Crop treatment compatibility

• US 9,408,342 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2011
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Lindores, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu, Sujoy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ngon, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US13/280,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20120101634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 702/5, 702/85, 702/188, 702/1, 702/2, 701/50, 701/300, 340/500, 340/501
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 21/007 Determining fertilization requirements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

In a method of ensuring crop treatment compatibility crop treatment information is received at a computer system. The crop treatment information comprises a real-time location of a crop treatment applicator and a description of a crop treatment resident in the crop treatment applicator. Planted crop treatment information is accessed for a planted field which encompasses the real-time location. The planted crop information comprises a description of a planted crop in the planted field. It is determined whether the crop treatment is compatible with application to the planted crop. In response to determining the crop treatment is not compatible with application to the planted crop, a crop treatment incompatibility action is initiated in real-time from the computer system.

Claims

1. A method of ensuring crop treatment compatibility, said method comprising:

receiving crop treatment information at a computer system, said crop treatment information comprising a real-time location of a crop treatment applicator and a description of a crop treatment resident in said crop treatment applicator;

accessing, by said computer system, planted crop information for a planted field which encompasses said real-time location, said planted crop information comprising a description of a planted crop in said planted field and a second planted crop in a field bordering said planted field, and said planted crop information further comprising actual real-time growth information of said planted crop obtained subsequent planting of said planted crop;

determining, by said computer system, whether said crop treatment is compatible with application to said planted crop and with said second planted crop in the field bordering said planted field, wherein said determining is based on said growth information of said planted crop in said planted field; and

in response to determining said crop treatment is not compatible with application to any one of said planted crop and said second planted crop, initiating, in real-time from said computer system, a crop treatment incompatibility action, said crop treatment incompatibility action comprising sending a real-time notification of crop treatment incompatibility from said computer system to a crop treatment application company, and further in response to determining said crop treatment is not compatible with application to any one of said planted crop and said second planted crop said crop treatment is prevented from being or is ceased from being dispersed from said crop treatment applicator to said any one of said planted crop and said second planted crop.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining said crop treatment is compatible with said planted crop, initiating, in real-time from said computer system, a crop treatment compatibility action.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said initiating, in real-time from said computer system, a crop treatment compatibility action comprises:

sending a real-time notification of crop treatment compatibility from said computer system to an entity selected from the group of entities consisting of;

an owner of said planted field, a farmer of said planted field, an operator of said crop treatment applicator, a crop treatment application company, a crop insurance company, and a reporting agent coupled with said crop treatment applicator.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said initiating, in real-time from said computer system, a crop treatment compatibility action comprises:

sending a real-time enable command to a reporting agent coupled with a control system of said crop treatment applicator, said enable command configured to cause said control system to enable application of said crop treatment.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining said crop treatment is compatible with all of said bordering planted fields, initiating, in real-time from said computer system, a bordering field crop treatment compatibility action.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said receiving crop treatment information at a computer system comprises:

receiving said crop treatment information from a reporting agent coupled with said crop treatment applicator.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said accessing, by said computer system, planted crop information for a planted field which encompasses said real-time location comprises:

accessing, by said computer system, said planted crop information from a database, wherein said description of said planted crop in said planted field comprises;

a type of crop seed planted in said planted field, and an age of said planted crop.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said determining, by said computer system, whether said crop treatment is compatible with application to said planted crop comprises:

evaluating said planted crop information and said crop treatment information for compatibility based upon one or more stored compatibility rules resident in said computer system.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said initiating, in real-time from said computer system, a crop treatment incompatibility action further comprises:

sending a real-time notification of crop treatment incompatibility from said computer system to an entity selected from the group of entities consisting of;

an owner of said planted field, a farmer of said planted field, an operator of said crop treatment applicator, a crop insurance company, and a reporting agent coupled with said crop treatment applicator.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said initiating, in real-time from said computer system, a crop treatment incompatibility action further comprises:

sending a real-time disable command to a reporting agent coupled with a control system of said crop treatment applicator, said disable command configured to cause said control system to disable application of said crop treatment.

11. A crop treatment compatibility system, said system comprising:

a crop treatment compatibility determiner disposed in a computer system, said crop treatment compatibility determiner configured for;

receiving crop treatment information comprising a real-time location of a crop treatment applicator and a description of a crop treatment resident in said crop treatment applicator; and

determining if said crop treatment is compatible with a planted crop in a planted field which encompasses said real-time location and with said second planted crop in a field bordering said planted field;

a database coupled with said crop treatment compatibility determiner and configured with planted crop information for a plurality of planted fields including said planted field which encompasses said real-time location and said field bordering said planted field, said planted crop information comprising a description of planted crops in each of said plurality of planted fields, and said planted crop information further comprising actual real-time growth information of said planted crop obtained subsequent planting of said planted crop; and

a crop treatment action initiator disposed as a portion of said computer system, coupled with said crop treatment compatibility determiner, and configured for initiating, in real-time from said computer system, a crop treatment incompatibility action in response to said crop treatment compatibility determiner determining that said crop treatment is not compatible with application to any one of said planted crop and said second planted crop, said crop treatment incompatibility action comprising sending a real-time notification of crop treatment incompatibility from said computer system to a crop treatment application company, said crop treatment incompatibility action further comprising in response to determining said crop treatment is not compatible with application to any one of said planted crop and said second planted crop said crop treatment is prevented from being or ceases from being dispersed from said crop treatment applicator to said any one of said planted crop and said second planted crop.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a reporting source coupled with said crop treatment applicator and configured for wirelessly reporting said real-time location and said description of a crop treatment resident in said crop treatment applicator.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said crop treatment action initiator is further configured for initiating, in real-time from said computer system, a crop treatment compatibility action in response to a determination by said crop treatment compatibility determiner that said crop treatment is compatible with application to said planted crop.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said crop treatment action initiator is further configured for initiating, in real-time from said computer system, a bordering field crop treatment incompatibility action, in response to said crop treatment compatibility determiner determining that said crop treatment is not compatible with at least one of said bordering planted fields.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said crop treatment action initiator is further configured for initiating, in real-time from said computer system, a bordering field crop treatment compatibility action, in response to said crop treatment compatibility determiner determining that said crop treatment is compatible with planted crops of said bordering planted fields.

16. A crop treatment applicator comprising:

a crop treatment initiation mechanism; and

a reporting agent coupled with a control bus of said crop treatment applicator and configured for wirelessly reporting a real-time location of said crop treatment applicator and a description of a crop treatment resident in said crop treatment applicator to a remote computer system in response to actuation of said crop treatment initiation mechanism by an operator of said crop treatment applicator, and wherein said reporting agent is further configured for disabling application of said crop treatment by said crop treatment applicator in response to receiving a disable command from said remote computer system after said actuation based upon a determination by said remote computer system that said crop treatment is not compatible with application with any one of a planted crop in a planted field which encompasses said real-time location and with a second planted crop in a field bordering said planted field, wherein said computer system determines compatibility of application of said crop treatment both with said planted crop and with a second planted crop, and wherein said compatibility is based on planted crop information comprising actual real-time growth information of said planted crop obtained subsequent planting of said planted crop.

17. The crop treatment applicator of claim 16, wherein said reporting agent is further configured for enabling application of said crop treatment by said crop treatment applicator in response to receiving an enable command from said remote computer system after said actuation.