Planter control using timestamp/location stamps

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12022764-B2
Application number	US-202218053049-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2022
Priority date	Jun 8, 2020
Publication date	Jul 2, 2024
Grant date	Jul 2, 2024

Abstract

A plurality of different controllers on an agricultural machine are time synchronized. A first controller, 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, and generates a timestamp indicating a time at which the action is to be taken. An action identifier and the timestamp are 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 timestamp based upon the actuator delay.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a mobile agricultural machine, comprising:
identifying a timing relationship between a first timing system a first control system and a second timing system in a second control system;
sensing a geographic location of the agricultural machine;
identifying a control action to perform based on the sensed geographic location;
generating a time indicator indicative of a future time at which the control action is to be performed based on the timing relationship;
sending a signal indicative of the control action and the time indicator to the second control system; and
controlling an actuator of the mobile agricultural machine, with the second control system, to perform the control action based on the signal indicative of the control action and the time indicator.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a timing relationship comprises:
comparing timing in the first timing system and timing in the second timing system to a common time base to obtain a timing comparison result; and
identifying the timing relationship based on the timing comparison result.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a timing relationship comprises;
synchronizing the first timing system and the second timing system to a common time base.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the timing relationship comprises:
accessing the timing relationship from a data store.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a time indicator comprises:
obtaining an actuator latency corresponding, to the actuator performing the control action; and
generating the time indicator based on the actuator latency.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein controlling the actuator comprises:
detecting a current time; and
controlling the actuator to perform the control action based on the current time and the time indicator.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the time indicator comprises:
identifying a geographic location where the control action is to be performed;
receiving a speed indicator indicative of a rate of travel of the mobile agricultural machine;
obtaining a synchronized current time signal indicative of a current time, synchronized to the common time base; and
generating the time indicator based on the geographic location of the mobile agricultural machine, the rate of travel of the mobile agricultural machine, the location where the control action is to be performed, and the current time.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein sending a signal indicative of the control action and the time indicator to the second control system comprises:
before sending the signal indicative of the control action and the time indicator to the second control system, sending the signal indicative of the control action and the time indicator to an intermediate control system;
generating an actuator enable/disable command indicative of whether the actuator is to be enabled or disabled to perform the control action, at the intermediate control system, based on the signal indicative of the control action and the time indicator; and
sending the actuator enable/disable command and the time indicator to the second control system, the second control system controlling the actuator based on the actuator enable/disable command and the time indicator.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the agricultural machine comprises a planter and wherein the second control system comprises a row unit controller and wherein the first control system comprises a plurality of intermediate control systems, and wherein a plurality of row unit controllers correspond to each intermediate control system and wherein generating the actuator enable/disable command comprises:
generating 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.

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

11. The method of claim 10 wherein generating the time indicator comprises:
receiving a speed signal indicative of a speed of travel of the actuatable spray nozzles on the sprayer;
receiving a location indicator indicative of where the control action is to be performed;
receiving a current time signal indicative of a current time, synchronized to the common time base; and
generating the time indicator based on the geographic location of the sprayer, the speed of travel of the actuatable spray nozzles, the location where the control action is to be performed, and the current time.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a control action comprises:
accessing a map indicative of where different control actions are to be performed; and
identifying the control action based on the map and based on the sensed geographic location of the mobile agricultural machine.

13. A method of controlling a mobile agricultural planter, comprising:
determining a difference between a first timing signal generated by a timing system in a display control system and a second timing signal generated by a timing system in a row unit control system;
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 based on the difference between the first timing signal and the second tuning signal; and
generating a mapping output signal to control a display mechanism to show a map of seed location based on the seed sensor signal and a time indicated by the corresponding time stamp.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein determining a difference comprises:
setting the first and second timing signals to a common value.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein determining a difference comprises:
synchronizing the first and second timing signals based on a reference time signal.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein generating a mapping output comprises:
accessing historic data indicative of 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 historic data.

17. The method of claim 13 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 from a plurality of different row unit control systems, at an intermediate control system, seed data, that is responsive to seed sensor signals received at the row unit control systems, and the corresponding time stamps;
identifying section data based on the 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.

18. The method of claim 13 and further comprising:
sending the mapping output to a remote computing system.

19. A control system for controlling a mobile agricultural machine, comprising:
at least one processor; and
a data store storing computer executable instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform steps, comprising:
receiving, at a first control system, control criteria for controlling the mobile

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Kale Pradeep
• Walter Jason D
• Joshi Omkar

Classifications

• A01C7/046

  with perforated seeding discs · CPC title

• A01C7/0443

  Seed singulators · CPC title

• A01C7/0445

  Seed ejectors · CPC title

• A01C7/20

  Parts of seeders for conducting and depositing seed · CPC title

• A01C7/105

  Seed sensors · CPC title