Artificial intelligence for detecting and filling void areas of agricultural commodity containers

• US 9,392,746 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company, Iowa State University Research Foundation Incorporated (Iowa State University)
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company, Iowa State University Research Foundation Incorporated (Iowa State University)
• Inventors: Darr, Matthew J., McNaull, Robert, Kruckeberg, John, Bonefas, Zachary T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laurenzi, Mark A
• Assistant Examiner(s): KELLY, TIMOTHY PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US14/041,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20140083556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 56/102.R, 56/102.F, 701/50, 141/1, 141/95, 141/98, 141/83, 141/231, 141/198
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/073 with controllable discharge spout
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/087 with controllable discharge spout

Abstract

A system and method for transferring agricultural material from a transferring vehicle to a storage portion of a receiving vehicle, and detecting and filling void areas of the agricultural material is disclosed. A transferring vehicle having a spout transfers agricultural material to a storage portion of a receiving vehicle. An imaging device associated with the transferring vehicle and facing towards the storage portion of the receiving vehicle collects imaging data. An image processing module is operable to, based on the imaging data, estimate fill levels of agricultural material within the storage portion; identify an area of the storage portion as targeted to fill; and identify a first void within the targeted area. A controller in communication with the image processing module is configured to command the spout to a position to direct agricultural material to the first void.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating transfer of agricultural material, the system comprising:

a transferring vehicle comprising a propelled portion for propelling the transferring vehicle and a spout for transferring the agricultural material to a storage portion of a receiving vehicle, the spout having a discharge portion;

a first imaging device associated with the transferring vehicle and to face towards the storage portion of the receiving vehicle, the first imaging device to collect first image data;

an image processing module to estimate an observed fill level of the storage portion based on the first image data and to identify a multimodal distribution of multiple peaks of the agricultural material in the storage portion, the image processing module configured to identify at least one void in the distribution and an associated target position in an opening directly above the at least one void; and

a controller configured to trigger shifting of the discharge portion of the spout to the target position to fill the at least one void in the distribution in a void filling mode when the multimodal distribution is identified.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the image processing module is to identify a series of voids in the agricultural material in the storage portion of the receiving vehicle and a corresponding target above each of the series of voids to facilitate alignment of the discharge portion of the spout above each of the series of voids to fill the voids in the agricultural material.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is to be inhibited from entering into the void filling mode if the distribution, detectable by the first image data, does not qualify as the multimodal distribution of multiple peaks of agricultural material.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is to be inhibited from entering into the void filling mode if the observed fill level does not meet or exceed a predetermined partial fill level.

5. A method of transferring agricultural material, the method comprising:

collecting image data by an imaging device facing towards a storage portion of a receiving vehicle, the storage portion of the receiving vehicle capable of storing agricultural material transferred to the storage portion from a transferring vehicle via a spout;

identifying a multimodal distribution of multiple peaks of the agricultural material;

while the agricultural material is being transferred to the storage portion, processing the image data to determine a fill level profile of the agricultural material within the storage portion;

based on the fill level profile, identifying a first void within the storage portion; and

commanding the spout to a first position to direct the agricultural material to the first void when the multimodal distribution has been identified.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

estimating a dynamic void volume of the first void as a function of time and at least one of a volumetric flow rate or a mass flow rate of the agricultural material that is being transferred; and

in response to the dynamic void volume of the first void reaching a fill level set point, commanding the spout to a second position to fill a second void.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein processing the image data includes defining a plurality of cells, a grouping of cells comprises a column, a grouping of columns comprises a zone, and the fill level profile of the agricultural material is determined by estimating a fill level of each of the plurality of cells.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein processing the image data includes determining a void volume of a cell that is a difference between the fill level set point and the fill level of the cell, when the fill level is less than the fill level set point.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein processing the image data includes determining a second void that comprises a predetermined number of adjacent columns, and wherein a total void volume of the cells within the predetermined number of adjacent columns is greater than a predetermined value.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the spout is commanded such that an average fill level of each of the predetermined number of adjacent columns comprising the first void is less than a fill level set point.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein commanding the spout to the first position is further based on at least one of an initial spout position relative to the first void, and a void volume of the first void.

12. The method of claim 5, further including when the fill level of a cell is unreadable, assigning the fill level of the unreadable cell an average fill level of the cells within a zone of the unreadable cell.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the image processing module estimates fill levels continuously as the agricultural material is transferred to the storage portion.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the commanding of the spout to the position to direct the agricultural material to the voids is prohibited until a total fill level of the agricultural material within the storage portion exceeds a predetermined partial fill level.

15. The method of claim 5, further comprising commanding the receiving vehicle to a position to direct the agricultural material to the first void, wherein the spout and the receiving vehicle are selectively commanded to respective positions based on a fill strategy.

16. A system, comprising:

a transferring vehicle having a spout for transferring agricultural material to a storage portion of a receiving vehicle;

an imaging device associated with the transferring vehicle and facing towards the storage portion of the receiving vehicle, the imaging device collecting imaging data;

an image processing module operable to;

based on the imaging data, estimate fill levels of agricultural material within the storage portion,

identify a multimodal distribution of multiple peaks of the agricultural material,

identify an area of the storage portion as targeted to fill, and

identify a first void within the targeted area; and

a controller in communication with the image processing module and configured to command the spout to a position to direct the agricultural material to the first void when the controller identifies the multimodal distribution.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the image processing module is to determine a void volume of a zone that is a difference between a fill level set point and a fill level of the zone, when the fill level is less than the fill level set point.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the image processing module is configured to estimate a dynamic void volume of the first void as a function of time and at least one of a volumetric flow rate or a mass flow rate;

and wherein the controller is configured to, in response to the dynamic void volume of the first void approaching the fill level set point, command the spout to a second position to fill a second void.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the imaging processing module is to identify the area as targeted to fill when an average fill level of an area is less than a fill level set point, and a total void volume of the area is greater than a predetermined value.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the imaging processing module is to identify the area as targeted to fill when an average fill level of each of a predetermined number of adjacent zones within the area is less than a fill level set point, and a total void volume of the predetermined number of adjacent zones is greater than a predetermined value.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the position is to be determined based on at least one of an initial spout position relative to the first void, and a void volume of the first void.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the image processing module is to estimate the fill levels for each of a plurality of cells within the storage portion, wherein a group of cells comprises a zone, a group of zones comprises an area, and a group of areas comprises the storage portion;

and wherein the voids comprise at least one cell.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein, when the fill level of a cell is unreadable, the fill level of the unreadable cell is to be assigned an average fill level of the cells within the zone of the unreadable cell.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the image processing module is to estimate fill levels continuously as the agricultural material is transferred to the storage portion.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the controller is prohibited from commanding the spout to the position to direct the agricultural material to the void until a total fill level of the agricultural material within the storage portion exceeds a predetermined partial fill level.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the controller is in communication with the receiving vehicle and is configured to command the receiving vehicle to a position to direct the agricultural material to the first void, wherein the spout and the receiving vehicle are selectively commanded to respective positions based on a fill strategy.

27. A system for facilitating transfer of agricultural material, the system comprising:

a transferring vehicle comprising a propelled portion for propelling the transferring vehicle and a spout for transferring the agricultural material to a storage portion of a receiving vehicle, the spout having a discharge portion;

a first imaging device associated with the transferring vehicle and facing towards the storage portion of the receiving vehicle, the first imaging device collecting first image data;

an image processing module to estimate an observed fill level of the storage portion based on the first image data and to estimate a distribution of agricultural material in the storage portion, the image processing module configured to identify at least one void in the distribution and an associated target position in an opening directly above the at least one void, wherein the image processing module identifies a multimodal distribution of multiple peaks of agricultural material of the distribution in the storage portion; and

a controller configured to trigger shifting of the discharge portion of the spout to the target position to fill the void in the distribution in a void filling mode, wherein the controller is to be inhibited from entering into the void filling mode if the distribution, detectable by the first image data, does not qualify as the multimodal distribution.