CenterLine User Guide 98-05054
USER GUIDE Software Version 1.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Copyrights © 2002 Midwest Technologies Illinois, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this document or the computer programs described in it may be reproduced, copied, photocopied, translated or reduced in any form or by any means, electronic or machine readable, recording or otherwise, without prior written consent from Midwest Technologies.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Table of Contents Introduction........................................................................................................................2 About CenterLine ..........................................................................................................2 What’s new in Version 1.05 ..........................................................................................3 Corrections to the Ver. 1.0 User Guide ...........................................
CenterLine Software Version 1.
CenterLine A lightbar guidance system with wireless remote control. Software Version 1.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Introduction About CenterLine CenterLine is a low-cost lightbar guidance system, controlled by a wireless remote. CenterLine provides accurate straight-line and curved guidance, for use in spraying, seeding, and other related jobs at a cost that rivals foam markers. The CenterLine product comes with a combination Beacon/WAAS or WAAS only DGPS receiver, providing sub-meter, pass to pass, positioning accuracy.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 What‘s new in Version 1.05 • The lightbar is now 15% brighter. This makes the lightbar display easier to read in bright sunlight. • A new lightbar display option has been added. The Steer Bar option makes the LED steering display easier to see (See —Lightbar Setup“ on page 19). • All text messages (not warnings, alarms, or guidance info) are now displayed for 15 seconds when first enabled (See —Text 1 and Text 2“ on page 20).
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 About this User’s Guide This is revision 2 of the CenterLine user‘s guide and covers CenterLine software versions 1.05 to 1.99. Some software versions may come with a supplement to this user‘s guide. Menu Items and Pick List Text Throughout this user‘s guide, menu item text is displayed between the <> characters, For example, . Keys on the remote (See Figure 4 on page 6) are denoted in bold italics, such as Enter.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Menu Items Next and To Start There are two additional menu items that are found in almost every menu; and . Figure 3 shows the and menu items in the System Setup menu list. Pressing Enter at brings up the next menu heading. As an example, pressing Enter at , while in Lightbar setup, brings up . In the same example, pressing ESC at brings up the menu Item.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Wireless Remote Control General Operation Operation of CenterLine software is via remote keypad input and menu items displayed in the text display area (See Figure 5) of the CenterLine lightbar. The Up and Down arrow keys are used to scroll through menus, sub-menus, and pick lists. The Enter key is used to enter menus and submenus, and accept a desired pick-list entry. The ESC key acts as cancel.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 CenterLine Lightbar CenterLine TM Figure 5: The CenterLine Lightbar Lightbar Specifications Housing Material: ABS/Poly carbonate alloy construction. Dimensions: 3.70“H x 9.40“W x 3.80“D (95 mm x 240 mm x 100 mm) Weight: 0.8 lbs (0.36 kg) Processor: Intel StrongARM MEMORY: 16 MB Ram, 2 MB Flash LEDs: High-lumen red, yellow, and green radial light pattern and 10 character LED alpha-numeric text display. Full brightness control adjustment using wireless remote.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 CenterLine Quick Start-up The following section assumes that your CenterLine hardware has been properly set up. See —CenterLine Product Kits“ on page 9 - 12 for information on how to configure the system. General Start-up Sequence • Apply power to CenterLine. • Lightbar performs a start up sequence. • Lightbar displays current software version. • Lightbar displays .
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 CenterLine Product Kits CenterLine Kit without DGPS Receiver CenterLine Lightbar CenterLine A GPS data cable is required but not provided in kit.
CenterLine Software Version 1.
CenterLine Software Version 1.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 CenterLine with RX 400p DGPS Receiver CenterLine Lightbar CenterLine Cen ter Lin e UP ME N ES U C DO CenterLine WN BR IGH T DIM ne rLi nte Ce CenterLine Wireless Remote RX 400p High Accuracy MID-TECH Boom Sense +12V when booms are ON Differential GPS Receiver Lat 5100.120 N+ Lon 11202.250 WH Power lead not used CenterLine Power Cable 12' Sen se RX 400p GPS Receiver & Antenna ENTER Midwest Technologies, Inc.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 CenterLine Setup CenterLine Setup allows the configuring of the CenterLine product to best suit the current guidance and mapping needs. For the complete overview of the Setup process see "CenterLine Setup Flow Diagram,“ on page 26. CenterLine Setup has three sub-menus: , , and . Each is described in detail below. Figure 10 shows the Setup flow. The top level of CenterLine software has three menus to choose from: , , and .
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Guidance Setup Guidance setup allows the set up of several parameters that pertain to guidance functionality. Currently there are four guidance settings (see Figure 11). To access Guidance setup from the Setup menu, scroll until the text window displays , and press Enter. Menu item should be displayed in the text window. Use Up or Down to scroll through the list of Guidance setup menu items.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Width The Guidance setup parameter Width is the distance between guidelines. This width is typically the vehicle implement width or spread area. Setting this width slightly smaller than the actual width reduces skips. Setting this width slightly larger than the actual width reduces overlap. To set the Width setting, go to , scroll with Up or Down until is displayed, and press Enter. To increase the width press Up; to decrease the width press Down.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 DIRECTION BEHIND FORWARD Figure 14: Setting the Direction to Swath Setting Description Back The swath or delivery point is behind the GPS receiver on the vehicle along the vehicle center line. Forward The swath or delivery point is in front of the GPS receiver on the vehicle along the vehicle center line. Table 2: Direction to Swath Settings Distance The Distance setting is the distance from the GPS antenna to the swath or delivery location (See Figure 16).
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Figure 16: Direction and Distance to Swath from DGPS Receiver Status The setting is used to auto detect implement status. When the status detect is properly implemented, the CenterLine detects whether product delivery is on or off, based on the vehicles product on/off switch. See —CenterLine Product Kits“ on page 9 - 12 for location of status connect (boom sense) wiring.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Setting Description OFF No Status Detect implemented. Default setting. ON Status detect assumes a single swath centered on the vehicle. Table 3: Status Settings Alarm The setting, when set to ON, notifies the operator when entering a previously applied area. The text window displays when the implement swath is in a previously applied area of the field.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Lightbar Setup Lightbar setup allows the selection of several parameters related to the lightbar. There are five lightbar settings: Drive Sensitivity , Display Mode , two selectable messages: and , and (See Figure 19 and Table 5). Figure 19: The Lightbar Setup Flow Setting Name Default Value Change at 1st Time Start up Spacing 1.5 ft.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Figure 20: Setting the LED Spacing Mode The Mode setting defines how the row of LEDs are interpreted. The center stack of Green LEDs can represent either the current guideline or the vehicle (See Table 6). To change the Mode setting, go to Lightbar setup, scroll until is displayed in the text window, and press Enter. Using Up or Down, scroll through the Mode pick list until the desired setting is displayed in the text window.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Text 1 To set the Text 1 setting, go to Lightbar setup, scroll using Up or Down until is displayed in the text window, and press Enter. Using Up or Down scroll through the Text 1 pick list until the desired message is displayed in the text window. Press Enter to save the setting and advance to the menu item.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Figure 23: Selecting the Text 2 Message Message Description X-Track Displays the error (in distance) between the current guideline and the vehicle position. Swath # Displays the current guideline number. Ground Speed Displays the vehicle ground speed. Area Applied Displays the amount of area covered, sprayed, or spread, in acres or hectares. COG Course on Ground, displays the vehicle heading in degrees.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Figure 24: Setting the Steer Bar Option Setting Description Off The LEDs, representing the vehicle track in relation to the current guideline, are shown as a single LED. On The LEDs, representing the vehicle track in relation to the current guideline, are shown as a solid bar.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 System Setup System setup allows the selection of settings that effect the entire CenterLine product. There are only two settings: Units and Language (See Table 10). Figure 25: System Setup Setting Name Default Value Change at 1st Time Start Up Unit US Optional Language English Optional Table 10: System Menu Item Default Settings Units System Units allows the selection of either US and Metric units (See Table 11).
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Pick List Description US All units are entered and displayed in Feet, Miles, and Acres. This is the default setting. Metric All units are entered and displayed in Meters, Kilometers, and Hectares. Table 11: The Unit Menu Item Settings Language CenterLine comes pre-loaded with several languages. To change the system language, enter System Setup, scroll through the sub-menu list until appears in the text window, and press Enter.
CenterLine Software Version 1.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Tools The Tools menu is intended to provide some basic system diagnostics. Tools contains two diagnostic tools: Receiver and Lightbar (See Table 12). To access Tools from the Setup menu, scroll until the text window displays , and press Enter. should be displayed in the text window. Use Up or Down to scroll through the Tools menu. Figure 29: The Tools Menu Flow Menu Item Description Receiver Checks the status of a connected GPS receiver.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Diagnostic Description GPS Status If the lightbar is not receiving GPS data, the text window message appears as . If the lightbar is receiving GPS data but no differentialy corrected GPS data, the text window message appears as . DGPS Status If the lightbar is receiving differentialy corrected GPS data, the text window message appears as . NMEA Strings Returns the name of each NMEA string currently being received from the receiver.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 CenterLine Real-Time Operation Starting Real-time Operation This section assumes that the setup section, —CenterLine Setup“ on page 13, has been read and the CenterLine lightbar properly set up. Start real-time operation by pressing Enter when is displayed in the text window. The menu item is at the highest menu level. can be easily reached from most menu levels by scrolling to and pressing Enter.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Real-time Operation When or is selected, real-time guidance begins. At this point, the GPS receiver should be properly connected to the CenterLine lightbar and running. See —CenterLine Product Kits“ on page 9 - 12 for diagrams showing how the DGPS receiver should be connected. The default guidance mode is Straight-Line Guidance (See note below).
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 NEW AB? MARK A MARK B NEW AB? Figure 31: The Mark A Mark B Sequence Switching between Guidance Modes There may be situations where it is necessary to switch between guidance modes. Typically an operator makes one or more passes around the field‘s headland area in the Headland guidance mode. While driving the headlands, the operator may mark the A and B guideline points to be used when switching modes.
CenterLine Software Version 1.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Return to Point CenterLine allows the operator to mark a point in the field to return to later in time. Typically the Return to Point feature is used to mark a location when stopping guidance and wanting to start in the same location and in the same direction at a later time. This Return to Point location is stored with the field‘s trajectory data, is lost when is selected, and retained when is selected.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Headland Guidance Operation This section describes how to operate CenterLine in the Headland guidance mode. The Headland mode is used when the operator wants to drive several circuits around the field boundary and be guided around all circuits that occur after the first. When several headland circuits have been completed, the operator has the option of switching to the Straight-line mode.
CenterLine Software Version 1.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Figure 35: Starting the Second Headland Pass Figure 36: Continuing Around the Second Circuit.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Switching from Headland to Straight-line Mode When the operator has completed the desired number of headland circuits, two circuits in our current example, the system is switched to Straight-line Guidance mode to apply the remainder of the field in a straight back and forth fashion. To switch from the Headland Pattern to another pattern ,see —Switching between Guidance Modes“ on page 31.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Figure 38: Completed Field Application Figure 38 shows the completed field. Notice that there are several areas of the field where the operator turned spray off to avoid double application on previously applied areas. Headland Mode Lightbar Graphics CenterLine‘s Headland mode guidance technique employs a lightbar text display graphic that aids the operator when navigating parallel to a curved swath.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 .
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Straight-line Guidance Operation The Straight-line guidance mode provides vehicle guidance along straight lines, based on a reference guideline. The first step is to establish the reference guideline. This reference guideline is used to calculate all other parallel guidelines. See —Apply On/Off“ on page 30 for more detail on how to establish a reference guideline. To mark the initial point A, begin driving along the first swath path.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Applied Area Detection CenterLine allows the detection of a previously applied area. To use applied area detection, the Lightbar Setup - Alarm menu field must be set up prior to starting guidance. See —Alarm“ on page 18 of this User Guide for more details on how to set up this menu field. Detecting A Previously Applied Area Figure 43 shows how previously applied area detection works.
CenterLine Software Version 1.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Lightbar Index The CenterLine lightbar is capable of displaying a considerable amount of information to the user. This information can be represented as text in the display window, illuminated cross track LEDs, or a combination of text and lights. Information displayed on the lightbar depends on both user defined settings and system warnings not controlled by the user. Table 14 describes each possible lightbar state and possible information that could be displayed.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Lightbar State Description Ground Speed: A user defined lightbar message indicating the vehicle speed in Miles per Hour (MPH). System Units is set to US. Ground Speed: A user defined lightbar message indicating the vehicle speed in Kilometers per Hour (KPH). System is Units set to Metric. Course on Ground (COG): A user defined lightbar message indicating the vehicles heading in degrees 0 to 359.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Lightbar State Description Curved guidance information graphics. The four horizontal bars in the text display represent a perspective view of the swath ahead of the vehicle. The bars skew left or right to represent the curved path ahead. Curved guidance information graphics. The path in the text display represents a perspective view of the swath ahead of the vehicle.
CenterLine Software Version 1.05 Lightbar State Description Lightbar Version Message: This message is displayed when the user starts up CenterLine or runs the Lightbar Test. This number varies and is based on lightbar version and model.
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