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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11246269-B2
Application number	US-201916241479-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2019
Priority date	Dec 21, 2015
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

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

Having thus described aspects of the invention, with the details and particularity required by the patent laws, what is claimed and desired protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. A rover, comprising:
a base having wheels;
a propulsion system coupled to the wheels to propel the rover around a field;
a tower coupled to the base and extending over the base;
a plurality of sensors set on the tower and the base and configured to sense environmental conditions around the rover at different elevations; and
a computing system including a processor and memory, the memory including computer program code that causes the processor to receive measured data from the plurality of sensors, to predict a future weather condition, to determine an amount and manner of water to be dispensed on plant life in the field to protect the plant life from the future weather condition, and to control a separate, stationary sprinkler system that includes a plurality of individually controllable heads that are controlled to deliver the water to be dispensed in accordance with the measured data and predicted local conditions.

2. The rover as recited in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors measure one or more of temperature, humidity and wind velocity at the different elevations.

3. The rover as recited in claim 1 , wherein the rover includes a sprinkler system onboard to deliver the water to be dispensed.

4. The rover as recited in claim 1 , wherein the rover communicates with a central computer system which controls a separate sprinkler system to deliver the water to be dispensed in accordance with the measured data.

5. The rover as recited in claim 1 , further comprising an imaging device mounted on the rover to evaluate water delivery amounts for the plant life in the field using visual feedback.

6. The rover as recited in claim 1 , wherein the propulsion system moves the rover through the field to evaluate a plurality of different locations in the field in accordance with the environmental conditions.

7. The rover as recited in claim 1 , wherein the computing system is further configured to identify an air inversion condition from the received measured data.

8. The rover as recited in claim 7 , wherein the computing system is further configured to determine the amount of water to be dispensed based on the identified air inversion condition.

9. The rover as recited in claim 1 , wherein the rover uses acoustic signals to control the stationary sprinkler system, with a separate frequency being used to control each respective head of the plurality of individually controllable heads.

Assignees

• IBM
• Int Business Machines Corportation

Inventors

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

Classifications

• A01G25/09

  Watering arrangements making use of movable installations on wheels or the like · CPC title

• A01G13/065 Primary

  Frost protection by generating fog or by spraying · CPC title

• A01G25/167

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

• A01B79/00

  Methods for working soil · CPC title

• G01N33/246

  for water content · CPC title