US 12,436,534 B2
Fusing obstacle data for autonomous vehicles
Justin Creaby, Westminster, CO (US); Joshua Rands, Westminster, CO (US); and Riley Kenyon, Westminster, CO (US)
Assigned to Trimble Inc., Westminster, CO (US)
Filed by Trimble Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/899,152.
Prior Publication US 2024/0069552 A1, Feb. 29, 2024
Int. Cl. G05D 1/00 (2024.01); A01D 90/00 (2006.01)
CPC G05D 1/0214 (2013.01) [G05D 1/0238 (2013.01); G05D 1/0257 (2013.01); G05D 1/0276 (2013.01); A01D 90/00 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for avoiding collisions with obstacles by a harvester, the method comprising:
navigating a grain cart alongside the harvester, wherein the grain cart is pulled by a separate vehicle and the grain cart comprises an element for holding a crop harvested by the harvester, wherein the grain cart is navigated through an area outside the crop where the harvester has already harvested the crop, and wherein a lidar sensor is mounted on the separate vehicle and a radar sensor is mounted on the harvester;
aiming the lidar sensor mounted on the separate vehicle at a path of the harvester, the path including the crop, and a field of view of the lidar sensor extending from the area outside the crop into the path of the harvester;
detecting an object in the path of the harvester with the lidar sensor;
determining a location of the object;
transmitting the location of the object in the path of the harvester from a first communications module associated with the lidar sensor to a second communications module associated with the radar sensor;
providing obstacle detection data with the radar sensor; and
correcting obstacle detection data from the radar sensor using the location of the object from the lidar sensor.