System For Conducting An Agricultural Operation Using An Autonomous Vehicle

• US 20170311534A1
• Filed: 05/02/2016
• Published: 11/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Rusciolelli, Adam, Dollinger, Tyson, Posselius, John, Foster, Christopher A., Ray, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 10,188,024 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 33/16 with special additional arrangements A01B49/00 takes precedence; for sowing or fertilising A01B49/06
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/02 combined with other agricultural processing, e.g. fertilising, planting
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 2101/00 Lawn-mowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00

Abstract

The present invention provides a system for conducting agricultural operations in a field using one or more autonomous vehicles in which the agricultural operations may be optimized during run time. The system includes providing a mission plan for an autonomous vehicle, receiving progress updates from the vehicle as it conducts an agricultural operation according to the mission plan, and monitoring for event conditions which may he reported by the vehicle. Event conditions may include, for example, detection of an obstacle, or an oncoming vehicle, or a disablement of the vehicle. Upon receiving an event condition, the system may revise the mission plan to resolve the event condition while providing an optimization based on current agricultural conditions.

Claims

1. A method for conducting an agricultural operation using an autonomous vehicle comprising:

(a) providing a mission plan for an autonomous vehicle, the mission plate including a path for the autonomous vehicle to travel while performing an agricultural operation;

(b) receiving with a base station, via wireless transmission, progress information from the autonomous vehicle indicating progress with respect to the agricultural operation;

(c) monitoring for an event condition with the base station;

(d) upon receiving an event condition, revising the mission plan for the autonomous vehicle with the base station without real time user input to optimize the mission plan based on current agricultural conditions;

(e) transmitting the revised mission plan from the base station to the autonomous vehicle; and

(f) adjusting the path of the autonomous vehicle in accordance with the revised mission plan so as to resolve the event condition.

2. The method for conducting the agricultural operation using the autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the progress information includes a position of the autonomous vehicle with respect to the path.

3. The method for conducting the agricultural operation using the autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the progress information includes at least one of an amount of product collected and an amount of product dispensed.

4. The method for conducting the agricultural operation using the autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the event condition is reported by an autonomous vehicle, and wherein the event condition is an obstacle detected by the autonomous vehicle in the path.

5. The method for conducting the agricultural operation using the autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the event condition is an oncoming vehicle detected by the autonomous vehicle.

6. The method for conducting the agricultural operation using the autonomous vehicle of claim 5, wherein the oncoming vehicle is detected in an adjacent path.

7. The method for conducting the agricultural operation using the autonomous vehicle of claim 1, further comprising determining the revised mission plan according to at least a first weight indicating an importance of completion time and a second weight indicating an importance of agricultural efficiency.

8. The method for conducting, the agricultural operation using the autonomous vehicle of claim 1, further comprising determining the revised mission plan according to a constraint requiring a maximum speed for the autonomous vehicle while performing the agricultural operation.

9. The method for conducting the agricultural operation using the autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes monitoring with the base station for an event condition reported by a second autonomous vehicle, and step (d) includes providing the revised mission plan for the autonomous vehicle upon receiving an event condition reported by the second autonomous vehicle.

10. The method for conducting the agricultural operation using the autonomous vehicle of claim 9, wherein the event condition reported by the second autonomous vehicle is a disablement of the second autonomous vehicle.

11. A system for managing an agricultural operation using an autonomous vehicle, the system comprising:

a processor executing a program stored in a non-transient medium operable to;

(a) provide a mission plan for an autonomous vehicle, the mission plan including a path for the autonomous vehicle to travel while performing an agricultural operation;

(b) receive via wireless transmission progress information from the autonomous vehicle indicating progress with respect to the agricultural operation;

(c) monitor for an event condition;

(d) upon receiving an event condition, revise the mission plan for the autonomous vehicle without real time user input to optimize the mission plan based on current agricultural conditions

(e) transmit the revised mission plan to the autonomous vehicle; and

(e) cause the path of the autonomous vehicle to adjust in accordance with the revised mission plan so as to resolve the event condition.

12. The system for managing the agricultural operation using the autonomous vehicle of claim 11, further comprising to determine the revised mission plan according to at least a first weight indicating an importance of completion time and a second weight indicating an importance of agricultural efficiency.

13. The system for managing the agricultural operation using the autonomous vehicle of claim 11, further comprising to determine the revised mission plan according to a constraint requiring a maximum speed for the autonomous vehicle while performing the agricultural, operation.

14. A method for conducting agricultural operations in a field using first and second autonomous vehicles comprising:

(a) providing a mission plan for the first and second autonomous vehicles, the mission plan including first and second paths for the first and second autonomous vehicles to travel while performing first and second agricultural operations, respectively;

(b) receiving progress information with a base station, via wireless transmission, from the first and second autonomous vehicles indicating progress with respect to the first and second agricultural operations, respectively;

(c) monitoring for an event condition with the base station;

(d) upon receiving an event condition, revising with the base station the mission plan without real time user input to optimize the mission plan based on current agricultural conditions for at least one of the first and second autonomous vehicles;

(e) transmitting the revised mission plan from the base station to the at least one of the first and second autonomous vehicles; and

(f) adjusting at least one of the first and second paths for the at least one of the first and second autonomous vehicles, respectively, in accordance with the revised mission plan so as to resolve the event condition.

15. The method for conducting agricultural operations in the field using first and second autonomous vehicles of claim 14, wherein the event condition is an obstacle detected by at least one of the first and second autonomous vehicles in at least one of the first and second paths, respectively.

16. The method for conducting agricultural operations in the field using first and second autonomous vehicles of claim 14, wherein the event condition is reported by the first autonomous vehicle, and wherein the event condition is the second autonomous vehicle being detected as an oncoming vehicle by the first autonomous vehicle.

17. The method for conducting agricultural operations in the field using first and second autonomous vehicles of claim 14, further comprising determining the revised mission plan according to at least a first weight indicating an importance of completion time and a second weight indicating an importance of agricultural efficiency.

18. The method for conducting agricultural operations in the field using first and second autonomous vehicles of claim 14, further comprising determining the revised mission plan according to constraints requiring first and second maximum speeds for the first and second autonomous vehicles while performing the first and second agricultural operations, respectively.

19. The method for conducting agricultural operations in the field using first and second autonomous vehicles of claim 14, further comprising the mission plan including conducting the first agricultural operation in an area of the field before conducting the second agricultural operation in the area.

20. The method for conducting agricultural operations in the field using first and second autonomous vehicles of claim 19, wherein the first autonomous vehicle is a harvester and the second autonomous vehicle is a tiller.