more graphics shaders, the first and second coverage images to generate and iteratively update the ground coverage map within a local memory of the GPU, wherein the ground coverage map is updated with subsequent coverage images without transferring the ground coverage map to the CPU; and generating, at the CPU and based on the ground coverage map, a steering signal to guide the vehicle over portions of the site indicated by the ground coverage map as having been insufficiently modified.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the site modifier device is attached to an implement of the vehicle.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the site modifier device is one of: a sprayer, a planter, a harvesting tool, or a soil compactor.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein predicting the first and second coverage regions includes: predicting two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) coordinates defining positions of the first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein predicting the first and second coverage regions includes: predicting one or more magnitude values defining an extent to which the site modifier device modified the site within the first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second coverage images are top-down images.
7 . A system for generating a ground coverage map that indicates portions of a site modified by a vehicle operating within the site, the system comprising: one or more processors; and a computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: capturing, using a sensor attached to the vehicle, first and second modifier data indicating sizes and shapes of coverage regions for a site modifier device at first and second times, the sensor being configured to monitor operation of the site modifier device of the vehicle; predicting, at a central processing unit (CPU), first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively, the first and second coverage regions corresponding to regions within the site that are modified by the site modifier device at the first and second times, respectively; computing, at a graphics processing unit (GPU) using one or more graphics shaders, first and second coverage images based on the first and second coverage regions, respectively; accumulating, at the GPU using the one or more graphics shaders, the first and second coverage images to generate and iteratively update the ground coverage map within a local memory of the GPU, wherein the ground coverage map is updated with subsequent coverage images without transferring the ground coverage map to the CPU; and generating, at the CPU and based on the ground coverage map, a steering signal to guide the vehicle over portions of the site indicated by the ground coverage map as having been insufficiently modified.
8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the site modifier device is attached to an implement of the vehicle.
9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the site modifier device is one of: a sprayer, a planter, a harvesting tool, or a soil compactor.
10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein predicting the first and second coverage regions includes: predicting two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) coordinates defining positions of the first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively.
11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein predicting the first and second coverage regions includes: predicting one or more magnitude values defining an extent to which the site modifier device modified the site within the first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively.
12 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the first and second coverage images are top-down images.
13 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations for generating a ground coverage map that indicates portions of a site modified by a vehicle operating within the site, the operations comprising: receiving first and second modifier data indicating sizes and shapes of coverage regions for a site modifier device at first and second times, the first and second modifier data having been captured using a sensor attached to the vehicle, the sensor being configured to monitor operation of the site modifier device of the vehicle; predicting, at a central processing unit (CPU), first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively, the first and second coverage regions corresponding to regions within the site that are modified by the site modifier device at the first and second times, respectively; computing, at a graphics processing unit (GPU) using one or more graphics shaders, first and second coverage images based on the first and second coverage regions, respectively; accumulating, at the GPU using the one or more graphics shaders, the first and second coverage images to generate and iteratively update the ground coverage map within a local memory of the GPU, wherein the ground coverage map is updated with subsequent coverage images without transferring the ground coverage map to the CPU; and generating, at the CPU and based on the ground coverage map, a steering signal to guide the vehicle over portions of the site indicated by the ground coverage map as having been insufficiently modified.
14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the site modifier device is one of: a sprayer, a planter, a harvesting tool, or a soil compactor.
15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein predicting the first and second coverage regions includes: predicting two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) coordinates defining positions of the first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively.
16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein predicting the first and second coverage regions includes: predicting one or more magnitude values defining an extent to which the site modifier device modified the site within the first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively.
17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the first and second coverage images are top-down images.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Modern mobile machinery, including construction and agricultural machines, have dramatically increased the efficiency of performing various work-related tasks. For example, earthmoving machines employing automatic grade control systems are able to grade project areas using fewer passes than what was previously done manually. As another example, modern asphalt pavers and other road makers have allowed replacement of old roads and construction of new roads to occur on the order of hours and days instead of what once took place over weeks and months. Due to the automation of various aspects, construction and agriculture projects can be carried out by crews with fewer individuals than what was previously required. Much of the technological advances of mobile machinery are owed in part to the availability of accurate sensors that allow real-time monitoring of the condition and position of a machine's components and/or the environment surrounding the machine. In some instances, modern mobile agricultural machines have dramatically increased the efficiency of harvesting a variety of grain crops, including wheat, corn, oats, rye, barley, among others. Such machines may be guided in part by various cameras and sensors mounted to the machines, such as one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) receivers which use wireless signals transmitted from medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites to generate position estimates of the machines. The emergence of self-driving harvesting combines along with other row-guided farm vehicles has reduced the amount of row overlap, which has translated into reduced fuel costs and less wear to the vehicles. Despite the improvements to modern mobile machinery, new systems, methods, and techniques are still needed. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A summary of the various embodiments of the invention is provided below as a list of examples. As used below, any reference to a series of examples is to be understood as a reference to each of those examples disjunctively (e.g., “Examples 1-4” is to be understood as “Examples 1, 2, 3, or 4”). Example 1 is a method of generating a ground coverage map that indicates portions of a site that have been modified by a vehicle operating within the site, the method comprising: capturing, using a site modifier sensor attached to the vehicle, first and second modifier data regarding an operation of a site modifier device of the vehicle at first and second times; predicting first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively, the first and second coverage regions corresponding to regions within the site that are modified by the site modifier device at the first and second times, respectively; computing first and second coverage images based on the first and second coverage regions, respectively; and accumulating the first and second coverage images to generate the ground coverage map.Example 2 is the method of example(s) 1, wherein the site modifier device is attached to an implement of the vehicle.Example 3 is the method of example(s) 1-2, wherein the site modifier device is one of: a sprayer, a planter, a harvesting tool, or a soil compactor.Example 4 is the method of example(s) 1-3, wherein predicting the first and second coverage regions includes: predicting two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) coordinates defining positions of the first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively.Example 5 is the method of example(s) 1-4, wherein predicting the first and second coverage regions includes: predicting one or more magnitude values defining an extent to which the site modifier device modified the site within the first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively.Example 6 is the method of example(s) 1-5, wherein the first and second coverage images are top-down images.Example 7 is the method of example(s) 1-6, wherein the first and second coverage regions are predicted at a central processing unit (CPU), wherein the first and second coverage images are computed at a graphics processing unit (GPU), and wherein the first and second coverage images are accumulated to generate the ground coverage map at the GPU.Example 8 is a system for generating a ground coverage map that indicates portions of a site that have been modified by a vehicle operating within the site, the system comprising: one or more processors; and a computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: capturing, using a site modifier sensor attached to the vehicle, first and second modifier data regarding an operation of a site modifier device of the vehicle at first and second times; predicting first and second coverage regions based on the first and second modifier data, respectively, the first and second coverage re