METHOD OF OPERATING AN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM FOR FORMING AND / OR WRAPPING A BALE OF CROP AND AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM

Abstract

The present disclosure refers to a method of operating an agricultural system for forming and/or wrapping a bale of crop, the method comprising moving an agricultural apparatus over a field, the agricultural apparatus configured for at least one of forming and wrapping a bale of crop; preparing, by the agricultural apparatus, a bale of crop; observing surroundings in a vicinity of the agricultural apparatus by an observation system (14) while the agricultural apparatus is moving over the field; generating, by the observation system (14), observation data indicating a first bale dropped before to the field being located in the vicinity of the agricultural apparatus; processing the observation data by a data processing unit (15); determining, by the data processing unit (15), the first bale dropped before; and dropping the bale in response to the determining from the baling apparatus to the field. Further, an agricultural system is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of operating an agricultural system for forming and/or wrapping a bale of crop, the method comprising moving an agricultural apparatus over a field, the agricultural apparatus configured for at least one of forming and wrapping a bale of crop; preparing, by the agricultural apparatus, a bale of crop; observing surroundings in a vicinity of the agricultural apparatus by an observation system (14) while the agricultural apparatus is moving over the field; generating, by the observation system (14), observation data indicating a first bale dropped before to the field being located in the vicinity of the agricultural apparatus; processing the observation data by a data processing unit (15); determining, by the data processing unit (15), the first bale dropped before; and dropping the bale in response to the determining from the baling apparatus to the field.

2. Method according to claim 1, further comprising observing the vicinity of the agricultural apparatus by a camera observation system; generating, by the camera observation system, video observation data indicating the first bale dropped before to the field being located in the vicinity of the agricultural apparatus; and processing the observation data by a video data analysis in the data processing unit (15).

3. Method according to claim 1, the dropping further comprising receiving a user input, and dropping the bale in response to the user input.

4. Method according to claim 1, the dropping further comprising receiving bale drop control data, and dropping the bale in response to the bale drop control data.

5. Method according to claim 1, the observation system (14) being carried by at least one of the agricultural apparatus and a tractor connected to the agricultural apparatus.

6. Method according to claim 1, the preparing further comprising picking-up a bale of crop from the field and wrapping the bale with a wrapping material by a wrapping device provided on the agricultural apparatus.

7. Method according to claim 1, the preparing further comprising forming a bale of crop and wrapping the bale by the wrapping device on the baling apparatus

8. Method according to claim 1, further comprising generating, by the observation system (14), observation data indicating a second bale dropped before in the field being located in the vicinity of the agricultural apparatus; processing the observation data by the data processing unit (15); determining, by the data processing unit (15), the second bale dropped before; and dropping the bale in response to the determining both the first and the second bale from the agricultural apparatus in the field.

9. Method according to claim 1, further comprising providing bale preparation data by a bale preparation sensor device, the bale preparation data indicating whether the bale is ready for dropping; preventing further moving of the agricultural apparatus, if the bale is not ready for dropping, in response to the determining the first bale dropped before; dropping the bale to the field in response to the bale preparation data indicating the bale ready being for dropping; and clearing for further moving of the agricultural apparatus.

10. An agricultural system for forming and/or wrapping a bale of crop, comprising a tractor (1); an agricultural apparatus functionally connected to the tractor (1); an observation system (14), configured for observing surroundings in a vicinity of the agricultural apparatus while the agricultural apparatus is moving over a field; and a data processing unit (15); wherein the agricultural system is configured to move the agricultural apparatus over a field; prepare, by the baling apparatus, a bale made from crop for dropping the bale on the field; observe surroundings in the vicinity of the agricultural apparatus by the observation system (14) while the agricultural apparatus is moving over the field; generate, by the observation system (14), observation data indicating a first bale dropped before to the field being located in the vicinity of the agricultural apparatus; process the observation data by the data processing unit (15); determine, by the data processing unit (15), the first bale dropped before; and drop the bale in response to the determining from the agricultural apparatus to the field.

11. The agricultural system according to claim 10, comprising a system controller having a tractor controller and an agricultural apparatus controller, the tractor controller and the agricultural apparatus controller connected to a data bus of the system controller.

12. The agricultural system according to claim 10, wherein the agricultural apparatus is provided as one of a bale forming apparatus, a bale wrapping apparatus, and a combined bale forming and bale wrapping apparatus.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Following, further embodiments are described in detail by referring to figures. In the figures, show:

[0029] FIG. 1 a schematic block diagram representation of an arrangement comprising an observation system in an agricultural system; and

[0030] FIG. 2 a block diagram for a method of operating an agricultural system.

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an agricultural system having a tractor 1 and an implement 2 provided as agricultural apparatus hitched to the tractor 1.

[0032] The agricultural apparatus may be configured to form a bale from crop and wrap the formed bale by the wrapping device on the agricultural apparatus. In such embodiment a combined baler and wrapper may be used. In an alternative embodiment, the agricultural apparatus may be configured to pick up a bale formed before from the field and wrap the bale with a wrapping material by a wrapping device provided on the agricultural apparatus. The bale has been formed by a bale forming apparatus separated from the baling apparatus and provided with at least one bale forming chamber in which the bale is formed from crop.

[0033] FIG. 1 refers to an agricultural system having the implement 2 comprising the agricultural apparatus hitched to the tractor 1. As an alternative, implement 2 may be a self-driving apparatus. In such embodiment the tractor may not be present.

[0034] An agricultural system control network 3 provides for an electronic control system of the agricultural system. The agricultural system control network 3 comprises a tractor control network 4 and an implement control network 5 which, in the embodiment shown, may also be referred to as agricultural system controller. The agricultural system control network 3 is having a data bus 6 to which a user terminal 7, a task controller 8, and a plurality of electronic control units 9 are connected. Each of the electronic control units 9 is assigned to at least one functional element from a plurality of functional elements 10, 11 provided in the tractor 1 and the implement 2, respectively.

[0035] In the tractor 1, the functional elements 10a, 10b may refer, for example, to at least one of a moving control, a speed control, and a steering control for controlling operation and movement of the tractor 1 while moving the tractor 1 with the implement 2 over a field. For example, control signals provided to one or more of the functional elements 10a, 10b may provide for speeding up movement of the tractor 1, preventing the tractor from further moving, and/or re-starting movement of the tractor 1 after a stop.

[0036] Through the data bus 6 electronic data or signals may be transmitted between the components, units, modules or elements connected to the data bus 6. The electronic control system of the agricultural system control network 3 may implement the ISO 11783 standard, preferably the ISO 11783-11 standard.

[0037] The data bus 6 is provided with a plug connector 12 connecting the tractor control network 4 and the implement control network 5. In addition or as an alternative, electronic data may be transmitted by wireless data transmission. The data bus 6 may comprise a wireless data communication channel.

[0038] The user or operator terminal 7 is provided with a terminal display 13 and provides for user control and user display. Further, the user terminal 7 is provided with a processor unit comprising a processor and a memory element connected to the processor. Multiple software applications implemented on the user terminal 7 may be running simultaneously.

[0039] Through the user terminal 7 user input may be received for controlling the functional elements 10a, 10b of the agricultural machine or system. Also, through the terminal display 13 operation information may be displayed to the user.

[0040] An observation system 14 is provided with functional elements 11a, 11b which each, for example, may comprise a camera. The observation system 14 is provided for monitoring the vicinity of the implement 2 and the tractor 1 while the tractor-implement combination is moving over the field. Such monitoring may be performed continuously. For example, the surroundings in the vicinity of the implement 2 are watched by a plurality of cameras provided by different elements 11a, 11b. Observation data are generated by the functional elements 11a, 11b of observation system 14. The observation data are processed in a data processing unit 15 functionality connected to the functional elements 11a, 11b through the electronic control units 9. In an alternative embodiment, the functional elements 11a, 11b be connected directly to the data processing unit 15. The data processing unit 15 may be provided with one or more processors.

[0041] Further, the data processing unit 15 is connected to the functional element 11c configured to release a bale prepared by the agricultural apparatus of the implement 2 in the field.

[0042] Other functional elements 11d, 11e provide for other functions of the implement such as a bale preparation sensor, and a wrapper configured to wrap a bale formed from crop. The bale preparation sensor may be configured to sense signals indicative of a status of preparation of the bale in the process of preparing the bale from crop picked up from the field.

[0043] Specifically, the observation data are processed to determine whether a bale prepared and dropped by the implement 2 before in the field is located in the vicinity of the implement 2 provided with the agricultural apparatus while moving over the field. For example, for observation data-processing video observation data are processed by a digital video data analysis. If such bale is determined by the data processing, the data processing unit 15 may dispatch a bale release signal to at least of the functional elements 11d, 11e for dropping the bale prepared, thereby, releasing the bale in targeted location in the field.

[0044] FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a block diagram with regard to a method of operating an agricultural system.

[0045] In step 20 the implement 2 comprising the agricultural apparatus is moving over the field. While moving over the field the agricultural apparatus is preparing a bale. Such preparation process performed by the agricultural apparatus may comprise forming the bale from crop and wrapping the bale formed by a wrapping material. In an alternative embodiment, a bale prepared by a separated baler before and dropped may be picked up by the agricultural apparatus of the implement 2 for wrapping. Following, in the preparation process, the pre-formed bale picked up is wrapped.

[0046] In step 21, surroundings in the vicinity of the implement 2 and the tractor 1 are observed by the observation system 14 while the implement 2 with the agricultural apparatus is moving over the field. The observation system 14 is provided on the implement 2. In an alternative embodiment, elements or units such as cameras of the observation system may be provided the tractor 1. It may also be foreseen to have the observation system 14 including the data processing unit 15 and the functional elements 11a, 11b provided on the tractor 14, the data processing unit 15 at least being connected to the functional unit 11c configured to release the bale from the implement 2.

[0047] The observation system 14 is generating observation data in step 22. For example, video data may be generated by one or more digital cameras of the observation system 14. The observation data are indicative of a first bale which was dropped or released before in the field. For example, the video data gathered by the observation system 14 show the first bale being located in the vicinity of the agricultural apparatus while the agricultural apparatus is moving over the field.

[0048] In step 23 the observation data are processed by the data processing unit 15 which may be provided in the implement control network 5. In case the observation data are provided with video data, the data processing may comprise a digital video data analysis.

[0049] If the first bale dropped before is determined in the data processing, in a step 24, the bale prepared by the agricultural apparatus of the implement 2 is dropped or released from the agricultural apparatus in the field in step 25.

[0050] The releasing or dropping of the bale may take place in response to one or more further drop parameter. For example, in relation to the location or position determined for the first bale dropped before from the observation data, a time delay and/or a distance may be defined by the further or additional drop parameter to further specify the drop or release location of the bale prepared by the agricultural apparatus.

[0051] The features disclosed in this specification, the figures and/or the claims may be material for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments, taken in isolation or in various combinations thereof.