Automated agriculture system

• US 10,185,317 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2015
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGCO International GmbH (AGCO International Holdings BV)
• Original Assignee: AGCO International GmbH (AGCO International Holdings BV)
• Inventors: Pichlmaier, Benno, Buchner, Thiemo
• Primary Examiner(s): Troost, Aaron L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schneider, Paula L
• Application Number:
  US15/532,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20170336787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room

Abstract

A system for performing an agricultural operation on a field, the system including a host vehicle, two or more autonomous agricultural machines configured for performing the said agricultural operation; and a control subsystem for path planning and controlling the movement of each autonomous agricultural machine relative to the host vehicle in the performance of the agricultural operation. The control subsystem is configured to dynamically re-plan the movement of one or more of the autonomous agricultural machines in response to a detected failure of an autonomous agricultural machine as indicated by its position relative to its planned path.

Claims

1. A system for performing an agricultural operation on a field, said system comprising:

a host vehicle;

two or more autonomous agricultural machines (AAM) configurable for performing the said agricultural operation; and

a control subsystem for path planning and controlling movement of each AAM relative to the host vehicle in performance of the agricultural operation wherein the control subsystem is configured, in response to detection of a failure of any AAM as indicated by a position of a failed AAM relative to a planned path, to dynamically re-plan the movement of one or more of the remaining AAMs so that the remaining AAMs may complete the performance of the agricultural operation in the absence of the failed AAM; and

wherein path planning and control data is transmitted wirelessly as one or more data packets from the control subsystem to an AAM and, each AAM is configured to, after a predetermined interval, transmit a response packet.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the failure of the AAM is indicated when the failed AAM is on the planned path but not moving at a predetermined speed.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the failure of the AAM is indicated when the failed AAM remains stationary for longer than a predetermined period.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each AAM is configured to include performance data of the AAM in the response packet.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the performance data includes position and timestamp data.

6. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein collated performance data is stored in a storage means associated with the control subsystem as a field map for future operations.

7. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control subsystem is configured to detect the failure of any AAM based on the performance data.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the failure of any AAM is indicated by the absence of receipt by the control subsystem of the response packet.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the control subsystem is a processing device remote from said two or more AAM'"'"'s.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control subsystem is an access means to a control program hosted across any number of a plurality of distributed devices.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control subsystem is a processing device carried by the host vehicle.