Vehicle guidance software, method and system

1. Computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions for vehicle guidance comprising:

an input portion for data corresponding to a set of waypoints defining an initial course for said vehicle;

a processing portion adapted to produce guidance indicators usable by a guidance system for said vehicle from the set of waypoints; and

an adaptive portion for generating alternative guidance indicators if one or more of the guidance indicators define a path that can not be traversed by the vehicle due to its minimum turning radius.

2. Computer readable medium according to claim 1 including means for determining said set of waypoints associated with said vehicle.

3. Computer readable medium according to claim 2 wherein the means for determining the set of waypoints is a GPS receiver.

4. Computer readable medium according to claim 2 wherein the means for determining the set of waypoints is via retrieval from a data storage medium.

5. Computer readable medium according to any one of claim 1 including means for determining a successive set of waypoints from a current set of waypoints to define a successive path for said vehicle.

6. Computer readable medium according to claim 5 wherein said successive set of waypoints comprises a corresponding waypoint for each waypoint in the current set, each said corresponding waypoint being calculated to be offset from a current waypoint by the working width of the vehicle and wherein the tangent to the path at each corresponding waypoint is parallel to the tangent at its current waypoint.

7. Computer readable medium according to claim 5 , wherein said successive set of waypoints is calculated from the mathematical path defined by said guidance indicators and alternative guidance indicators, each of said successive set of waypoints being calculated to be offset from the mathematical path by the working width of the vehicle and wherein the tangent to the path at each of said successive set of waypoints is parallel to the tangent of the mathematical path at the point perpendicular to each successive waypoint.

8. Computer readable medium according to any one of claim 1 the guidance indicators are produced from the set of waypoints via a computer assisted interpolation between the waypoints.

9. Computer readable medium according to claim 8 wherein the interpolation is according to a bi-variate periodic bi-cubic B-spline fitting algorithm.

10. Computer readable medium according to any one of claim 1 wherein the alternative guidance indicators are on an arc of a circle having a radial length equal to the minimum turning radius, said circle contacting the path defined by the current guidance indicators at more than one point.

11. A computer implemented method for guiding a vehicle having a guidance system associated therewith and a minimum turning radius said method including the steps of:

generating guidance indicators from a plurality of waypoints;

determining whether one or more of the generated guidance indicators define a path that can not be traversed by the vehicle due to its minimum turning radius and if necessary, determining one or more alternative guidance indicators; and

utilizing the guidance indicators, and alternative guidance indicators in the guidance system to guide the vehicle.

12. A guidance system for a land vehicle having a minimum turning radius, said system comprising:

a processor;

a computer program, executable by said processor for generating a plurality of guidance indicators from a set of waypoints and for determining alternative guidance indicators if the generated guidance indicators define a path that can not be traversed due to the minimum turning radius; and

means for utilizing the generated guidance indicators and the alternative guidance indicators to guide the land vehicle.