Agricultural trench depth sensing systems, methods, and apparatus

A method of controlling a mobile agricultural machine comprising:

• sensing a plurality of different characteristics of a furrow opened by a furrow opener mounted to a row unit on the mobile agricultural machine, with a furrow sensing system while the furrow is open and while the furrow sensing system travels outside of the furrow, wherein sensing comprises capturing an image of the furrow, opened by the furrow opener mounted to the row unit on the mobile agricultural machine, while the furrow is open, the image indicative of the plurality of different characteristics of the furrow;
• determining a furrow quality metric, indicative of an overall quality of the furrow, based on the plurality of different characteristics of the furrow sensed by the furrow sensing system;
• and
• generating an action signal to control an action of the mobile agricultural machine based on the determined furrow quality metric.

A mobile agricultural machine comprising:

• a furrow opener configured to engage a surface of ground over which the mobile agricultural machine travels to open a furrow in the ground;
• a furrow sensor system comprising an imaging system configured to capture an image of the furrow opened by the furrow opener while the furrow is open, the image indicative of different characteristics relative to the furrow opened by the furrow opener and to generate a sensor signal indicative of the plurality of different characteristics;
• and
• a control system configured to determine a furrow quality metric, indicative of an overall quality of the furrow, based on the sensor signal indicative of the plurality of different characteristics relative to the furrow and to generate, based on the furrow quality metric, an action signal to control an action of the mobile agricultural machine.

A method of controlling a mobile agricultural machine comprising:

• sensing, with a furrow sensing system, a plurality of different characteristics of a furrow, opened by a furrow opener mounted to a row unit on the mobile agricultural;
• machine while the furrow is open, wherein sensing the plurality of different characteristics of the furrow opened by the mobile agricultural machine comprises:
• capturing an image of the furrow opened by the mobile agricultural machine while the furrow is open, the image of the furrow indicative of the plurality of different characteristics of the furrow;
• generating, with the furrow sensor system, a sensor signal indicative of the plurality of different characteristics sensed by the furrow sensing system;
• determining a furrow quality metric, indicative of an overall quality of the furrow, based on the sensor signal indicative of the plurality of different characteristics of the furrow;
• and
• generating an action signal to control the mobile agricultural machine based on the determined furrow quality metric.