Agricultural information gathering system

• US 7,916,022 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2006
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Dickman, Douglas Jeffrey, Wilcox, Timothy Amos
• Primary Examiner(s): La; Anh V
• Application Number:
  US11/602,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20080117023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 340/568.1, 340/572.1, 340/988, 340/5.92, 340/540, 340/545.6, 340/539.13, 340/539.26, 340/10.1
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

An agricultural portal system for use along a transportation route upon which agricultural containers having a responding device are transported, the agricultural portal system including at least one movable support, at least one identification system connected to the movable support and a communications system. The at least one identification system is directed toward the transportation route. The at least one identification system receives a signal from the responding device thereby obtaining information about the agricultural containers. The communications system communicates the information.

Claims

1. An agricultural portal system for use along a transportation route, comprising:

a plurality of agricultural containers, a responding device connected to one or more of the agricultural containers, said agricultural containers being transported on the transportation route proximate to the agricultural portal system;

at least one movable support positioned along a transportation route and spatially separated from the agricultural containers;

at least one identification system connected to said movable support, said at least one identification system directed toward the transportation route, said at least one identification system receiving a signal from the responding device thereby obtaining information about said agricultural containers when a container with the responding device approaches toward or passes by the identification system on the transportation route, the information comprising load identification of each of the agricultural containers and load attributes indicative of the agricultural containers being empty or full; and

a communications system to communicate said information.

2. The agricultural portal system of claim 1, wherein said at least one movable support includes a first movable support and a second movable support, said at least one identification system including a first identification system and a second identification system, said first identification system being associated with said first movable support and said second identification system being associated with said second movable support.

3. The agricultural portal system of claim 2, wherein said at least one identification system includes a global positioning system to provide location information to be transmitted by said communications system.

4. The agricultural portal system of claim 2, wherein said first identification system is a master system and said second identification system is a slave system, said slave system being in communication with said master system.

5. An agricultural portal system for use along a transportation route upon which agricultural containers are transported, the agricultural portal system, comprising:

a responding device on one or more agricultural containers;

at least one movable support positioned along a transportation route and spatially separated from the agricultural containers;

at least one identification system connected to said movable support, said at least one identification system directed toward the transportation route, said at least one identification system receiving a signal from the responding device thereby obtaining information about the agricultural containers when a container with the responding device approaches toward or passes by the identification system on the transportation route, the information comprising load identification of each of the agricultural containers and load attributes indicative of the agricultural containers being empty or full; and

a communications system to communicate said information.

6. The agricultural portal system of claim 5, wherein said at least one movable support includes a first movable support and a second movable support, said at least one identification system including a first identification system and a second identification system, said first identification system being associated with said first movable support and said second identification system being associated with said second movable support.

7. The agricultural portal system of claim 6, wherein said at least one identification system includes a ranging sensor to gather distance and speed information of an approaching vehicle.

8. The agricultural portal system of claim 6, wherein said at least one identification system includes a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader.

9. The agricultural portal system of claim 6, wherein said at least one identification system includes at least one of an audio indicator and a visual indicator that said identification system has received information from at least one of the responding devices.

10. The agricultural portal system of claim 6, wherein said at least one identification system includes a global positioning system to provide location information to be transmitted by said communications system.

11. The agricultural portal system of claim 6, wherein said first identification system is a master system and said second identification system is a slave system, said slave system being in communication with said master system.

12. The agricultural portal system of claim 6, wherein said first movable support is positioned along a side of the transportation route, said second movable support being positioned along an opposite side of the transportation route.

13. The agricultural portal system of claim 6, wherein said first movable support is positioned along a side of the transportation route, said second movable support being positioned along said side of the transportation route a distance from said first movable support.

14. A method of obtaining information about agricultural shipping containers, comprising the steps of:

temporarily positioning at least one information gathering sensor along a transportation route of a vehicle and spatially separated from the agricultural shipping containers;

transporting a plurality of agricultural shipping containers past said at least one sensor; and

querying a responding device on each of said plurality of containers by way of said at least one sensor to provide container information when at least one of said containers with the responding device approaches toward or passes by the information gathering sensor on the transportation route, the container information comprising load identification of each of the agricultural shipping containers and load attributes indicative of the agricultural shipping containers being empty or full.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of obtaining vehicle identification information of a vehicle transporting said containers.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said container information for each of said containers includes a temperature.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

associating said container information regarding said containers on said vehicle with said vehicle identification information; and

communicating said container information and said vehicle identification information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of determining positions of the containers on said vehicle and communicating determined position information of the containers in said communicating step.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of determining a speed of said vehicle and communicating said speed in said communicating step.