Apparatus and method for the variable rate application of substances to land
First Claim
1. A method of applying substances to an individual section of an area of land according to the specific requirement of the individual section comprising the steps of:
- (a) reading data indicative of the specific substance requirement for individual sections of the area of land from an electronic map and inputting said data into a data processor;
(b) traversing the area with a vehicle having an engine that drives a transmission, the transmission including means for varying the speed of the vehicle without adjustment of the engine speed, sensors for establishing the speed of the vehicle, the position of the vehicle, and the drive ratio of the transmission, the vehicle having attached thereto at least one appliance comprising an application mechanism for application of the substance to the area, which mechanism is driven by the vehicle;
(c) inputting the application rate of the or each appliance into the data processor;
(d) inputting a desired constant engine speed into the data processor;
(e) traversing the area with the vehicle with the engine speed set at the desired engine speed;
(f) establishing the position of the vehicle;
(g) generating a signal to indicate a requirement for adjustment to the transmission to increase or decrease the speed of the vehicle to match the individual section requirement to the application rate of the appliance at the desired constant engine speed; and
(h) adjusting the transmission according to the signal generated by the data processor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of applying substances to a land begins with inputting data indicative of the substance requirement for the land into a processor. The land is traversed with a vehicle having an engine and a transmission that can vary the vehicle speed without adjusting the engine speed. The vehicle has an appliance including a mechanism for applying the substance to the land. The appliance application rate is input into the processor with the desired engine speed. The land is traversed with the vehicle with the engine speed set at the desired engine speed. The vehicle position is established, and a signal is generated to indicate a requirement for adjustment to the transmission to change the vehicle speed to match the individual section requirement to the appliance application rate. Lastly, the transmission is adjusted according to the signal generated by the processor.
20 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of applying substances to an individual section of an area of land according to the specific requirement of the individual section comprising the steps of:
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(a) reading data indicative of the specific substance requirement for individual sections of the area of land from an electronic map and inputting said data into a data processor; (b) traversing the area with a vehicle having an engine that drives a transmission, the transmission including means for varying the speed of the vehicle without adjustment of the engine speed, sensors for establishing the speed of the vehicle, the position of the vehicle, and the drive ratio of the transmission, the vehicle having attached thereto at least one appliance comprising an application mechanism for application of the substance to the area, which mechanism is driven by the vehicle; (c) inputting the application rate of the or each appliance into the data processor; (d) inputting a desired constant engine speed into the data processor; (e) traversing the area with the vehicle with the engine speed set at the desired engine speed; (f) establishing the position of the vehicle; (g) generating a signal to indicate a requirement for adjustment to the transmission to increase or decrease the speed of the vehicle to match the individual section requirement to the application rate of the appliance at the desired constant engine speed; and (h) adjusting the transmission according to the signal generated by the data processor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus comprising
a data processor; -
an electronic map; a vehicle having an engine that drives a transmission, the transmission including means for varying the speed of the vehicle at a constant engine speed, sensors for establishing the speed of the vehicle, the position of the vehicle, and the drive ratio of the transmission, the vehicle having attached thereto at least one appliance comprising an application mechanism for application of the substance to the area, which mechanism is driven by the vehicle; and application rate input means for inputting the application rate of the or each appliance into the data processor; wherein the data processor receives inputs from the vehicle location means, the electronic map, the vehicle function sensors, and the application rate input means, and wherein the data processor calculates the vehicle forward speed required to deliver the appropriate amount of substance to an individual section of the area, and compares the current drive ratio with the drive ratio required to propel the vehicle at the desired forward speed while maintaining the constant engine speed, and wherein if a change to the drive ratio is required to deliver the desired forward speed, the data processor generates a signal to initiate the said change. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification