Control System Used for Precision Agriculture and Method of Use

• US 20160378086A1
• Filed: 03/28/2015
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brett S. Norman, Clayton L. Plymill
• Original Assignee: Brett S. Norman, Clayton L. Plymill
• Inventors: Plymill, Clayton L., Norman, Brett S.
• Application Number:
  US15/236,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20160378086A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2625 Sprinkler, irrigation, watering
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/18 Actuation by interference with heat, light, or radiation of shorter wavelength; Actuation by intruding sources of heat, light, or radiation of shorter wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/883 where the sensing device enters an active or inactive mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/10 in agriculture

Abstract

This technology relates generally to control systems and, more particularly, to mobile control systems that facilitate security and maintenance of assets.

Claims

1. A control system, comprising:

at least one field node wherein the field node comprises a plurality of sensors configured to detect ambient environmental conditions, wherein the field node further comprises a transceiver in operative communication with the sensors, the transceiver configured to receive the ambient environmental conditions information from the sensors and transmit the information to a controller, the transceiver also configured to receive information from the controller,

wherein the controller is connected to a wide area network and configured to receive information from the transceiver of the at least one field node and transmit the information to the wide area network, the controller also configured to receive information from the wide area network and transmit the information to the transceiver of the at least one field node; and

wherein the controller is configured to operate and control an actuator in response to the ambient environmental conditions information provided by the sensors.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise soil moisture sensors and temperature sensors.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each field node comprises a global positioning receiver configured to receive signals to calculate the location and current time of the field node, wherein the field node is configured to transmit such location information to the transceiver, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit the location information to the controller.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each field node comprises gyroscopic features configured to determine the motion of the field node and configured to transmit the motion information to the transceiver, wherein the transceiver transmits the motion information to the controller.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each field node is configured to log data, report its location and make analytical decisions to self-calibrate, report malfunctions and conserve battery power.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to include hazard detection and security features.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the actuator is operatively connected to an irrigation pivot.

8. A wireless automation system, comprising:

a transceiver operable to communicate packets of information over a wireless network;

a sensor operable to generate an indicator for a sensed condition;

a controller configured to poll the sensor at a polling interval to read the indicator during a current period of the polling interval and to selectively operate the transceiver to communicate information associated reading of the indicator;

and a memory, the controller storing a reading of the indicator during the current period in the memory, where the memory stores at least one prior reading io of the indicator, the prior reading of the indicator made during a prior period of the polling interval, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit a most recent reading of the indicator stored in the memory.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving data related to a plurality of natural resource related features by a machine-learning service;

determining at least one feature in the plurality of features based on the received data using the machine-learning service;

generating an output by the machine-learning service performing a machine-learning operation on the at least one feature of the plurality of features, wherein the machine-learning operation is selected from among;

an operation of ranking the at least one feature, an operation of classifying the at least one feature, an operation of predicting the at least one feature, and an operation of clustering the at least one feature, wherein the output comprises a prediction of a volume setting and/or a mute setting of the mobile platform; and

sending the output from the machine-learning service to a resource capable of utilizing that output.

10. A control system comprising an analytics engine configured to receive, categorize and store soil property data received from a plurality of controllers in communication with a plurality of field nodes, wherein such soil property data is linked to known crop yields.

11. The control system of claim 10, wherein the analytics engine is configured to compare the soil property data to known crop yields to determine irrigation and/or fertilization condition metrics that can be used to present to a user based on the soil data and known crop yield comparisons.

12. The control system of claim 11, wherein the analytics engine provides the user with irrigation and/or fertilization recommendations based on relationship of soil data to crop yield comparisons.

13. The control system of claim 11, wherein the analytics engine is operatively coupled with a center pivot and transmits a signal to the center pivot in response to the comparison of soil data with crop yields in order to increase or decrease the amount of irrigation that takes place during a period of time.

14. The control system of claim 10, wherein the analytics engine can also collect and store water availability data and predict crop yields based on the comparison of soil data readings for analogous crop types over a period of time points as compared to historical crop yield data over similar time points for that crop type, when controlled for how much water will be available for irrigation.