System and method for identifying individual loads of chopped forage in storage

• US 20080266175A1
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harvest Tec, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey S. Roberts
• Inventors: Roberts, Jeffrey S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,134 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers

Abstract

Thus the field factors of crop, soil and harvest conditions that affect feeding quality or a quality analysis of the load can be associated with the forage as it is removed from storage and fed to livestock.

Claims

1. A system and method for identifying forage in a storage structure on a load by load basis by the field position from where the forage was harvested comprising a means to identify the field area a load of forage has been harvested from using the Global Positioning System on a forage harvester and identifying the load with the field position, a means to transmit the identification to the vehicle transporting the load to the storage structure, a means to transmit the identification to a packing and spreading implement, a means to track the horizontal movement and vertical position of the packing and spreading implement as the identified load is moved into the storage structure and a means to monitor the position in the storage structure the forage is removed from.

2. A system and method as in claim one, where the feeding properties of each identified load are estimated using the factors known about the area of the field from where the load was harvested that influence those feeding properties.

11. A system and method as in claim two where the vertical position of the identified load is tracked by a separate sensor on the blade used to distribute the load on the packing and spreading implement in the storage structure.

3. A system and method as in claim one where the moisture of the forage crop is monitored at time of harvest and recorded for each identified load.

4. A system and method as in claim one where properties of the soil from the area of the field where the identified load originated are use to estimate the feeding properties of the forage.

5. A system and method as in claim one where the weather during harvest and during the growing of the crop in the area of the field where the identified load originated is used to estimate the feeding properties of the forage.

6. A system and method as in claim one where the time since planting or the time since the last harvest in the area of the field where the identified load originated are used to estimate the feeding properties of the forage.

7. A system and method as in claim one where the type of seed and days since establishment in the area of the field where the identified load originated are used to estimate feeding properties of the forage.

8. A system and method as in claim one where the device used to remove forage from the storage structure is equipped with a Global Positioning System receiver and a depth sensor so that the identification of the load can be associated with the forage being removed.

9. A system and method as in claim one where the vertical position of the identified load is tracked by a separate sensor on the blade used to distribute the load on the packing and spreading implement in the storage structure.

10. A system and method for identifying forage in a storage structure on a load by load basis comprising a means to assign individual identification to each load at the time of filling the load, a means to pull a sample from the load and analyze it for its feeding properties, a means to transmit the identification to the vehicle transporting the load to the storage structure, a means to transmit the identification to a packing and spreading implement, a means to track the horizontal movement and vertical position of the packing and spreading implement as the identified load is moved into the storage structure and a means to monitor the position in the storage structure the forage is removed from.