Real-time crop processing management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9710771-B2
Application number	US-201414176967-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2014
Priority date	Feb 10, 2014
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A real-time crop processing management system is disclosed. In one embodiment, a yield description of a load of harvested crop and a location of the load of harvested crop is received at a computer system. An indication of the capacity to process the load of harvested crop by a receiving facility is also received by the computer system. A message conveying a delivery assignment for the load of harvested crop is then generated by the computer system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for managing crop processing in real-time, the method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device and via a wireless communication network, a yield description of a load of harvested crop, wherein the yield description includes one or more of a volume of harvested crop, a weight of harvested crop, a moisture content of harvested crop, a harvest time of harvested crop, a condition of harvested crop, or a constituent content of harvested crop, and wherein receiving the yield description occurs prior to the load of harvested crop arriving at a receiving facility;
receiving, by the computing device, a location of the load of harvested crop while the harvested crop is en-route to a receiving facility of a plurality of receiving facilities;
receiving, by the computing device, one or more processing capacity messages providing indications of abilities of the plurality of receiving facilities to timely process the load of harvested crop, wherein the processing capacity messages identify an amount of crop received at the receiving facility and a priority order for processing the received amount of crop;
determining, by the computing device and using the processing capacity messages, that a processing capacity of a most proximal receiving facility of the plurality of receiving facilities is insufficient to timely process the load of harvested crop, wherein the most proximal receiving facility is closest in proximity to the location of the load of harvested crop;
generating, by the computing device, a delivery assignment for the load of harvested crop using the yield description, the location, and the one or more processing capacity messages, wherein generating includes identifying that a particular receiving facility of the plurality of receiving facilities has a sufficient capacity to timely process the harvested crop to facilitate reducing spoilage or loss of the load of harvested crop, wherein the delivery assignment identifies the particular receiving facility, and wherein the particular receiving facility is different from the most proximal receiving facility;
generating, by the computing device, a delivery assignment message including the delivery assignment for the load of harvested crop;
transmitting, by the computing device, the delivery assignment message for receipt by one or more of:
the particular receiving facility and
the wireless communication network for conveying the delivery assignment message to a reporting component associated with the load of harvested crop;

generating, by the computing device, a queue assignment for the load of harvested crop at the particular receiving facility based on a time-sensitivity for processing the load of harvested crop, wherein the queue assignment corresponds to a processing number in a processing queue of the particular receiving facility, wherein the processing queue identifies an order for which crops assigned to the queue are to be processed, and wherein the queue assignment indicates that the load of harvested crop is to be queued at the front of the processing queue in order for the harvested crop to be processed before a processing deadline;
monitoring, by the computing device, the location of the load of harvested crop within the particular receiving facility in order to identify progress in processing of the load of harvested crop;
determining, by the computing device, that the load of harvested crop is approaching the processing deadline; and
generating, by the computing device, an alert, wherein the alert indicates the processing deadline or wherein the alert indicates that the load of harvested crop is to be prioritized.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
processing, by the particular processing facility, the load of harvested crop prior to the processing deadline.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the delivery assignment message comprises generating a harvesting schedule for the crop using the one or more processing capacity messages, wherein the harvesting schedule includes instructions to slow down or cease harvesting operations; and
wherein transmitting the delivery assignment message includes transmitting the harvesting schedule to the wireless communication network.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
downloading a software interface from a software interface downloader of the computing device to a mobile computing device; and
conveying the delivery assignment to the software interface.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
slowing down or ceasing, by a harvester machine, harvesting operations according to the harvesting schedule.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the computing device and from the particular receiving facility, a received crop report, wherein the received crop report identifies one or more of an indicator that the load of harvested crop has arrived at the particular receiving facility, a time that the load of harvested crop arrived at the particular receiving facility, a weight of the load of harvested crop that has arrived at the particular receiving facility, a moisture content of the load of harvested crop that has arrived at the particular receiving facility, and a condition of the load of harvested crop that has arrived at the particular receiving facility.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
identifying, by the computing device, a discrepancy between the yield description and the received crop report; and
generating an indication of the discrepancy.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer executable code for directing a processor to execute operations comprising:
receiving, at a computer system comprising the processor and via a wireless communication network, a yield description of a load of harvested crop, wherein the yield description includes one or more of a volume of harvested crop, a weight of harvested crop, a moisture content of harvested crop, a harvest time of harvested crop, a condition of harvested crop, or a constituent content of harvested crop, and wherein receiving the yield description occurs prior to the load of harvested crop arriving at a receiving facility;
receiving, by the computer system, a location of the load of harvested crop while the harvested crop is en-route to a receiving facility of a plurality of receiving facilities;
receiving, by the computer system, one or more processing capacity messages providing indications of abilities of the plurality of receiving facilities to timely process the load of harvested crop, wherein the processing capacity messages identify an amount of crop received at the receiving facility and a priority order for processing the received amount of crop;
determining, by the computer system and using the processing capacity messages, that a processing capacity of a most proximal receiving facility of the plurality of receiving facilities is insufficient to timely process the load of harvested crop, wherein the most proximal receiving facility is closest in proximity to the location of the load of harvested crop;
generating, by the computer system, a delivery assignment for the load of harvested crop using the yield description, the location, and the one or more processing capacity messages, wherein generating includes identifying that a particular receiving facility of the plurality of receiving facilities has a sufficient capacity to timely process the harvested crop to facilitate reducing spoilage or loss of the harvested crop, wherein the delivery assignment identifies the particular receiving facility, and wherein the particular receiving facility is different from the most proximal receiving facility;
generating, by the computer system, a deli

Assignees

• Trimble Navigation Ltd
• Trimble Inc

Inventors

• Chiocco Gregory Daniel
• Perez-Iturbe Guillermo

Classifications

• G06Q50/02

  Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining · CPC title

• A01D93/00

  Harvesting apparatus not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• G06Q10/0631

  Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations · CPC title

• G06Q10/06312 Primary

  Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling · CPC title

• G06Q10/06313

  Resource planning in a project environment · CPC title