# US 12,757,813 B2 · Map based farming for windrower operation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,757,813 B2 - Document ID: US12757813B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/051,335 - Filed: 2022-10-31 - Published: 2024-05-02 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2022-10-31 - Assignees: Deere & Company - Applicants: Deere & Company - Inventors: Benjamin M. Lovett; Darin L. Roth; Nathan R. Vandike - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12757813B2 ## CPC - A01B 79/005: {Precision agriculture} - A01C 21/005: {Following a specific plan, e.g. pattern} - A01D 41/127: Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines - A01D 41/1278: {for automatic steering} - A01B 69/008: {automatic} - A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21) - A01C: PLANTING; SOWING; FERTILISING (parts, details or accessories of agricultural machines or implements, in general A01B51/00 - A01B75/00) - A01D: HARVESTING; MOWING ## Abstract One or more information maps are obtained by an agricultural system. The one or more information maps map one or more characteristic values at different geographic locations in a worksite. One or more in-situ sensors detect values of one or more characteristics and generate sensor data indicative of windrow shape quality or dry down as a mobile machine operates at the worksite. A predictive map generator generates a predictive map that maps predictive windrow shape quality values or predictive dry down values at different geographic locations in the worksite based on a relationship between the values in the one or more information maps and the windrow shape quality value indicated by the in-situ sensors or the dry down value indicated by the in-situ sensors. The predictive map can be output and used in automated machine control. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An agricultural windrowing system comprising: a communication system configured to receive an information map that includes values of a characteristic corresponding to a plurality of different geographic locations in a worksite; a geographic position sensor configured to detect a geographic location of a mobile windrowing machine; one or more in-situ sensors configured to detect a value of each additional characteristic of one or more additional characteristics corresponding to a geographic area, the one or more additional characteristics including at least one characteristic of the mobile windrowing machine; one or more processors; and memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: generate, during a current operation of the mobile windrowing machine on the worksite, a functional predictive windrow shape quality map of the worksite that maps a plurality of predictive values of windrow shape quality to the plurality of different geographic locations in the worksite, wherein each predictive value, of the plurality of predictive values of windrow shape quality, is mapped to a respective geographic location, of the plurality of different geographic locations, ahead of the mobile windrowing machine relative to a route of the mobile windrowing machine in the current operation, and is based on: the value of the characteristic in the information map corresponding to the respective geographic location in the worksite, and the value of each additional characteristic of the one or more additional characteristics detected by the one or more in-situ sensors corresponding to the geographic area; and control the mobile windrowing machine based on the functional predictive windrow shape quality map. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to control the mobile windrowing machine by controlling at least one of: a merger subsystem of the mobile windrowing machine, a propulsion subsystem of the mobile windrowing machine, or a conditioner actuator of the mobile windrowing machine. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to control the mobile windrowing machine by controlling a cutter actuator of the mobile windrowing machine. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to control the mobile windrowing machine by controlling at least one of: a forming shield actuator of the mobile windrowing machine; or a swath flap actuator of the mobile windrowing machine. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: generate a value of windrow shape quality corresponding to the geographic area based on the value of each additional characteristic of the one or more additional characteristics corresponding to the geographic area; and generate a predictive windrow shape quality model indicative of a relationship between values of the characteristic in the information map and values of windrow shape quality based on the value of windrow shape quality corresponding to the geographic area and a value of the characteristic in the information map corresponding to the geographic area; and generate the functional predictive windrow shape quality map based on the predictive windrow shape quality model and based on the values of the characteristic in the information map at the different geographic locations in the worksite. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 1, wherein the information map comprises one of: a topographic map that maps, as the values of the characteristic, topographic characteristic values to the different geographic locations in the worksite; a vegetative index map that maps, as the values of the characteristic, vegetative index values to the different geographic locations in the worksite; a crop genotype map that maps, as the values of the characteristic, crop genotype values to the different geographic locations in the worksite; a soil type map that maps, as the values of the characteristic, soil type values to the different geographic locations in the worksite; a soil moisture map that maps, as the values of the characteristic, soil moisture values to the different geographic locations in the worksite; a soil nutrient map that maps, as the values of the characteristic, soil nutrient values to the different geographic locations in the worksite; or an optical map that maps, as the values of the characteristic, optical characteristic values to the different geographic locations in the worksite. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic of the agricultural windrowing machine comprises at least one of: (i) a force used to drive a cutting component of a header of the agricultural windrowing machine; (ii) a speed of a merger belt of the header of the agricultural windrowing machine; (iii) a position of the merger belt of the header of the agricultural windrowing machine; (iv) a force used to drive a component of the header of the agricultural windrowing machine, the component different than the cutting component; (v) an orientation of the agricultural windrowing machine; and (vi) a height of the cutting component of the header of the agricultural windrowing machine; and wherein the one or more additional characteristics further include one or more of: windrow width; windrow height; windrow density; cut quality; and conditioning quality. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: obtain follow-on machine and operation data representing operational characteristics of one or more follow-on machines, different than the mobile windrowing machine, configured to perform a windrow processing operation on the windrow formed by the mobile windrowing machine; and control the mobile windrowing machine to form a windrow based on the functional predictive windrow shape quality map and the follow-on machine and operation data. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 1, wherein the geographic location of the mobile windrowing machine comprises a first geographic location at a current operation of the mobile windrowing machine, the one or more in-situ sensors detect the value of each additional characteristic, of the one or more additional characteristics, during the current operation of the mobile windrowing machine at the first geographic location, the plurality of different geographic locations comprises a second geographic location in the worksite, and the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to control the mobile windrowing machine at the second geographic location based on the predictive value of windrow shape quality mapped to the second geographic location in the functional predictive windrow shape quality map. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 1, wherein at least one in-situ sensor, of the one or more in-situ sensors, is configured to detect at least one characteristic of a windrow formed on the worksite by the mobile windrowing machine during the current operation, wherein each predictive value, of the plurality of predictive values of windrow shape quality, is based on the detected at least one characteristic of the windrow. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 10, wherein the detected at least one characteristic of the windrow comprises at least one of windrow width, windrow height, or windrow density. ### Claim 12 A computer implemented method of controlling a mobile windrowing machine, the computer implemented method comprising: receiving an information map that maps values of a first characteristic to a plurality of different geographic locations in a worksite; detecting, with a first in-situ sensor, a value of a second characteristic corresponding to a geographic area; generating, during a current operation of the mobile windrowing machine on the worksite, a functional predictive dry down map of the worksite that maps a plurality of predictive dry down values to the plurality of different geographic locations in the worksite, wherein each predictive dry down value, of the plurality of predictive dry down values, is mapped to a respective geographic location, of the plurality of different geographic locations, ahead of the mobile windrowing machine relative to a route of the mobile windrowing machine in the current operation, generated prior to the mobile windrowing machine reaching the respective geographic location during the current operation, and based on: the value of the first characteristic in the information map at the respective geographic location in the worksite, and the value of the second characteristic detected by the first in-situ sensor corresponding to the geographic area; and controlling the mobile windrowing machine based on the functional predictive dry down map. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The computer implemented method of claim 12, controlling the mobile windrowing machine comprises one or more of: controlling an actuator to control a position of a component of the mobile windrowing machine; and controlling an actuator to control a speed or direction of movement of a component of the mobile windrowing machine. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The computer implemented method of claim 12 and further comprising obtaining follow-on machine and operation data representing operational characteristics of one or more follow-on machines, different than the mobile windrowing machine, configured to perform a windrow processing operation on the windrow formed by the mobile windrowing machine, and wherein controlling the mobile windrowing machine comprises controlling the mobile windrowing machine to form a windrow based on the functional predictive dry down map and the follow-on machine and operation data. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The computer implemented method of claim 12 and further comprising: generating, with a processing system, a dry down value corresponding to the geographic area based on the value of the second characteristic detected by the first in-situ sensor corresponding to the geographic area and based on a value of a third characteristic detected by a second in-situ sensor corresponding to the geographic area; and generating a predictive dry down model indicative of a relationship between values of the first characteristic and dry down values based on the generated dry down value corresponding to the geographic area and a value of the first characteristic in the information map corresponding to the geographic area; and wherein generating the functional predictive dry down map comprises generating the functional predictive dry down map based on the values of the first characteristic in the information map at the different geographic locations and the predictive dry down model. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein the second characteristic comprises one of: cut height; windrow width; windrow height; windrow density; machine orientation; cut quality; merger belt speed; merger belt position; conditioning quality; mass flow; or rotary material flow. ### Claim 17 An agricultural windrowing system comprising: a communication system configured to receive an information map that maps values of a characteristic to a plurality of different geographic locations in a worksite; one or more in-situ sensors configured to detect a value of at least one characteristic of a windrow formed on the worksite by an agricultural windrowing machine during a current operation of the agricultural windrowing machine on the worksite; one or more processors; and memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: generate a predictive model indicative of a relationship between the characteristic and dry down or windrow shape quality based on the value of the at least one characteristic of the windrow formed on the worksite by the agricultural windrowing machine detected by the one or more in-situ sensors, and a value of the characteristic in the information map; generate a functional predictive map of the worksite that maps a plurality of predictive values of dry down or windrow shape quality to the plurality of different geographic locations in the worksite, wherein each predictive value, of the plurality of predictive values, is mapped to a respective geographic location, of the plurality of different geographic locations, and is based on the value of the characteristic in the information map corresponding to the respective geographic location and based on the predictive model; and control the agricultural windrowing machine based on the functional predictive map. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 17, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to control the agricultural windowing machine by controlling one or more of: an actuator to control a position of a component of the agricultural windrowing machine; an actuator to control a speed of movement of a component of the agricultural windrowing machine; and an actuator to control a direction of movement of a component of the agricultural windrowing machine. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 17, wherein the one or more in-situ sensors are configured to detect a value of at least one characteristic corresponding to the agricultural windrowing machine comprising at least one of: (i) a force used to drive a cutting component of a header of the agricultural windrowing machine; (ii) a speed of a merger belt of the header of the agricultural windrowing machine; (iii) a position of the merger belt of the header of the agricultural windrowing machine; (iv) a force used to drive a component of the header of the agricultural windrowing machine, the component different than the cutting component; (v) an orientation of the agricultural windrowing machine; and (vi) a height of the cutting component of the header of the agricultural windrowing machine, and wherein the at least one characteristic of the windrow comprises one or more of: windrow width; windrow height; windrow density; cut quality; and conditioning quality. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The agricultural windrowing system of claim 19, wherein the characteristic comprises one of vegetative index, a topographic characteristic, genotype, soil type, soil moisture, soil nutrient, or an optical characteristic.