MEANS FOR CONTROLLING A DRIVEN SOIL WORKING MACHINE ON THE BASIS OF INFORMATION DERIVED FROM A MAP

Abstract: The invention relates to a soil working machine with drivable working members, in particular a rotary harrow provided with soil working members that are drivable about upwardly orientated axes. The soil working machine is provided with means that comprise a control system by means of which the number of revolutions and/or the working depth of the soil working members and/or the driving speed at which the soil working machine is moved forwards during operation are/is regulated automatically on the basis of signals supplied to the control system regarding the condition and/or the composition of the soil to be cultivated.

Description: MEANS FOR CONTROLLING A DRIVEN SOIL WORKING MACHINE ON THE BASIS OF INFORMATION DERIVED FROM A MAP The invention relates to a soil working machine with drivable working members, in particular a rotary harrow provided with soil working members that are drivable about upwardly orientated axes . Such a machine is . known. In case of a rotary harrow the cultivation carried out by this machine is intended for the preparation of a seed-bed. When a large area of a parcel is worked, the composition, the compactness and/or the condition of the soil may vary locally. For example, the soil of a certain area of a parcel may be more compacted than the remaining part of the parcel, or be composed of another type, e.g. have a more clay-like structure, than the rest of the parcel, while a certain area may be more humid or more uneven than the rest of the parcel. As a result thereof it may occur that a uniform cultivation of the soil is not carried out in every place of the parcel, which may eventually result in a poor yield of certain areas. The invention aims at providing a soil working machine enabling the parcel to be cultivated as uniformly as possible. In accordance with the invention this is achieved in that the soil working machine is provided with means that comprise a control system which is adapted to control automatically the number of revolutions and/or the working depth of the soil working members and/or the speed at which the soil working machine is moved forwards during operation on the basis of signals supplied to the control system regarding the condition and/or the composition of the cultivated soil. If, for example, there is supplied a signal to the control system from which signal there can be deduced that the machine is operative in an area where the soil is more compacted than in the rest of the parcel, then, for example, the speed at which the soil working machine is moved forwards during operation is reduced automatically, so that the soil working members cultivate this subarea more intensively. In such a situation the number of revolutions may also be increased, possibly as an alternative, so that the same or a reinforced effect is obtained. It is also possible to increase the working depth so that the soil is loosened to a greater depth. According to an inventive feature, the control system comprises a revolution variator for regulating the number of revolutions of the working members and/or height adjusting means for adjusting the working depth of the soil working members and/or adjusting means with the aid of which the driving speed of the soil working machine can be regulated. According to an inventive feature, one or more soil working members can be provided with a separate revolution variator and/or height adjusting means, which enables an individual adjustment of the soil working members. In this manner it is also possible to cultivate the soil at different degrees of intensity over the working width of the machine . In accordance with again another inventive feature, the means comprise measuring means with the aid of which the condition and/or the composition of the soil can be deter- mined. Therefore the invention also relates to a soil working machine with drivable working members, in particular a rotary harrow with soil working members that are drivable about upwardly orientated shafts, characterized in that the means comprise measuring means with the aid of which the condition and/or the composition of the soil can be determined. In this manner the condition and/or the composition of the soil can be determined on the spot during operation of the machine. According to the invention the measuring means comprise one or more torque sensors by means of which the torque of the working members is measured during operation. The signals supplied by the torque sensors can be used as information for the control system to vary the number of revolutions and/or the working depth and/or the driving speed. It will be obvious that it is possible to provide each of the soil working members with a separate torque sensor, or to provide the machine with one torque sensor for all the soil working members or for groups of soil working members. According to again another inventive feature, the means comprise a processing unit by means of which the signals supplied by the measuring means are processed into a map of the surface cultivated by the soil working machine. This map can e.g. be recorded in a smart card or a floppy or a similar data carrier, which can possibly be taken from the control system by the operator. The information stored therein can e.g. be used for working a parcel with a further agricultural machine. According to a further inventive feature, the processing unit is adapted to divide the map into subareas having an approximately equal soil condition and/or soil composition and/or torque, c.q. an equal resistance, which the soil working machine encounters from the soil during operation. According to another aspect of the invention, the means comprise inputting means with the aid of which a previously produced map of the soil to be cultivated by the soil working machine can be inputted into the control system. The inputting means can be designed e.g. as a disc-drive or a similar inputting device. According to an inventive feature, in this manner the control system can regulate automatically the number of revolutions and/or the working depth of the soil working members and/or the driving speed of the soil working machine on the basis of the information supplied by the inputted map. In accordance with again another aspect of the invention, the means comprise means for determining the position with the aid of which the position of the soil working machine can be determined on the parcel during operation. According to a further inventive feature, the means for determining the position comprise a navigation system, such as DGPS, GPS, Lorean, dead reckoning, etc., or a combination of said systems. The actual position of the soil working machine determined by a navigation system as well as the information from the map regarding the condition and/or the composition of the soil is supplied to the control system which, on the basis thereof, regulates automatically the number of revolutions and/or the working depth of the soil working members and/or the driving speed of the soil working machine. According to again another inventive feature, the means comprise a visual display unit showing the map during operation and the area in which the soil working machine is active. In this manner the driver of the vehicle to which the soil working machine is coupled can determine in which subarea the machine is active. According to an aspect of the invention, the visual display unit is adapted to show the condition and/or the composition of the soil. This can take place e.g. by representing the various subareas in different colours and/or hatchings. It will also be obvious that the means can also be produced and sold separately, i.e. without having been fitted to a soil working machine. Therefore the invention also relates to a control system and/or measuring means and/or a processing unit and/or inputting means and/or means for determining the position and/or a visual display unit that can be used in a soil working machine as described above. The invention further relates to a method of regulating the number of revolutions and/or the working depth of drivable soil working members of a soil working machine and/or the driving speed during operation of the soil working machine, in which method, once the position of the soil working machine on the parcel to be cultivated having been determined, on the basis of a previously produced map of the condition and/or the composition of the soil of the parcel to be cultivated, the number of revolutions and/or the working depth of the soil working members and/or the driving speed of the soil working machine are/is adjusted automatically, in order that an optimal cultivation of the soil by the soil working machine is obtained. The invention further relates to a method of composing a map of a surface cultivated by a soil working machine with driven soil working members, in which method, once the position of the soil working machine having been determined during operation of the soil working machine, signals from measuring means regarding the condition and/or the composition of the soil are supplied to a processing unit which processes these signals together with the actual position of the machine into a map of the cultivated surface.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A soil working machine with drivable working members, in particular a rotary harrow provided with soil working members that are drivable about upwardly orientated axes, characterized in that the soil working machine is provided with means that comprise a control system by means of which the number of revolutions and/or the working depth of the soil working members and/or the driving speed at which the soil working machine is moved forwards during operation are/is regulated automatically on the basis of signals supplied to the control system regarding the condition and/or the composition of the soil to be cultivated. 2. A soil working machine as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the control system comprises a revolution variator for regulating the number of revolutions of the working members and/or height adjusting means for adjusting the working depth of the soil working members and/or adjusting means with the aid of which the driving speed of the soil working machine can be regulated. 3. A soil working machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the means comprise measuring means with the aid of which the condition and/or the composition of the soil can be determined. 4. A soil working machine with drivable working members, in particular a rotary harrow provided with soil working members that are drivable about upwardly orientated axes, characterized in that the means comprise measuring means with the aid of which the condition and/or the composition of the soil can be determined. 5. A soil working machine as claimed in claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the measuring means comprise one or more torque sensors by means of which the torque of the working members is measured during operation. 6. A soil working machine as claimed in any one of claims 3 - 5, characterized in that the means comprise a processing unit by means of which signals supplied by the measuring means are processed into a map of the surface cultivated by the soil working machine. 7. A soil working machine as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the processing unit is adapted to divide the map into subareas having an approximately equal torque, c.q. an equal resistance, which the soil working machine encounters from the soil during operation. 8. A soil working machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means comprise inputting means with the aid of which a previously produced map of the soil to be cultivated by the soil working machine can be inputted into the control system. 9. A soil working machine as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the control system is adapted to regulate automatically the number of revolutions and/or the working depth of the soil working members and/or the driving speed of the soil working machine on the basis of the information supplied by the map. 10. A soil working machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means comprise means for determining the position with the aid of which the position of the soil working machine can be determined during operation. 11. A soil working machine as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the means for determining the position comprise a navigation system, such as e.g. DGPS, GPS, Lorean, dead reckoning, etc., or a combination of said systems. 12. A soil working machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means comprise a visual display unit showing the map and the area in which the soil working machine is active during operation of the soil working machine. 13. A soil working machine as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that the visual display unit is adapted to show differences in the condition and/or the composition of the soil. 14. A control system and/or measuring means and/or a processing unit and/or inputting means and/or means for determining the position and/or a visual display unit that can be used in a soil working machine as claimed in one or more of claims 1 - 13. 15. A method of regulating the number of revolutions and/or the working depth of drivable soil working members of a soil working machine and/or the driving speed during operation of the soil working machine, in which method, once the position of the soil working machine on the parcel to be cultivated having been determined, on the basis of a previously produced map of the condition and/or the composition of the soil of the parcel to be cultivated, the number of revolutions and/or the working depth of the soil working members and/or the driving speed of the soil working machine are/is adjusted automatically, in order that an optimal cultivation of the soil by the soil working machine is obtained. 16. A method of composing a map of a surface cultivated by a soil working machine with driven soil working members, in which method, once the position of the soil working machine having been determined during operation of the soil working machine, signals from measuring means regarding the condition and/or the composition of the soil are supplied to a processing unit which processes these signals together with the actual position of the machine into a map of the cultivated surface.

Inventors: BOM CORNELIS JOHANNES GERARDUS, DE GROEN FRANCISCUS JOHANNES A, VAN DER LELY ALEXANDER, VAN DER LELY OLAF, BOM, CORNELIS, JOHANNES, GERARDUS, DE GROEN, FRANCISCUS, JOHANNES, ADRIANUS, VAN DER LELY, ALEXANDER, VAN DER LELY, OLAF
Applicants: BOM CORNELIS JOHANNES GERARDUS, GROEN FRANCISCUS JOHANNES ADRI, LELY ALEXANDER V D, LELY OLAF V D, MAASLAND NV, BOM, CORNELIS, JOHANNES, GERARDUS, DE GROEN, FRANCISCUS, JOHANNES, ADRIANUS, MAASLAND N.V., VAN DER LELY, ALEXANDER, VAN DER LELY, OLAF
Application year: 1998
Main classification: A01B79
IPC codes: A01B79