Vehicle control based on soil compaction
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsSebastian Blank, Kristen A. Blank
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Mobile machine characteristics and position are sensed to obtain an indication of the compactive effect of a mobile machine on a worksite. A soil compaction stress map is generated and control signals are generated, for controlling controlled systems, based upon the soil compaction stress map.
Claims12
A mobile machine that travels over an agricultural field that grows a crop, the mobile machine comprising:
- a mapping system configured to generate a compaction stress map indicative of a soil compaction of soil across the agricultural field;
- a yield impact determination system configure to identify, as a compaction impact, an impact of the soil compaction at the agricultural field, on a crop yield of the crop in the agricultural field, based on the compaction stress map;
- a sensitive area identifier configured to identify, as sensitive areas of the agricultural field, root zones that include crop roots for the crop;
- a position sensor configured to sense a geographic vehicle position of the mobile machine and generate a vehicle position signal indicative of the geographic vehicle position;
- a control signal generator generating a control signal to control a controlled system on the mobile machine, in near real time, based on the impact on crop yield in the compaction stress map, the geographic vehicle position, and the root zones.
A method of controlling an agricultural mobile machine that travels over an agricultural field growing a crop, the method comprising:
- accessing a compaction stress map indicative of a soil compaction of soil across the agricultural field;
- generating a plant location signal indicative of plan location of plants in the crop;
- generating a geographic root zone indicator indicative of a geographic location of an estimated root zone based on the plant location signal;
- sensing a geographic vehicle position of the agricultural mobile machine;
- generating a vehicle position signal indicative of the geographic vehicle position of the agricultural mobile machine;
- identifying, as a compaction impact, an impact of the soil compaction in the root zone at the agricultural field, on a crop yield of the crop, based on the compaction stress map;
- and
- generating a steering control signal to control a steering system on the agricultural mobile machine, in near real time, based on the geographic vehicle position, the geographic location of the estimated root zone and the compaction impact.
An agricultural mobile machine that travels over a field growing a crop, the agricultural mobile machine comprising:
- a mapping system that generates a compaction stress map indicative of a soil compaction of soil across the agricultural field;
- a sensitive area identifier that identifies, as sensitive areas of the agricultural field, root zones where crop yield of the crop is relatively more sensitive to soil compaction, than at other areas of the agricultural field;
- a position sensor configured to sense a geographic vehicle position and generate a vehicle position signal indicative of the geographic vehicle position of the agricultural mobile machine;
- a worksite impact determination system that identifies, as a compaction impact, an impact of the soil compaction at the agricultural field, on the crop field, based on the compaction stress map, and the root zones;
- and
- a control signal generator that generates a control signal to control a steering system, in near real time, based on the compaction impact, the root zones, and the geographic vehicle position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.