Modular autonomous farm vehicle
First Claim
1. A modular autonomous agricultural vehicle comprisingat least one drive module having a frame, a rotatable ground-engaging element coupled to said frame, a power source, and a drive motor receiving power from said power source and coupled to said ground-engaging element for rotating said element,at least one toolbar module detachably coupled to said frame for coupling said drive module to an agricultural implement or another modular toolbar module, andmultiple toolbar modules coupled to each other in series to form a modular toolbar, said toolbar modules carrying ground engaging implements, and which includes a cable extending through all the toolbar modules of said modular toolbar to hold said modules together while allowing the toolbar to flex to follow the contour of the ground engaged by said implements.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A modular autonomous agricultural vehicle includes a drive module having a frame, a ground-engaging element rotatably coupled to the frame, a power source, and a drive motor receiving power from the power source and coupled to the ground-engaging element for rotating the ground engaging element. At least one toolbar module is detachably coupled to the frame for coupling the drive module to an agricultural implement or another modular toolbar segment. The modular toolbar preferably includes multiple toolbar modules coupled to each other in series to form the modular toolbar.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A modular autonomous agricultural vehicle comprising
at least one drive module having a frame, a rotatable ground-engaging element coupled to said frame, a power source, and a drive motor receiving power from said power source and coupled to said ground-engaging element for rotating said element, at least one toolbar module detachably coupled to said frame for coupling said drive module to an agricultural implement or another modular toolbar module, and multiple toolbar modules coupled to each other in series to form a modular toolbar, said toolbar modules carrying ground engaging implements, and which includes a cable extending through all the toolbar modules of said modular toolbar to hold said modules together while allowing the toolbar to flex to follow the contour of the ground engaged by said implements.
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12. A modular autonomous agricultural vehicle comprising
at least one drive module having a frame, a rotatable ground-engaging element coupled to said frame, a power source, and a drive motor receiving power from said power source and coupled to said ground-engaging element for rotating said element, and multiple toolbar modules coupled to each other in series to form an elongated modular toolbar having a selected length, at least one of said toolbar modules detachably coupled to said frame of said drive module with said elongated modular toolbar extending horizontally from said drive module for coupling said drive module to an agricultural implement or another modular toolbar module, wherein said ground-engaging element is mounted on said frame for movement around a vertical axis for controlling the direction of movement of both the drive module and the elongated modular toolbar, and a driveshaft extending through the length of said toolbar and coupled to said drive motor, and a driven module attached to said modular toolbar and coupled to said driveshaft.
Specification