Autonomous mobile platform and variable rate irrigation method for preventing frost damage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10165736-B2
Application number	US-201615350465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2016
Priority date	Dec 21, 2015
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

A rover includes a base having wheels and a propulsion system coupled to the wheels to propel the rover around a field. A tower is coupled to the base and extends over the base. Sensors are set on the tower and the base and are configured to sense environmental conditions around the rover at different elevations. A computing system includes a processor and memory. The memory is configured to receive measured data from the sensors and determine an amount and manner of water to be dispensed on plant life in the field.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for dispensing water for crops to protect plant life from frost damage, comprising:
traversing a field with a self-propelled rover, the rover including a tower coupled to a base and extending over the base and a plurality of sensors set on the tower and the base, the tower and base configured to sense weather conditions around the rover concurrently at different elevations relative to the base and at different locations in the field;
measuring the weather conditions at the different elevations and at the different locations in the field using the plurality of sensors on the rover;
evaluating local measurement data to determine an amount and manner for disbursement of water under the weather conditions for the different elevations and at the different locations in the field; and
delivering the water until goal conditions are met.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein evaluating the local measurement data includes evaluating the local measurement data using a central computer to determine a water delivery rate and a disbursement type to either; protect plant life from frost damage, or to irrigate the plant life.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein delivering the water until goal conditions are met includes:
activating a sprinkler system locally; and
monitoring water on the plant life using at least one of an imaging system and/or a ground probe.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein traversing the field with a self-propelled rover includes relocating the rover to the different locations in accordance with computer control to map the weather conditions for the different elevations and at the different locations in the field.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein evaluating the local measurement data includes evaluating the local measurement data with other data including one or more of historic weather data, seasonal data and forecasted weather.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein delivering the water includes delivering the water using acoustically activated sprinkler heads disposed locally throughout the field.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein traversing the field with the self-propelled rover includes employing a global positioning system to relocate the self-propelled rover in the field.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein tray sing the field with the self-propelled rover includes relocating the self-propelled rover in accordance with measured weather conditions in the field.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising evaluating an amount of water delivered to an area using an imaging device.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising evaluating an amount f water delivered to an area using a ground probe to test ground saturation at one or more depth.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising adjusting the tower to collect data at different elevations.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising communicating with central computer to control a sprinkler system to deliver the water to be dispensed in accordance with the local measurement data.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein traversing the field with the self-propelled rover includes employing a global positioning system to relocate the self-propelled rover in the field.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising evaluating an amount of water delivered to an area using an imaging device or a ground probe to test ground saturation.

15. A method for dispensing water for crops to protect plant life from frost damage, comprising:
traversing a field with a self-propelled rover, the rover including a tower coupled to a base and extending over the base and a plurality of sensors set on the tower and the base, the tower and base configured to sense weather conditions around the rover concurrently at different elevations relative to the base and at different locations in the field;
measuring the weather conditions at the different elevations and at the different locations in the field using the plurality of sensors on the rover;
evaluating local measurement data to determine an amount and manner for disbursement of water under the weather conditions for the different elevations and at the different locations in the field;
communicating with a central computer to control a sprinkler system to deliver the water to be dispensed in accordance with the local measurement data; and
delivering the water until goal conditions are met.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein evaluating the local measurement data includes evaluating the local measurement data using the central computer to determine a water delivery rate and a disbursement type to either; protect plant life from frost damage, or to irrigate the plant life.

17. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein delivering the water until goal conditions are met includes:
activating a sprinkler system locally; and
monitoring water on the plant life using at least one of an imaging system and/or a ground probe.

18. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein traversing the field with a self-propelled rover includes relocating the rover to the different locations in accordance with computer control to map the weather conditions for the different elevations and at the different locations in the field.

19. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein evaluating the local measurement data includes evaluating the local measurement data with other data including one or more of historic weather data, seasonal data and forecasted weather.

20. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein delivering the water includes delivering the water using acoustically activated sprinkler heads disposed locally throughout the field.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bermudez Rodriguez Sergio A
• Klein Levente
• Schrott Alejandro G
• Van Kessel Theodore G

Classifications

• A01G25/167

  Control by humidity of the soil itself or of devices simulating soil or of the atmosphere; Soil humidity sensors · CPC title

• G05D1/0088

  characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours (using knowledge based models G06N5/00) · CPC title

• G05D1/0278

  using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS · CPC title

• A01G13/065 Primary

  Frost protection by generating fog or by spraying · CPC title

• A01B79/00

  Methods for working soil · CPC title