Path planning method for vehicle guidance

1. A method comprising:

driving a vehicle along a path, wherein the driven path includes a plurality of path segments and driving along the path includes turning a rounded corner between consecutive path segments, executing a headland maneuver between consecutive path segments, or both, each of the path segments being straight or presenting one or more curved sections with a radius of curvature greater than a predetermined reference radius;

automatically defining, with a computing device on the vehicle, a plurality of contoured path segments corresponding to the driven path segments but excluding rounded corners between consecutive path segments and headland maneuvers between consecutive path segments;

for each contoured path segment, automatically determining, using the computing device, one or more intersection points with one or more other contoured path segments;

automatically defining, with the computing device, a contoured reference path as a sequence of the intersecting contoured path segments, the contoured path having sharp corners where the contoured path segments intersect;

automatically defining, with the computing device, a subsequent path based on the reference path, the subsequent path including a sequence of intersecting contoured path segments, the subsequent path having sharp corners where the contoured path segments intersect, each of the subsequent path segments corresponding to one of the reference path segments but being offset therefrom;

for each subsequent path segment presenting a curved section, using the computing device to automatically compare a radius of curvature of the curved section to the predetermined reference radius;

if the radius of curvature of the subsequent path segment is less than the predetermined reference radius, using the computing device to automatically divide the subsequent path segment into two segments and replacing the curved section with a sharp corner between the two segments; and

using an automated guidance system to automatically guide the vehicle along the subsequent path.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 , the step of defining the contoured path segments of the reference path including extending the ends of at least one driven path segment based on the heading followed while driving the vehicle along the driven path segment.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising identifying at least one of the start and end of a reference path segment by detecting a manual trigger by an operator of the vehicle while driving along the path.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising identifying the end of a reference path segment by detecting the path turning through a radius of curvature less than a predetermined reference radius.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising identifying an end of a reference path segment by detecting a crossing point of the driven path with itself.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 , the steps of defining the plurality of contoured path segments, determining the one or more intersection points, and defining the contoured path being performed automatically by the automatic guidance system as the vehicle is driven along the path.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 , the steps of defining the plurality of contoured path segments, determining the one or more intersection points, and defining the contoured path being performed automatically by the automatic guidance system while the guidance system is operating in a contour guidance mode, wherein the guidance system remains in the contour mode even when the vehicle transitions from one driven path segment to another.

8. An automatic guidance system associated with a vehicle, the system comprising:

a position determining mechanism;

a data storage device; and

a data processing device in communication with the position determining mechanism and the data storage device, the data processing device configured to—

as the vehicle drives along a path, define a plurality of contoured path segments corresponding to driven path segments but excluding rounded corners between consecutive driven path segments and headland maneuvers between consecutive driven path segments, each of the driven path segments being straight or presenting one or more curved sections with a radius of curvature greater than a predetermined reference radius;

for each contoured path segment, determine one or more intersection points with at least one other contoured path segment;

define a contoured reference path as a sequence of the intersecting contoured path segments, the contoured reference path having sharp corners where the contoured path segments intersect;

define a subsequent path based on the contoured reference path, the subsequent path including a sequence of intersecting contoured path segments, the subsequent path having sharp corners where the contoured path segments intersect, each of the subsequent path segments corresponding to one of the reference path segments but being offset therefrom;

for each subsequent path segment presenting a curved section, compare a radius of curvature of the curved section to the predetermined reference radius;

if the radius of curvature of the subsequent path segment is less than the predetermined reference radius, divide the subsequent path segment into two segments and replacing the curved section with a sharp corner between the two segments.

9. The automatic guidance system as set forth in claim 8 , the data processing device configured to define the contoured path segments by extending the ends of at least one driven path segment based on the heading followed by the vehicle driving along the driven path segment.

10. The automatic guidance system as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the data processing device identifies at least one of the start and end of a contoured path segment in response to a manual trigger by an operator of the vehicle while driving along the path.

11. The automatic guidance system as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the data processing device identifies at least one of the start and end of a contoured path segment in response to the path turning through a radius of curvature less than a predetermined reference radius.

12. The automatic guidance system as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the data processing device identifies an end of a driven path segment in response to the driven path crossing itself.

13. The automatic guidance system as set forth in claim 8 , the data processing device configured to automatically define the plurality of contoured path segments, determine the one or more intersection points, and define the contoured path as the vehicle is driven along the path.

14. The automatic guidance system as set forth in claim 8 , the data processing device configured to automatically define the plurality of contoured path segments, determine the one or more intersection points, and define the contoured path while the guidance system is operating in a contour guidance mode, wherein the guidance system remains in the contour mode even when the vehicle transitions from one driven path segment to another.

15. The automatic guidance system as set forth in claim 8 , further comprising a display configured to display only a portion of the contoured path proximate the vehicle.

16. The automatic guidance system as set forth in claim 8 , the data processing device configured to automatically select a guidance target by calculating angles to adjacent path segments and selecting a path segment corresponding to a smallest angle.

17. The automatic guidance system as set forth in claim 8 , the data processing device configured to automatically select a guidance target by calculating distances between the vehicle's position and intersection points of the contoured path and selecting an intersection point nearest the vehicle as the guidance target.

18. The automatic guidance system as set forth in claim 8 , the data processing device configured to automatically select a guidance target by calculating a perpendicular distance between the vehicle's position and each of a plurality of path segments and selecting a path segment corresponding to the smallest perpendicular distance as the guidance target.