System and method for agriculture using a seed tape
AssigneeCNH Industrial America LLC
InventorsStephen M. Faivre, Pinakin Desai, Nate Taylor, Kevin Monk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides an ability to determine a position of a growing plant in a field such that automated or semi-automated means can be deployed more effectively to provide plant maintenance processes during a natural crop cycle. A control system for an agricultural implement may detect detectable elements dispersed between seeds of a seed tape. The control system may determine at least one of a weed zone and a plant zone and may actuate a ground engaging device accordingly.
Claims20
A system for an agricultural implement for use with a seed tape including a plurality of agricultural seeds and a plurality of detectable elements dispersed between the seeds, the system comprising:
- a ground engaging device;
- an electronic sensor for sensing a physical location of a first detectable element of the plurality of detectable elements of the seed tape and providing a resulting detection signal;
- a data structure storing a separation distance between at least one of seeds of the seed tape and detectable elements of the seed tape and storing a predetermined plant dimension for a seed of the seed tape;
- and
- a controller in communication with the electronic sensor and the data structure, wherein the controller is configured to determine at least one of a weed zone between seeds and a plant zone for a seed based on receiving the detection signal for the first detectable element and reading the separation distance and the predetermined plant dimension from the data structure, and
- wherein the controller is configured to actuate the ground engaging device in the at least one of a weed zone and a plant zone.
A system for use with a seed tape including a plurality of agricultural seeds and a plurality of detectable elements dispersed between the seeds, the system comprising:
- a dispenser for an agricultural product;
- an electronic sensor for sensing a physical location of a first detectable element of the plurality of detectable elements of the seed tape and providing a resulting detection signal;
- a data structure storing a separation distance between at least one of seeds of the seed tape and detectable elements of the seed tape and storing a predetermined plant dimension for a seed of the seed tape;
- and
- a controller in communication with the dispenser, the electronic sensor and the data structure, wherein the controller is operable configured to determine at least one of a weed zone between seeds and a plant zone for a seed based on receiving the detection signal for the first detectable element and reading the separation distance and the predetermined plant dimension from the data structure, and
- wherein the controller is configured to dispense via the dispenser the agricultural product in the at least one of a weed zone and a plant zone.
A method for agriculture using a seed tape including a plurality of agriculture seeds and a plurality of detectable elements, the method comprising:
- (a) sensing a physical location of a first detectable element of the plurality of detectable elements of the seed tape and providing a resulting detection signal;
- (b) storing in a data structure a separation distance between at least one of seeds of the seed tape and detectable elements of the seed tape and storing a predetermined plant dimension for a seed of the seed tape;
- (c) determining at least one of a weed zone between seeds and a plant zone from a seed based on receiving the detection signal for the first detectable element and reading the separation distance and the predetermined plant dimension from the data structure;
- and
- (d) actuating a ground engaging device in the at least one of a weed zone and a plant zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.