SEED TREATMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20120183675A1
• Filed: 12/07/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayer Cropscience LP (Bayer AG)
• Original Assignee: Bayer Cropscience LP (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Reineccius, Greg A., Van Der Westhuizen, Jaco Ernest, Geiss, Alan W., May, Bradley W., Ramanarayanan, Tharacad S., Andrieux, Marc Jean-Marie
• Granted Patent: US 9,861,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/4
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 1/00 Apparatus, or methods of use thereof, for testing or treating seed, roots, or the like, prior to sowing or planting
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 1/06 Coating or dressing seed
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/18 Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to execute positioning, movement or co-ordinated operations by means of programme data in numerical form G05B19/418 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32287 Medical, chemical, biological laboratory
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An automated seed treatment system is adapted for on-site operation at a retail seed distributor. A sealed seed-treater vessel is configured to apply a plurality of chemical treatments to a batch of seed based on a recipe. A programmable system controller is electrically coupled to pump controllers of pump-stations. The controller is configured to receive a material transfer indication from each pump-stations and control the pump controllers in accord with the seed treatment recipe. The programmable system controller is configured to collect operational data representing at least consumption of chemical from the chemical container at each of the pump-stations based on the corresponding material transfer indication during seed treatment and to provide the operational data to a remotely hosted information system located remotely from the site of the retail seed distributor and accessible to at least one third party that is distinct from the retail seed distributor.

Claims

1. An automated seed treatment system adapted for on-site operation at a retail seed distributor, the system comprising:

a sealed seed-treater vessel configured to apply a plurality of chemical treatments to a batch of seed based on a seed treatment recipe;

a plurality of pump-stations sized to receive a sealed transportable chemical container, each pump-station including a pump and a pump controller configured to operate the pump, and a flow channel fluidly coupled to the seed-treater vessel; and

a programmable system controller electrically coupled to the pump controller of each of the plurality of pump-stations, the programmable system controller configured to receive a material transfer indication from each of the plurality of pump-stations and issue commands to the pump controller of each pump-station in response to the seed treatment recipe;

wherein the programmable system controller is configured to collect operational data representing at least consumption of chemical from the chemical container at each of the pump-stations based on the corresponding material transfer indication during seed treatment and to provide the operational data to a remotely hosted information system located remotely from the site of the retail seed distributor and accessible to at least one third party that is distinct from the retail seed distributor.

2. The automated seed treatment system of claim 1, further comprising:

a at least one of a bar code scanner and radio frequency identification (RFID) reader operably coupled to the programmable system controller and configured to read chemical parameter information associated with the chemical container of each of the pump-stations, and the programmable system controller is configured to receive and store the chemical parameter information in an inventory database that is remotely accessible by a third party supplier of the chemical container.

3. The automated seed treatment system of claim 2, wherein the inventory database is hosted remotely from the seed treatment system and communicatively coupled to the seed treatment system.

4. The automated seed treatment system of claim 3, wherein the programmable system controller is programmed to supply information representing consumption of the chemical treatments to a remotely hosted information system for report generation and inventory control.

5. The automated seed treatment system of claim 1, wherein the programmable system controller is configured to receive environmental condition data from an external source and to automatically make adjustments to the seed treatment recipe based on the environmental condition data such that at least one of the pump-stations is operated at a new pump speed in response to the environmental condition data.

9. The automated seed treatment system of claim 1, wherein the programmable system controller is configured to receive, from the remotely hosted information system, the seed treatment recipe.

11. The automated seed treatment system of claim 1, wherein the at least one third party includes an organization selected from the group consisting of:

a supplier of chemicals, a supplier of un-treated seed, an operations support provider for the automated seed treatment system, a service provider for the automated seed treatment system, or any combination thereof.

6-8. -8. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

12-22. -22. (canceled)

23. A process for automatically treating seed at a retail seed distribution center, the process comprising:

automatically applying, via a sealed seed treatment system, a plurality of chemical treatments to a batch of seed based on a seed treatment recipe;

automatically collecting operational data representing at least consumption of individually-maintained chemicals of the plurality of chemical treatments and providing the operational data to a remotely hosted information system located remotely from the retail seed distribution center;

automatically receiving a re-supply of chemicals from a third party that is distinct from the retail seed distribution center in response to the providing of the operational data to the remotely-hosted information system.

24. The process of claim 23, further comprising:

storing chemical parameter information received from an inventory database that is remotely accessible by a third party supplier of the chemical container.

25. The process of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving environmental condition data from an external source and automatically making adjustments to the seed treatment recipe based on the environmental condition data.

26. The process of claim 23, wherein the operational data includes material consumption information representing a pump performance.

27. The process of claim 23, wherein the operational data includes material consumption information representing a quantity of treated seed.

28. The process of claim 23, further comprising:

automatically receiving, from the remotely hosted information system, the seed treatment recipe.

29. The process of claim 23, further comprising:

automatically receiving, from the remotely hosted information system, constraint information containing limits on chemical formulations; and

automatically applying the constraint information to limit whether certain recipes can be run.

30. An information system for supporting operations of a plurality of geographically distributed retail seed treatment centers, the system comprising:

a network interface module adapted to be communicatively coupled to a plurality of retail seed treatment systems that are located at the plurality of retail seed treatment centers;

an account service logic module adapted to communicatively interface, via the network interface module, with a plurality of distinct parties including a seed retailer party corresponding to each of the retail seed treatment centers, and at least one supplier party;

wherein the account service logic module is adapted to provide information exchange functionality between each seed retailer party and the at least one supplier party, wherein operational data that is automatically generated by the seed treatment system of each seed retailer party is received by the account service logic module and provided to the at least one supplier party, and wherein material handling data that is generated by the at least one supplier party is received by the account service logic module and provided to each seed retailer party.

31. The information system of claim 30, wherein the material handling data is adapted to cause the seed treatment system of each seed retailer party to automatically adjust its operational parameters.

32. The information system of claim 30, wherein the at least one supplier party includes one or more supplier parties selected from the group consisting of:

a chemical supplier party, a seed supplier party, a seed treatment operations support services supplier party, or any combination thereof.

33. The information system of claim 30, wherein the operational data includes data generated by each of the seed treatment systems selected from the group consisting of:

seed treatment system parameter information, run history information, current status information, material usage information, or any combination thereof.

34. The information system of claim 30, wherein the operational data includes material consumption information representing a performance of a pumping subsystem of a first seed treatment system.

35. The information system of claim 30, wherein the material handling data includes data generated by the at least one supplier party selected from the group consisting of:

inventory tracking information, recipe information, seed parameter information, safety information, or any combination thereof.

36. The information system of claim 30, wherein the account service logic module is further adapted to provide information exchange functionality between each seed retailer party and the at least one supplier party, wherein transactional information relating to sale of materials from one or more of the at least one supplier party to a seed retainer party is exchanged therebetween.

37. The information system of claim 30, wherein the account service logic module is adapted to communicatively interface with a plurality of distinct supplier parties.

38. The information system of claim 37, wherein the account service logic module is further adapted to provide the exchange of the transactional information between a first supplier party and a second seed retailer party in response to an exchange of the operational data between the first supplier party and the second seed retailer party.

39. The information system of claim 38, wherein the first supplier party is a seed supplier;

and

wherein the operational data includes a representation of a quantity of treated seed.

40-75. -75. (canceled)