| Patent holder | Komatsu Forest Ab |
| Patent link | View patent |
| Category | Harvesting & Extraction › Remote sensing & mapping |
Method to operate a forestry vehicle and associated vehicle control system
This technology refers to patented and proprietary methods by which a forestry machine — such as a harvester, forwarder, or skidder — autonomously or semi-autonomously determines and follows an optimal navigation route through a forest stand by continuously integrating real-time positioning data (typically GNSS) with pre-loaded or dynamically acquired terrain and forest inventory data. The system receives the vehicle's current position from a GNSS receiver, fuses this with digital terrain models, soil bearing capacity maps, pre-defined strip road or extraction track layouts, and obstacle information derived from prior LiDAR surveys or onboard sensors, then applies routing algorithms to calculate a path that meets operational objectives — such as minimising soil disturbance, avoiding sensitive areas (riparian buffers, cultural heritage sites), maximising extraction efficiency, and maintaining machine stability on slopes. As the vehicle moves, sensor feedback including IMU (inertial measurement unit) data, wheel or track slip measurements, and onboard camera or LiDAR inputs can update the terrain model and refine the route in real time, enabling adaptive path planning rather than strict adherence to a pre-calculated route. This type of intelligent navigation is a key enabling capability for the broader goal of autonomous or teleoperated forestry machinery, where removing or reducing the need for an operator in the cabin demands that the machine itself can reliably plan and execute safe, productive movement through complex, unstructured forest environments. Companies including John Deere, Ponsse, Komatsu Forest, and Caterpillar have invested heavily in this area, and several patent families protect specific implementations of the position-and-terrain-based routing concept. In Australia, where plantation and native forest harvesting increasingly occurs on steep, wet, or sensitive terrain, intelligent vehicle navigation has the potential to reduce soil compaction, protect water quality, and improve operator safety by optimising machine routes before ground entry.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Company | Komatsu Forest Ab |
| Type | Patent |
| Year | 27/6/23 |
| Status | Pending |
| FWPA RD&E | 4.4 |
| Inventors | Assarsson Peter, Lundgren Karl |
| Patent No. | EP 4485113 A1 |