¶ method of controlling an Autonomous vehicle and its implement
| Patent holder | Blue White Robotics |
| Patent link | View patent |
Autonomous Vehicle Implement Control
¶ Overview
A method of controlling an autonomous vehicle and its implement refers to the coordinated algorithmic and hardware systems that allow a self-driving or semi-autonomous forest machine to not only navigate terrain but also operate its attached working implement — such as a harvesting head, planting device, or mounding tool — in a coordinated and task-aware manner. This represents a significant advancement beyond basic autonomous navigation, as it requires the control system to integrate knowledge of the vehicle's position and orientation, the terrain surface model, the kinematic state of the implement arm, and the specific task requirements (such as cutting diameter, planting depth, or mound height) into a unified real-time control loop. In practical forestry applications, this means the autonomous system must, for example, guide a harvesting head to engage a tree stem at the correct height and angle, apply the right feed speed and cutting pressure during processing, and synchronise log bucking decisions with the forwarder loading schedule — all without continuous operator intervention. Patents and research publications in this domain, including work from Ponsse, John Deere Forestry, and Swedish and Finnish research institutes such as Skogforsk, describe multi-layer control architectures where a high-level task planner issues work commands to a mid-level motion controller that in turn commands low-level actuators on the vehicle drivetrain and implement hydraulics. For Australian forestry, where difficult terrain, remote locations, and workforce availability constraints create strong incentives for automation, developing robust implement control methods is a central challenge. Research programs co-funded by the Australian Research Council and industry partners are investigating how machine learning and model-predictive control approaches can improve the adaptability and safety of autonomous implement control across the variable conditions encountered in native forest and plantation harvesting operations.
¶ Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Company | Blue White Robotics |
| Type | Patent |
| Year | 26/3/23 |
| Status | Pending |
| FWPA RD&E | 4.4 |
| Inventors | Shmueli Aviram, Ascher Alon, Alfi Ben, Shema Rony, Harari YiModeln |
| Patent No. | US 2024/0315162 A1 |