Spraying support system for working machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11540437-B2
Application number	US-202016916299-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2020
Priority date	Apr 27, 2018
Publication date	Jan 3, 2023
Grant date	Jan 3, 2023

Abstract

A spraying support system for a working machine, includes: a support device including a plan creator portion to create a spraying plan representing a relation between field information relating to a field to which spray substance is sprayed and spraying information including spraying amount of the spray substance; a plan obtainer device provided to a working machine having a sprayer device to spray the spray substance and configured to obtain the spraying plan created by the plan creator portion; and a spraying controller device to control a sprayer portion of the sprayer device based on the spraying information of the spraying plan obtained by the plan obtainer device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spraying support system for a working machine, comprising:
a server, including at least a processor and memory, configured to:
create, for respective fields in which a spray substance is sprayed, spraying plans each representing a relation between field information relating to a corresponding one of the fields and spraying information including spraying amount of the spray substance,
register, as the field information, field identifier information for identifying the corresponding one of the fields and field position information representing a position of the corresponding one of the fields identified based on the field identifier information, and
store the spraying plans;

a plan obtainer, including either a communicator configured to perform wireless communication with the server, or a connection terminal configured to receive an electronic storage medium, provided to the working machine having a sprayer configured to spray the spray substance, and configured to obtain the spraying plans created by the server;
a first storage, including a memory, and configured to store the spraying plans obtained by the plan obtainer, the first storage being provided in the working machine,
a spraying controller, including at least a processor, configured to control a sprayer portion of the sprayer based on the spraying information of any one of the spraying plans obtained by the plan obtainer, the spraying controller being provided in the working machine; and
a position detector, including at least a receiver configured to receive satellite positioning data, configured to detect a machine position showing a position of the working machine,
wherein the plan obtainer is further configured to obtain the spraying plans from the server and store the spraying plans in the first storage,
wherein the spraying controller is further configured to identify, based on the machine position, on the field position information, and the field identifier information included in the field information represented in the spraying plans stored in the server, a field to be sprayed which is one of the fields and in which the working machine is located, and extracts, from the server, a spraying plan which is one of the spraying plans that corresponds to the field to be sprayed based on the machine position, the field position information, and the field identifier information, and
wherein when the working machine starts traveling, the spraying controller is further configured to control, based on the field information and the spraying amount included in the spraying information represented in the extracted spraying plan and on the machine position, the sprayer portion to spray the spray substance in the field to be sprayed.

2. The spraying support system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the spraying controller is further configured to control the sprayer portion based on a contour of the field to be sprayed, the contour of the field to be sprayed having been included by the server in the field information represented in the extracted spraying plan.

3. The spraying support system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the spraying controller is further configured to, in a spraying area surrounded by the contour of the field to be sprayed represented in the extracted spraying plan,
set one or more virtual lines each of which is at a predetermined distance inward from a corresponding one of sides of the contour of the field to be sprayed, the sides being parallel to a direction of travel of the working machine, and set, as one or more border areas, one or more areas each between a corresponding one of the one or more virtual lines and a corresponding one of the sides, and
set, as a field area, an area other than the one or more border areas, and perform control such that a spraying width of the sprayer device differs between the one or more border areas and the field area.

4. The spraying support system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the sprayer portion has a rotor to spray the spray substance,
wherein the spraying controller is further configured to reduce a rotating speed of the rotor in the one or more border areas to be smaller than a rotating speed of the rotor in the field area.

5. The spraying support system according to claim 4 ,
wherein the sprayer portion has a plurality of the rotors, and
wherein the spraying controller is further configured to control rotating speeds of the plurality of rotors such that the rotating speeds of the plurality of rotors are increased to be larger when the plurality of rotors are located in the field area than when the plurality of rotors are located in the one or more border areas.

6. The spraying support system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the sprayer portion has a plurality of rotors to spray the spray substance, and
wherein when the working machine is located in the one or more border areas and one or more of the plurality of rotors are located closer to the contour of the field to be sprayed than another one or more of the plurality of rotors are to the contour of the field to be sprayed, the spraying controller is further configured to reduce a rotating speed of the one or more of the plurality of rotors to be smaller than a rotating speed of the other one or more of the plurality of rotors.

7. The spraying support system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sprayer portion has a rotor to spray the spray substance, and
wherein the spraying controller is further configured to control a rotating speed of the rotor.

8. The spraying support system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the working machine has: a prime mover; and a PTO shaft to be rotated by the prime mover,
wherein the sprayer includes: a motor; and a power transmission mechanism, including at least a plurality of gears, configured to transmit power from the PTO shaft and the motor to the rotor, and
wherein the spraying controller is further configured to change a rotating speed of the motor with a rotating speed of the PTO shaft kept constant in controlling the sprayer portion.

9. The spraying support system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the working machine includes a traveling vehicle to tow the sprayer device, and
wherein the traveling vehicle has a display configured to display any of the spraying plans.

10. The spraying support system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sprayer has a display configured to display any of the spraying plans.

11. The spraying support system according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in each of the spraying plans created by the server, the corresponding one of the fields is divided in a plurality of areas and the spraying information includes spraying amounts of the spray substance set for the respective plurality of areas, and
wherein the spraying controller is further configured to control the sprayer portion to spray the spray substance on a per-area basis in the following manner: when the working machine starts traveling after the spraying controller extracts the spraying plan which is the one of the spraying plans, the spraying controller is further configured to:
determine, based on the extracted spraying plan and the machine position, an area which is one of the plurality of areas and in which the working machine is located;
select a spraying amount which is one of the spraying amounts and which corresponds to the determined area;
and control the sprayer portion based on the selected spraying amount to spray the spray substance in the determined area.

12. A spraying support system for a working machine, comprising:
a server, including at least a processor and memory, configured to:
create, for respective fields in which a sp

Assignees

• Kubota Kk

Inventors

• Yagyu Sumio
• Nakagawa Takao
• Kawane Masaru
• Yamanaka Yukifumi
• Takaki Go

Classifications

• A01C15/06 Primary

  with distributing slots {, e.g. adjustable openings for dosing} · CPC title

• G01C15/02

  Means for marking measuring points · CPC title

• A01C17/006

  Regulating or dosing devices · CPC title

• A01C17/008 Primary

  Devices controlling the quantity or the distribution pattern · CPC title

• A01C21/005

  Following a specific plan, e.g. pattern · CPC title