With global population growth and climate changes, farmers are facing even greater strain on producing food sustainably to meet demands without depleting the limited fertile land bank. And this challenge can be accentuated with traditionally unproductive farming practices and low-tech solutions. It's urgently imperative for farmers to embrace precision farming technologies, and guidance lines are one of those must-haves for farmers to achieve farming efficiency and productivity. In this blog, we will explore the various types of guidance lines available in the FJD autosteering systems and their applications in precision farming.
A Simple Definition of Guidance Line
Guidance lines literally refer to lines that provide guidance to navigate farming vehicles in the field. At their core, guidance lines are simply a set of standardized lines or paths that machines follow to direct their motion or position for a variety of field operations. Generally, guidance lines utilize technologies like GPS, laser, or optical systems to provide real-time information and instructions to farmers, so they can leverage that information to know exactly where to go with their machinery, helping them operate more precisely in different tasks like planting and harvesting.
Some Pros of Using Guidance Lines
Most of the time, farmers carry out farming activities in the direction that will give them maximum efficiency in operating their equipment. The use of guidance lines offers GPS guidance for tractors to ensure efficient working routes, reducing the risks of farmers getting lost in large fields where it can be hard for them to maintain desired lines without guidance. With guidance lines, farmers simply drive on predefined lines instead of constantly correcting pathways to physically exhaust themselves. This allows them to focus on monitoring equipment performance and making appropriate modifications to farming activities, greatly improving productivity while lessening operator fatigue.
Guidance Lines in the FJD Autosteering System
Many smart farming systems, such as auto steer for tractors, offer a multitude of guidance lines as standard, and the FJD autosteering systems are no different. Following market demands, FJD offers versatile guidance line options to satisfy various field conditions and crop management needs. At the FJD design framework, guidance lines can be geometrically divided into three main types: straight lines, curve lines, and diagonal lines. In addition to these regular guidance lines, there are also special applications of guidance lines, such as tramlines and line groups.
Regular Guidance Lines: Covering Most Cases
Regular guidance lines are active members in the guidance line family as they can be flexibly used in a wide range of scenarios to improve accuracy. In the FJD autosteering systems, the common regular lines include the AB straight line, A+ line, curve line, and pivot line.
- AB straight line: It is a straight line created between two points A and B that guides a tractor to travel along the shortest path from A to B to complete a specific job. Ideal for regularly shaped fields, it is straightforward to use for newcomers to the world of precision farming.
- A+ line: It is a straight guidance line between point A and the heading of the vehicle, without a finite point for the line end. That means the line can be extended or rotated flexibly from a fixed point, and this is especially useful for vast fields and operations involving multiple operators.
- Curve line: It is a non-straight guidance line with a curved trajectory between points A and B that accommodates to the natural contour of a farm or enables navigation around objects along the way. For farms or orchards close to the roadsides or non-growing areas, curved lines will be more adaptive. It is best suited for farmlands with irregular shapes or special layouts.
- Pivot line: This line records an arc AB to determine the pivot point and radius, without manual setup of a center point. This allows tractors to automatically maneuver around the field in a perfect circle, making it ideal for center-pivot irrigation or water management. It is widely used for circular or semi-circular fields.
Headland: Getting Accurate at Edges
A headland is a strip of land left at each end of a field. In the headland mode, an inward offset guidance line is created based on the shape of the boundary, with a headland reserved to ensure accurate and smooth navigation along the edge of a field. This mode comes in handy when working on the edges of fields, particularly irregular ones. There are two approaches for creating a headland: using the entire boundary or just a portion of it.
Diagonal Line: Great for Harrowing
The term "diagonal" originates from the ancient Greek word "diagonios", which means "from angle to angle". By definition, diagonal lines are geometric shapes that extend from one corner to another, forming a line that is not necessarily straight or vertical. These lines are drawn according to the shape of the field boundary. They can be found in various applications for harrowing operations. By harrowing the field twice through the cross-diagonal pattern, farmers can ensure more even and consistent coverage.
Special Applications: New Variants Emerging
- Tramline: These lines can be generated based on the imported guidance lines. Parallel to existing guidance lines, tramlines are commonly used to drive a vehicle on designated traffic roads to carry out plant protection operations such as spraying and fertilizing, reducing soil compaction and crop damage.
- Line group: Multiple guidance lines, whether straight or curved, can be grouped into a custom line base reserved for specific uses. If a field has just one straight side and primarily arc boundaries, it is best to divide it into two halves. This allows the AB lines to cover the square area of the field while the curve lines handle the irregular portion. And you can customize the AB lines and curve lines into the same line group for future reuse in your system.
Next Steps to Stay Ahead of the Game
With a variety of guidance line options available, the FJD autosteering system enables farmers to optimize productivity, precision, and sustainability in their farming operations. Whether you're working in a field with a regular shape or an irregular one, there is a guidance line mode that will work for you, and FJD helps you stay ahead in the ever-evolving agriculture industry. Don't wait to experience the transformative benefits of guidance lines in the FJD autosteering systems and unlock the potential of precision farming!
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