UAV-based sensing for worksite operations

• US 10,095,235 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Sugumaran, Ramanathan, Anderson, Noel W., Hitchler, Bradley J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US15/650,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20170315555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• Field of Search: 701 50, 348144, 340 39, 34042613, 34053911
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/32 for cartography or topography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/40 for agriculture or forestry operations
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/202 using tethers for connecting to ground station
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/10 Propulsion rotors specially adapted for rotorcraft or VTOL B64U30/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/37 Charging when not in flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/93 for use on a land or nautical vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/25 for recharging batteries; for refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/30 with arrangements for data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means

Abstract

A mobile machine includes controllable mechanism that performs a prescribed operation on a worksite as the mobile machine travels over the worksite in a direction of travel, and a communication system that receives attribute data indicative of an attribute corresponding to the worksite, and that receives effect data indicative of an effect of the prescribed operation being performed on the worksite. The mobile machine may further include a control system that generates a difference map indicative of a difference between the attribute data and the effect data, and that controls the controllable mechanism to adjust performance of the prescribed operation on the worksite, based on the difference.

Claims

1. A mobile machine comprising:

a controllable mechanism that performs a prescribed operation on a location of a worksite as the mobile machine travels over the location in a direction of travel;

a communication system that receives attribute data indicative of an attribute corresponding to the location, and receives effect data indicative of an effect of the prescribed operation on the location of the worksite rearward of the mobile machine in the direction of travel; and

a control system that generates a difference map indicative of a difference between the attribute data and the effect data, and controls the controllable mechanism to adjust performance of the prescribed operation on the location, based on the difference.

2. The mobile machine of claim 1, wherein the communication system is configured to receive, as the attribute data, data indicative of a sensed attribute of the location of the worksite forward of the mobile machine in the direction of travel.

3. The mobile machine of claim 1, wherein the communication system is configured to receive the effect data from a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) positioned rearward of the mobile machine.

4. The mobile machine of claim 1, wherein the communication system is configured to receive the attribute data from a second UAV positioned forward of the mobile machine.

5. The mobile machine of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to generate a set of difference values across a plurality of pre-defined geographical regions within the worksite, wherein each difference value, in the set of difference values, is indicative of a difference between the attribute data and the effect data within a particular geographical region of the worksite.

6. The mobile machine of claim 5, wherein the control system is configured to generate a sum of the set of difference values across the worksite.

7. The mobile machine of claim 6, wherein the control system compares the sum of the set of difference values to a threshold value corresponding to the prescribed operation.

8. The mobile machine of claim 7, wherein the control system:

based on the comparison, determines that the sum exceeds the threshold value; and

based on the determination that the sum exceeds the threshold value, identifies a corrective action for the prescribed operation.

9. The mobile machine of claim 8, wherein the control system automatically instructs the controllable mechanism to adjust performance of the prescribed operation on the worksite by implementing the corrective action.

10. The mobile machine of claim 7, wherein the control system determines that the sum is within the threshold value, and based on the determination that the sum is within the threshold value, instructs the controllable mechanism to maintain performance of the prescribed operation.

11. A method of controlling a mobile machine, comprising:

controlling a controllable mechanism to perform a prescribed operation on a location at a worksite as the mobile machine travels over the location in a direction of travel;

receiving attribute data indicative of an attribute corresponding to the location;

receiving effect data indicative of an effect of the prescribed operation on the location rearward of the mobile machine in the direction of travel;

generating a difference value that represents a difference between the attribute data and the effect data;

based on the difference value, identifying a problem and a corrective action that mitigates the identified problem; and

automatically controlling the controllable mechanism to adjust the prescribed operation by implementing the corrective action.

12. The method of controlling a mobile machine of claim 11, further comprising:

obtaining geographical information associated with performance of the prescribed operation in the direction of travel; and

identifying a set of geographical areas within the worksite using the geographical information.

13. The method of controlling a mobile machine of claim 12, wherein receiving attribute data and effect data comprises:

receiving attribute data and effect data for each of the geographical areas within the worksite.

14. The method of controlling a mobile machine of claim 13, wherein generating a difference value comprises:

generating a difference map representing a set of calculated difference values, each calculated difference value corresponding to a difference between the attribute data and the effect data for a particular one of the geographical areas within the worksite.

15. The method of controlling a mobile machine of claim 14, wherein generating a difference value comprises:

generating a summary difference value indicative of a sum of the set of calculated difference values across the set of geographical areas.

16. The method of controlling a mobile machine of claim 15, wherein identifying a problem comprises:

identifying a threshold value corresponding to the prescribed operation;

comparing the summary difference value to the threshold value;

determining that the summary difference value exceeds the threshold value;

based on the determination that the summary difference value exceeds the threshold value, selecting a corrective action from a plurality of pre-defined corrective actions; and

automatically controlling the controllable mechanism to adjust the prescribed operation by implementing the selected corrective action.

17. The method of controlling a mobile machine of claim 11, wherein identifying a problem comprises:

comparing the difference value to a threshold value; and

determining whether the difference value exceeds the threshold value.

18. The method of controlling a mobile machine of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying whether the problem includes at least one of a calibration problem or a malfunctioning problem;

if the problem includes a calibration problem, implementing the corrective action by automatically adjusting the direction of travel of the mobile machine across the worksite; and

if the problem includes a malfunctioning problem, implementing the corrective action by identifying a portion of the controllable mechanism associated with the malfunctioning problem and automatically controlling the controllable mechanism to adjust performance of the prescribed operation relative to the portion identified.

19. A mobile machine comprising:

a controllable mechanism that performs a prescribed operation on a worksite as the mobile machine travels across the worksite in a direction of travel;

a communication system that receives attribute data indicative of an attribute of the worksite, that receives an expected effect of the prescribed operation on the worksite, wherein the expected effect is expected based on the attribute of the worksite, and that receives effect data indicative of an effect of the prescribed operation being performed, by the controllable mechanism, on the worksite; and

a control system that comprises;

a difference map generation component configured to generate particular difference values between the expected effect and the effect data for each area, of a set of pre-defined areas, within the worksite, and generate a difference map that includes a summary difference value, wherein the summary difference value represents a sum of the particular difference values across the set of pre-defined areas within the worksite; and

a corrective action system configured to determine that the summary difference value exceeds an alert threshold value for the prescribed operation, based on the determination, identify a corrective action for the prescribed operation, and automatically control the controllable mechanism to adjust performance of the prescribed operation on the worksite by implementing the corrective action.

20. The mobile machine of claim 19, wherein the controllable mechanism comprises a sprayer implement and the prescribed operation comprises a spraying operation performed on a crop in the worksite, and wherein:

the communication system receives attribute data indicative of a prescribed metric of the spraying operation, wherein the expected effect of the prescribed operation is defined based on the prescribed metric being expectedly applied to the worksite, and receives effect data indicative of a quality of the spraying operation relative to the crop;

wherein the particular difference values represent deviation of the quality of the spraying operation from the prescribed metric of the spraying operation; and

wherein the corrective action adjusts the sprayer implement to reduce deviation of the quality of the spraying operation form the prescribed metric of the spraying operation during subsequent performance of the spraying operation by the sprayer implement.