Mobile soil optical mapping system
First Claim
1. A soil mapping system, comprising:
- an implement for traversing a field to be mapped, said implement comprising a frame with a toolbar, and a row unit pivotally mounted to said toolbar, said row unit comprising a subframe mounted to said toolbar by at least one pivotal linkage member;
a furrow opener mounted on the subframe for creating a furrow as the implement traverses the field;
an optical module mounted on the subframe, said optical module comprising at least one light source, a window arranged to press against soil in situ at a predetermined depth within said furrow with consistent pressure to provide a self-cleaning function, and an optical receiver for receiving light reflected back from the soil through the window; and
at least one depth gauging wheel mounted on the subframe in close proximity to the furrow opener to control the operating depth of the furrow opener and the optical module while allowing said subframe to move vertically relative to said toolbar to follow around undulations, whereby a consistent operating depth of the furrow opener and the optical module in soil can be maintained while said subframe is allowed to move vertically relative to said toolbar;
wherein said furrow opener comprises a pair of rotatable disks arranged on the implement to form a V-shaped slot in the soil; and
wherein said optical module is positioned in the V-shaped slot between said disks.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A soil mapping system for collecting and mapping soil reflectance data in a field includes an implement having a furrow opener for creating a furrow and an optical module. The optical module is arranged to collect soil reflectance data at a predetermined depth within the furrow as the implement traverses a field. The optical module includes two monochromatic light sources, a window arranged to press against the soil, and a photodiode for receiving light reflected back from the soil through the window. The two light sources have different wavelengths and are modulated at different frequencies. The photodiode provides a modulated voltage output signal that contains reflectance data from both of the light sources. Additional measurement devices are carried by the implement for collecting additional soil property data, such as electrical conductivity, pH, and elevation, which can be used together with the optical data to determine variations in soil organic matter.
25 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A soil mapping system, comprising:
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an implement for traversing a field to be mapped, said implement comprising a frame with a toolbar, and a row unit pivotally mounted to said toolbar, said row unit comprising a subframe mounted to said toolbar by at least one pivotal linkage member; a furrow opener mounted on the subframe for creating a furrow as the implement traverses the field; an optical module mounted on the subframe, said optical module comprising at least one light source, a window arranged to press against soil in situ at a predetermined depth within said furrow with consistent pressure to provide a self-cleaning function, and an optical receiver for receiving light reflected back from the soil through the window; and at least one depth gauging wheel mounted on the subframe in close proximity to the furrow opener to control the operating depth of the furrow opener and the optical module while allowing said subframe to move vertically relative to said toolbar to follow around undulations, whereby a consistent operating depth of the furrow opener and the optical module in soil can be maintained while said subframe is allowed to move vertically relative to said toolbar; wherein said furrow opener comprises a pair of rotatable disks arranged on the implement to form a V-shaped slot in the soil; and wherein said optical module is positioned in the V-shaped slot between said disks. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A soil mapping system, comprising:
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an implement for traversing a field to be mapped, said implement comprising a frame with a toolbar, and a row unit pivotally mounted to said toolbar, said row unit comprising a subframe mounted to said toolbar by at least one pivotal linkage member; a furrow opener mounted on the subframe for creating a furrow as the implement traverses the field; an optical module mounted on the subframe, said optical module comprising at least one light source, a window arranged to press against soil in situ at a predetermined depth within said furrow with consistent pressure to provide a self-cleaning function, and an optical receiver for receiving light reflected back from the soil through the window; and at least one depth gauging wheel mounted on the subframe in close proximity to the furrow opener to control the operating depth of the furrow opener and the optical module while allowing said subframe to move vertically relative to said toolbar to follow around undulations, whereby a consistent operating depth of the furrow opener and the optical module in soil can be maintained while said subframe is allowed to move vertically relative to said toolbar; wherein said at least one pivotal linkage member comprises a parallel linkage that allows the row unit to move vertically relative to said frame to follow ground undulations. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A soil mapping system, comprising:
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an implement for traversing a field to be mapped, said implement comprising a frame with a toolbar, and a row unit pivotally mounted to said toolbar, said row unit comprising a subframe mounted to said toolbar by at least one pivotal linkage member; a furrow opener mounted on the subframe for creating a furrow as the implement traverses the field; an optical module mounted on the subframe, said optical module comprising at least one light source, a window arranged to press against soil in situ at a predetermined depth within said furrow with consistent pressure to provide a self-cleaning function, and an optical receiver for receiving light reflected back from the soil through the window; and at least one depth gauging wheel mounted on the subframe in close proximity to the furrow opener to control the operating depth of the furrow opener and the optical module while allowing said subframe to move vertically relative to said toolbar to follow ground undulations, whereby a consistent operating depth of the furrow opener and the optical module in soil can be maintained while said subframe is allowed to move vertically relative to said toolbar; wherein said at least one light source of said optical module comprises two monochromatic light sources having different wavelengths which are modulated at different frequencies; wherein said optical receiver comprises a single photodiode arranged to receive light reflected back from the soil from each of said two monochromatic light sources; and further comprising a controller for receiving a modulated voltage from the photodiode, said controller comprising two function generators for sending two separate pulses to the two monochromatic light sources, a phase lock loop to separate each source of reflected light from the photodiode signal to form an output, an analog to digital converter to process the output, and a serial output, wherein the processed output is sent through the serial output for data logging.
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16. A soil mapping system, comprising:
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an implement for traversing a field to be mapped, said implement comprising a frame with a toolbar, and a row unit pivotally mounted to said toolbar, said row unit comprising a subframe mounted to said toolbar by a parallel linkage that allows the row unit to move vertically relative to the toolbar to follow ground undulations; a furrow opener mounted on the subframe for creating a furrow as the implement traverses the field; an optical module mounted on the subframe, said optical module comprising at least one light source, a window arranged to press against soil in situ at a predetermined depth within said furrow with consistent pressure to provide a self-cleaning function, and an optical receiver for receiving light reflected back from the soil through the window; and at least one depth gauging wheel mounted on the subframe in close proximity to the furrow opener to control the operating depth of the furrow opener and the optical module, whereby a consistent operating depth of the furrow opener and the optical module in soil can be maintained while said subframe is allowed to move vertically relative to said toolbar via said parallel linkage. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification