Method of mitigating compaction and a compaction mitigation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11839173-B2
Application number	US-202217808634-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2022
Priority date	Jun 29, 2018
Publication date	Dec 12, 2023
Grant date	Dec 12, 2023

Abstract

A compaction mitigation system for a work area and a method of mitigating compaction in a work area may include determining a compaction map of the work area having compaction data associated with a plurality of reference points, passing a work tool through the work area at the plurality of reference points, and adjusting the work tool at the plurality of reference points based on the compaction data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of mitigating compaction in a work area, the method comprising:
passing a vehicle through the work area at a plurality of reference points to generate compaction data for a compaction map;
determining the compaction map of the work area having the compaction data, wherein the compaction map comprises a first compaction level at a first reference point of the plurality of reference points and a second compaction level at a second reference point of the plurality of reference points that is less than the first compaction level;
passing a work tool through the work area at the plurality of reference points after determining the compaction map;
passing the work tool through the first reference point before passing the work tool through the second reference point;
adjusting the work tool at the plurality of reference points based on the compaction data of the compaction map;
initiating adjustment of the work tool at the first reference point associated with the first compaction level; and
terminating adjustment of the work tool at the second reference point associated with the second compaction level that is less than the first compaction level;
wherein the work tool comprises a seeding device, and adjusting the work tool comprises adjusting seeding actuation of the seeding device based on the compaction data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the seeding device is a cover crop seeding device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining vehicle weight data of the vehicle from passing the vehicle through the work area, the vehicle weight data being associated with the plurality of reference points.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the compaction map comprises determining soil data associated with the plurality of reference points.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the soil data comprises at least one of a soil density, a soil moisture, a soil type, and a soil freeze state.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the compaction map further comprises determining at least one of a volume data and a weight data of a material of at least one vehicle passing through the work area at the plurality of reference points.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the material comprises at least one of a fuel, a grain, a crop, a waste material, a liquid application material, and a solid application material.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the compaction map comprises combining soil data associated with the plurality of reference points with vehicle weight data associated with the plurality of reference points.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the compaction map comprises determining vehicle draft data associated with the plurality of reference points.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the compaction map comprises determining row unit downforce data associated with the plurality of reference points.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the compaction map comprises determining individual row unit downforce data at each of a plurality of row units associated with the plurality of reference points.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the compaction map further comprises aggregating the compaction data associated with the plurality of reference points from a plurality of passes by at least one of the vehicle and a work tool passing through the work area.

13. A method of mitigating compaction with a vehicle having a work tool in a work area, the method comprising:
passing through the work area at a plurality of reference points to form a compaction map associated with compaction in the work area;
determining at least one data layer associated with the plurality of reference points forming the compaction map in the work area;
geo-referencing the at least one data layer in the compaction map;
creating a predetermined path plan for compaction mitigation in the work area that is stored to be available to a controller of the vehicle such that the controller is configured to control operation of the vehicle;
passing the vehicle through the work area after forming the compaction map along the path plan;
determining vehicle position data as the vehicle passes through the work area at the plurality of reference points along the path plan;
wherein the compaction map comprises a first compaction level at a first reference point of the plurality of reference points and a second compaction level at a second reference point of the plurality of reference points that is less than the first compaction level;
passing a work tool through the work area at the plurality of reference points after determining the compaction map;
passing the work tool through the first reference point before passing the work tool through the second reference point;
adjusting the work tool at the plurality of reference points based on the vehicle position data and the at least one data layer;
initiating adjustment of the work tool at the first reference point associated with the first compaction level; and
terminating adjustment of the work tool at the second reference point associated with the second compaction level that is less than the first compaction level;
wherein the work tool comprises a seeding device.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein adjusting the work tool comprises adjusting the seeding device based on the at least one data layer.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein adjusting the work tool comprises adjusting a rate of seeding actuation of the seeding device based on the at least one data layer.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the vehicle and the work tool traverses the work area over compacted areas of the compaction map and avoids traversing the work area over non-compacted areas of the compaction map.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the seeding device is a cover crop seeding device.

18. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining vehicle weight data of the vehicle from passing the vehicle through the work area, the vehicle weight data being associated with the plurality of reference points.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one data layer comprises a plurality of data layers.

20. The method of claim 13 , further comprising combining the vehicle position data with the at least one data layer.

21. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one data layer comprises at least one of planting location data, historical vehicle weight data, historical vehicle location data, soil data, vehicle draft data, vegetation imagery data, historical tillage data, topographical data, and planter downforce data.

22. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one data layer comprises soil data associated with the plurality of reference points.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the soil data comprises at least one of a soil density, a soil moisture, a soil type, and a soil freeze state.

24. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one data layer comprises at least one of a volume data and a weight data of a material of at least one vehicle passing through the work area at the plurality of reference points.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the material comprises at least one of a fuel, a grain, a crop, a waste material, a liquid application material, and a solid application material.

26. The method of claim 13 , further comprising combining soil

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Mcdonald Brandon M
• Mayer Jacob D
• Mueller Thomas G
• Smith Benjamin M
• Jensen Ryan

Classifications

• A01B79/005 Primary

  Precision agriculture · CPC title

• A01B33/087

  Lifting devices; Depth regulation devices; Mountings · CPC title

• A01B69/008

  automatic · CPC title

• A01C7/203

  comprising depth regulation means · CPC title

• A01C14/00

  Methods or apparatus for planting not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title