CREATING SLOTS IN A DRIP LINE IN REAL TIME IN CONJUNCTION WITH GROUND PLACEMENT OF THE DRIP LINE

• US 20160349764A1
• Filed: 05/27/2015
• Published: 12/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PTx Trimble LLC
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: CASH, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,969,098 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/02 Watering arrangements located above the soil which make use of perforated pipe-lines or pipe-lines with dispensing fittings, e.g. for drip irrigation
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/026 Apparatus or processes for fitting the drippers to the hoses or the pipes
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/005 Computer numerical control means
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/086 Electric, magnetic, piezoelectric, electro-magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: B26F 1/18 Perforating by slitting, i.e. forming cuts closed at their ends without removal of material
• CPC Class Codes: B26F 1/24 Perforating by needles or pins
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 11/02 Drainage device- laying apparatus, e.g. drainage ploughs
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 1/032 the pipes being continuous F16L1/038 takes precedence

Abstract

An agricultural implement that includes a slotting mechanism and a slotting actuator is provided. The slotting mechanism is for cutting slots in a drip line in real time in conjunction with ground placement of the drip line. The slotting actuator is for actuating the slotting mechanism. The actuating is controlled by a computer following a slot spacing in a drip line prescription for a field in which a drip line is being placed.

Claims

1. An agricultural implement comprising:

a slotting mechanism for cutting slots in a drip line in real time in conjunction with ground placement of the drip line; and

a slotting actuator for actuating the slotting mechanism, wherein the actuating is controlled by a computer following a slot spacing in a drip line prescription for a field in which a drip line is being placed.

2. The agricultural implement of claim 1, wherein the agricultural implement includes the computer.

3. The agricultural implement of claim 2, wherein the slotting actuator performs the actuating of the slotting mechanism in response to the computer receiving actuation commands.

4. The agricultural implement of claim 1, wherein the slotting actuator is an electrically controlled slotting mechanism and wherein the agricultural implement further comprises:

a shank for creating an opening in the ground of the field for burying the drip line after the slots are cut by the electrically controlled slotting mechanism.

5. The agricultural implement of claim 1, further comprising:

a spindle for holding a spool of the drip line.

6. The agricultural implement of claim 1, further comprising:

a guide configured for guiding the drip line from a spool of the drip line with respect to the slotting mechanism.

7. The agricultural implement of claim 1, further comprising:

a hitching mechanism for coupling the implement to a machine which is capable of pulling the implement through the field.

8. The agricultural implement of claim 1, wherein the drip line is selected from a group consisting of a drip tape and a drip tube.

9. The agricultural implement of claim 1, wherein the slotting mechanism is selected from a group consisting of a solenoid and a motorized wheel.

10. The agricultural implement of claim 1, wherein the agricultural implement includes a plurality of slotting mechanisms of different sizes for creating slots of different sizes in the drip line.

11. The agricultural implement of claim 1, wherein the agricultural implement includes a plurality of slotting mechanisms for creating slots in a plurality of drip lines, wherein each of the slotting mechanisms are controlled by the computer.

12. A drip line placement system comprising:

a computer for interpreting a drip line prescription for a field in which a drip line is being placed;

a GNSS receiver coupled with the computer and configured for determining a position of the drip line placement system; and

an agricultural implement communicatively coupled with the computer, the agricultural implement comprising;

a slotting mechanism for cutting slots in a drip line in real time in conjunction with ground placement of the drip line; and

a slotting actuator for actuating the slotting mechanism, wherein actuation of the slotting actuator is controlled by the computer following a slot spacing prescribed for the position in the prescription.

13. A drip line placement system of claim 12, wherein the slotting mechanism is an electrically controlled slotting mechanism and wherein the drip line placement system further comprises:

a shank for creating an opening in the ground of the field for burying the drip line after the slots are cut by the electrically controlled slotting mechanism.

14. A drip line placement system of claim 12, further comprising one or more spindles for holding one or more spools of drip line.

15. A drip line placement system of claim 14, further comprising a tool bar for adjusting placement of two or more spindles for each holding respective spools of drip line.

16. A method for placing a drip line in a field, the method comprising:

receiving GNSS positions of an agricultural vehicle from a GNSS receiver as the agricultural vehicle moves through the field;

calculating, performed by a hardware processor of a computer, slotting mechanism positions based on the GNSS positions and a model of the agricultural vehicle coupled with an agricultural implement;

creating a slot in the drip line based on a drip line prescription of the field that specifies one of the slotting mechanism positions with respect to the drip line; and

placing the drip line in the field.

17. The method as recited by claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

performing the receiving, the calculating, and the creating repeatedly until all slots specified by the drip line prescription have been created.

18. The method as recited by claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

varying at least one characteristic of the slots being created based on a variable rate drip line prescription, wherein the at least one characteristic is selected from a group consisting of slot size and distance between adjacent slots of the drip line.

19. The method as recited by claim 16, wherein the agricultural implement includes a slotting mechanism and a slotting actuator that controls the slotting mechanism and wherein the method further comprises:

interpreting, performed by the hardware processor, the drip line prescription for the field; and

transmitting a command from the computer to a slotting actuator in response to the drip line prescription specifying the one of the slotting mechanism positions.

20. The method as recited by claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving at the slotting actuator the command; and

creating the slot by actuating the slotting mechanism with the slotting actuator based on the command.

21. The method as recited by claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

unspooling the drip line from a spool;

guiding the drip line from the spool with respect to the slotting mechanism; and

creating slots in the drip line by actuating the slotting mechanism based on the drip line prescription as the drip line is being unspooled.

22. The method as recited by claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

creating an opening in the ground of the field; and

placing the drip line in the opening after the slot is created in the drip line.