An advanced guidance system developed for New Holland T4 FNV specialty tractors has won a Technical Innovation award in the scheme run in advance of November’s EIMA International farm machinery exhibition. Alongside the new vision-based system, New Holland has been recognised twice more in the awards scheme with mentions for the Seed Terminator developed for the CR combine range and the CropSpeed system that features in the latest FR forage harvesters.
Developed to help address the lack of skilled operators faced by many specialty crop producers, and ease the workloads of such growers and their staff, Advanced Vision Assisted Guidance is LiDAR-based, and manages steering movements both in the rows and at row ends, in addition to rear implement control. As a result, it is effective in situations where GPS-based systems are not a solution. Benefits include increased safety and comfort from reduced operator fatigue, enabling closer attention to be given to machine operation. The technology has the potential to help retain experienced operators by relieving them of repetitive and arduous tasks, while also providing significant support to those less skilled. Greater precision also means reduced environmental risk and enhanced performance from optimised use of fertilisers and crop protection products based on real orchard or vineyard field conditions.
The system is based purely on LIDAR sensor technology, using simultaneous localisation and mapping algorithms, and with no GPS element there is no risk of errors and incidents resulting from any loss of GPS signal caused by factors such as canopy coverage, netting, nearby greenhouses, or valley slopes. It is also able to recognise row ends and incorporates a path planner to perform headland turns, with different path shapes available. A collision check mechanism means that if the headland does not have the required characteristics, the system will advise the operator, avoiding possible collisions with trees/plants or other objects.
Advanced Vision Assisted Guidance integrates the use of perception-based implement control, allowing automation of various tasks for different implements. With a trailed sprayer connected via ISOBUS, for example, it can be used to automate left and right section control at row-ends, or account for any missing tree/plant in the row.
