Intelligent Mobile product application control system

• US 5,870,686 A
• Filed: 08/21/1997
• Issued: 02/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ag-Chem Sales Company Incorporated (AGCO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ag-Chem Sales Company Incorporated (AGCO Corporation)
• Inventors: Monson, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Louis-Jacques, Jacques H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walker, Tyrone V.
• Application Number:
  US08/915,847
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/202, 701/207, 701/208, 701/212, 701/50, 701/1, 701/44, 364/469.02, 340/990, 340/995, 239/1, 239/655, 239/656, 239/664
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 15/00 Fertiliser distributors combined with seeders A01C7/06

Abstract

An intelligent mobile product application control system capable of controlling product application by calculating control values on a per position basis from data that has traditionally been used to generate digital land area maps. The system includes a vehicle having coupled thereto at least one distributed network including at least one intelligent control module having a geographic raw data processor. The intelligent control module is responsive to raw geographic information data for controlling at least one actuator device in a manner that results in at least one predetermined product being applied to a predetermined geographic land area at variable rates determined by the raw geographic information data.

Claims

1. A mobile product application control system comprising:

a vehicle;

at least one distributed network coupled to the vehicle, the at least one distributed network including at least one intelligent control module wherein the at least one intelligent control module includes a geographic information raw data processor;

an algorithmic software directing said geographic information raw data processor such that said geographic information raw data processor can determine product application rate data in real time for selected products using algorithmically defined relationships between valid discrete raw geographic information data as said valid discrete raw geographic information data is extracted from said predetermined geographic land area, and as said vehicle traverses a predetermined geographic land area, each at least one intelligent control module being responsive to said application rate data for controlling spatial position dependent set points for at least one actuator device, such that at least one predetermined product is applied to said predetermined geographic land area at variable rates determined by the spatial position dependent set points in real time as said vehicle traverses said predetermined geographic land area;

at least one central processor coupled to the at least one distributed network; and

at least one geographic information raw data input device coupled to the at least one distributed network.

2. The mobile product application control system of claim 1 further comprising a network server coupled between the at least one central processor and the at least one distributed network for controlling the exchange of information between the at least one central processor and the at least one distributed network.

3. The mobile product application control system of claim 2 further comprising an expert system coupled to the at least one distributed network, the expert system defining the relationships between the raw geographic information data, those relationships being utilized by the geographic information raw data processor to determine a target rate of application of the at least one predetermined product.

4. The mobile product application control system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle is self-propelled.

5. The mobile product application control system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle is equipped for towing.

6. The mobile product application control system of claim 1 wherein the raw data processor processes attribute data input from the data input device and wherein the at least one intelligent control module is responsive to the attribute data for controlling the at least one actuator device.

7. The mobile product application control system of claim 1 further comprising at least one data sensor coupled to the at least one distributed network for updating at least a portion of the geographic information raw data on a real time basis.

8. A mobile product application control system comprising:

a vehicle;

at least one distributed network coupled to the vehicle, the at least one distributed network including at least one intelligent control module for controlling at least one actuator device;

at least one central processor coupled to the at least one distributed network, the at least one central processor including a geographic information raw data processor;

an algorithmic software directing said geographic information raw data processor such that said geographic information raw data processor can determine product application rate data in real time for selected products using algorithmically defined relationships between discrete raw geographic information data as said discrete raw geographic information data is being extracted from a predetermined geographic land area, and as said vehicle traverses said predetermined geographic land area, said geographic information raw data processor being responsive to the input of valid discrete raw geographic information data for generating spatial position dependent set point control data which is communicated to the at least one intelligent control module, such that the at least one actuator device is controlled in a manner that causes at least one predetermined product to be applied to said predetermined geographic land area at variable rates determined by the spatial position dependent set point control data; and

at least one geographic information raw data input device coupled to the at least one central processor.

9. The mobile product application control system of claim 8 further comprising a network server coupled between the at least one central processor and the at least one distributed network for controlling the exchange of information between the at least one central processor and the at least one distributed network.

10. The mobile product application control system of claim 9 further comprising an expert system coupled to the at least one distributed network, the expert system defining the relationships between the raw geographic information data, those relationships being utilized by the geographic information raw data processor to determine a target rate of application of the at least one predetermined product.

11. The mobile product application control system of claim 8 wherein the vehicle is self-propelled.

12. The mobile product application control system of claim 8 wherein the vehicle is equipped for towing.

13. The mobile product application control system of claim 8 wherein the raw data processor processes attribute data input from the data input device and wherein the at least one intelligent control module is responsive to the attribute data for controlling the at least one actuator device.

14. The control system of claim 8 further comprising at least one data sensor coupled to the at least one distributed network for updating at least a portion of the geographic information raw data on a real time basis.

15. A mobile product application control system comprising:

a vehicle;

at least one distributed network coupled to said vehicle, the at least one distributed network including at least one intelligent control module for controlling at least one actuator device;

at least one central processor coupled to the at least one distributed network;

a geographic information raw data processor having a first portion which is contained within the intelligent control module and a second portion which is contained within the at least one central processor;

an algorithmic software directing said geographic information raw data processor such that said geographic information raw data processor can determine product application rate data in real time for selected products using algorithmically defined relationships between valid discrete raw geographic information data as said valid discrete raw geographic information data is being extracted from a predetermined geographic land area, and as said vehicle traverses said predetermined geographic land area, the geographic information raw data processor being responsive to the input of said valid discrete raw geographic information data to cause the intelligent control module to control spatial position dependent set points for the at least one actuator device in a manner such that at least one predetermined product is applied to said predetermined geographic land area at variable rates determined by the controlled spatial position dependent set points; and

at least one geographic information raw data input device coupled to said at least one central processor and at least one distributed network.

16. The mobile product application control system of claim 15 further comprising a network server coupled between the at least one central processor and the at least one distributed network for controlling the exchange of information between the at least one central processor and the at least one distributed network.

17. The mobile product application control system of claim 16 further comprising an expert system coupled to the at least one distributed network, the expert system defining the relationships between the raw geographic information data, those relationships being utilized by the geographic information raw data processor to determine a target rate of application of the at least one predetermined product.

18. The mobile product application control system of claim 15 wherein the vehicle is self-propelled.

19. The mobile product application control system of claim 15 wherein the vehicle is equipped for towing.

20. The mobile product application control system of claim 15 wherein the raw data processor processes attribute data input from the data input device and wherein the at least one intelligent control module is responsive to the attribute data for controlling the at least one actuator device.

21. The control mobile product application system of claim 15 further comprising at least one data sensor coupled to the at least one distributed network for updating at least a portion of the geographic information raw data on a real time basis.

22. A mobile product application control system comprising:

a vehicle;

at least one actuator device coupled to the vehicle;

intelligent control means for controlling the at least one actuator device;

a raw data processing means;

an algorithmic software directing said raw data processing means such that said raw data processing can determine product application rate data in real time for selected products using algorithmically defined relationships between valid discrete raw geographic information data as said valid discrete raw geographic information data is extracted from a predetermined geographic land area, and as said vehicle traverses said predetermined geographic land area, wherein said raw data processing means is responsive to said algorithmic software for causing the intelligent control means to control spatial position dependent set points for the at least one actuator device such that at least one product is applied to said predetermined geographic land area at variable rates determined by the controlled spatial position dependent set points;

at least one network means for distributing the control means on a distributed network;

central processing means coupled to the distributed network for communicating configuration and coordination data to the distributed network; and

geographic information raw data input means for providing said discrete geographic information raw data to the raw data processing means as said vehicle traverses said predetermined geographic land area.

23. The mobile product application control system of claim 22 further comprising a network server coupled between the at least one central processing means and the at least one distributed network for controlling the exchange of information between the at least one central processing means and the at least one distributed network.

24. The mobile product application control system of claim 23 further comprising an expert system coupled to the at least one distributed network, the expert system defining the relationships between the raw geographic information data, those relationships being utilized by the geographic information raw data processor to determine a target rate of application of the at least one predetermined product.

25. The mobile product application control system of claim 22 wherein the vehicle is self-propelled.

26. The mobile product application control system of claim 22 wherein the vehicle is equipped for towing.

27. The mobile product application control system of claim 22 wherein the raw data processor processes attribute data input from the data input device and wherein the at least one intelligent control module is responsive to the attribute data for controlling the at least one actuator device.

28. The mobile product application control system of claim 22 further comprising at least one data sensor coupled to the raw data processing means for updating at least a portion of the geographic information raw data on a real time basis.

29. A method of controlling application of a product to a predetermined geographic land area comprising:

providing a vehicle having at least one geographic information raw data sensor and at least one actuator device operably connected thereto;

causing the vehicle to travel over the surface of the geographic land area;

sensing raw geographic information data at predetermined sites on the predetermined geographic land area as said vehicle travels over the surface of the predetermined geographic land area;

processing the raw geographic information data relating to the predetermined geographic land area as said vehicle travels over the surface of the predetermined geographic land area;

controlling a spatial position dependent set point for each said at least one actuator device for each said predetermined site on the predetermined geographic land area such that at least one predetermined product is applied to the predetermined geographic land area at variable rates determined by the processed raw geographic information data in real time as the vehicle traverses the predetermined geographic land area.