GNSS OPTIMIZED CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20140032020A1
• Filed: 10/01/2013
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EFC Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agjunction LLC (Kubota Corporation)
• Inventors: Guyette, Greg S., Dearborn, Jeffrey Allen
• Granted Patent: US 9,173,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/54 using carrier phase measurements; using long or short baseline interferometry
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft

Abstract

A GNSS system in combination with a hydraulically-actuated, airborne dispenser for a dry material crop dusting system to optimize the distribution of dry materials over a particular tract of land. A GNSS subsystem is included using at least one GNSS antenna and one GNSS receiver located on the aircraft. The aircraft is equipped with an electronic/hydraulic crop dusting subsystem connected to a GNSS CPU. The GNSS ranging signals received by the antennas are processed by a receiver and processor system for determining the vehicle'"'"'s position and dynamic attitude in three dimensions (3D). The system is adapted for operation in a differential GNSS (DGNSS) mode utilizing a base station at a fixed location.

Claims

1. A global navigation satellite system (GNSS) based material distribution control system for a vehicle, which system comprises:

a material hopper associated with the vehicle and adapted for containing a material to be distributed;

a spreader mechanism adapted for spreading the material along a travel path of the vehicle;

a gate box assembly connected to the hopper and the spreader mechanism;

said gate box assembly being adapted for selectively controlling a flow of material from the hopper to the spreader mechanism;

a GNSS subsystem mounted on the vehicle and including an antenna, a graphical user interface (GUI) and a GNSS receiver, said GNSS subsystem being adapted for providing GNSS-based positioning information for said vehicle;

a gate box control subsystem including a controller connected to the GNSS subsystem and the gate box assembly and adapted for controlling said gate box assembly using said GNSS-based positioning information;

collecting a plurality of samples at a predetermined location;

storing log data associated with the collected plurality of samples;

transmitting the stored log data on the collected plurality of samples to the controller;

analyzing the collected plurality of samples;

transmitting analysis information on the collected plurality of samples to the controller;

combining the analysis information with the stored log data for the collected plurality of samples with the controller; and

preparing a prescription plan for the predetermined location using the combined information for the collected plurality of samples.