Drift sensor for agricultural spraying

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10913086-B2
Application number	US-201815865553-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2018
Priority date	Aug 8, 2017
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

Wind speed, wind direction, and field boundary information are detected and used to identify a monitor area indicative of a likely overspray condition. Control signals are generated to obtain information from a sprayed substance sensor, in the monitor area. When an overspray condition is detected, an overspraying signal from the sprayed substance sensor indicating the detected overspray condition is received and overspray processing is performed, based upon the received overspray signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile agricultural sprayer, comprising:
a frame;
a tank configured to carry a substance to be sprayed;
a spraying mechanism that sprays the substance; and
an overspray detection system configured to:
generates control signals to obtain sensor information from a sensor, that senses a spray variable indicative of a presence of the substance, at a sensor location corresponding to a field boundary of a field over which the sprayer is traveling;
receive an overspray detected signal, from the sensor at the sensor location, indicating that the substance has crossed the field boundary; and
determine, based on the overspray detected signal, that the substance has crossed the field boundary.

2. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 1 and further comprising:
sensor position control logic configured to generate a sensor position signal to control a sensor mobility system that moves a position of the sensor.

3. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 2 wherein the sensor mobility system is mounted to a pole located at the sensor location and wherein the sensor position control logic generates the sensor position signal to actuate an actuator in the sensor mobility system that moves the sensor relative to the pole.

4. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 2 and further comprising:
likely drift detector logic that receives sprayer location information indicative of a geographic location of the sprayer, a wind sensor signal indicative of a value of a sensed wind variable and field characteristic data indicative of the field boundary of the field, and generates an overspray likely signal when a likely overspray condition is identified, based on the sprayer location information, the value of the sensed wind variable and the geographical characteristic of the field.

5. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 4 and further comprising:
sensor rest control logic configured to generate a sensor control signal to activate the sensor when the sensor location corresponds to the likely overspray condition and to deactivate the sensor when the sensor location does not correspond to the likely overspray condition.

6. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises:
an unmanned vehicle (UV); and
a substance sensor mounted to the UV to sense the spray variable.

7. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 6 and further comprising:
a UV mounting assembly coupled to the frame and configured to detachably couple the UV to the frame to be carried by the frame; and
UV deployment logic configured to generate a control signal to detach the UV from the mounting assembly and to generate the control signals to deploy the UV to the sensor location.

8. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 7 wherein the overspray detection system comprises:
monitor area logic configured to identify a monitor area where the likely overspray condition will occur and to generate a monitor area signal indicative of the identified monitor area; and
mobile sensor deployment logic that generates the control signals to deploy the UV to the sensor location within the monitor area, based on the monitor area signal.

9. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 8 wherein the overspray detection system comprises:
overspray detected control logic configured to receive the overspray detected signal from the UV and to generate a control signal to vary a position or elevation of the sensor on the UV in the monitor area and to determine whether the overspray detected signal is received from the UV at the varied position or elevation.

10. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 9 wherein the overspray detected control logic is configured to generate a control signal to vary a distance of the UV from the field boundary and to determine whether the overspray detected signal is received from the UV at the varied distance.

11. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 1 wherein the overspray detection system comprises:
an overspray quantity generator configured to generate an overspray quantity indicator indicative of a quantity of the oversprayed substance.

12. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 11 wherein the overspray detection system comprises:
an overspray distance generator configured to generate an overspray distance indicator indicative of a distance that the oversprayed substance drifted across the field boundary.

13. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 1 wherein the spraying mechanism comprises a set of nozzles and a pump and wherein the overspray detection system comprises:
sprayer control signal generator logic configured to generate sprayer control signals to control at least one of the pump or the set of nozzles based on the overspray detected signal.

14. The mobile agricultural sprayer of claim 1 wherein the overspray detection system comprises:
path control logic configured to generate path control signals to control a path of the mobile agricultural sprayer based on the overspray detected signal.

15. An overspray detection system, comprising:
a volatile organic compound (VOC) sensor;
overspray sensor interaction logic that generates control signals to obtain sensor data from the VOC sensor, at a sensor location corresponding to a geographic boundary of a field, that senses a sensed variable indicative of a presence of a substance sprayed by the mobile agricultural sprayer in the field; and
overspray detected control logic configured to:
receives an overspray detected signal, indicative of the VOC sensor sensing the presence of the substance and indicating that the substance crossed the geographic boundary of the field;
determine, based on the overspray detected signal, that the substance has crossed the geographic boundary of the field; and
generates overspray control signals to perform overspray operations based on the determination that the substance has crossed the geographic boundary of the field.

16. The overspray detection system of claim 15 and further comprising:
likely drift detector logic that receives sprayer location information indicative of a geographic location of the mobile agricultural sprayer in the field, and field characteristic data indicative of the geographic boundary of the field, and that generates an overspray likely signal when a likely overspray condition is identified, based on the sprayer location information, the value of the sensed wind direction and wind speed and the geographic boundary of the field; and
sensor deployment logic that generates control signals to deploy the VOC sensor to the sensor location, the sensor location corresponding to the likely overspraying condition.

17. The overspray detection system of claim 16 and further comprising:
monitor area logic configured to identify a monitor area where the likely overspray condition will occur and to generate a monitor area signal indicative of the identified monitor area, wherein the overspray or interaction logic generates the control signals to deploy an unmanned vehicle carrying the VOC sensor to the sensor location within the monitor area, based on the monitor area signal.

18. The overspray detection system of claim 15 and further comprising:
sensor position control logic configured to generate a sensor position signal to control a sensor mobility system that moves a position of the VOC sensor.

19. The overspray detection system of claim 18 wherein the sensor mobility system is mounted to a pole located at the sensor location and wherein the sensor position control logic

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Barker Mark E
• Humpal Richard A
• Wells Aaron A

Classifications

• B64U80/86

  Land vehicles · CPC title

• B64U2201/202

  using tethers for connecting to ground station · CPC title

• A01M7/0089 Primary

  Regulating or controlling systems (the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06) · CPC title

• B64U2101/40

  for agriculture or forestry operations · CPC title

• B05B12/16

  for controlling the spray area (B05B3/00 takes precedence) · CPC title