NL2016963B1 - Autonomous tedder and system and method for managing a crop. - Google Patents

Autonomous tedder and system and method for managing a crop. Download PDF

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Publication number
NL2016963B1
NL2016963B1 NL2016963A NL2016963A NL2016963B1 NL 2016963 B1 NL2016963 B1 NL 2016963B1 NL 2016963 A NL2016963 A NL 2016963A NL 2016963 A NL2016963 A NL 2016963A NL 2016963 B1 NL2016963 B1 NL 2016963B1
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Netherlands
Prior art keywords
route
mowing
crop
shaking
tedder
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NL2016963A
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Dutch (nl)
Inventor
Jacobus Reijersen Van Buuren Willem
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Forage Innovations Bv
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Priority to NL2016963A priority Critical patent/NL2016963B1/en
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Publication of NL2016963B1 publication Critical patent/NL2016963B1/en

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
    • A01D91/00—Methods for harvesting agricultural products
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01B—SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL
    • A01B79/00—Methods for working soil
    • A01B79/005—Precision agriculture
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
    • A01D78/00—Haymakers with tines moving with respect to the machine

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Soil Sciences (AREA)
  • Harvester Elements (AREA)

Abstract

A method for managing a baleable crop, in particular a grass crop, comprises mowing the crop along a mowing route, and tedding the mown crop, wherein the tedding comprises planning a tedding route to be followed on the basis of the mowing route and on whether or not a conditioning device was used during the mowing operation. The tedding route may be substantially the same as the mowing route if a conditioning device was used during the mowing, and substantially opposite the mowing route if no conditioning device was used during the mowing. This takes less power for the tedding operation. A system for tedding and an autonomous tedder are provided according to this method as well.

Description

Autonomous tedder and system and method for managing a crop
The invention relates to a method for managing a baleable crop, in particular a grass crop, the method comprising a first operation and a later second operation, wherein said first operation comprises mowing the crop along a mowing route, and said second operation is tedding the mown crop.
Such method is well-known, in that any tedder will be driven over a field of mown grass or the like according to some route, be it planned or not.
In practice, this turns out to be unsatisfactory, and it is desirable, and an object of the invention, to improve upon this method.
The invention achieves this object with a method according to claim 1, in particular a method for managing a baleable crop, in particular a grass crop, the method comprising a first operation and a later second operation, wherein said first operation comprises mowing the crop along a mowing route, and said second operation is tedding the mown crop, wherein the tedding comprises planning a tedding route to be followed on the basis of the mowing route and on whether or not a conditioning device was used during the mowing operation.
It was found by the inventor that, surprisingly, this method can be optimised as to fuel consumption, and as compared to prior art methods, in which the tedding and mowing routes were uncorrelated.
In particular, the tedding route is substantially the same as the mowing route if a conditioning device was used during the mowing, and the tedding route is substantially opposite the mowing route if no conditioning device was used during the mowing. Herein, "substantially the same" means that in a majority of the route or area tedded, the direction of travel of the vehicle will be the same as the direction of the mowing/conditioning vehicle. Similarly, "substantially opposite" means that the directions are opposite for a majority of, or all of the area mown by the mowing vehicle. In practice, it turns out that the average working speed may thus be increased, and/or the average load of the machine may be lowered, in all leading to a reduction of the fuel consumption with up to between 5 and 10%.
In practical embodiments, the tedder is often (much) wider than the mower. In that case it is e.g. possible to let the mower mow two or more passes next to each other in the same direction, if need be with a bigger or smaller overlap, such that the two (or more) passes correspond to one pass of the tedder. For example, if the mower is 6 meters wide, and the tedder is 12 meters, the mower can do two passes next to each other in the same direction, these being doubled by one pass of the tedder, either in the same direction when the mower also comprised a conditioner, and in the opposite direction if there was no conditioner. Alternatively or additionally, it is also possible to let the mower mow along a concentrical route, i.e. driving round and round, with ever increasing or ever decreasing distance from the centre of the field. It is then sufficient for the tedder either to follow the same direction (with conditioner) or go in the opposite direction.
In another aspect, the invention relates to an autonomous tedder for tedding a mown crop according to claim 3 and in particular comprising a rotatable tedding device for rotatingly tedding the crop, propulsion means for autonomously moving the tedder, a route controller for planning a tedding route and controlling the propulsion means to steer the tedder along the planned route, the route controller comprising a navigation device, wherein the route controller is arranged to receive first navigation information about a mowing route followed when the crop was mown, and second conditioning information about whether or not a conditioner was used during the mowing of the crop, wherein the route controller is arranged to plan the tedding route based on both the first navigation information and the second conditioning information.
In an embodiment of the autonomous tedder, the route controller is arranged to plan the tedding route along to the mowing route if the condition information indicates that a conditioner was used during the mowing of the crop, and the route controller is arranged to plan the tedding route opposite to the mowing route if the condition information indicates that no conditioner was used during the mowing of the crop. The tedder will plan its route accordingly on the basis of the route actually travelled by the mower, or the mower conditioner. This information may be provided by means of a data carrier such as a USB stick, or via the internet or a "cloud" function or the like The route information may comprise waypoints, gps coordinates or any suitable format. Such a tedder has similar advantages as described above, but importantly more crop may be tedded with one charge of energy, which is all the more important since autonomous tedders often have a much smaller energy charge than a diesel tractor with a tedder.
The invention also relates to a system for autonomously managing a baleable crop, in particular a grass crop, according to claim 5, and in particular comprising an autonomous mower for mowing the crop, and an autonomous tedder for tedding the crop according to the invention, wherein the autonomous mower comprises a navigation device arranged to generate first navigation information about the route followed by the mower during the mowing of the crop, wherein the autonomous mower is arranged to supply the first navigation information to the route controller of the tedder. The advantages are similar to those described for the method and the tedder according to the invention. In addition, it is clear that the full system of mower or mower conditioner, and tedder may thus provide the best results with optimum fuel economy.
The invention will now be elucidated in the form of a number of nonlimiting exemplary embodiments in the drawing, in which:
Figure 1 shows first embodiment of the method according to the invention,
Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention, and Figure 3 very driagrammatically shows an embodiment of the system according to the invention, with a very diagrammatic tedder according to the invention.
Figure 1 shows first embodiment of the method according to the invention. Flerein, a field 1 is mown along a route 2 by a mower-conditioner 3 in the direction of the solid arrows, and later by a tedder 4, shown in dashed lines.
Since this is a mower-conditioner, the route to be followed by the tedder 4 should be substantially equal to the route followed by the mower-conditioner. In this case, the path tedded by the tedder 4 is twice as wide as the path mowed by the mower-conditioner, as can be seen in the Figure. But since the route by the mower conditioner 3 is concentrical, this is irrelevant, as long as the route by the tedder follows the same general direction, i.e. either clockwise or counterclockwise. In case the mower 3 would not have been provided with a conditioner, the route of the tedder 4 should have been opposite, i.e. counterclockwise.
The mower (conditioner) 3 may be e.g. a mower that is pulled by a tractor, a self-driven mower or even an autonomous mower. In the first two cases, the route information may be stored by the driver either in his memory or in some route determination and storage device, such as a hard disk drive or memory card on board the tractor or mower (conditioner). The route information may also be determined and/or stored by an external device, such as a satellite tracking system, a gps or the like, that sends the information to an external memory device. In addition, there may be stored, along with the route information, information about whether or not a conditioner was used during the mowing. All this information may be used by the tedder for planning its route. The information may be entered by an operator, who contacts the memory device with the stored information. Alternatively, and very generally, it is possible that the tedder automatically receives the stored information and plans the route to be followed. This route may then be followed by the driver of the tedder or tractor pulling the tedder, or by the tedder itself in case of an autonomous tedder.
Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention. Similar parts have been identified with the same reference numerals. In this case, the mower conditioner 3 drives a back-and-forth route 2 over the field 1. Since the mower 3 has a width that is about half as wide as the tedder 4 that is to ted the field lateron, the route because slightly more complex, as is shown with the arrows above and below the field. In this way, the tedder 4 can follow a simple back-and-forth route going over the field. Other routes may be planned for the mower in case of a different width ratio. Note that in this case, it is in fact rather the mower route that is planned, than it is the tedder route.
Figure 3 very diagrammatically shows an embodiment of the system according to the invention, with a very diagrammatic tedder according to the invention. Herein, the mower 3 has a disk drive 5 or the like, and/or a transceiver 6, to pass data 7 to a relay device 8, that passes the data to the tedder 4, with a rotatable tedding device 9, a drive 10 and a controller 11.
The mower 3 is a towed mower, a self-driving mower or an autonomous mower. It is optionally provided with a conditioner (not indicated here). The route information is either generated by driving the mower, i.e. by an operator and then stored after detection by means of an on-board position determining device, a satellite tracker or the like, and then stored, or the route information is pregenerated by the driver or autonomously and to be followed by the mower 3 during mowing. In every case, the route information, together with information about whether or not a conditioner was used, is stored as data 7. This data 7 may either be transmitted via a transceiver 6 to a nexternal storage, such as a "cloud storage", via relay device 8, or directly to a tedder 4 that is to ted the field lateron with the tedding device 9, such as rotating tines. It is alternatively possible to exchange the data via a disk drive 5, present on both the mower 3 and the tedder 4, with an exchangeable disks or the loke, such as a USB stick, a memory card and so on. These devices may then be passed from the mower 3 to the tedder 4.
The tedder 4 thus obtains the data 7, that is then used by the tedder controller 11 to plan the tedding route and to drive the drive 10 accordingly. The tedder may also be a towed tedder, the towing vehicle thus being the specific part to be controlled as to its route, or a self-driving tedder, or an autonomous tedder. The latter embodiment is especially advantageous for the amount of stored (electrical or other) energy on board the autonomous tedder will very likely not be very great, such that energy efficiency is very important. The present invention allows such energy efficient operation.

Claims (5)

1. Werkwijze voor beheren van een baaibaar gewas, in het bijzonder een grasgewas, waarbij de werkwijze omvat een eerste bewerking en een latere tweede bewerking, waarbij de eerste bewerking omvat het maaien van het gewas langs een maairoute, en de tweede bewerking schudden van het gemaaide gewas is, waarbij het schudden omvat het plannen van een te volgen schudroute op basis van de maairoute en op het al dan niet hebben gebruikt van een kneusinrichting tijdens de maaibewerking.A method for managing a bayable crop, in particular a grass crop, the method comprising a first operation and a later second operation, the first operation comprising mowing the crop along a mowing route, and the second operation shaking it mown crop, wherein the shaking comprises planning a shaking route to be followed based on the mowing route and on whether or not a crushing device has been used during the mowing operation. 2. Werkwijze volgens conclusie 1, waarbij de schudroute in hoofdzaak hetzelfde is als de maairoute indien een kneusinrichting was gebruikt tijdens het maaien, en waarbij de schudroute in hoofdzaak tegengesteld gericht is aan de maairoute indien geen kneusinrichting was gebruikt tijdens het maaien.The method of claim 1, wherein the shaking route is substantially the same as the mowing route if a crushing device was used during mowing, and wherein the shaking route is directed substantially opposite to the mowing route if no crushing device was used during mowing. 3. Autonome schudder voor schudden van een gemaaid gewas, omvattende: een draaibare schudinrichting voor draaiend schudden van het gewas, voortbewegingsmiddelen voor autonoom verplaatsen van de schudder, een routebesturing voor plannen van een schudroute en besturen van de voortbewegingsmiddelen om de schudder langs de geplande route te sturen, waarbij de routebesturing een navigatieinrichting omvat, waarbij de routebesturing is ingericht voor ontvangen van eerste navigatieinformatie omtrent een maairoute die is gevolgd toen het gewas werd gemaaid, en tweede kneuzingsinformatie omtrent of er al dan niet een kneusinrichting werd gebruikt tijdens het maaien van het gewas, waarbij de routebesturing is ingericht om de schudroute te plannen op basis van zowel de eerste navigatieinformatie en de tweede kneuzingsinformatie.An autonomous shaker for shaking a mown crop, comprising: a rotatable shaker for rotating the crop, propulsion means for autonomously moving the shaker, a route control for planning a shaking route and controlling the propulsion means around the shaker along the planned route wherein the route control comprises a navigation device, wherein the route control is adapted to receive first navigation information about a mowing route that was followed when the crop was mowed, and second bruising information about whether or not a crushing device was used during mowing of the crop, wherein the route control is arranged to plan the shaking route on the basis of both the first navigation information and the second bruising information. 4. Autonome schudder volgens conclusie 3, waarbij de routebesturing is ingericht om de schudroute te plannen langs de maairoute indien de kneuzingsinformatie aangeeft dat een kneuzingsinrichting werd gebruikt tijdens het maaien van het gewas, en waarbij de routebesturing is ingericht om de schudroute te plannen tegengesteld aan de maairoute indien de kneuzingsinformatie aanduidt dat er geen kneusinrichting werd gebruikt tijdens het maaien van het gewas.An autonomous tedder according to claim 3, wherein the route control is arranged to plan the shaking route along the mowing route if the bruising information indicates that a bruising device was used during mowing of the crop, and wherein the route control is arranged to plan the shaking route opposite to the mowing route if the crushing information indicates that a crushing device was not used during mowing of the crop. 5. Systeem voor autonoom beheren van een baaibaar gewas, in het bijzonder een grasgewas, omvattende een autonome maaier voor maaien van het gewas, en een autonome schudder voor schudden van het gewas, volgens een van de conclusies 3-4, waarbij de autonome maaier een navigatieinrichting omvat die is ingericht voor genereren van eerste navigatieinformatie omtrent de route die tijdens het maaien van het gewas werd gevolgd door de maaier, waarbij de autonome maaier is ingericht om de eerste navigatieinformatie te verschaffen aan de routebesturing van de schudder.System for autonomous management of a bayable crop, in particular a grass crop, comprising an autonomous mower for mowing the crop, and an autonomous shaker for shaking the crop, according to one of claims 3-4, wherein the autonomous mower comprises a navigation device adapted to generate first navigation information about the route followed by the mower during mowing of the crop, the autonomous mower being adapted to provide the first navigation information to the shaker's route control.
NL2016963A 2016-06-15 2016-06-15 Autonomous tedder and system and method for managing a crop. NL2016963B1 (en)

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2019129335A1 (en) 2017-12-29 2019-07-04 Agro Intelligence Aps Apparatus and method for improving the quality of grass and clover by tedding

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1369013A1 (en) * 2002-06-06 2003-12-10 Lely Enterprises AG A system for and a method of performing a first and a second agricultural operation on an agricultural parcel
EP1840690A2 (en) * 2006-03-30 2007-10-03 CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH Method for creating a rounting plan for agricultural machinery

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1369013A1 (en) * 2002-06-06 2003-12-10 Lely Enterprises AG A system for and a method of performing a first and a second agricultural operation on an agricultural parcel
EP1840690A2 (en) * 2006-03-30 2007-10-03 CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH Method for creating a rounting plan for agricultural machinery

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
DENNIS SKIBO: "0507 FG: Test your tedding know-how: What you need to produce high-quality hay - Progressive Forage", 2 October 2007 (2007-10-02), XP055329755, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:http://www.progressiveforage.com/forage-production/equipment/0507-fg-test-your-tedding-know-how-what-you-need-to-produce-high-quality-hay> [retrieved on 20161216] *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2019129335A1 (en) 2017-12-29 2019-07-04 Agro Intelligence Aps Apparatus and method for improving the quality of grass and clover by tedding

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