Planter control using timestamp/location stamps

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11510357-B2
Application number	US-202016895145-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2020
Priority date	Jun 8, 2020
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

A plurality of different controllers on an agricultural machine are time synchronized. A positioning system detects a geographic location and a timestamp, which is indicative of a time when the geographic location was sensed, is applied to the geographic location. A first controller, that identifies an action to be taken based upon a location of the agricultural machine and a speed of the agricultural machine, and also based on a geographic location of where the action is to be taken, generates a future timestamp indicating a future time at which the action is to be taken. An action identifier (that identifies the action) and the future timestamp is sent to an actuator controller that controls an actuator to take the action. The actuator controller identifies an actuator delay corresponding to the actuator and controls the actuator to take the action at a time identified in the future timestamp based upon the future timestamp, a current time, and the actuator delay.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer implemented method of controlling a mobile agricultural machine, comprising:
synchronizing a first control system and a second control system with a common time base;
receiving, at the first control system, a location sensor signal indicative of a sensed geographic location of the mobile agricultural machine;
generating a time stamp corresponding to the sensed geographic location;
identifying a control action to perform based on the sensed geographic location;
generating a future time stamp indicative of a future time at which the control action is to be performed;
sending a control action identifier and the future time stamp to the second control system; and
controlling an actuator, with the second control system, to perform the control action at a time corresponding to the future time, based on the control action identifier and the future time stamp.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein controlling the actuator comprises:
identifying an actuator delay introduced by the actuator; and
generating an actuator control signal to control the actuator to perform the control action based on the future time, a current time and the actuator delay.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 wherein generating the actuator control signal comprises:
sensing a current time; and
generating the actuator control signal when the current time equals the future time less the actuator delay.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2 and further comprising:
before sending the control action identifier and the future time stamp to the second control system, sending the control action identifier and the future time stamp to an intermediate control system;
translating the control action identifier into an actuator enable/disable command indicative of whether the actuator is to be enabled or disabled to perform the control action; and
sending the actuator enable/disable command and the future time stamp to the second control system, the second control system generating the actuator control signal based on the actuator enable/disable command and the future time stamp.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4 wherein generating the future time stamp comprises:
identifying a location where the control action is to be performed;
receiving a speed signal indicative of a speed of travel of the mobile agricultural machine;
receiving a current time signal indicative of a current time, synchronized to the common time base; and
generating the future time stamp based on the geographic location of the mobile agricultural machine, the speed of travel of the mobile agricultural machine, the location where the control action is to be performed, and the current time.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5 wherein the agricultural machine comprises a planter and wherein the second control system comprises a row unit controller and wherein a plurality of intermediate control systems correspond to the first control system, and wherein a plurality of row unit controllers correspond to each intermediate control system and wherein translating the control action identifier comprises:
translating the control action identifier into a row enable/disable signal indicative of whether each of the plurality of row unit controllers corresponding to the intermediate control system are enabled or disabled.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 3 wherein the agricultural machine comprises a sprayer with actuatable spray nozzles and wherein generating the actuator control signal comprises:
generating a nozzle control signal to control at least one of the actuatable spray nozzles.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7 wherein generating the future time stamp comprises:
identifying a location where the control action is to be performed;
receiving a speed signal indicative of a speed of travel of the sprayer;
receiving a current time signal indicative of a current time, synchronized to the common time base; and
generating the future time stamp based on the geographic location of the sprayer, the speed of travel of the sprayer, the location where the control action is to be performed, and the current time.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein identifying an action comprises:
receiving a map input indicative of a map of where the action is to be performed; and
identifying the control action based on the map input and based on the sensed geographic location of the mobile agricultural machine.

10. A computer implemented method of controlling a mobile agricultural planter, comprising:
synchronizing a display control system and a row unit control system with a common time base;
receiving, at the row unit control system, a seed sensor signal indicative of a seed sensed by a seed sensor on a row unit of the mobile agricultural planter;
generating a time stamp corresponding to the seed sensor signal;
sending seed data, indicative of the seed sensor signal, and the time stamp to the display control system; and
generating a mapping output signal to control a display mechanism to show a map of seed location based on the seed data and a time indicated by the corresponding time stamp.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10 wherein generating a mapping output comprises:
accessing location/time data indicative of historic locations of the mobile agricultural planter and corresponding times; and
identifying a seed location corresponding to the time indicated by the time stamp based on the location/time data.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11 wherein the mobile agricultural planter includes a plurality of different sections, each section comprising a plurality of different row units, each row unit having a row unit control system, and further comprising:
receiving, at an intermediate control system, the seed data and the time stamp from a plurality of different row unit control systems;
identifying section data based on seed data from the plurality of different row unit control systems; and
sending the section data and corresponding time stamps to the display control system.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 10 wherein generating a time stamp comprises:
identifying a seed detection delay indicative of a time delay between when the seed sensor senses the seed and when the seed reaches a planted position; and
generating the time stamp corresponding to the seed sensor signal based on the seed detection delay.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 10 and further comprising:
sending the mapping output to a remote computing system.

15. A computer implemented method of controlling a mobile agricultural machine, comprising:
receiving, at a first control system, control criteria for controlling the mobile agricultural machine;
identifying a control action to perform based on the control criteria;
generating a future location stamp, indicative of a future location of the mobile agricultural machine, at which the control action is to be performed;
sending a control action identifier, indicative of the identified control action, and the future location stamp to a second control system;
receiving, at a second control system, a location sensor signal indicative of a sensed geographic location of the mobile agricultural machine; and
controlling an actuator, with the second control system, to perform the control action at a location corresponding to the future location, based on the control action identifier, the sensed geographic location of the mobile agricultural machine and the future lo

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Kale Pradeep
• Walter Jason D
• Joshi Omkar

Classifications

• A01B79/005 Primary

  Precision agriculture · CPC title

• A01C7/20

  Parts of seeders for conducting and depositing seed · CPC title

• A01C7/102 Primary

  Regulating or controlling the seed rate · CPC title

• A01C7/105

  Seed sensors · CPC title

• A01C7/046

  with perforated seeding discs · CPC title