System and method for automatically monitoring soil surface roughness

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10123475-B2
Application number	US-201715423811-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2017
Priority date	Feb 3, 2017
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

A method for automatically monitoring soil surface roughness as a ground-engaging operation is being performed within a field may include receiving pre-operation surface roughness data associated with a given portion of the field and receiving post-operation surface roughness data associated with the given portion of the field. In addition, the method may include analyzing the pre-operation and post-operation surface roughness data to determine a surface roughness differential associated with the performance of the ground-engaging operation and actively adjusting the operation of at least one of an associated work vehicle and/or implement when the surface roughness differential differs from a target set for the surface roughness differential.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for automatically monitoring soil surface roughness as a ground-engaging operation is being performed within a field using a work vehicle towing an implement, the method comprising:
receiving, with one or more computing devices, pre-operation surface roughness data associated with a given portion of the field, the pre-operation surface roughness data corresponding to surface roughness data for the given portion of the field captured prior to the ground-engaging operation being performed thereon;
receiving, with the one or more computing devices, post-operation surface roughness data associated with the given portion of the field, the post-operation surface roughness data corresponding to surface roughness data for the given portion of the field captured after the ground-engaging operation has been performed thereon;
analyzing, with the one or more computing devices, the pre-operation and post-operation surface roughness data to determine a surface roughness differential associated with the performance of the ground-engaging operation; and
actively adjusting, with the one or more computing devices, the operation of at least one of the work vehicle or the implement when the surface roughness differential differs from a target set for the surface roughness differential.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-operation surface roughness data and the post-operation surface roughness data is received by the one or more computing devices from at least one non-contact soil roughness sensor.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one non-contact soil roughness sensor comprises at least one of a LIDAR scanner, a stereographic camera, an ultrasound device or a radar device.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein receiving the pre-operation surface roughness data comprises receiving the pre-operation surface roughness data from a first non-contact soil roughness sensor provided in operative association with one of the work vehicle or the implement and wherein receiving the post-operation surface roughness data comprises receiving the post-operation surface roughness data from a second non-contact soil roughness sensor provided in operative association with the work vehicle or the implement.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first non-contact soil roughness sensor is installed on one of the work vehicle or the implement at a location forward of a ground-engaging tool of the implement and the second non-contact soil roughness sensor is installed on one of the work vehicle or the implement at a location aft of the ground-engaging tool.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving location data associated with at least one of the pre-operation surface roughness data or the post-operation surface roughness data; and
correlating the location data to the at least one of the pre-operation surface roughness data or the post-operation surface roughness data to generate or update a field map associated with the field.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the pre-operation and post-operation surface roughness data comprises:
analyzing the pre-operation surface roughness data to determine a pre-operation surface roughness value for the given portion of the field; and
analyzing the post-operation surface roughness data to determine a post-operation surface roughness value for the given portion of the field;
wherein the surface roughness differential is calculated based on the pre-operation and the post-operation surface roughness values.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
estimating a baseline ground surface as a function of at least one of the pre-operation surface roughness data or the post-operation surface roughness data; and
determining at least one of the pre-operation surface roughness value or the post-operation surface roughness value as a function of the baseline ground surface.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining the at least one of the pre-operation surface roughness value or the post-operation surface roughness value as a function of the baseline ground surface comprises calculating the at least one of the pre-operation surface roughness value or the post-operation surface roughness value as a function of a standard deviation of vertical distances defined between the baseline ground surface and data points associated with the at least one of the pre-operation surface roughness data or the post-operation surface roughness data.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the baseline ground surface corresponds to a best-fit line that is fitted to the at least one of the pre-operation surface roughness data or the post-operation surface roughness data.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising analyzing at least one of the pre-operation surface roughness data or the post-operation surface roughness data to apply a sensor calibration or to remove data outliers.

12. A system for automatically monitoring soil surface roughness as a ground-engaging operation is being performed within a field using a work vehicle towing an implement, the system comprising:
at least one non-contact soil roughness sensor configured to capture data associated with a soil roughness of the field as the ground-engaging operation is being performed;
a controller commutatively coupled to the at least one non-contact soil roughness sensor, the controller including a processor and associated memory, the memory storing instructions that, when implemented by the processor, configure the controller to:
receive, from the at least one non-contact soil roughness sensor, pre-operation surface roughness data associated with a given portion of the field, the pre-operation surface roughness data corresponding to surface roughness data for the given portion of the field capture prior to the ground-engaging operation being performed thereon;
receive, from the at least one non-contact soil roughness sensor, post-operation surface roughness data associated with the given portion of the field, the post-operation surface roughness data corresponding to surface roughness data for the given portion of the field captured after the ground-engaging operation has been performed thereon;
analyze the pre-operation and post-operation surface roughness data to determine a surface roughness differential associated with the performance of the ground-engaging operation; and
actively adjust the operation of at least one of the work vehicle or the implement when the surface roughness differential differs from a target set for the surface roughness differential.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one non-contact soil roughness sensor comprises at least one of a LIDAR scanner, a stereographic camera, an ultrasound device or a radar device.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one non-contact soil roughness sensor comprises a first non-contact soil roughness sensor configured to capture the pre-operation surface roughness data and a second non-contact soil roughness sensor configured to capture the post-operation surface roughness data.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first non-contact soil roughness sensor is installed on one of the work vehicle or the implement at a location forward of a ground-engaging tool of the implement and the second non-contact soil roughness sensor is installed on one of the work vehicle or the implement at a location aft of the ground-engaging tool.

16. The system of claim 12 , further comprising a positioning device communicatively coupled to the controller, the controller being configured to receive location data fro

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc
• Autonomous Solutions Inc
• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Posselius John H
• Ferrari Luca
• Bybee Taylor C
• Turpin Bret T

Classifications

• B60W2420/54

  Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound · CPC title

• A01B63/14

  for implements drawn by animals or tractors · CPC title

• A01B79/005 Primary

  Precision agriculture · CPC title

• B60W2422/95

  Measuring the same parameter at multiple locations of the vehicle · CPC title

• B60W2420/403

  Image sensing, e.g. optical camera · CPC title