Systems and methods for combine routing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11715166-B2
Application number	US-202016906289-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2020
Priority date	Jun 20, 2019
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

A routing processor implements a multi-stage prescriptive routing model engine based on harvest input data relating to the harvesting of crops at a plurality of locations by a plurality of combines and based on a harvest characteristic representing an attribute of the crops to be harvested by the combines. The multi-stage prescriptive routing model engine generates a combine routing program prescribing the movement of each combine between the locations and includes a demand stage configured to identify combine harvesting demand as a function of the harvest input data and the harvest characteristic and a scheduling stage configured to generate the combine routing program as a function of the harvesting demand.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a routing processor; and
one or more computer-readable storage media storing harvest input data, at least one harvest characteristic, and computer-executable instructions, the harvest input data relating to the harvesting of crops at a plurality of locations by a plurality of combines, each location including one or more fields containing crops for harvest by at least one of the plurality of combines, the at least one harvest characteristic including a moisture characteristic representing a moisture attribute of the crops to be harvested by the plurality of combines;
wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the routing processor, configure the routing processor to:
implement a multi-stage prescriptive routing model engine, based on the harvest input data and the at least one harvest characteristic, to generate a combine routing program prescribing movement of each combine of the plurality of combines between the plurality of locations;
wherein the multi-stage prescriptive routing model engine comprises:
a demand stage configured to:
capture a penalty specific to the moisture characteristic of the crops and a date of the harvesting of the crops at each of the plurality of locations; and
identify combine harvesting demand as a function of the harvest input data, the at least one harvest characteristic, and the captured penalty; and

a scheduling stage configured to generate the combine routing program as a function of (i) the combine harvesting demand and (ii) a penalty for not assigning one(s) of the plurality of combines to one(s) of the plurality of locations; and

move one or more of the plurality of combines according to the generated combine routing program to one of the plurality of locations.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the multi-stage prescriptive routing model engine is configured to generate the combine routing program to maximize an amount of crops harvested by the plurality of combines at the plurality of locations that have the at least one harvest characteristic.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the scheduling stage is configured to generate the combine routing program to maximize an amount of crops harvested by the plurality of combines at the plurality of locations that have the at least one harvest characteristic.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the moisture characteristic of the crops is a moisture content of each crop on the date of harvesting the crop.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the combine harvesting demand includes a capacity of combines needed at each location for each harvesting day.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the combine routing program includes an origination position, a destination position, and a moving date for each combine.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the harvest input data includes at least one of combine inventory data representing the plurality of combines, location data representing at least one attribute of each location, harvest progress data representing at least one attribute of any harvesting completed by the plurality of combines, and weather data representing at least one of the current and expected weather conditions at each location.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the harvest input data further includes the combine inventory data, the location data, the harvest progress data, and the weather data.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the routing processor is configured to retrieve the combine inventory data, location data, harvest progress data, and weather data from two or more sources and wherein the multi-stage prescriptive routing model engine further includes a pre-processing operation for normalizing the combine inventory data, location data, harvest progress data, and weather data before the combine inventory data, location data, harvest progress data, and weather data is stored in the one or more computer-readable storage media.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the harvest input data is updated in real time and wherein the multi-stage prescriptive routing model engine is configured to update the combine routing program in real time in response to the harvest input data being updated.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the harvest input data includes harvest progress data representing at least one attribute of any harvesting completed by the plurality of combines, wherein the system further comprises the plurality of combines, each combine configured to provide at least a portion of the harvest progress data in real time.

12. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface including a display, the display configured to display the combine routing program to a user.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:
storing, in one or more computer-readable storage media, harvest input data relating to the harvesting of crops at a plurality of locations by a plurality of combines, each location including one or more fields containing crops for harvest by at least one of the plurality of combines;
storing, in the one or more computer readable storage media, at least one harvest characteristic, the at least one harvest characteristic including a moisture characteristic representing a moisture attribute of the crops to be harvested by the plurality of combines; and
executing, by a routing processor, a multi-stage prescriptive routing model engine based on the harvest input data and the at least one harvest characteristic to generate a combine routing program prescribing movement of each combine of the plurality of combines between the plurality of locations, the multi-stage prescriptive routing model engine including a demand stage and a scheduling stage;
wherein executing the multi-stage prescriptive routing model engine includes executing the demand stage to generate a combine harvesting demand as a function of the harvest input data, the at least one harvest characteristic, and a penalty specific to (i) the moisture characteristic of the crops and (ii) a date of the harvesting of the crops at each of the plurality of locations; and
wherein executing the scheduling stage to generate the combine routing program as a function of (i) the combine harvesting demand and (ii) a penalty for not assigning one(s) of the plurality of combines to one(s) of the plurality of locations; and

moving, based on the generated combine routing program, one or more of the plurality of combines to at least one of the plurality of locations.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the moisture characteristic of the crops is a moisture content of each crop on the date of harvesting the crop.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the combine harvesting demand includes a number of combines needed at each location for each harvesting day.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the combine routing schedule includes the origination position, destination position, and moving date for each combine.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the harvest input data includes combine inventory data representing the plurality of combines, location data representing at least one attribute of each field, harvest progress data representing at least one attribute of any harvesting completed by the plurality of combines and weather data representing at least one of a current and expected weather conditions at each location.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising updating at least a portion of the harvest input data in real time and updating the combine routing program in real time by re-executing the multi-stage pr

Assignees

• Monsanto Technology Llc

Inventors

• Dasgupta Sambarta
• Deshmukh Anand Pramod
• Grote Jesse B
• Luo Hongwei
• Shukla Aviral
• Wang Zi
• Zhan Yiduo
• Zhang Hui
• Zhou Xiaobo

Classifications

• G06Q50/02 Primary

  Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining · CPC title

• A01D41/127

  Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines · CPC title

• G06Q10/06314 Primary

  Calendaring for a resource · CPC title

• G06Q10/06311

  Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group · CPC title