Pasture management

• US 8,823,519 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2006
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C-Dax Ltd., Massey University
• Original Assignee: C-Dax Ltd., Massey University
• Inventors: Yule, Ian, Murray, Robert, Stewart, James Frederick, Laan, Willem-Peter Vander, Lawrence, Hayden
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): MA, KAM WAN
• Application Number:
  US11/917,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20100283603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,008 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 356625-640, 250/336.1, 250/338.1, 250/221, 250/222.1, 250/559.19, 250/559.22, 250/559.26, 250/559.12, 250/559.13, 250/559.15, 702/1, 702/19, 702/127, 702/188
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/8466 Investigation of vegetal material, e.g. leaves, plants, fruits
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0098 Plants or trees wood G01N33/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/46 Indirect determination of position data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/87 Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for gathering data are disclosed. For example, a plant matter sensor includes a pair of parallel spaced apart sensor arms and a control console, a first of the arms having a plurality of emitter spaced along its length, each emitter configured to emit a signal substantially perpendicularly to the arm to be received by a corresponding receiver on the second arm. The console contains controller means to control the rate, strength and regularity of the signal emitted by each of the emitters, collectors to collect data from each receiver as to the existence or absence of receipt of a signal, a processor to process data received from the controllers and the collectors and determine the height of any plant matter traversed by the plant matter sensor and predetermined intervals, and storage to store the plant matter height data generated by the processor for subsequent download or analysis.

Claims

1. A sensor assembly comprising:

a) a sensor comprising;

i. a pair of parallel spaced apart substantially vertically disposed sensor arms;

ii. a plurality of emitters spaced along the length of a first of said arms, each emitter configured and arranged to, in use, emit a signal towards a second of said arms substantially perpendicularly to the said first of said arms; and

iii. a plurality of receivers spaced along the length of the second of said arms, the receivers being configured and arranged to, in use, receive signals emitted by the emitters;

b) a controller configured to, in use, control the emission of signals by each of the said emitters;

c) a data collector configured to, in use, collect data from each receiver as to the existence or absence of receipt of a signal,

d) a processor to process data received from the controller and the data collector and to determine the height of any plant matter traversed by the sensor at predetermined intervals, and

e) memory to store the plant matter height data generated by the processor for subsequent download or analysis;

f) a support frame configured to support the sensor in a substantially vertical orientation and configured for attachment to a towing vehicle;

g) a pair of spaced apart deflector guards configured and arranged to, in use, present a defined bandwidth of pasture passing between the sensor arms, the defined bandwidth of pasture being narrower than the space between the sensor arms; and

h) ground engagement means configured to maintain the support frame and the sensor at a predetermined level above the ground during operation.

2. The sensor according to claim 1 wherein each emitter is optimised to emit a high intensity pulse of infra-red light and each receiver is optimised to receive said high intensity pulse of infra-red light.

3. The sensor according to claim 2 wherein the sensor includes twelve emitters paired with twelve receivers and wherein the emitters operate as four banks of three, with every fourth emitter along the length of the first sensor arm being part of the same bank.

4. The sensor according to claim 3 wherein each bank of emitters emits a pulse of infra-red light in series, preferably with each bank emitting a pulse of no more than 100 milliseconds long.

5. The sensor according to claim 1 wherein the sensor is adapted to be able to take at least 200 readings per second.

6. The sensor according to claim 1 wherein the processor monitors the receivers for faults, so that if a potential fault is detected the console is able to provide an alert to an operator.

7. The sensor according to claim 1 further including a GPS receiver such that, in use, each set of data collected by the collector is geo-referenced as to its collection position.

8. The sensor according to claim 1 configured and arranged as a pasture sensor to determine pasture density as kilograms of dry matter per hectare.

9. The sensor according to claim 8 wherein the control console further includes a user input interface to enable an operator to input the appropriate time of year and pasture type so that the processor uses appropriate conversion calculations when calculating pasture density.

10. The sensor according to claim 8 wherein the number of pairs of emitters and receivers and the sensor reading rate is sufficient to generate a constant silhouette of the plant matter along the line of sensor travel.

11. The sensor according to claim 10 wherein the processor is adapted to automatically determine the pasture type based on real-time analysis of the silhouette by the processor.

12. The sensor according to claim 11 wherein the processor is adapted to determine in real-time an appropriate metabolised energy value for each particular plant in the silhouette on the basis of recognition via the silhouette.

13. The sensor according to claim 1 further including wireless data transfer means to wirelessly upload and download data.

14. The sensor assembly according to claim 1 wherein the ground engagement means comprise a pair of parallel spaced apart skids wherein each skid further includes a downwardly projecting blade running substantially the length of the underside of said skid.

15. The sensor assembly according to claim 1 further including wheels for transporting the sensor from one location to another while not in use, the wheels being arranged such that the ground engagement means are not in ground engagement during said transporting.

16. The sensor assembly according to claim 15 wherein the transport wheels are adapted to move from a transport position to a second position whereat the ground engagement means are in ground engagement and said transport wheels serve as stabilizers against the support frame tipping over sideways, when at said second position.

17. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 wherein the defined bandwidth of pasture is 20-200 millimeters narrower than the space between the sensor arms.

18. A sensor assembly comprising:

a) a sensor comprising;

i. a pair of parallel spaced apart substantially vertically disposed sensor arms;

ii. a plurality of emitters spaced along the length of a first of said arms, each emitter configured and arranged to, in use, emit a signal towards a second of said arms substantially perpendicularly to the said first of said arms; and

iii. a plurality of receivers spaced along the length of the second of said arms, the receivers being configured and arranged to, in use, receive signals emitted by the emitters;

b) a support frame and two or more skids, skis or wheels mounted to the support frame and configured to ride on the ground during operation, the support frame and skids, skis or wheels being configured to support the sensor with each of said arms in a substantially vertical orientation and to maintain the sensor at a fixed predetermined level above the ground during operation, and the support frame being configured for attachment to a towing vehicle;

c) a pair of spaced apart deflector guards configured and arranged to, in use, present a defined bandwidth of pasture passing between the sensor arms, the defined bandwidth of pasture being narrower than the space between the sensor arms;

d) a data collector configured to, in use, collect data from each receiver as to the existence or absence of receipt of a signal;

e) memory to store the collected data for subsequent download or analysis; and

f) a processor for analyzing the collected data to determine pasture cover.

19. The sensor assembly according to claim 18 configured and arranged so as to be sufficiently heavy that, in use, the ground beneath the skids is slightly flattened as the skids pass over thereby achieving a smoother ride.

20. The sensor assembly according to claim 19 adapted to be towed at a rate of 15-25 kph.

21. A method of gathering crop or pasture data, using a sensor assembly comprising:

a) a sensor comprising;

i. a pair of parallel spaced apart substantially vertically disposed sensor arms;

ii. a plurality of emitters spaced along the length of a first of said arms, each emitter configured and arranged to, in use, emit a signal towards a second of said arms substantially perpendicularly to the said first of said arms; and

iii. a plurality of receivers spaced along the length of the second of said arms, the receivers being configured and arranged to, in use, receive signals emitted by the emitters;

b) a support frame and two or more skids, skis or wheels mounted to the support frame and configured to ride on the ground during operation, the support frame and skids, skis or wheels being configured to support the sensor with each of said arms in a substantially vertical orientation and to maintain the sensor at a fixed predetermined level above the ground during operation, and the support frame being configured for attachment to a towing vehicle;

c) a pair of spaced apart deflector guards configured and arranged to, in use, present a defined bandwidth of pasture passing between the sensor arms, the defined bandwidth of pasture being narrower than the space between the sensor arms;

d) a data collector configured to, in use, collect data from each receiver as to the existence or absence of receipt of a signal; and

e) memory to store the collected data for subsequent download or analysis;

the method comprising the steps of;

towing the sensor assembly over pasture using the towing vehicle;

the data collector collecting data from the receivers;

storing the collected data in the memory; and

determining a pasture cover or pasture density based on the collected data.