Farm field management system, farm field management method, and farm equipment system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018242515-A1
Application number	US-201615753043-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 12, 2016
Priority date	Aug 25, 2015
Publication date	Aug 30, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sensor position calculating section calculates a sensor position at which a sensor is deployed on a farm field on the basis of farm field information. A sensor deployment controlling section controls a sensor deploying mechanism that deploys the sensor on the farm field to deploy the sensor in accordance with the sensor position. The present technology may be applied to a farm field management system that manages the farm field or to a farm equipment system that performs farm work on the farm field.

First claim

1 . A farm field management system comprising:
a sensor position calculating section configured to calculate a sensor position at which a sensor is deployed on a farm field on the basis of farm field information; and a sensor deployment controlling section configured to control a sensor deploying mechanism that deploys the sensor on the farm field to deploy the sensor in accordance with the sensor position.

2 . The farm field management system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an instruction information generating section configured to generate instruction information for causing the sensor deploying mechanism to deploy the sensor in accordance with the sensor position calculated by the sensor position calculating section, wherein the sensor deployment controlling section causes the sensor deploying mechanism to deploy the sensor in accordance with the generated instruction information.

3 . The farm field management system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensor communication section configured to communicate with the sensor deployed by the sensor deploying mechanism in order to acquire a sensor ID of the sensor.

4 . The farm field management system according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a log generating section configured to generate a sensor deployment log including the sensor ID of the sensor in communication and a sensor deployment position at which the sensor is deployed.

5 . The farm field management system according to claim 4 , wherein the sensor deployment log includes a timestamp indicative of a date and a time at which the sensor has been deployed and a sensor type indicative of the deployed sensor.

6 . The farm field management system according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a storage section configured to store the generated sensor deployment log.

7 . The farm field management system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a farm machine configured to have a farm machine mount sensor for acquiring the farm field information on the farm field; and an implement configured to be connected with the farm machine and include the sensor deploying mechanism, wherein the sensor position calculating section calculates the sensor position following the acquisition of the farm field information by the farm machine mount sensor of the farm machine, and the sensor deployment controlling section causes the sensor deploying mechanism of the implement to deploy the sensor following the calculation of the sensor position by the sensor position calculating section.

8 . The farm field management system according to claim 7 , wherein the farm machine mount sensor acquires as the farm field information image data representing a crop as an object, and
the sensor position calculating section calculates the sensor position based on a positional relation between the crop on the one hand and the farm machine and the implement on the other hand, the positional relation being calculated through analysis of the image data.

9 . The farm field management system according to claim 7 , wherein the farm machine mount sensor acquires as the farm field information data about moisture and nutrients in the soil, and
the sensor position calculating section calculates the sensor position based on the data about the moisture and the nutrients.

10 . The farm field management system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a seeding position calculating section configured to calculate a seeding position for a crop on the farm field on the basis of the farm field information.

11 . The farm field management system according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a seeding mechanism configured to seed the crop in accordance with the seeding position in parallel with the deployment of the sensor by the sensor deploying mechanism.

12 . The farm field management system according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a log generating section configured to generate a seeding log including a crop ID of the seeded crop and the seeding position at which the crop has been seeded.

13 . The farm field management system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display section configured to display a screen indicative of deployment status of the sensor on the farm field.

14 . The farm field management system according to claim 13 , wherein the display section updates the display on the screen every time the sensor is deployed.

15 . The farm field management system according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes
a sensor substrate configured to communicate with the sensor communication section, a capsule configured to be spherical in shape to encapsulate the sensor substrate, and a weight configured to be disposed inside the capsule to keep the sensor substrate constant in attitude.

16 . A farm field management method comprising the steps of:
calculating a sensor position at which a sensor is deployed on a farm field on the basis of farm field information; and controlling a sensor deploying mechanism that deploys the sensor on the farm field to deploy the sensor in accordance with the sensor position.

17 . A farm equipment system, wherein
an information processing apparatus includes a sensor position calculating section configured to calculate a sensor position at which a sensor is deployed on a farm field on the basis of farm field information; and an implement includes a sensor deployment controlling section configured to control a sensor deploying mechanism that deploys the sensor on the farm field to deploy the sensor in accordance with the sensor position.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Yajima Masakazu
• Hirabayashi Takayuki
• Komiyama Shinji
• Ihara Yasushi
• Niikura Hideo

Classifications

• A01C7/105 Primary

  Seed sensors · CPC title

• A01B79/005 Primary

  Precision agriculture · CPC title

• G06Q50/02

  Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining · CPC title

• A01G25/167

  Control by humidity of the soil itself or of devices simulating soil or of the atmosphere; Soil humidity sensors · CPC title

• A01C21/007

  Determining fertilization requirements · CPC title