METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPTIMIZING PLANTING OPERATIONS
First Claim
1. A soil sampling and analysis system, comprising:
- a vehicle;
a ground-engaging device mounted on the vehicle, wherein the ground-engaging device can acquire a soil sample from a pre-determined depth in the ground near the vehicle;
a sample preparation module, the sample preparation module mounted on the vehicle and capable of receiving the soil sample from the ground-engaging device, performing at least one preparatory step on the soil sample;
a soil analysis unit, the soil analysis unit capable of performing at least one analysis step on the soil sample, wherein at least one condition is determined about the soil sample;
a location sensor; and
a processor, the processor capable of receiving information on the at least one condition of the soil sample and location information from the location sensor,whereby the vehicle is capable of moving through an area of land and periodically acquiring soil samples, and whereby the processor is capable of combining the information on the at least one condition of the soil sample and the location information to create a map of soil conditions that exist in the area of land.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An agricultural planting system and method comprising a soil sampling and analysis means, wherein soil samples are taken and analyzed in real-time during a planting operation (or, optionally, via a separate, prior operation) to determine the conditions and nutrient content of the soil, and a planting system, wherein the planting system is capable of planting seeds in any arbitrary position on an X-Y plane directly beneath the planting system, whereby the data gathered from the analyzed soil samples is used to determine the optimal placement of seeds or plants in a field in order to take advantage of the soil conditions present and to optimize crop yield.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A soil sampling and analysis system, comprising:
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a vehicle; a ground-engaging device mounted on the vehicle, wherein the ground-engaging device can acquire a soil sample from a pre-determined depth in the ground near the vehicle; a sample preparation module, the sample preparation module mounted on the vehicle and capable of receiving the soil sample from the ground-engaging device, performing at least one preparatory step on the soil sample; a soil analysis unit, the soil analysis unit capable of performing at least one analysis step on the soil sample, wherein at least one condition is determined about the soil sample; a location sensor; and a processor, the processor capable of receiving information on the at least one condition of the soil sample and location information from the location sensor, whereby the vehicle is capable of moving through an area of land and periodically acquiring soil samples, and whereby the processor is capable of combining the information on the at least one condition of the soil sample and the location information to create a map of soil conditions that exist in the area of land.
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2. A real-time soil analysis system, comprising:
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a vehicle; a ground-engaging device mounted on the vehicle, wherein the ground-engaging device is used to overturn soil; a soil spectroscopic analysis unit, the soil spectroscopic analysis unit capable of performing at least one analysis step on the overturned soil, wherein at least one condition is determined about the overturned soil; a location sensor; and a processor, the processor capable of receiving information on the at least one condition of the overturned soil and location information from the location sensor, whereby the vehicle is capable of moving through an area of land and periodically overturning soil, and whereby the processor is capable of combining the information on the at least one condition of the overturned soil and the location information to create a map of soil conditions that exist in the area of land.
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3. An agricultural planting system, comprising:
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a soil sampling and analysis means, wherein soil samples are taken and analyzed in real-time during a planting operation to determine the conditions and nutrient content of the soil; and a planting system, wherein the planting system is capable of planting seeds in any arbitrary position on an X-Y plane directly beneath the planting system, whereby the data gathered from the analyzed soil samples is used to determine the optimal placement of seeds or plants in a field in order to take advantage of the soil conditions present and to optimize crop yield. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5)
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6. An agricultural planting system, comprising:
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a soil trenching and analysis means, wherein soil is taken from trenches dug along the travel path of the planting system and analyzed in real-time during a planting operation to determine the conditions and nutrient content of the soil; a planting system, wherein the planting system is capable of planting seeds in any arbitrary position on an X-Y plane directly beneath the planting system; and a nutrient additive means, wherein nutrients may be added to the soil taken from the trenches when the existing nutrient content is determined to be less than optimal, whereby the data gathered from the analyzed soil is used to determine the optimal placement of seeds inside the trench in order to take advantage of the soil conditions present and to optimize crop yield, and whereby the soil taken from the trenches is returned to the field to fill in the trenches and cover the seed just planted.
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7. An agricultural planting system, comprising:
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a planting system, wherein the planting system is capable of planting seeds in any arbitrary position on an X-Y plane directly beneath the planting system; and a soil conditions map, wherein the soil conditions map consists of a plurality of geographic locations paired with at least one condition of the soil found at each geographic location; whereby the data contained in the soil conditions map is used to determine the optimal placement of seeds or plants in a field in order to take advantage of the soil conditions present and to optimize crop yield.
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8. A method of agricultural planting comprising:
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mounting a soil sampling means on the front of a planter; taking soil samples from multiple points in a field along the travel path of the planter; analyzing the soil samples to determine the conditions and content of the soil samples; using location information obtained from a location sensor integral to the planter to create a map showing the soil conditions and content at each location in the field; using the soil conditions and content map to determine an optimal placement position for a seed in the field; and moving a seed placement means to the optimal placement position and planting the seed in the ground at the optimal placement position, whereby the seeds are placed in an optimal position based on the determined soil conditions such that crop yield is optimized.
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9. A method of agricultural planting comprising:
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mounting a soil sampling means on the front of a planter; removing soil in trenches from a field along the travel path of the planter; analyzing the soil removed from the trenches to determine the conditions and content of the soil; using location information obtained from a location sensor integral to the planter to create a map showing the soil conditions and content at each location in the field; using the soil conditions and content map to determine an optimal placement position for a seed in the field; moving a seed placement means to the optimal placement position and planting the seed in the ground within the trench at the optimal placement position; and replacing the soil in the trench, whereby the seeds are placed in an optimal position based on the determined soil conditions such that crop yield is optimized. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method of agricultural planting comprising:
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taking soil samples from multiple points in a field along the travel path of the planter; analyzing the soil samples to determine the conditions of the soil samples; creating a soil conditions map which shows the soil conditions and the geographic location of each of the soil samples; using the soil conditions map to determine an optimal placement position for a seed in the field; and moving a seed placement means to the optimal placement position and planting the seed in the ground at the optimal placement position, whereby the seeds are placed in an optimal position based on the determined soil conditions such that crop yield is optimized.
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Specification