Crop traceability system as well as server, method, and program used for the same

• US 8,534,545 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Solutions Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Solutions Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nishiguchi, Osamu, Yamagata, Noriko
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D
• Application Number:
  US13/035,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20110290873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 235/376, 702/3
• US Class Current: 235/376
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining

Abstract

A crop traceability system includes: a terminal which moves together with a machine to harvest or transport a crop; and a server which receives an information from the terminal. The terminal includes: a location information acquisition unit which acquires a location information of the terminal; and a transmitter which transmits the location information and a machine ID of the machine to the server. The server includes: a storage unit which stores a location information of a planimetric feature; a receiver which receives the location information and the machine ID which are transmitted by the terminal; and an ID information processor which links the machine ID with a planimetric feature ID of the planimetric feature when a location information of the planimetric feature stored in the storage unit coincides with the location information transmitted by the terminal.

Claims

1. A crop traceability system comprising:

a terminal which moves, together with a machine, to one of harvest and transport a crop; and

a server which receives an information from the terminal, wherein

the terminal includes;

a terminal location information acquisition unit which acquires a location information of the terminal; and

a transmitter which transmits the terminal location information and a machine ID of the machine to the server,

the server includes;

a storage unit which stores a location information of a plurality of planimetric features;

a receiver which receives the terminal location information and the machine ID which are both transmitted by the terminal; and

an ID information processor which links the machine ID with a planimetric feature ID of one of the planimetric features when a location information of the one of the planimetric features stored in the storage unit coincides with the terminal location information transmitted by the terminal,

the receiver receives terminal location information of a plurality of terminals and machine IDs corresponding to the plurality of terminals, which are transmitted to the receiver by each of the terminals, respectively,

when the terminal location information transmitted by more than one of the respective terminals coincide with each other, the service ID information processor links the machine IDs corresponding to the respective terminals with each other, and

when the terminal location information, which is transmitted by the terminal, and a location information of a second of the planimetric features, which is different from the location information of the one of the planimetric features coincide with each other, after the server ID information processor linked the machine ID and the first planimetric feature ID together, the server ID information processor now links the machine ID and a planimetric feature ID of the second, different planimetric feature.

2. The crop traceability system according to claim 1, wherein the server ID information processor stores a trace information including a route information and a trace ID assigned to the route information, the route information including the planimetric feature ID of the one of the planimetric features as a departure place and the planimetric feature ID of the second, different one of the planimetric features as a destination place.

3. The crop traceability system according to claim 1, wherein when there exist a first trace information including a first route information and a first trace ID which is assigned to the first route information and a second trace information including a second route information and a second trace ID which is assigned to the second route information, the server ID information processor links the first trace ID and the second trace ID together, the first route information including the planimetric feature ID of the one of the planimetric features as a departure place and the planimetric feature ID of the second, different one of the planimetric features as a destination place, the second route information including the planimetric feature ID of the second, different planimetric feature as a departure place and the planimetric feature ID of a third planimetric feature, which is different from the second, different planimetric feature, as a destination place.

4. The crop traceability system according to claim 1, wherein when the location information of the one of the planimetric features stored in the storage unit and the terminal location information transmitted by the terminal coincide with each other for a predetermined time period, the server ID information processor links the machine ID and the planimetric feature ID of the one of the planimetric features.

5. The crop traceability system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal includes an ID acquisition unit which automatically acquires the machine ID before transmitting the machine ID to the server.

6. The crop traceability system according to claim 1, wherein

the terminal regularly transmits time of day information together with the terminal location information,

the server has a minimum work time period which is set to be minimally required for each of a plurality of work units, and

the server automatically performs linking on condition that a time period obtained based on the time of day information is longer than the minimum work time period, the obtained time period being one during which the same location information is transmitted.

7. The crop traceability system according to claim 1, wherein

a detailed location identification tag which stores an information for identifying a storage place of the crop is provided to the storage unit, and

the terminal includes a tag reader which reads a content of the detailed location identification tag.

8. The crop traceability system according to claim 1, wherein

the server holds a first crop attribute of a first crop cultivated in a farmland and a second crop attribute of a second crop to be stored in a depository, and

the server has a function by which when a crop is delivered to the depository, the server makes a comparison between the first crop attribute related to the farmland linked with a machine having transported the crop and the second crop attribute related to the depository linked with the machine on the basis of an ID of the machine and thereby judges whether or not to transfer the second crop, having the second crop attribute, to the depository.

9. The crop traceability system according to claim 1, wherein

the server holds information on a loadable amount of the transport machine and information on an estimated harvest amount of a farmland, and

the server includes a comparison unit which compares the estimated harvest amount with a product of the loadable amount of the transport machine and the number of times of transportations.

10. The crop traceability system according to claim 1, wherein

the server includes a data manager which manages a route table in which a departure point, a destination, and a route information of the machine are stored, and

upon detecting that the terminal location information of the machine which is transmitted from one of the terminals indicates deviation from a route indicated by the route information in the route table, the server outputs an alert.

11. The crop traceability system according to claim 1, wherein

the ID information processor links the machine ID with the planimetric feature ID of the first planimetric feature when the location information of the first planimetric feature stored in the storage unit coincides with the location information transmitted by the terminal;

and

whereby the server links crop information of one of a crop harvested and transported by the machine in the planimetric feature with crop information corresponding to the planimetric feature stored in the storage unit.

12. A server of a crop traceability system comprising a terminal which moves together with a machine to one of harvest and transport a crop and a server which receives an information from the terminal, wherein

the server includes:

a storage unit which stores location information of a plurality of planimetric features;

a receiver which receives the terminal location information and the machine ID which are both transmitted by the terminal; and

an ID information processor which links the machine ID with a planimetric feature ID of the one of planimetric features when a location information of the one of the planimetric features stored in the storage unit coincides with the terminal location information transmitted by the terminal, the receiver receives terminal location information of a plurality of terminals and machine IDs corresponding to the plurality of terminals, which are transmitted to the receiver by each of the terminals, respectively,

when the terminal location information transmitted by more than one of the respective terminals coincide with each other, the server ID information processor links the machine IDs corresponding to the respective terminals with each other, and

when the terminal location information which is transmitted by the terminal and a location information of a second of the planimetric features, which is different from the location information of the one of the planimetric features coincide with each other, after the server ID information processor linked the machine ID and the first planimetric feature ID together, the server ID information processor now links the machine ID and a planimetric feature ID of the second, different planimetric feature.

13. The server of a crop traceability system according to claim 12, wherein the ID information processor stores a trace information including a route information and a trace ID assigned to the route information, the route information including the planimetric feature ID of the first of the planimetric features as a departure place and the planimetric feature ID of the second, different planimetric feature as a destination place.

14. A terminal of a crop traceability system comprising a terminal which moves together with a machine to harvest or transport a crop and a server which receives an information from the terminal, wherein:

the terminal includes;

a terminal location information acquisition unit which acquires a location information of the terminal; and

a transmitter which transmits the terminal location information, and a machine ID of the machine, to the server, which server links the machine ID with a planimetric feature ID of a planimetric feature when a location information of the planimetric feature stored in the storage unit coincides with the location information transmitted by the terminal, the receiver receives terminal location information of a plurality of terminals and machine IDs corresponding to the plurality of terminals, which are transmitted by of the terminals, respectively,

when the terminal location information transmitted by more than one of the respective terminals coincide with each other, the ID information processor links the machine IDs corresponding to the respective terminals with each other, and

when the terminal location information, which is transmitted by the terminal, and a location information of a second planimetric feature which is different from the location information of the first planimetric feature coincide with each other, after the server ID information processor linked the machine ID and the first planimetric feature ID together, the server ID information processor now links the machine ID and a planimetric feature ID of the second, different planimetric feature.

15. The terminal of a crop traceability system according to claim 14, where the ID information processor stores a trace information including a route information and a trace ID assigned to the route information, the route information including the planimetric feature ID of the first of the planimetric features as a departure place and the planimetric feature ID of the second, different planimetric feature as a destination place.

16. A crop tracing method comprising:

providing a terminal which moves, together with a machine, to one of harvest and transport a crop;

providing a server for receiving information from the terminal;

providing an acquisition step for acquiring location information of the terminal which moves, together with a machine, to one of harvest and transport the crop;

providing a transmitting step which transmits the location information and a machine ID of the machine to the server,

providing a storing step which stores a location information of a first planimetric feature transmitted from the terminal,

providing a receiving step which receives the location information and the machine ID which are transmitted by the terminal;

providing an ID information processing step which links the machine ID with a planimetric feature ID of the first planimetric feature when a location information of the first planimetric feature stored in the storage unit coincides with the location information transmitted by the terminal,

providing a receiving step of receiving location information of a plurality of terminals and machine IDs corresponding to the terminals, which are transmitted by the terminals, respectively, the ID information processing step linking the machine IDs corresponding to the respective terminals with each other when the location information transmitted by the respective terminals coincide with each other, and

providing a linking step of the machine ID and a planimetric feature ID of a second, different planimetric feature, when the terminal location information transmitted by the terminal and a location information of the second planimetric feature, which is different from the first planimetric feature, coincide with each other after the server ID information processor links the machine ID and the first planimetric feature ID together.

17. The crop tracing method according to claim 16,

further including a step of storing of a trace information including a route information and a trace ID assigned to the route information, the route information including the planimetric feature ID of the first of the planimetric features as a departure place and the planimetric feature ID of the second, different planimetric feature as a destination place.