Farming Data Collection and Exchange System
AssigneeFarmobile, LLC
InventorsJason G. Tatge, Heath Garret Gerlock, Randall Thomas Nuss
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and a process that utilize a passive relay device for farming vehicles and implements, as well as an online server, which together enable capturing, processing and sharing farming operation data generated during combined use of the farming vehicle and farming implement at a farming business. The farming operation data includes detailed information about individual farming operations, including without limitation the type of farming operation, the location of the farming operation, the travel path for the farming operation, as well as operating parameters and operating events occurring while the farming operation is performed.
Claims20
A system for determining and recording a set of operating events and a travel path for a farming vehicle and a farming implement while the farming vehicle and the farming implement are used to perform a farming operation at a farming business, the system comprising:
- (a) a server comprising
- (i) a first data store for storing an electronic farm record for the farming business,
- (ii) a second data store for storing a plurality of implement profiles each defining, for a known farming implement, a known manufacturer code, a known device class, a known version and a known communication protocol,
- (iii) a server microprocessor,
- (iv) a server memory, and
- (v) a parameter extraction program in the server memory;
- and
- (b) a relay device comprising
- (i) a network interface that permits the relay device to communicate with the server,
- (ii) a bus connector that communicatively connects the relay device to a message bus on the farming vehicle or the farming implement, the bus connecter configured to capture message data generated by the farming implement while the farming vehicle and the farming implement are used to perform the farming operation at the farming business,
- (iii) a global positioning receiver to receive position and time signals from space-based satellites during the farming operation,
- (iv) a relay device memory,
- (v) a relay device microprocessor, and
- (vi) a relay device application program in the relay device memory, the relay device application program having program instructions that, when executed by the relay device microprocessor, will cause the relay device microprocessor to transmit the message data and the position and time signals to the server via the network interface;
- (c) wherein the parameter extraction program in the server memory comprises program instructions that, when executed by the server microprocessor, will cause the server microprocessor to automatically
- (i) extract operating parameters from the message data and use the operating parameters to determine that there is a match between the farming implement used to perform the farming operation and the known farming implement corresponding to one of the plurality of implement profiles,
- (ii) use the operating parameters, the position and time signals and the known communication protocol defined by said one of the plurality of implement profiles to determine the set of operating events and the travel path for the farming operation, and
- (iii) record the set of operating events and the travel path for the farming operation in the electronic farm record.
A process for determining and recording on a server a set of operating events and a travel path for a farming vehicle and a farming implement while the farming vehicle and the farming implement are used to perform a farming operation at a farming business, the process comprising the steps of:
- (a) storing on a memory device on the server (i) an electronic farm record for the farming business, (ii) a plurality of implement profiles each defining, for a known farming implement, a known manufacturer code, a known device class, a known version and a known communication protocol, and (iii) a parameter extraction program executable by a microprocessor on the server;
- (b) connecting a relay device to a message bus on the farming vehicle or the farming implement, the relay device comprising a relay device microprocessor, a bus connector to connect the relay device to the message bus, a global positioning receiver to receive and store position and time signals sent from one or more space-based satellites, and a network interface for communication with the server;
- (d) executing an application program on the relay device to cause the relay device microprocessor to (i) read and store message data transmitted over the message bus by the farming implement during the farming operation, (ii) receive and store position and time signals with the global positioning receiver while the farming vehicle and farming implement are used to perform the farming operation, and (iii) transmit the message data and the position and time signals to the server via the network interface;
- and
- (f) executing the parameter extraction program on the server to
- (i) extract operating parameters from the message data,
- (ii) use the operating parameters to determine that there is a match between the farming implement used to perform the farming operation and the known farming implement corresponding to one of the plurality of implement profiles,
- (iii) use the operating parameters, the position and time signals and the known communication protocol defined by said one of the plurality of implement profiles to determine a set of operating events and a travel path for the farming operation, and
- (iv) record the set of operating events and the travel path in the electronic farm record.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.