COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED METHOD FOR APPLYING A PRODUCT ON AN AGRICULTURAL FIELD

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for applying a product on an agricultural field, comprising the steps: receiving a control signal to start an adaptation of a product rate and/or of a frequency during a current application of the product on the agricultural field (S10); continuously determining a current amount of the product in a tank of an application device for applying the product (S20); continuously determining a current position of the application device in a route through the agricultural field (S30); continuously adapting the product rate and/or the frequency based on the current position of the application device in the route through the agricultural field and the current amount of the product in the tank of the application device such that at the end of the route of the application device through the agricultural field a predetermined amount of the product is in the tank (S40).

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for applying a product on an agricultural field, the method comprising: receiving a control signal to start an adaptation of a product rate and/or of a frequency during a current application of the product on the agricultural field (S10); continuously determining a current amount of the product in a tank of an application device for applying the product (S20); continuously determining a current position of the application device in a route through the agricultural field (S30); and continuously adapting the product rate and/or the frequency based on the current position of the application device in the route through the agricultural field and the current amount of the product in the tank of the application device such that at the end of the route of the application device through the agricultural field a predetermined amount of the product is in the tank (S40).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control signal to start the adaptation of the product rate and/or of the frequency is based on a manual input and/or an automatic input, wherein the automatic input is based on an initial length of the route and the current position of the application device in the route through the agricultural field.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein continuously determining the current amount of the product in the tank of the application device is based on at least one sensor configured to measure the amount of the product in the tank and/or continuously determining the current amount of the product in the tank of the application device is based on a calculation, based on an initial amount of the product in the tank of the application device and an amount of the product already applied on the agricultural field.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein continuously determining the current position of the application device in the route through the agricultural field is based on a Global Positioning System of the application device and/or a continuous analysis of a movement speed of the application device on the route through the agricultural field.

5. (canceled)

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein continuously adapting the product rate is further based on an application map of the product for the agricultural field.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein continuously adapting the frequency comprises the step of adapting a triggering threshold value for triggering the application device to apply the product on the agricultural field, in case a sensor signal is used for triggering an application of the product on the agricultural field.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the continuously adapting the product rate and/or the frequency is based on a forecast calculation, which is based on an amount of the product already applied on the route through the agricultural field and the remaining route through the agricultural field.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the route of the application device is laid out through several physically separated field units.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein continuously adapting the product rate and/or the frequency is further based on a predetermined number of tank fillings or on a predetermined total product quantity.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the product is a crop protection product, pesticide, fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, acaricide, molluscicide, nematicide, avicide, piscicide, rodenticide, repellant, bactericide, biocide, safener, plant growth regulator, urease inhibitor, nitrification inhibitor, denitrification inhibitor, fertilizer, seeds and/or water.

12. A system for applying a product on an agricultural field, the system comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive a control signal to start a continuous adaptation of a product rate and/or a frequency during a current application of the product on the agricultural field; a first determining unit configured to continuously determine a current amount of the product in a tank of an application device for applying the product; a second determining unit configured to continuously determine a current position of the application device in a route through the agricultural field; and an adapting unit configured to continuously adapt the product rate and/or the frequency based on the current position of the application device in the route through the agricultural field and the current amount of the product in the tank of the application device such that at the end of the route of the application device through the agricultural field a predetermined amount of the product is in the tank.

13. Use of an application device in a method according to claim 1.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to carry out steps of the method according to claim 1.

15. A control device configured to perform steps of the method according to claim 1.

16. An application device for applying a product on an agricultural field controlled based on instructions provided by a method according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In the following, the present disclosure is described exemplarily with reference to the enclosed figure, in which

[0035] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a method according to the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary distributed system according to the present disclosure for applying a product on an agricultural field; and

[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates a data flow diagram of an example data exchange for providing control data for an application device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

[0038] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a method according to the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following, an exemplary order of the steps according to the present disclosure is explained. However, the provided order is not mandatory, i.e. all or several steps may be performed in a different order or simultaneously.

[0039] The method below can be summarized as follows. The machinery is constantly monitored. Collected information can be product applied per area, position, machinery settings. As soon a start signal, i.e. a control signal to start an adaptation of a product rate and/or of a frequency during a current application of the product on the agricultural field, is received a current amount of a product in a tank of an application device and a current position of the application device in a route through an agricultural field are continuously determined. Based on the current position, a remaining distance along the route is determined. The remaining distance along the route in combination with the working width of the application device corresponds to the untreated area of the agricultural field. Based on the current amount of product in the tank and the distance remaining along the route or the area still to be treated along the route, the product rate and/or frequency of the application device is adapted such that at the end of the route there is a certain amount of the product in the tank. Preferably, based on the amount applied and/or corresponding product rates and/or corresponding frequency so far along the route, the amount still to be applied along the remaining route is estimated. Preferably based on the estimate and the current amount of the product in the tank and the current position, the product rate and/or the frequency are continuously adapted.

[0040] In a first step S10, a control signal to start an adaptation of a product rate and/or of a frequency during a current application of the product on the agricultural field is received by receiving unit. The control signal may be a manual input from a user, e.g. a farmer controlling the agricultural device. The control signal may be an automatic control signal, wherein triggered when a certain length of the route is already treated by the application device, e.g. 0.5 length of the route. The product is in the present case an herbicide for treating weeds. The agricultural field is in the present case a continuous field where corn is grown.

[0041] In step S20, a current amount of the product in a tank of an application device for applying the product is continuously determined by a first determining unit. In the present example, the current amount of the herbicide in the tank of the application device is determined by a fill level sensor applied on the surface of the tank. The application device in the present example is a sprayer mounted on a tractor.

[0042] In step S30, a current position of the application device in a route through the agricultural field is continuously determined by a second determining unit. The route through the agricultural field may describe a predefined path of the agricultural device through the agricultural field and a corresponding length. The position is in the present example determined by a Global Positioning System (i.e. GPS) that is arranged at the application device. Hence, it is possible to determine the remaining length of the route or remaining area to be treated. The route may describe a random path of the agricultural device through the agricultural field. Based on the position it may be determined whether the position is already treated by the application device. Based on the current position and a previous position of the agricultural device further a driving direction of the application device may be determined. Based on the driving direction of the application device a position of the sprayer with its corresponding working width may be determined.

[0043] In step S40, the product rate and/or the frequency are continuously adapted by a adaption unit based on the current position of the application device in the route through the agricultural field and the current amount of the product in the tank of the application device such that at the end of the route of the application device through the agricultural field a predetermined amount of the product is in the tank. In the present example of weed control the fill level sensor detects to high amount of the herbicides in the tank of the agricultural device. Hence the frequency is increased by adapting a triggering threshold value for triggering the application device to apply the herbicide on the agricultural field, wherein a weed detection sensor signal is used for triggering an application of the herbicide on the agricultural field. Further the product rate of the herbicide is increased. Hence, it is possible to reduce the current amount of the tank at the end of the route to a certain amount of the product in the tank, e.g. zero. Due to possible fluctuations in the distribution of weeds over the agricultural field, from a certain remaining distance/length of the route in this example the frequency and the product rate are increased to the maximum values (i.e. a so called flat rate mode respectively higher product rate per area; e.g. in the flat rate mode it is possible to increase the frequency to a continuous output of the product and to a higher or maximum output value) to ensure complete emptying of the tank. The maximum values are predefined values for the herbicide and the corn on the agricultural field (i.e. product rate that leads to a damage of corn and/or soil and/or environment).

[0044] The system illustrated in FIG. 2 shows an exemplary distributed system including an agricultural vehicle/application device 102 (e.g. a tractor for fertilizer spreading), which has been loaded/filled with an agricultural product, e.g. a fertilizer, one or more ground station(s) 110, one or more user device(s) 108, and a cloud environment 100. The application device 102 may be a manned or unmanned vehicle which can be controlled autonomously by onboard computers, remotely by a person or partially remotely e.g. by way of initial operation data. The application device 102 may transmit data signals collected from various onboard sensors and actors mounted to the application device 102. Such data may include current movement data such as current speed, battery or fuel level, position, weather or wind speed, field data including treatment operation data such as treatment type, treatment location or treatment mode, monitoring operation data such as field condition data or location data, and/or operation data, such as initial operation data, updated operation data or current operation data. The application device 102 may directly or indirectly send data signals, such as field data or operation data, to the cloud environment 100, the ground station(s) 110 or other devices/vehicles (not shown). The application device 102 may directly or indirectly receive data signals, such as field data or operation data, from cloud environment 100, the ground station(s) 110 or other agricultural vehicles/devices.

[0045] The cloud environment 100 may facilitate data exchange with and between the application/agricultural device(s)/vehicle(s) 102, the ground control station(s) 110, and/or user device(s) 108. The cloud environment 100 may be a server-based distributed computing environment for storing and computing data on multiple cloud servers accessible over the Internet. The cloud environment 100 may be a distributed ledger network that facilitates a distributed immutable database for transactions performed by the application device 102, one or more ground station(s) 110 or one or more user device(s) 108. Ledger network refers to any data communication network comprising at least two network nodes. The network nodes may be configured to a) request the inclusion of data by way of a data block and/or b) verify the requested inclusion of data to the chain and/or c) receiving chain data. In such a distributed architecture, the application device 102, one or more ground station(s) 110, one or more user device(s) 108 may act as nodes storing transaction data in data blocks and participating in a consensus protocol to verify transactions. If the at least two network nodes are in a chain the ledger network may be referred to as a blockchain network. The ledger network 100 may be composed of a blockchain or cryptographically linked list of data blocks created by the nodes. Each data block may contain one or more transactions relating to field data or operation data. Blockchain refers to a continuously extendable set of data provided in a plurality of interconnected data blocks, wherein each data block may comprise a plurality of transaction data. The transaction data may be signed by the owner of the transaction and the interconnection may be provided by chaining using cryptographic means. Chaining is any mechanism to interconnect two data blocks with each other. For example, at least two blocks may be directly interconnected with each other in the blockchain. A hash-function encryption mechanism may be used to chain data blocks in a blockchain and/or to attach a new data block in an existing blockchain. A block may be identified by its cryptographic hash referencing the hash of the preceding block.

[0046] The application device 102 and the ground control station(s) 103 may share data signals with the user device(s) 108 via the cloud environment 100. Communication channels between the nodes and communication channels, between the nodes and the cloud environment 100 may be established through a wireless communication protocol. A cellular network may be established for the application device 102 to ground station 110, other devices/vehicles to cloud environment 100 or ground station 110 to cloud environment 100 communication. Such cellular network may be based any known network technology such as SM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS/HSPA, LTE technologies using standards like 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G. In a local area of an agricultural field, a wireless local area network (WLAN), e.g. Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), may be established for communication. The cellular network for may be a Flying Ad Hoc Network (FANET). FIG. 3 illustrates one possible data flow diagram of a method for providing control data for an application device for applying a product on an agricultural field. Multiple other embodiments using different parts of the distributed computing environment may be possible and present.

[0047] As a first message, a receiving and determining unit may receive a control signal to start an adaptation of a product rate and/or of a frequency during a current application of the product on the agricultural field. After receiving the start signal, i.e. a control signal to start an adaptation of a product rate and/or of a frequency during a current application of the product on the agricultural field, the receiving and determining unit may continuously determining a current amount of the product in a tank of the application device 102 for applying the product and continuously determining a current position of the application device 102 in a route through the agricultural field. This determined current amount of the product in the tank of the application device and the current position of the application device may then be send, by a second massage, to an adapting unit, which is configured to calculate/estimate a continuous adaption of the product rate and/or the frequency based on the current position of the application device 102 in the route through the agricultural field and the current amount of the product in the tank of the application device in such a ways that at the end of the route of the application device 102 through the agricultural field a predetermined amount of the product is in the tank. As a third message, respective control signals may be provided to a controller device of the application device 102 controlling application means of the application device 102.

[0048] The present disclosure has been described in conjunction with a preferred embodiment as examples as well. However, other variations can be understood and effected by those persons skilled in the art and practicing the claimed invention, from the studies of the drawings, this disclosure and the claims. Notably, in particular, the steps S10 to S40 can be performed in any order, i.e. the present invention is not limited to a specific order of these steps. Moreover, it is also not required that the different steps are performed at a certain place or at one place, i.e. each of the steps may be performed at a different place using different equipment/data processing units. In the claims as well as in the description the word comprising does not exclude other elements or steps and the indefinite article a or an does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in the mutual different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used in an advantageous implementation.

REFERENCE SIGNS

[0049] S10 receiving a control signal to start an adaptation [0050] S20 continuously determining a current amount of the product in a tank [0051] S30 continuously determining a current position of the application device [0052] S40 continuously adapting the product rate and/or the frequency