DIFFERENTIAL GLOBAL POSITIONING SWATH GUIDANCE SYSTEM WITH DUAL ROW LIGHTBAR AND FLOW CONTROLLER APPARATUS AND METHOD

摘要

A base station (9) and a ground or airborne rover (13, 16) receive satellite (1, 2, 3, 4) DGPS signals (5) which base (9) corrects and sends (6) to rover to accurately position rover to dispense agricultural products in a predefined field (20) using selectable swathing patterns (Figs. 3-6). Rover's computer controlled DGPS receivers (41, 42), convert rover's present position relative to the swath to a lateral displacement and an intercept angle. Lateral displacement/intercept angle are displayed by lighting an equivalent number of lights (151, 153)/(152, 154) on the proper half of an upper/lower row of LEDs in a lightbar (46) and by a number in a left/right digital display (157/156) of the lightbar. A flow controller monitors DGPS provided ground speed and actual position to meter the flow rate of product dispensed. The lightbar window is angled and nonreflective.