Method And Apparatus For Signaling To An Operator Of A Farm Implement That The Farm Implement Is Traversing A Previously Seeded Area
First Claim
1. An agricultural implement for depositing particulate matter into soil, comprising:
- a drill having a plurality of soil engaging tools that are movable between a raised position and a lowered position, the soil engaging tools configured to be disengaged from the soil when in the raised position and configured to be engaged with the soil when in the lowered position;
a satellite navigation system that maps movement of the implement when the soil engaging tools are in the lowered position and provides an output signal when the implement traverses a region of the soil that into which particulate matter has previously been deposited; and
an alert that is activated when the satellite navigation system provides the output signal, the alert configured to notify an operator of the implement that the implement is traversing a region of the soil that has previously been deposited with particulate matter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sectional control apparatus and method prompts the operator of an implement when the implement, or portion thereof, is traversing over land that has already been seeded and/or disturbed. The apparatus includes a GPS or GNSS receiver that communicates with a GPS or GNSS system and a controller that maps movement of the implement so that real-time positional data for the implement can be compared to the movement map. When the position of the implement, or portion thereof, is detected as moving over previously seeded and/or disturbed land, the controller activates an alert mechanism in the operator cab of the implement to notify the operator that sectional control, i.e., shutting down metering of product or raising the tool bar, needs to be implemented.
35 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An agricultural implement for depositing particulate matter into soil, comprising:
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a drill having a plurality of soil engaging tools that are movable between a raised position and a lowered position, the soil engaging tools configured to be disengaged from the soil when in the raised position and configured to be engaged with the soil when in the lowered position; a satellite navigation system that maps movement of the implement when the soil engaging tools are in the lowered position and provides an output signal when the implement traverses a region of the soil that into which particulate matter has previously been deposited; and an alert that is activated when the satellite navigation system provides the output signal, the alert configured to notify an operator of the implement that the implement is traversing a region of the soil that has previously been deposited with particulate matter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An agricultural implement for injecting material into soil, wherein the material is seed, fertilizer, or seed and fertilizer, comprising:
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a frame assembly including a central frame and a plurality of elongate mounting arms mounted to the central frame, each adapted to be moved from a raised transport position to a lowered operating position, and soil engaging means mounted on each of the mounting arms and adapted to engage soil when each of the mounting arms is in the operating position; material dispensing means on each of the mounting arms proximate the soil engaging means for dispensing the material into the soil; material metering means in communication with the material dispensing means, adapted to regulate and meter the material to the material dispensing means; means for preventing flow of the material to selected of the material dispensing means during operation of the implement, wherein the means for preventing flow of the material to selected of the material dispensing means is responsive to input received from an user which provides input to the means for preventing flow; and means for alerting the user that a satellite navigation system has determined that a portion of the frame assembly is traversing regions of soil which have been previously injected with the material. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A sectional control method for use with an agricultural implement, comprising:
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mapping movement of the agricultural implement during a seeding cycle using a satellite navigation system; comparing a real-time position of the agricultural implement, as provided by the satellite system, to a map containing a movement history for the agricultural implement; and activating an alert detectable by a user of the agricultural implement if the real-time position of the agricultural implement indicates that the agricultural implement is traversing over soil that has been previously seeded during the seeding cycle. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification