How to transit between fields

The field-to-field transit feature in Vehicle Mission Control (vMC) lets you send a vehicle to any field it can reach, even if other fields are in between. As long as transit paths connect the fields, vMC plans the route for you. This article covers how to set up transit paths, how to use them in missions, safety considerations, and offers troubleshooting tips.

Recording a Transit Path

This section explains how to establish transit paths by recording them directly in the field. This allows operators to ensure transit routes are safe to navigate in real-world conditions.

Start at the Origin Field: Within vMC, navigate to the field where the transit will begin and click the ‘New’ button.
Initiate Transit Recording: Select ‘Record a transit’ and drive the vehicle to the starting location before recording. Click ‘Begin recording’ once you have reached the starting point. The starting location will marked on the map by an ‘A’ marker.
End the Recording: While recording, drive the vehicle to the intended end point and click ‘Finish’. The ‘B’ marker will appear on the map to indicate where the recording has ended.
Verify the Recorded Path: The transit path will now appear on the map when viewing your fields within vMC.

Importing a Transit Path

This section explains how to establish transit paths by importing the geometry into your organization. This will help save some time recording transit paths in the field in low-risk scenarios.

Prepare to Import: Navigate to the field’s page, click the more menu next to ‘Templates’, and select ‘Import Geometry’.
Upload and Select Geometry: Upload the file containing the transit geometry. Use the navigation arrows to select the correct transit path, highlight it white, name the feature, and set it as ‘transit’ geometry type.
Finalize Import: Click ‘Continue’ to finalize the import, or ‘Cancel’ to exit without importing additional features.

Using Transits in Missions

Efficiently navigating between fields reduces downtime and maximizes operational continuity. This section details how to set up missions that utilize recorded or imported transit paths for moving between fields.

Overview:

Before using transits on your operation, there are a few aspects that you will need to keep in mind:

A transit path is required to navigate autonomously outside the geofence: These paths ensure vehicles stick to predetermined, safe routes, minimizing risks and reducing the need for operators to drive the vehicle across adjacent fields. Transit paths must connect every field between the vehicle and its destination.
Missions can include transits before or after working passes and/or headlands: This flexibility lets operators perform fieldwork and move to subsequent fields without manual intervention, or creating transit-specific missions, thus optimizing overall productivity and resource use.
Vehicles will pause before leaving the field: By default, the vehicle pauses before each field it leaves. When a mission includes a transit, vMC adds a traffic-controlled traversable hole (TCTH) around the transit path outside the geofence. On a multi-field route, this happens at every field exit. Before the vehicle enters a TCTH, operators are notified and can remotely raise and fold the implement. The TCTH width is the implement's working width plus 3 ft. of buffer on each side.

To skip these pauses, place a traversable hole that intersects the transit and leave it as not traffic-controlled.

Transiting across multiple fields

You can set an end point in any field, not just the next one over. There is no limit to the number of fields a route can cross, as long as transit paths connect them all.

Shortest route: vMC picks the route with the shortest total transit distance to your end point. It applies the traversal settings for the implement and activity type of the mission.
Every link needs a transit: Each field along the route must connect to the next by a recorded or imported transit path. Fields that overlap are treated as one connected area, so they don't need a transit between them.
Send Vehicle Here: Select any point of interest on the map and choose Send Vehicle Here to create a transit mission to it.
Between queued missions: If two queued missions are in different fields, select "Add transit connecting these missions" to insert a transit between them. A coverage plan for the field is required.

Navigating point-to-point between fields:

Create the Coverage Plan: Use an existing coverage plan within the current or target field and ensure the fields are connected by transit paths, either directly or through other fields.
Create a Mission: To create a point-to-point mission, you will need to disable both headlands and passes using the toggles located in the sidebar of mission planner.
Set an Endpoint: Select or drop an endpoint in the target field. If you want the vehicle to end pointing a specific direction, you can enter a heading for a point of interest or end point by clicking on the point and enabling the heading toggle. The end point can be in any connected field, not only an adjacent one.
Save the Mission: If you are satisfied with the mission, save it to send it to the vehicle.

Navigating to start a mission in a new field:

Create the Coverage Plan: Generate a coverage plan within the target field and ensure the fields are connected by transit paths, either directly or through other fields.
Create the Mission: To navigates to a field and perform a mission, first select the passes and/or headlands you wish to work.
Set an Endpoint: Select or drop an endpoint in the field you will be working. If you want the vehicle to end pointing a specific direction, you can enter a heading for a point of interest or end point by clicking on the point and enabling the heading toggle. The end point can be in any connected field, not only an adjacent one.
Save the Mission: If you are satisfied with the mission, save it to send it to the vehicle.

Ending the current mission in another field:

Create the Coverage Plan: Generate a coverage plan within the current field and ensure the fields are connected by transit paths, either directly or through other fields.
Create a Mission: To create a mission that ends in another field, first select the passes and/or headlands you wish to work.
Set an Endpoint: Select or drop an endpoint in the field where you want the mission to end. If you want the vehicle to end pointing a specific direction, you can enter a heading for a point of interest or end point by clicking on the point and enabling the heading toggle. The end point can be in any connected field, not only an adjacent one.
Save the Mission: If you are satisfied with the mission, save it to send it to the vehicle.

Safety and Legal Considerations

Safety is paramount when navigating between fields, especially when dealing with large machinery. Understanding legal and safety implications is crucial to ensure compliant and secure operations.

Obstacle Detection Limits: Be aware that the obstacle detection does not account for the folded width of the implement.
Width Constraints: Maximum width constraints are not checked before transits, which could pose risks if not manually verified.
Legal Restrictions: It is not legal and violates Sabanto's Terms of Use to use this feature to navigate the vehicle autonomously on public property or public roads.

Troubleshooting

Even with careful planning, issues can arise. This section provides solutions to common problems encountered during the use of the field-to-field transit feature.

No Available Transits: If you see "Vehicle cannot reach target field" or "No transit connects the start and end fields," a link is missing somewhere between the vehicle and the destination. Record or import a transit to fill the gap.
Unexpected Route: vMC chooses the shortest route by transit distance. If it isn't the one you expected, check that the transit you want connects the fields on both ends.
Pausing for Assistance Before Working Passes: If you are attempting to work passes after transiting between fields, the vehicle should pause before exiting the traffic-controlled traversable hole in order to allow operators to lower and fold the implement. If the vehicle does not pause and the implement is raised and folder, you will need to pause the vehicle manually in before it begins working passes in the next field. On a multi-field route, the vehicle pauses before each field it leaves, not just the last.
Transit Can't Reach the Next Mission: If you see "The transit can't end where the next mission starts, likely because it's too close to the field edge," plan that transit manually.
Queue Hints: "Path to next field is unknown" or "Manual transit required to next field" means vMC has no transit for that step. Add a transit, or press "Add transit connecting these missions".
Obstacle Detection Errors: The obstacle detection system uses the implement's width specified in vMC. If the implement is folded, the system is currently unaware of the folded dimensions. This can cause unnecessary obstacle detection-related pauses if there are detected obstacles inside the implement's width, would it have been unfolded. To work around this issue, you can try updating the implement's width to match the folded width in vMC to avoid false obstacle detections. However, you must remember to change it back before working passes or headlands. Otherwise, you may be required to drive the transit manually.
Missing Path Violations during Mission Planning: If you encounter path errors during mission generation, we recommend completing the mission in the current field and then creating another mission to transit to the target field instead of attempting to end the current mission in the next field after work is completed.
Prevent Sharp Turns: To avoid geofence violations or unexpected pauses during a transit, plan routes that allow gentle turns, ideally at an angle less than 90 degrees.
Unable to Modify Transit Paths: If you are attempting to modify the geometry of a transit path and are seeing the geometry disappear from edit mode, it is likely because the transit does not have enough coordinates. We recommend that you export this geometry, open it in geojson.io and ensure there are at least 4 or more coordinates and then re-import it back into vMC.
Multiple Field Boundaries: If a transit intersects with multiple overlapping field boundaries in your organization, it's possible for those field boundaries to be included in the same mission unintentionally. To work around this, remove any unneeded field boundaries that may be overlapping and regenerate your mission.