RU2818744C1 - Gps location addition and interruption playback - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: agriculture.

SUBSTANCE: system for determining the location of an agricultural tool, which performs an agricultural operation on a site, includes a global positioning system (GPS) associated with an agricultural tool, to provide information on location for agricultural operation on site. Location information relates to an agricultural operation event. There is also a GPS augmentation system associated with an agricultural implement. GPS augmentation system includes an inertial measuring unit located on an agricultural machine. Inertial unit has 9-axis inertial measuring unit with sensors. Said unit supplements GPS or replaces GPS during GPS outage.

EFFECT: improved location detection.

23 cl, 11 dwg

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. section 119. under U.S. Provisional Patent Applications Nos. 62/704,284, 62/704,285, 63/018,833, 63/019,032, all of which were filed May 1, 2020. The Provisional Patent Applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, including, without limitation , description, claims and abstract, as well as any figures, tables, appendices or graphic materials thereto.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present invention relate generally to apparatus, systems and corresponding method of use in at least the agricultural industry. More specifically, but not exclusively, apparatus, methods and systems include augmenting, adding and/or replacing global positioning system (GPS) information for use in agricultural operations.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

An agricultural row crop seeder is a machine designed to accurately distribute seeds in the soil. A row crop seeder essentially contains a horizontal beam for hanging replaceable implements attached to a hitch assembly for towing behind a tractor or other implement. The sowing sections containing seed dispensers are attached to a beam for hanging replaceable working elements. In various configurations, seed can be stored in separate hoppers on each row unit or stored in a central hopper and delivered to row units as needed. The row units include tillage tools to open and close the seed trench and a seed metering system to distribute seed throughout the seed trench.

Precision agriculture focuses on very precise and timely knowledge of physical locations. Yield can be directly related to how accurately seed spacing can be maintained. Today, traditional GPS has accuracy limitations that need to be supplemented with data from other sources. Additionally, due to obstacles, weather conditions, or other influences, interruptions in GPS data are a problem for agricultural operations. Such limitations in GPS, including possible outages, may affect the current farming operation for a single implement and may also affect multiple implements at the same or different locations depending on the information provided by the GPS. Lack of information can lead to problems with compaction, overplanting, missed planting and other problems that can affect crop yield.

Thus, there is a need in the art for systems, methods and/or apparatus that improve the use of GPS in agricultural operations, including augmenting GPS data and replacing GPS during outages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following objects, features, advantages, aspects and/or embodiments are not exhaustive and do not limit the invention as a whole. No embodiment should provide all of the objectives, features, or benefits. Any of the objectives, features, advantages, aspects and/or embodiments disclosed herein may be integrated with each other, either in whole or in part.

Therefore, a primary purpose, feature, and/or advantage of any aspect of any of the embodiments disclosed herein is to improve or overcome shortcomings in the art.

Another purpose, feature and/or advantage of any aspect of any of the embodiments disclosed herein is to complement location sensing systems, methods and/or apparatus associated with agricultural implements.

Another purpose, feature and/or advantage of any aspect of any embodiment disclosed herein is to complement the global positioning system (GPS) of the towing vehicle and/or towed implement.

Another object, feature and/or advantage of any aspect of any of the embodiments disclosed herein is to provide a system and/or method for providing information about the location or positioning of a towing vehicle and/or towed agricultural implement when an outage or disturbance occurs. GPS operation.

Another additional purpose, feature and/or advantage of any aspect of any embodiment disclosed herein is to provide absolute positioning of the towing vehicle and towed agricultural implement using a combination of GPS and inertial measurement unit (IMU).

Another additional purpose, feature and/or advantage of any aspect of any embodiment disclosed herein is to use location/positioning information from the IMU and other information to replace information provided by GPS during an outage or disruption.

Yet another additional purpose, feature, and/or advantage of any aspect of any embodiment disclosed herein is to co-position the tow vehicle and towed farm implement combination with a second location or tow vehicle and towed farm implement.

Another further object, feature and/or advantage of any aspect of any embodiment disclosed herein is the inclusion of one or more unmanned autonomous vehicles (UVs) to complement the location of the towing vehicle and the towed agricultural implement.

Another purpose, feature and/or advantage of any aspect of any embodiment disclosed herein is to store and access agricultural data in a location remote from the agricultural implement, such as in a cloud storage system.

The computerized methods and systems disclosed herein can be used in a wide variety of agricultural operations, including planting, tillage, baling, harvesting, spraying, transporting, cultivating, harrowing, plowing, fertilizing, broadcasting, loading, unloading, etc. Some aspects of the computerized methods and systems disclosed herein may even find application in other industries that rely heavily on communications and/or navigation, such as the automotive, maritime and/or aerospace industries.

Another additional purpose, feature and/or benefit is to support the Internet of Things (IoT) and other environments in which information, data, or the like is transmitted efficiently at higher speeds and wider bandwidth.

Another additional purpose, feature and/or advantage is to provide safe, economical and reliable results for farmers using the computerized methods disclosed herein.

It is yet another additional purpose, feature, and/or advantage to display aspects of computer-assisted methods disclosed herein with distinct aesthetic features, including, but not limited to, maps, tables, and other text or images that otherwise enhance interaction with agricultural electronics. guns. For example, the user experience may be enhanced or otherwise further facilitated by a graphical user interface that provides the user with intuitive controls and/or automatically alerts the farm implement operator to potential problems and/or prompts the operator to perform manual input, such as when potential problems cannot be resolved automatically. As another example, graphical user interfaces can be configured intuitively, for example by comparison, and simultaneously, for example, in a compact space to display more than one set of data.

In accordance with some aspects of the present invention, an agricultural system comprises an agricultural implement configured to perform at least one agricultural operation on the property, a global positioning system (GPS) associated with the agricultural implement to provide location information for the at least one agricultural operation on the property. site, wherein the location information relates to an event of at least one agricultural operation, and a GPS augmentation system associated with the agricultural implement, wherein the GPS augmentation system augments the GPS or replaces the GPS during a GPS outage.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, a GPS augmentation system comprises a plurality of GPS augmentation devices.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the plurality of GPS augmentation devices comprise one or more sensors, lidar, radar, speedometers, heading devices, inertial measurement units, cameras, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, other known types of position sensors, error calculation devices (eg devices for calculating clock drift, ephemeral and/or ionospheric delays) and/or any other suitable/useful radio navigation components.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the GPS augmentation system includes an inertial measurement unit.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, an unmanned vehicle (UV) is associated with an agricultural implement.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the UV is part of a GPS augmentation system.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the UV comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the at least one agricultural operation includes one or more of planting, tillage, pressing, harvesting, spraying, transporting, and cultivating.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the event of the at least one agricultural operation includes one or more of planting seeds, spraying a location, harvesting a crop, driving through a location, and placing a bale.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, a communication system for exchanging information with another agricultural implement is included.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the processor is coupled to an agricultural implement.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the processor instructs the processor to perform or not perform at least one agricultural operation.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the processor is coupled to a GPS and a GPS augmentation system, wherein the processor may: use information from both the GPS and the GPS augmentation system to provide an augmented location; or use information from a GPS augmentation system when GPS is not available to continue to provide location information.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the system includes a display displaying at least one of location information from a GPS, combined location information from a GPS and GPS augmentation system, and location information from a GPS augmentation system.

According to additional aspects and/or embodiments, a method of obtaining the location of an agricultural operation event performed by an agricultural machine includes obtaining location information using GPS, obtaining location information using a GPS augmentation system, and using location information using the information location information from both GPS and a GPS augmentation system to provide an event location, or using location information from a GPS augmentation system when GPS is not available to provide an event location.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, a method includes displaying the location of an event on a user display.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, when GPS is not available, displaying an event location based on a GPS augmentation system is different from displaying a location using both GPS and a GPS augmentation system.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the method includes storing the location of the event in a storage device with a date and time stamp.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the method includes coupling an unmanned vehicle with an agricultural machine to assist in obtaining the location of an event.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the unmanned vehicle includes an unmanned aerial vehicle.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, the method includes sharing the location of an event with a second agricultural machine.

In accordance with any aspects of any of the disclosed embodiments, a controller of the second agricultural machine uses the location of the event to control operation of the second agricultural machine.

According to additional aspects and/or embodiments, a system for determining the location of an agricultural event performed by an agricultural machine comprises a global positioning system (GPS) and a GPS augmentation system, wherein the GPS augmentation system comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) associated with the agricultural machine, wherein said UAV communicates its location to the agricultural machine in order to supplement a GPS-determined location or to be used in place of GPS when GPS is not available.

These and/or other objects, features, advantages, aspects and/or embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon viewing the following summary and detailed descriptions of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF GRAPHIC MATERIALS

In FIG. 1 is a side view of an example tractor.

In FIG. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an agricultural seeder.

In FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of an agricultural machine containing a towing vehicle and an implement connected to it.

In FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a GPS augmentation system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure and/or invention.

In FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an agricultural machine in a field.

In FIG. 6 is a diagram of the components of a system in which information is shared between multiple agricultural machines and/or devices.

In FIG. 7A is a diagram showing several agricultural machines in one field.

In FIG. 7B is an exemplary screen image of one of the agricultural machines shown in FIG. 7A.

In FIG. 8A shows a diagram of a farm machine in a field that has lost GPS information.

In FIG. 8B is an exemplary screen image of the agricultural machine shown in FIG. 8A.

In FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a method of operation of an agricultural machine location system.

In FIG. 10A is a view of a UAV used in an agricultural machine operation to assist in positioning.

In FIG. 10B shows another view of a UAV and an agricultural machine.

In FIG. 10C shows another view of a UAV and an agricultural machine according to additional aspects of the system.

In FIG. 10D shows a view of a UAV and an agricultural machine when the UAV is not currently in use.

In FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of a hardware environment highlighting the computing components of an exemplary smart control system, such as a touchscreen tablet.

Several embodiments are illustrated and described in detail, with like reference numerals representing like components in multiple views. Graphics are provided for illustrative purposes only and may not be shown to scale unless otherwise noted. Moreover, it should be noted that any aspect of any of the figures can be used with any other figure not including the specified aspect and still retain the spirit of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following definitions and background information are provided to facilitate understanding of the embodiments and/or aspects thereof. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which embodiments of the present invention relate.

Terms in the singular include both singular and plural references.

The term “or” is synonymous with “and/or” and means any element or combination of elements of a specific list.

As used herein, the terms “invention” or “the present invention” are not intended to denote any one embodiment of a particular invention, but rather cover all possible embodiments as set forth in the specification and claims.

As used herein, the term “about” refers to small variations in numerical values with respect to any quantifiable variable. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that unintentional error may arise, for example, due to the use of conventional measurement methods or equipment, or due to differences in the manufacture, source, or purity of components. The claims include equivalent quantities, whether or not modified by the term "about".

The term "capable" describes a structure capable of performing a task or adopting a specific configuration. The term "capable" may be used interchangeably with other similar phrases such as "constructed", "accommodated", "adapted", "manufactured", etc.

Terms describing sequential order, position and/or orientation are mentioned according to the views presented. Unless the context otherwise indicates, these terms are not limiting.

In communications and computing environments, a computer-readable medium is a medium capable of storing data in a format readable by a mechanical device. The term "non-volatile" is used herein to refer to computer readable media (CRM) that stores data for short periods of time or when power is present, such as a storage device.

An essentially non-transitory computer-readable medium operates under the control of an operating system stored in a storage device. The non-transitory computer-readable medium implements a compiler that allows a software application written in a programming language, such as COBOL, C++, FORTRAN, or any other known programming language, to be converted into code readable by a central processing unit. Once completed, the central processing unit accesses and manipulates data stored in the non-volatile computer-readable medium storage device using relationships and logic defined by the software application and generated by the compiler.

In one embodiment, the software application and compiler are tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium. When instructions are read and executed by the non-transitory computer-readable medium, the non-transitory computer-readable medium performs the steps necessary to implement and/or use the present invention. The software application, operating instructions, and/or firmware (semi-permanent software programmed into read-only memory) may also be materially implemented in storage and/or data communication devices, thereby turning the software application into a product or article in accordance with the present invention.

One or more embodiments described herein may be implemented using software modules, engines, or components. A software module, mechanism, or component may include a program, subroutine, portion of a program, or software component, or hardware component capable of performing one or more of the stated tasks or functions. A module or component can exist on a hardware component independently of other modules or components. Alternatively, a module or component may be a shared element or process of other modules, programs or machines.

Mechanical, electrical, chemical, procedural and/or other changes obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In FIG. 1 shows a tractor 100 used to transmit high torque for towing agricultural equipment. The tractor 100 includes a cab 101 with a steering wheel 102 and a seat 103 for the operator. The tractor 100 also includes a vehicle frame 104 that houses an engine located adjacent the front axle of the tractor 100 and in front of the cab 101. The cab 101 and vehicle frame 104 are structurally supported by a tractor chassis 105 that is attached to rear drive wheels 106 and front idler wheels. 107, said front idler wheels 107 being operatively connected to the steering wheel 102. The exhaust pipe 108 allows carbon monoxide to escape from the tractor 100 during engine operation. The tractor hitch 109 provides a connection between the farm equipment and the tractor 100.

In FIG. 2 shows a seeder 110 used for controlled seeding and seed fertilization. For example, the planter 110 shown in FIG. 2, contains a drawbar 112, which can be telescopic. Drawbar 112 includes a first end 114 with an implement hitch 116 for attachment to a towing vehicle, such as a tractor 100. The opposite end of the drawbar 112 is attached to a frame or center beam 118 for mounting replaceable implements. The traction links 120 are connected between the center attachment bar 118 and the drawbar 112 and are used in conjunction with the folding actuators 122 to fold forward the center attachment beam 118. Therefore, the drawbar 112 may be a telescoping drawbar in that it can be extended or moved to allow the center beam 118 to fold forward to hang replaceable implements. The planter 110 may also be a lift-and-tilt, rear-fold, vertical-fold, narrow-row, or essentially any other type of planter.

The central beam 118 for hanging replaceable working parts contains first and second wings 130, 134 extending from it. The central beam 118 for hanging replaceable implements contains central hoppers 124, which contain seeds or other granules/particles used in planting. A set of transport wheels 128 are also connected to a central beam 118 for hanging replaceable working parts. The first and second wings 130, 134 are essentially simply reflections of each other. The wings contain bars 132, 135 for hanging replaceable working parts of the first and second wings. Along the central beam 118 for hanging replaceable working elements, as well as beams 132, 135 for hanging replaceable working elements of the first and second wings, a set of sowing units 140 is attached. The sowing units contain seed dispensers 142, tools for interacting with the soil and/or other components used for controlled planting, soil cultivation and seed fertilization. Also attached to the first and second wings 130, 134 are first and second markers 133, 136. The markers include actuators 137 that are used to raise and lower the markers 133, 136. The markers 133, 136 can be lowered to provide guidance for edges of the seeder for use when planting. If this is not necessary, the markers can be raised to the position shown in FIG. 2 to remove markers from the path.

In FIG. 2 also shows a set of fans 126 as well as a set of wheels 138. The wings may also include actuators 131 for raising and lowering or otherwise applying a downward force to the wings. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, there are many components of the planter 110. The components may include moving parts, such as actuators used to move wings, markers, row units, etc., as well as providing additional functions. For example, fans 126 are used to provide pressure to the seed meter 142 to promote seed adhesion to the seed disc moving therein. Seed dispensers can be electrically driven in the sense that a motor, such as a stepper motor, can be used to rotate the seed dispensers to promote seed adhesion thereto and dispense seed in a controlled manner for ideal spacing, distribution and/or placement. Other features may include actuators or other mechanisms for applying down force to the row units 140. Lights may also be included as part of the planter.

Additionally, a pneumatic seed delivery system may be provided between the central hoppers 124 and any plurality of seed metering units 142 on the row units 140, since the pneumatic seed delivery system provides a continuous flow of seed to the row units as needed to ensure continuous seed planting through the seed metering units on the row units. . Thus, various planter controls may require or otherwise benefit from the use of an implement control system. The implement control system may assist in controlling each of the functions of the implement or planter 110 to provide uninterrupted or near uninterrupted operation of the implement, and also provides communication and/or transfer of data, status, and other information between the components.

It should be understood that a planter need not include all of the features disclosed herein and may also include additional or alternative features as those shown and/or described. The foregoing has been included by way of example of a planter, and it should be understood that essentially any planter from any manufacturer and any add-ons or aftermarket components may be included in any planter that embraces any aspect of the present invention.

Therefore, a planter 110 such as shown can be pulled by a towing vehicle such as the tractor 100 shown in FIG. 1. Additionally, the planter 110 may be towed by a self-propelled, autonomous towing unit rather than by an operator-driven vehicle such as a tractor, such as that shown and described in co-owned U.S. Patent No. 10,575,453, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The rear drive wheels and front idler wheels may be replaced by tracks, regardless of whether said tracks are implemented on an operator-driven vehicle or a self-propelled vehicle.

The amount of information transferred between the tractor and planter components is constantly increasing and includes high traffic volumes. Currently, any information transfer is low-bandwidth, poorly defined protocol, and also involves compatibility issues between different tractor components and/or implements. Thus, problems arose and a new type of system was developed, incorporating a combination of high traffic volume, low latency, high safety, high reliability, high throughput, common supply chain and high strength system to ensure the operation of the implement and facilitate the management of various components of the implement or related to it. Therefore, it is to be understood that the present invention provides solutions to address these emerging requirements, which may include ruggedization and/or input/output (I/O) packages. The solution was developed using standard protocols and components, taking into account adjacent capabilities. The result is an intelligent IoT solution that supports a unique set of features and I/O elements.

Thus, in FIG. 3 illustrates an implement control system and components in accordance with aspects of the present invention. As shown in the figure, some components of the implement control system may not be included in the implement itself. For example, the implement control system, as shown in the figure, includes an intelligent control system 150, which, for example, may use a touch display or other machine-user interface. Examples of such smart control system 150 include, but are not limited to, tablets, phones, handheld devices, laptops, custom displays, computers, or other computing devices capable of allowing input, providing parameters, and displaying output of electronic functions. In addition, control system 150 may include additional components, such as a microprocessor, a microcontroller, other suitable programmable device, other components implemented partially or entirely on a semiconductor (for example, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) chip, such as a chip designed through a process inter-register transfer level (RTL) design). In addition, the control system 150 may include a number of inputs, outputs, storage, power supply, speakers, microphones, cameras, sensors, and the like.

The smart control system 150 may be attached to or otherwise connected to the smart router unit 154. Smart router block 154 may be included, but is not required in all cases. For example, when the smart control system 150 is a tablet, the smart control system 150 may not contain the required number of connections, inputs and/or output capabilities. Therefore, smart router 154 may be included to connect to smart control system 150 to provide additional inputs, outputs, and/or other connectivity to smart control system 150. The smart control system 150 and/or the smart router 154 may be remote from the implement, such as the planter 110. As shown in FIG. 3, the combination of smart control system 150 and smart router 154 is shown in a tractor 100 or other towing vehicle. When the smart control system 150 is a tablet, the device may be positioned within the tractor cab to provide input and output on its display such that an operator can view and interact with said display while in the tractor 100. However, it should be noted that the control unit can be used advantageously at any location remote from the landing implement, and it can even be remote from the location or location of the field.

As mentioned, the intelligent control system may take the form of a display or display component. The display is a form of user interface. The user interface is the way the user interacts with the machine. The user interface may be a digital interface, a command line interface, a graphical user interface (GUI), or any other possible way for the user to interact with the machine. For example, a user interface (UI) may include a combination of digital and analog input and/or output devices or any other type of UI input/output device necessary to achieve the desired level of control and monitoring for the device. Examples of input and/or output devices include computer mice, keyboards, touch screens, pens, dials, switches, buttons, etc. The input(s) received from the UI can then be sent to the microcontroller to control the operational aspects of the device .

The user interface module may include a display that can act as an input and/or output device. Such a display may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, an electroluminescent display (ELD), a surface conduction electron emitter (SED) display, a field emission (FED), thin film transistor (TFT) LCD, or reflective bistable cholesteric display (i.e., e-paper).

The Intelligent Control System/Display 150 in the tractor provides a wealth of information. Example pieces of information may include, but are not limited to, historical information (path planning, yields, planting locations, etc.), communication systems/networks (Bluetooth, wired or wireless connections, near field communications, WAN , LAN, cellular networks, etc.), speedometer information, directional information (9-axis information), sensors, programmable logic, I/O, etc. The information may be specific to the tractor, planter, or a combination of both. The information may also include information from additional tractors and/or seeders or other implements in a common field or an individual field.

Still additional components that may be associated with, located on or otherwise located on the towing vehicle/tractor 100 include a global positioning system (GPS). The GPS may be located separately or be part of the display 150 and be used to provide location information to the tractor 100.

In FIG. 3 also illustrates system components that may be part of an implement, such as the planter 110. It should also be understood that the implement may be essentially any type of agricultural implement, including, but not limited to, seeders, drills, tillage implements, sprayers, discs, fertilizer openers, etc. As shown, the planter/implement 110 may include a GPS 146, which may be taken from the tractor 100, or may be a separate planter location source/indicator separate from the tractor. This may take the form of an antenna or other receiver to communicate with a GPS source such as a satellite or tower to transmit location information.

Associated with the planter 110 are row units 140, the number of which can range from one to N, where N can be any number greater than one. The planter's row units contain components that assist in the precise placement of seed in the field, for example based on GPS location. Thus, the row units contain numerous components, such as including, but not limited to, soil interaction tools, sensors, actuators, sensors, inertial measurement units, and the like. The row units 140 and/or other planter components 110 may also contain a variety of other controls and sensors. The controls and/or sensors may be controlled by or otherwise communicate with a router, node, intelligent control system, sensors, or the like.

For example, a planter may include one or more of an Intelligent Planter Router (IPR) 162, an Intelligent Planter Node (IPN) 166, and an Intelligent Planter Positioner (IPP) 164. The IPR 162 may also be referred to as a personal planter module and is a type of intelligent implement or element router smart router. The IPR 162, as will be disclosed herein, provides planter programmability while providing connectivity to components and controls for various aspects of the planter. For example, the IPR 162 may contain a function or intelligent control element (central processing unit, etc.) that can be programmed to provide information related to the planter 110. This may include the number of rows on the planter, the type of planter, the type of pressure for metering seeds, type of seed dispensers, number of seed dispensers, and preferably any other information associated with the planter in such a way that the information can be used to control the functionality of the planter. This programming of the IPR 162 can be carried out during the manufacture of the planter, for example its construction. Therefore, the IPR 162 can be factory programmed to provide such information, which can be communicated by other components of the implement control system. However, the IPR 162 configuration will provide information built into its CPU during manufacture to provide parameters and settings for interfacing with other implement control system components. The IPR 162 may be coupled to a plurality of planter intelligent nodes 166, which may preferably be referred to as smart nodes or other implement intelligent nodes.

IPN 166 can be used both for seed drill row units and for seed drill auxiliary functions. The IPN 166 can be located on each row unit of the planter or can be enlarged so that there are multiple IPNs on each row unit such that the IPNs can be broken down into row one IPN, row two IPN completely and up to row N IPN, wherein equal to the number of row units associated with the planter. Likewise, when IPN 166 is used with a planter auxiliary function, the number of IPNs associated with the planter can be determined based on the number of auxiliary functions associated with the planter itself.

IPP 164 can generally be called intelligent positioning elements or intelligent gun positioning elements. IPP 164, as will be disclosed herein, can be used with each of the assemblies or any number of functions or components of the planter 110 to provide additional information associated with the components. This may include motion, location, or other data that can be collected via IPP 160 that can be used and communicated to various components of the implement control system, such as the user display of the intelligent control system 152.

IPN, IPR and IPP are shown and described in co-owned US Patent No. 10,952,365, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As shown in US Patent Application No. 10,952,365, IPN, IPR and IPP have numerous functions and operate on numerous components. As shown in the application, there is an intelligent control system in the form of a display/CPU element. The display/CPU element is connected to the IPR. An Ethernet connection can be used to connect the display to the implement's IPR. Using an Ethernet connection allows for high-speed, high-bandwidth information transfer between components. The Ethernet protocol provides high-speed, high-throughput capabilities where large amounts of data can be transferred between two components connected via an Ethernet connection in a way that has not yet been realized in the agricultural industry. Thus, the use of Ethernet in the implement control system provides much higher transmission speeds when transferring data in a high-speed manner. The IPR is shown to have three Ethernet connections extending from it. These include Ethernet left, Ethernet right and Ethernet auxiliary. Ethernet Connection Left shows the Ethernet connection to the left wing of the planter 110 and is shown to be connected to a number of IPNs that are associated with row units attached to or on the left wing of the planter. Likewise, the right Ethernet connection is connected to a plurality of IPNs that are associated with a number of row units attached to or associated with the right wing of the planter 110. However, it should be understood that the number of IPNs used and the delegation of the right and left channels are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the present invention. Finally, an Ethernet auxiliary connection connects the IPR to a collection of IPNs associated with auxiliary functions of the planter 110. Although the two IPNs are connected via an Ethernet auxiliary, it should be understood that this is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the present invention.

Therefore, for illustrative purposes, an Ethernet left connection associated with an IPN can be described as follows. The IPNs are connected to a number of sensors, motors, and other controls in which the IPNs communicate information between themselves and the IPR to control the functions of its components. For example, one IPN is connected to the seed meter motor, insecticide flow center, seed sensor, manual mode button, insecticide motor control, and liquid fertilizer sensor. Such a motor and sensors are advantageously coupled to the row unit and/or seed meter of the planter. Therefore, the IPN is connected to the components and works with the IPR to control the functionality of the various components. The other IPN connected to the left Ethernet connection includes connections to the vacuum solenoids, work lights, vacuum sensors, work switches, and pneumatic down pressure (PDP). Likewise, the other IPN connected to the Ethernet connection on the right includes connections to the vacuum solenoids, work lights, vacuum sensors, work switches, and striper solenoids. They also represent functions related to the wing and the control of its components. Therefore, the additional IPN will include connections and control of functions associated with these components. The Ethernet auxiliary connection is shown connected to the auxiliary components. For example, IPNs associated with an auxiliary Ethernet connection include components for wing wheel solenoids, axle solenoids, wing solenoids, field coils, alternator sensors, temperature sensors, pneumatic seed controls, hitch solenoids, jump start controls and fertilizer management bodies. Such controls, sensors, etc. are associated with other aspects of the planter and its controls. This allows the planter to be used and data associated with the various controls available.

Therefore, the IPNs are in communication with the IPR to provide controls for the associated IPN components. This will allow the planter to be controlled at a higher speed and throughput so that the controls transfer more data between the IPR and the IPR. Additionally, the use of the implement control system shown and described will provide additional benefits and improvements. Such benefits may include a "Plug and Play" type of system. Today, each row unit includes a unit or control board specifically programmed for the location of the row unit in relation to the planter, the type of seed meter used with the planter, and other factors that the unit is specifically designed to handle, which is tied to a specific location. Aspects of the present invention provide the inherent versatility and functionality of an IPN to provide an IPN connection to an IPR, in which the IPN will then be programmed to provide any number of functionality. This functionality can then be transferred to the user display to allow the operator to interact with the IPN regarding how it should act, react, or otherwise function in relation to other components of the implement control system.

For example, the IPR can be programmed at the time of manufacture, as previously disclosed. It may contain information specific to the planter, such as the number of row units, type of seed delivery mechanism, type of downforce provided, type of seed meter pressure, and/or any other factors that may vary depending on the planting implement. IPNs can be attached to a planter, where the IPR can transmit this information to the IPN via high-speed, high-bandwidth Ethernet connections to provide planter-specific information to the IPN. The IPN can then recognize other components connected to it and can provide functionality to the operator through a user display to allow the operator to enter required results, controls, parameters, or other inputs to allow the IPN to actively control the components connected to it at based on the specified input data. This quick, plug-and-play style programming allows for virtually no programming of IPNs until they are paired with an IPR number. Blank programming of the IPN will allow the IPN to quickly communicate with the components connected to it to allow control of said components independent of any prior programming. The advantage of this approach is that it saves time, cost and other problems associated with special programming of the control board with the functionality of the components to which it will be attached.

In FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of a hardware environment highlighting the computing components of an exemplary smart control system, such as a tablet or other type of touchscreen display unit.

The intelligent control system includes a storage device that has a program storage area and/or a data storage area. The storage device includes either read-only memory (ROM), an example of non-volatile memory, which means it does not lose data when not connected to a power source), or random access memory (RAM), an example of non-volatile memory, which means that it loses data when not connected to a power source). Examples of volatile memory include static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), etc. Examples of non-volatile memory include electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, hard drives, SD cards, etc.

A central processing unit, such as a processor, microprocessor, or microcontroller, is coupled to a storage device and is capable of executing software instructions stored in the storage device. A central processing unit is an electronic circuit that performs operations on some external data source, such as a storage device or some other data stream. The central processing unit performs basic arithmetic, logical, control, and input/output (I/O) operations specified in instructions.

As shown in FIG. 11, aspects of the intelligent control system, including computer hardware and software resources of the modules, are controlled by an operating system stored in a storage device. More specifically, a compiler allows a software application written in a programming language such as COBOL, C++, FORTRAN or any other known programming language to be converted into code for reading by a central processing unit. Once completed, the central processing unit accesses and manipulates data stored in the non-volatile computer-readable medium storage device using relationships and logic defined by the software application and generated by the compiler.

In one embodiment, the software application and compiler are materially implemented in an intelligent control system. When the instructions are read and executed by the central processing unit, the intelligent control system performs the steps necessary to implement and/or use the present invention. The software application, operating instructions, and/or embedded software (semi-permanent software programmed into a read-only memory) may also be materially implemented in a storage device, an agricultural data module, an analytics module, an agricultural task module, and/or data communication devices (e.g. , communication module), thereby converting any software application disclosed herein into a product or article in accordance with the present invention.

The communication module is capable of connecting the intelligent control system to a network, such as a cloud computing network, and/or interconnected network systems, such as the Internet. In some embodiments, the intelligent control system and/or communication module may include one or more communication ports, such as Ethernet, Serial Attach Advanced Technology (SATA), Universal Serial Bus (USB), or Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), for transmitting, receiving or storing data. In other embodiments, the software licensing and delivery model used in connection with cloud computing network 200A may be software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), desktop as a service ( DaaS), managed service provider, mobile infrastructure as a service (MBaaS) or information technology management as a service (ITMaaS).

The agricultural data module contains the necessary hardware and/or software components and/or is electrically connected to other computing components so that the intelligent control system can more efficiently store, control and transmit agricultural data.

The GPS 145, 146 of either the tractor 100 or planter 110 is essential to provide accurate and up-to-date information. Precision agriculture focuses on very accurate and timely knowledge of physical location. Yield can be directly related to how accurately seed spacing can be maintained. Today, traditional GPS has accuracy limitations that need to be supplemented with data from other sources. Additionally, due to obstacles, weather conditions, or other influences, interruptions in GPS data are a problem for agricultural operations. Therefore, in accordance with aspects of the present invention, a set of data sources can be used to enhance traditional GPS location data. Traditional forms in practice involve the GPS receiver itself, with corrections provided by base stations, cellular modems, etc. If these are unavailable or undesirable, additional data sources are needed.

An inertial measurement unit (IMU) 170, such as that shown in FIG. 4, can be used in conjunction with GPS to provide absolute positioning, and with accumulated knowledge can use IMU measurements to continue spatial tracking and operation until the GPS outage is completed. Using an additional source of speed and direction tracking, such as a wheel speed sensor, expands this capability and increases the amount of time it is valid. An IMU is essentially an electronic device that measures and reports body specific force, angular velocity, and sometimes body orientation using a combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes, and sometimes magnetometers.

GPS information from the planter and/or tractor can be added to the IMU 170 to improve location data. Such location data may include, but is not limited to, the location of the tractor, the location of the implement, or even the location of an event or operation performed by the implement. For example, in accordance with at least some aspects of some embodiments of the present invention, a combination of GPS information and IMU information can be combined to provide accurate or near accurate information related to the location of planted particles (i.e., seeds). This improved information will lead to better data. Such data may include, but is not limited to, precise planting location for yield data, location for prescription maps, planting information to mitigate subsequent compaction of the planted area, and any other measured information (e.g., information about anomalies, voids, obstacles, soil information, soil moisture, soil type, climate information, speed, 9-axis motion information and/or altitude information).

Additionally, IMU 170 information can be used in place of GPS information, such as during a service outage or in a location where GPS location information is intermittent, fragmentary, or otherwise disrupted, such as in valleys or other locations where there may be something on the path between the weapon and a GPS satellite or other provider. In such a situation, IMU information can be used to evaluate data indicating the location and movement of the tractor/implement combination during a GPS outage. This can be done in several ways, including, but not limited to, direction and speed information. Once the GPS information transmission comes back online, the intelligent control system 150, such as in a tractor or other towed vehicle 100, may attempt to interpolate the outage and information received during the outage using the IMU 170 to fill the gap. in location during a GPS outage. Thus, the IMU 170 can be used to improve GPS location or provide information during a GPS outage.

As shown in FIG. 4, IMU 170 includes numerous components. Moreover, it should be understood that they are not limiting, and the IMU 170, as provided by the present invention, may include more or fewer components.

IMU components include a variety of features and subcomponents, including, but not limited to, processing unit/logic 176 (e.g., a processor shown as a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 from Texas Instruments), interfaces 178 (e.g., drivers, other switches , CAN, etc.), insulation, connectors or other 180 I/O devices (e.g. 12-pin, 2-pin, 6-pin, headers, connectors, JTAG, etc.), voltage sources (12 V, 5 V, 3 V), power supply, passive elements (transducers, etc.) and sensors (9-axis inertial measurement sensor). There may also be a separate power supply 174, which may be built-in in the form of a battery or may be external via a wired or wireless power supply. As shown in the figure, there are also a number of discrete and/or multiple bus connections/connections.

The processor/logic 176 may also be referred to as a processing unit. A processing unit, also called a processor, is an electronic circuit that performs operations on some external data source, usually a storage device or some other data stream. Non-limiting examples of processors include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and especially a central processing unit (CPU). A CPU, also called a central processing unit or main processing unit, is an electronic circuit in a computer that executes computer program instructions by performing basic arithmetic, logical, control, and input/output (I/O) operations specified in the instructions. Processing units are widely used in tablets, phones, handheld devices, laptops, consumer displays, and other computing devices. One or more embodiments described herein may be implemented using software modules, engines, or components. A software module, mechanism, or component may include a program, subroutine, portion of a program, or software component, or hardware component capable of performing one or more of the stated tasks or functions. A module or component can exist on a hardware component independently of other modules or components. Alternatively, a module or component may be a shared element or process of other modules, programs or machines.

In addition, the IMU 170 can include any number of sensors. Sensors may be associated with a single device or located in, on and/or around the implement to provide additional information, which can then be sent to a processor to configure and determine information such as location information. The weapon is assumed to contain sensors and/or modules. The modules can be placed on and around the implement and include various sensors to provide information to the intelligent control system. Sensors may include visual sensors, radar sensors, lidar sensors, temperature sensors, moisture content sensors, RF sensors, short- and long-range radios, antennas, etc. These sensors can be grouped in any way and can be used to detect many aspects. For example, sensors can be used to determine the location of a nearby object or obstacle. Sensors can be used to determine soil characteristics such as moisture content, compaction, temperature, etc. Sensors can also be location sensors to determine whether the implement is on level ground, on a hill, or going up or down a slope etc. Location sensors can also determine areas where the implement should not travel based on predefined and/or programmed data. The sensors can then provide instructions to actuators or other mechanisms on the implement to reduce rollover, getting stuck, hitting an object, or otherwise getting the machine into an undesirable situation. The sensors can also be used with location systems such as GPS. The combination of sensors and positioning systems will allow the implement to move to a location without hitting obstacles, running over other implements, damaging planted or existing crops, and complying with other regulations such as traffic laws. Sensors and/or positioning systems will allow the implement to be moved safely and accurately from one location to another, to locations within a field, or otherwise in combination with additional vehicles.

Sensors measure one or more characteristics of an object and may include, for example, accelerometers, position sensors, pressure sensors (including weight sensors), or liquid level sensors. Accelerometers can measure the acceleration of an object in different directions (for example, x-direction, y-direction, etc.). Position sensors can measure the position of one or more components of an object. For example, position sensors can measure the position of an object relative to another stationary object, such as a wall. Pressure sensors can measure the pressure of a gas or liquid or even the weight of an object. Liquid level sensors can sense the measurement of liquid contained in a container, or measure the depth of liquid in its natural form, such as water in a river or lake. If necessary, fewer or more sensors can be provided. For example, a rotation sensor can be used to detect the speed(s) of an object(s), a photo detector can be used to detect light or other electromagnetic radiation, a distance sensor can be used to determine the distance traveled by an object, a timer can be used to determine how long an object has been in use, and /or the duration of use of any component, and the temperature sensor can be used to determine the temperature of an object or liquid.

It should be noted that in at least some of the aspects and/or embodiments disclosed herein, the sensors and/or IMUs are located on separate independent platforms, such as on both the tractor 100 and the implement 110. The interconnected high-speed network makes possible merger. Aspects of the present invention include using sensors individually to determine the state (orientation and position) of platforms and then combining them into a position solution for use by the implement. Then, when GPS is not available, the state of the platform is saved and the remaining sensors help maintain the state of the platform through the movement of the implement.

Still additional information can be obtained from the IMU 170, such as weather information (temperature, humidity/humidity, barometric pressure, saturation, wind information, etc.).

In FIG. 5 is a diagram of a field 190 being planted by a combination of tractor 100 and seeder 110. The diagram shows the combination moving in the direction of arrow 182. Additional information shown in the figure is planting information 192. Planting information 192 shows the path taken by the specified combination and the location of the planted field 190. This is shown by cross-hatching 192. It should be understood that this information may be important because it is not desirable for the planted location to be replanted or even driven over, such that can lead to compaction, which can affect the growth of the planted crop and the final yield. This may be especially important when there are multiple machines in a common field 190, so that each machine knows the location and operations (i.e., landing location) of the other machine to reduce over-boarding or re-boarding. It should be understood that the information may be displayed on a user interface, such as on a tractor, in a field, or any other location remote from the field.

In addition, information including operation location such as landing information 192 such as shown in FIG. 5 may be information that is shared as part of a network 200, such as that shown in FIG. 6. In FIG. Figure 6 shows an example of a network for transmitting information from a seeder. Information may be transmitted to many network locations, such as, but not limited to, additional implements, mobile devices, servers/computers, or other nodes, elements, devices, etc. of the network. It should be understood that the network may be a cloud network, an Internet-based network, or a cellular network. In some embodiments, the network is, by way of example only, a wide area network (WAN), such as a TCP/IP-based network or a cellular network, a local area network (LAN), a neighborhood network (NAN), a home area network (HAN), or a personal area network. network (PAN) using any of a variety of communication protocols such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC), etc., although other types of networks are possible and are discussed herein. This network usually provides communication between the communication module and the central location during times of poor connection quality. Communications over a network can be secured using one or more encryption methods, such as those provided in the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which replaced the Data Encryption Standard (DES), in the IEEE 802.1 standard for port-based network security, pre-shared key , Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), Built-in Equivalent Privacy (WEP), Time-Limited Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), etc.

As shown in FIG. 6, network 200 may be a cloud network 202. Cloud computing is a service delivery model that provides convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing units, storage devices, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that can be quickly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. The cloud computing environment is service-oriented with an emphasis on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure containing a network of interconnected nodes.

Example characteristics of a cloud computing model

On-demand self-service: The cloud computing service consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities such as server time and network storage as needed automatically, without requiring human interaction with the service provider.

Broad network access: Capabilities are network accessible and accessible through standard mechanisms that facilitate use across heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (such as mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource Pooling: The provider's computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with various physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned based on demand. There is a sense of location independence because the consumer essentially has no control or knowledge of the exact location of the resources being provided, but can specify a location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or data center).

Dynamic flexibility: Capabilities can be quickly and flexibly provisioned, in some cases automatically, to scale quickly, and quickly released to scale down quickly. The options available for provision often appear unlimited to the consumer and can be purchased in any quantity at any given time.

Measured Service: Cloud systems automatically monitor and optimize resource usage using metering capabilities at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, throughput, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be tracked, controlled and reported, providing transparency to both the provider and the consumer of the service being used.

Example service models of cloud computing models

Software as a Service (SaaS): The opportunity provided to the consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure. Applications are accessible from various client devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser (eg webmail). The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, including the network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): The capability provided to the consumer is to deploy consumer-built or purchased applications, built using programming languages and tools supported by the provider, onto a cloud infrastructure. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, including networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but does have control over deployed applications and possibly application hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): The capability provided to the consumer is to provide processing, storage, networking, and other core computing resources, and the consumer can deploy and run arbitrary software, which may include operating systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, but does have control over operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited control over selected network components (such as host firewalls).

Example deployment models of cloud computing models

Private Cloud: Cloud infrastructure is used exclusively for the organization. It can be operated by an organization or a third party and can exist on or off premises.

Community Cloud: Cloud infrastructure is shared among multiple organizations and supports a specific community that has common interests (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations). It can be operated by organizations or a third party and can exist on or off premises.

Public cloud: The cloud infrastructure is available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by the organization selling the cloud services.

Hybrid cloud: A cloud infrastructure consists of two or more clouds (private cloud, community cloud, or public cloud) that remain unique entities but are linked together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (for example, cloud batching for balancing loads between clouds).

An exemplary cloud computing environment 200 includes one or more cloud computing nodes with which local computing devices are used by cloud computing service consumers. Computing devices 204 may include, for example, a personal digital assistant (PDA) or cell phone, desktop computer, laptop, and/or any other suitable type of computer systems or other mobile devices. Cloud computing nodes will communicate with each other and may be grouped physically or virtually into one or more networks, such as private, public, public or hybrid clouds as described above, or a combination thereof. This allows the cloud computing environment 200 to offer infrastructure, platforms, and/or software as services for which the cloud computing service consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computing device. It should be understood that the types of computing devices are for illustration purposes only, and that the computing nodes and cloud computing environment 200 may communicate with any type of computerized device over any type of network and/or network addressable connection (eg, using a web browser).

Information from network 200 may be sent to and/or stored on a server or other storage device 206. In some embodiments, the storage device includes a program storage area and/or a data storage area. The storage device may include read-only memory (ROM), an example of non-volatile memory, which means it does not lose data when not connected to a power source), or random access memory (RAM), an example of non-volatile memory, which means that it loses data when not connected to a power source). Examples of volatile memory include static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), etc. Examples of non-volatile memory include electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, hard drives, SD cards, etc. In some embodiments, a processing unit, such as a processor, microprocessor, or microcontroller, is coupled to a storage device and executes software instructions that may be stored in the storage device's RAM (e.g., at runtime) , ROM storage device (eg, on a substantially permanent basis) or other non-volatile computer-readable medium, such as another storage device or disk.

Server 206 may also contain agricultural data and/or modules. Such data may be categorized and/or divided into levels. For example, the first level of agricultural data may contain planting information such as (a) a command to plant or not to plant; (b) type of seed and/or fertilizer; (c) distance between seeds; and (d) planting depth. For example, the second level of agricultural data may contain information about planting efficiency, such as (a) partitioning (including gaps and/or duplications); (b) fertilizer application rates; (c) insecticide standards; (d) ground contact coefficients; (e) downforce coefficients; and (f) distribution rates. For example, the third layer 208-3 of agricultural data 208 may contain temporal, geospatial, and/or weather forecast information such as (a) time of day; (b) air temperature; (c) season; (d) weather conditions; and/or (e) geospatial coordinates. For example, the fourth level of agricultural data may contain information about the vehicle, such as (a) direction, such as the direction or azimuth of the implement and/or towing vehicle; (b) the speed or speed of the implement and/or towing vehicle; (c) the fuel level in one or more fuel tanks of the implement and/or towing vehicle; and/or (d) technical capabilities of the implement and/or towing vehicle. For example, a fifth level (not shown) of agricultural data may contain soil information such as (a) moisture content; (b) seal; (c) ground temperature; (d) rise; (e) depth; (f) terrain slope; and/or (g) soil composition. Symbols and/or values for agricultural data can be displayed via a graphical user interface. Agricultural data can be labeled as historical data, time data, operational data, expected data, forecast data, etc.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 6, one or more mobile machines are shown. This includes the first mobile machine 212 and the mobile machine 210, designated N, wherein N refers to any number of mobile machines. This may include two or more machines operating in a common field or fields distant from each other, with information from each of the mobile machines being transmitted through the network 200. The mobile machine can be essentially any agricultural implement or machine performing one or more agricultural operations or functions in the field to communicate and document information, including information pertaining to the time, location, and circumstances surrounding the operation.

Also in FIG. 6 illustrates additional inputs 208 that are part of the network and that provide information for current and historical mapping, assessment, transmission, analysis, or other purposes. Such input data may include, but is not limited to, GPS or other location information (e.g., from an unmanned autonomous vehicle, remotely operated vehicle, tower, etc.), sensor information, prescription maps, map data , weather or climate information and/or historical data (yields, obstacles, planting locations, path information, etc.). Any additional information that can be used for agricultural purposes should be considered part of the network.

In FIG. 7A is a diagram showing several blocks in field 274. As shown in FIG. 12, field 274 may include a first machine, such as a tractor and/or tractor-implement combination 146, a second machine 146 attached to the implement, and a tractor 100 attached to the tractor planter 110. In addition, the tractor 276 may tow a storage bin shown outside the field 274. The first and second vehicles 146, as well as the tractor 100, perform the operation within the field. Using multiple vehicles in the field at the same time will reduce operation time.

To ensure that tractors 100, machines 146, and/or prime mover 276 do not overlap or otherwise collide with each other, the vehicles emit network signals 226 that can communicate and be transmitted to each other. Network signals 226 can include a wealth of information. For example, network signals 226 may communicate the location of blocks relative to each other as well as relative to a location in field 274. The location information may also include the location of any agricultural activity being performed, such as tillage, planting, application of particles (e.g., liquid or dry fertilizers), harvesting, spraying, etc. Network signals 226 can also convey any alerts, alerts, status updates, or other actions that may occur. For example, alerts can be sent when a block is low on material, a block is damaged, an obstruction is detected, general soil status is updated, debris accumulation, weed concentration, and/or the like, etc.

In addition, in FIG. 7A shows a tower 224 emitting a network signal 226. Tower 224, which may be one of many towers around the field, may provide additional location aspects to field 274, and may be used to add or otherwise augment GPS, IMU, or other information. The height and/or position of the tower 224 can improve the efficiency of communication between participating elements in the field. Tower 224 may also report to another field or master module located at a different location status information, alerts, warnings, or other data received by vehicles in the field. It is further contemplated that agricultural data 208 from network signals 226 may be stored for future purposes. For example, as units operate in field 274, they may receive data, such as field conditions, to prepare future planting schedules and/or maps.

In FIG. 7B is a view of an exemplary graphical user interface 216 showing one user's view of at least one of the tractor/implements such as those shown in FIG. 7A. For example, as an operator drives tractor 100 across field 274, the user may view agricultural data 208 in real time before agricultural data 208 or aspects thereof are converted, stored, and/or displayed as historical data. As shown, map view 216A shows areas (represented by dotted lines behind planter 110) that have recently been processed (e.g., plowed, planted, fertilized, etc.) by farm implement 110. If any aspect of the farm and/or computerized system becomes inaccessible and prevents live data from being displayed on the map, a computerized system will provide a means of tracking as much data as possible before that aspect becomes available again. For example, data and information from the IMU 170 can be used to evaluate the area or areas of a field that were processed during a GPS outage. As disclosed, the system can use known multi-axis/directional direction, speed, any path planning, historical data, information from other machines, etc., to provide an estimate of where the field was being processed at the time of the outage. This information can be used to fill in any data that was lost during a GPS outage.

To enable a user to assess whether aspects of the system are unavailable, a visual status indicator 216E may be provided on the display, which may indicate the availability of one or more aspects of the system. The visual status indicator 216E indicates whether differential GPS is available, and thus the graphical user interface 216 displays only live data and one map view 216A. In FIG. 7B, the visual status indicator indicates that differential GPS is currently unavailable.

The graphical user interface 216 may also allow the user to select actions 216F via input devices 212 (such as touch screen controls), allowing (e.g., through modules 202, 204, 206) navigation of a computerized system and/or agricultural system perform certain agricultural tasks. Likewise, safety controls 216G provide an operator with the ability to engage safety features on the farm implement 110.

As shown in FIG. 8A, which is a diagram of a portion of the screen, user interface, or other indication of the tractor 100 and planter 110 in field 274, arrow 277 indicates the direction of travel. This may be provided by GPS, IMU, or some combination of both. As shown in the figure, area 276 indicates the location of a treated area of a field, such as an area of a field that has been planted. Also in the figure, an unfilled portion 278 represents an area without GPS, such as during a service outage, or a location where GPS is not available. As shown in the example, the display or interface may not have reliable information about what happened during this outage. However, use of information from the IMU may allow the system to assess that a landing has occurred. This can be done using IMU information as well as any stored information such as an algorithm, path planning, automatic control or other programs indicating the planned path of the tractor/seeder combination.

This is further illustrated in the exemplary form of FIG. 8B, which shows a portion of a field 274 showing planted and out-of-service areas. Dark black areas of the screen 216 indicate that the field has been cultivated (eg, planted). A gap in the vertical area may indicate a GPS outage. Therefore, the system has no reliable information that field 276 was processed at this location. However, the IMU location can essentially fill in the missing locations and provide some confidence that a field area has been treated, which can then be used to fill the gap to indicate that the entire estimated field area has been planted or otherwise managed. This information can then be shared by another location, such as a remote laptop or other machine, in a common field 274 or other field.

In FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of a system, such as a controller/display 150 in a tractor, for determining whether GPS is available and, if not, what should or could happen for operations to continue. As shown in the figure, the first stage is whether the machine/user is operating the piece of agricultural equipment. This may take the form of a user-controlled tractor/implement combination, or it may take the form of a stand-alone unit that operates based on programmed commands. See, for example, co-owned US Pat. No. 10,104,824, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This can take many forms, but could be, for example, asking if a seeder is being used for planting, or even if a tractor is moving across a field. If not, then the request ends there. If yes, then the next query is to determine whether the corresponding GPS information is received to provide location services. GPS location can be used for current heading, preprogrammed path planning, automatic steering, or essentially any operation in which location is required or desired.

Determining the appropriate GPS assists in determining the operation. As shown in FIG. 7B and FIG. 8B, display 216 may include a display portion, such as frames 216D and 216E, that indicates whether GPS is operating correctly for the current operation. If, as with the 216D, adequate GPS is available, the machine can continue to operate and track the operation. This information may be displayed on a display, stored in a storage device, and/or shared between one or more remote devices. The shared information may include location information, operation information (seeds planted, plowed location, obstacle, void, particles applied, crop harvested, or essentially any other agricultural operation), timing information, and/or any other information related to with the work of an agricultural machine. The information does not necessarily need to be shared, and the machine can continue to operate without sharing the information. However, if it is desired to share information, it can be transmitted over a network, such as, but not limited to, one of cloud networks, Wi-Fi networks, cellular networks, LAN, WAN, Bluetooth, Zigbee, NFC, Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) ), high-level data link control (HDLC), or other communication media that has been disclosed or otherwise known. The information can be shared in real time by a remote device, machine, or user to provide real-time information for an operation, or can be shared after the fact at a later time. Both simultaneous sharing of information and later sharing of information can occur.

By returning to the request for a corresponding GPS, when there is no corresponding GPS, such as during a GPS outage, interruption, malfunction, or otherwise, such as in another location in which the machine cannot appropriately have a connection to a GPS source, the system can identify itself as such . This may take the form of an alert on the display or may simply be indicated on the display, for example, in frame 216E (see, for example, Fig. 7B). Regardless of the reason, when the system determines that a corresponding GPS is missing, in addition to providing an alert or other indication of the same, the next request will be to request the availability of IMU information that has been received and will continue to be received. As noted, this information may include essentially any information related to the operation of the machine, and may include sensors, lidar, radar, directional information (e.g., 9 axes), speed data, climate data, etc. e. If appropriate IMU information is available, it can be used in place of GPS location information to ensure continued machine operation near normal operation. At this point, the machine will continue to operate, receiving information and requesting information sharing.

As noted, IMU information can be used to estimate a machine's location and performance even without GPS information. Once the GPS information is available again, the IMU information can be used to fill in any gaps in the job tracking to fill a gap where the GPS information would otherwise provide a machine job location, such as the gap shown in the dark portion of the display in FIG. 8B. The IMU information will be detailed enough that the machine can continue to operate and even share the information in real time or at a later time, with confidence that it is correct.

If there is not enough IMU information received, or even if there is some, the system will continue to check the GPS status to determine when GPS information will arrive again. If necessary, the machine will be able to continue working with the IMU, and once the GPS is working again, continuous operation of the machine will also continue. This will reduce any downtime associated with lost or interrupted GPS connectivity to provide location, time or other information that can be used to identify a farming operation.

However, if it is determined that the received GPS information is insufficient or inappropriate, and there is not enough IMU information to continue normal operation of the machine, the system will issue an alert and may even stop the machine from operating. This is to ensure that agricultural operations are not performed or monitored, thereby reducing the likelihood of an undesirable action (compaction, multiple planting, multiple fertilization, other disruption) on an area where an agricultural operation has already occurred but has not been documented.

The system can then be troubleshooted to determine the cause of the GPS outage/disruption, as well as any problem with the IMU to attempt to gain information to continue farming the machine.

These commands may be part of a database. A database is a structured collection of data that is typically stored on a computer. The database and the data and information contained therein do not necessarily have to be located in a single physical or electronic location. For example, the database may reside, at least in part, on a local storage device, an external hard drive, a network-connected database server, a cloud storage system, a distributed ledger (such as those typically used with blockchain technology) ) or etc.

Additional information used in the system can be in the form of agricultural data. Agricultural data can be categorized and/or divided into levels. For example, the first level of agricultural data may contain planting information such as (a) a command to plant or not to plant; (b) type of seed and/or fertilizer; (c) distance between seeds; and (d) planting depth. For example, the second level of agricultural data may contain information about planting efficiency, such as (a) partitioning (including gaps and/or duplications); (b) fertilizer application rates; and (c) distribution rates. For example, the third level of agricultural data may include temporal and/or weather forecast information such as (a) time of day; (b) air temperature; (c) season; and/or (d) weather conditions. For example, a fourth layer (not shown) of agricultural data may contain vehicle information such as (a) direction, such as the direction or azimuth of the implement and/or towing vehicle; (b) the speed or speed of the implement and/or towing vehicle; (c) the fuel level in one or more fuel tanks of the implement and/or towing vehicle; and/or (d) technical capabilities of the implement and/or towing vehicle. For example, a fifth level (not shown) of agricultural data may contain soil information such as (a) moisture content; (b) seal; (c) ground temperature; (d) rise; (e) depth; (f) terrain slope; and/or (g) soil composition. Symbols and/or values for agricultural data can be displayed via a graphical user interface. Agricultural data can be labeled as historical data, time data, operational data, expected data, forecast data, etc.

In FIG. 10A-10D illustrate additional aspects and/or implementations for adding, supplementing, or otherwise replacing GPS information for an agricultural machine. In the figures, an unmanned autonomous vehicle (UV) 300 is shown in combination with a tractor 100 and an implement 110, which is shown as a landing implement. In the figures, the UV is shown as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The UAV 300 may be a drone, such as a flying drone. As will be appreciated, the UAV may be tethered to tractor 100, implement 110, or both. Linking the UAV 300 to the vehicle(s) provides information and can be done in wired or wireless mode. In wireless mode, the UAV 300 will transmit information to the vehicle(s) and vice versa, and the transmitted information can be used by all components to augment or otherwise add information such as GPS information.

The figures also show a display 150 in the tractor 100, wherein the display is used to provide information related to the agricultural machine, including, but not limited to, operational information, agricultural information, speed, alerts/problems, help/troubleshooting, location, etc. n. The display should not be restrictive.

In FIG. 10A shows the UAV 300 flying at altitude (h1) 306 above the vehicles. The UAV may contain rotors, propellers, thrusters, etc. to provide flight capabilities. In addition, the UAV may contain sensors, transmitters, receivers, communications, processors, and other telemetry tools. Collectively, they are indicated by sensor 304. According to the disclosed invention, UAV 300 can communicate with a GPS source 302, such as a satellite or other mechanism.

In the figure, the altitude 306 may be set above the vehicles such that the UAV 300 can have a better connection to the GPS source 302. For example, some fields or other locations may be in areas, such as valleys or the like, that may lack the required connection to GPS source 302. The use of the UAV 300 at an altitude sufficient to receive GPS information can be used to subsequently transmit said GPS information 308 to the tractor and/or implement for display and use thereon, for example, on the display 150 in the tractor 100. Thus, the use of the UAV 300 at such an altitude will complement the GPS information used by the tractor 100 and/or implement 110. The known altitude of the UAV 300 should also be taken into account when determining the information.

In FIG. 10B, the UAV 300 is positioned directly above the planter 110 at a known location relative to it. The UAV 300 may receive direct GPS information from the GPS source 302, and the known height above the planter 110 can be used to relay that information to the tractor 100 and/or planter 110 to supplement or otherwise add to the machines' GPS information.

In FIG. 10C provides another example of how UAV 300 can be used to augment or otherwise add GPS information used by tractor 100 and/or planter 110, such as on display 150. FIG. 10C, the location of the UAV 300 may be essentially any location relative to the tractor 100 and/or planter 110 such that the UAV 300 may receive GPS information from source 302. The UAV 300 may also obtain the information using an IMU on the planter, the tractor, or the UAV itself. Using the IMU to obtain additional information will further complement the machine location information. The received information from the UAV 300 can then be triangulated 310 with the tractor 100 and/or planter 110 to supplement or replace the GPS information used by the machines for one or more agricultural operations.

In FIG. 10D shows that the UAV 300 may be a drone for the following operations, which is used only when necessary. For example, UAV 300 may be stored on tractor 100 and/or planter 110 and sent an “activate” message when GPS location information needs to be added or replaced. Calling UAV 300 will send the UAV to one of the locations shown in FIG. 10A-C, to receive additional information to transmit it to machines to add a GPS location.

Thus, a set of data sources can be used to improve the location data of an agricultural machine, such as a tractor (tow vehicle) or implement. Traditional forms in practice involve the GPS receiver itself, with corrections provided by base stations, cellular modems, etc. If these are unavailable or undesirable, additional data sources are needed.

An inertial measurement unit (IMU) can be used in conjunction with GPS to provide absolute positioning, and with accumulated knowledge can use the IMU measurements to continue spatial tracking and operation until the GPS outage is completed. Using an additional source of speed and direction tracking, such as a wheel speed sensor, expands this capability and increases the amount of time it is valid.

Other sources may be used to further improve accuracy and duration. On-board tractor cameras, lidar sensors and other motion sensors.

From the foregoing, it follows that the disclosed embodiments and/or aspects achieve at least all of the stated objectives. The present invention should not be limited to the specific embodiments described herein. It is further understood that any of the aspects disclosed with respect to any of the embodiments shown and/or described may be combined with any of the other aspects and/or embodiments to provide even additional embodiments that are disclosed herein. Such additional embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims (57)

1. A system for locating an agricultural implement, configured to perform at least one agricultural operation on a site, including a global positioning system (GPS) associated with the agricultural implement to provide location information for at least one agricultural operation on a site, where wherein the location information relates to an event of at least one agricultural operation; And a GPS augmentation system associated with an agricultural implement, wherein the GPS augmentation system includes an inertial measurement unit located on the agricultural implement, wherein said inertial unit has a 9-axis inertial measurement unit with sensors and supplements the GPS or replaces the GPS during a GPS outage . 2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the GPS augmentation system contains a set of GPS augmentation devices, which includes at least an inertial measurement unit. 3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that the set of GPS addition devices contains: a. one or more sensors, b. lidar, c. speedometers, d. direction devices, e. inertial measurement units, f. cameras, g. accelerometers, h. gyroscopes and/or i. magnetometers. 4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the GPS augmentation system contains an inertial measurement unit. 5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an unmanned vehicle (UV) associated with an agricultural implement. 6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that the UV is part of the GPS addition system. 7. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that the UV contains an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). 8. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one agricultural operation includes one or more of: a. planting; b. tillage; c. pressing; d. harvesting; e. spraying; f. transportation; And g. cultivation. 9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that the event of at least one agricultural operation includes one or more of: a. planting seeds; b. spraying location; c. collection of culture; d. travel to location; And e. stacking the bale. 10. The system according to claim 9, further comprising a communication system for exchanging information with other agricultural implements. 11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a processor coupled to the agricultural implement. 12. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that the processor issues a command to perform or not perform at least one agricultural operation. 13. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a processor associated with GPS and a GPS augmentation system, wherein the processor can: use information from both GPS and GPS augmentation to provide augmented location; or Apply information from the GPS augmentation system when GPS is not available to continue to provide location information. 14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a display displaying at least one of location information from the GPS, combined location information from the GPS and GPS augmentation system, and location information from the GPS augmentation system. 15. A method for obtaining the location of an agricultural operation event performed by an agricultural machine, comprising: obtaining information about the first location using GPS; obtaining second location information using a GPS augmentation system including an inertial measurement unit located on an agricultural machine, said inertial measurement unit having a 9-axis inertial measurement unit with sensors; And applying information about the first and second location by: using first and second location information from both the GPS and the GPS augmentation system to provide the location of the event; or applying first and second location information from the GPS augmentation system when GPS is not available to provide an event location. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying the location of the event on the user display. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein when GPS is not available, displaying the event location using the GPS augmentation system is different from displaying the location using both GPS and the GPS augmentation system. 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising storing the location of the event in a storage device with a date and time stamp. 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising connecting the unmanned vehicle to the agricultural machine to assist in obtaining the location of the event. 20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that the unmanned vehicle is an unmanned aerial vehicle. 21. The method of claim 15, further comprising sharing the location of the event with the second agricultural machine. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the controller of the second agricultural machine uses the location of the event to control the operation of the second agricultural machine. 23. A system for determining the location of an agricultural event performed by an agricultural machine, comprising: global positioning system (GPS); And GPS augmentation system, including an inertial measurement unit located on an agricultural machine, wherein said inertial measurement unit has
9-axis inertial measurement unit with sensors; wherein the GPS augmentation system comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) associated with an agricultural vehicle, wherein said UAV communicates its position to the agricultural vehicle to: adding a location determined by GPS; or its use instead of GPS when GPS is not available.