METHOD FOR TENDING AN AGRICULTURAL ESTATE

• US 20110238270A1
• Filed: 11/13/2008
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vitirover
• Original Assignee: Vitirover
• Inventors: David Beaulieu, Xavier
• Application Number:
  US13/129,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238270A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/84 for edges of lawns or fields, e.g. for mowing close to trees or walls for embankments A01D34/86 takes precedence; edge trimmers A01G3/00

Abstract

A process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a vine-growing or arboricultural estate, includes: defining at least one limited working perimeter (10), and carrying out a tending operation within the limited working perimeter (10) with at least one working device that is autonomous and able to recognize the limits of the limited working perimeter (10), and allowing the autonomous working device to move randomly within the limited working perimeter (10).

Claims

1. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, characterized in that it consists in:

Defining at least one limited working perimeter (10) corresponding to a virtual surface (12) that is defined by at least three geographic points P, and

Carrying out a tending operation within said limited working perimeter (10) with at least one working device (14) that is autonomous and able to recognize the limits of said limited working perimeter (10),

Allowing the autonomous working device (14) to move randomly within the limited working perimeter (10).

2. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 1, wherein it provides for carrying out a tending operation with execution parameters that are suitable to a fraction of the working perimeter (10).

3. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 2, wherein it provides for carrying out a tending operation close to at least one limited zone that is identified by at least one geographic point in the working perimeter (10).

4. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 1, wherein the limited working perimeter (10) corresponds to a virtual surface (12) that is defined by geolocalization of n geographic points (P1, P2, . . . , Pn−

1, Pn) belonging to the wine-growing estate, whereby the order of geographic points (P1, P2, . . . , Pn−

1, Pn) essentially defines a polygon with n sides;

whereby the first side connects the pair of points (P1, P2), the second side connects the pair of points (P2, P3), . . . , and the last side connects the pair of points (Pn, P1) so as to obtain a closed virtual surface (12).

5. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 1, wherein the tending operation that is carried out is grass mowing.

6. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 5, wherein the mowing that is done is cutting over a small width.

7. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a permanent detection of obstacles during the random movement of the autonomous working device (14) within the limited working perimeter (10) so as to avoid the vine bases (16), the trees, and the trellis posts (18).

8. Autonomous device (14) for the execution of the process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 1, wherein it comprises supply means (20), movement means (22), cutting means (24), means (26) for detecting obstacles, and means (28) for navigating within the limited working perimeter (10).

9. Autonomous device (14) according to claim 8, wherein the navigating means (28) implement a localization of said autonomous device (14) in real time within the limited working perimeter (10) using a satellite positioning system, such as GPS or DGPS, or using a localization by radiofrequency employing a telecommunication network, such as the GSM, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth network, or active RFID tags.

10. Autonomous device (14) according to claim 8, wherein the navigating means (28) comprise recording means (38) so as to be able to record the coordinates of geographic points P that delimit the limited working perimeter (10), as well as the coordinates of different obstacles encountered during the course of the tending operation.

11. Autonomous device (14) according to claim 7, wherein it comprises automated means for variation of the height of the cutting means (24).

12. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 2, wherein the limited working perimeter (10) corresponds to a virtual surface (12) that is defined by geolocalization of n geographic points (P1, P2, . . . , Pn−

1, Pn) belonging to the wine-growing estate, whereby the order of geographic points (P1, P2, . . . , Pn−

1, Pn) essentially defines a polygon with n sides;

whereby the first side connects the pair of points (P1, P2), the second side connects the pair of points (P2, P3), . . . , and the last side connects the pair of points (Pn, P1) so as to obtain a closed virtual surface (12).

13. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 3, wherein the limited working perimeter (10) corresponds to a virtual surface (12) that is defined by geolocalization of n geographic points (P1, P2, . . . , Pn−

1, Pn) belonging to the wine-growing estate, whereby the order of geographic points (P1, P2, . . . , Pn−

1, Pn) essentially defines a polygon with n sides;

whereby the first side connects the pair of points (P1, P2), the second side connects the pair of points (P2, P3), . . . , and the last side connects the pair of points (Pn, P1) so as to obtain a closed virtual surface (12).

14. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 2, wherein the tending operation that is carried out is grass mowing.

15. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 3, wherein the tending operation that is carried out is grass mowing.

16. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 4, wherein the tending operation that is carried out is grass mowing.

17. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 2, wherein it comprises a permanent detection of obstacles during the random movement of the autonomous working device (14) within the limited working perimeter (10) so as to avoid the vine bases (16), the trees, and the trellis posts (18).

18. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 3, wherein it comprises a permanent detection of obstacles during the random movement of the autonomous working device (14) within the limited working perimeter (10) so as to avoid the vine bases (16), the trees, and the trellis posts (18).

19. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 4, wherein it comprises a permanent detection of obstacles during the random movement of the autonomous working device (14) within the limited working perimeter (10) so as to avoid the vine bases (16), the trees, and the trellis posts (18).

20. Process for tending an agricultural estate, in particular a wine-growing or arboricultural estate, according to claim 5, wherein it comprises a permanent detection of obstacles during the random movement of the autonomous working device (14) within the limited working perimeter (10) so as to avoid the vine bases (16), the trees, and the trellis posts (18).