Abstract:
A geographic unit control method including the steps of positioning ground equipment, evaluating an effect, and denying execution of an operation. Ground engaging equipment is positioned proximate to the geographic unit. An evaluation of an effect to the geographic unit, an other geographic unit adjacent to the geographic unit, a crop growing in the geographic unit and/or a future crop to be grown in the geographic unit if the ground engaging equipment performs an operation in the geographic unit. Execution of the operation is denied if the effect of the operation is not authorized.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for determining the suitability to enter a worksite, and, more particularly to a method and apparatus for determining suitability to enter a worksite and perform an operation beneficial to the worksite.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The cost of food borne contamination is a concern and knowledge as to when and how the contamination was introduced can lead to improvements that prevent the contamination or allow early detection and remediation of the contamination. There are many places along the food chain where contamination can enter, thereby disrupting the purity of the food chain. The field in which the food is grown is the first opportunity for the introduction of a contamination into the food chain. Contamination can be transferred from field to field by water, wind and machinery and other methods accidental or malicious. The contamination being considered may be natural, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. The contamination may also be manmade such as pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals.  
         [0003]     Significant gains have been made in recent years in food traceability in the food chain; the traceability typically starts at the pallet or bin level where the food is stored. Traceability does not prevent contamination, it only facilitates the recalls of products that have been determined to be contaminated and provides a method for tracing back the contaminated foodstuff to provide records for the determination of where the contamination was introduced into the food chain.  
         [0004]     What is needed in the art is a method and apparatus to prevent the contamination from occurring.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention includes a method that controls entry into a field to prevent contamination thereto.  
         [0006]     The invention comprises, in one form thereof, a geographic unit control method including the steps of positioning ground equipment, evaluating an effect, and denying execution of an operation. Ground engaging equipment is positioned proximate to the geographic unit. An evaluation of an effect to the geographic unit, an other geographic unit adjacent to the geographic unit, a crop growing in the geographic unit and/or a future crop to be grown in the geographic unit if the ground engaging equipment performs an operation in the geographic unit. Execution of the operation is denied if the effect of the operation is not authorized. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  is a schematical representation of an embodiment of a system to control the access to agricultural fields of the present invention; and  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  depicts an embodiment of a method of the present invention used to control the apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is illustrated a geographical unit control system  10 , which may also be an agricultural control system  10  that is illustrated relative to a fresh produce field  12  and an adjacent field  14 . A water source such as irrigation water  16  may flow past the property and may be a source of contamination. A road  18  provides a transportation route for agricultural ground engaging equipment  20  to access entry points  22  and  24  of fields  14  and  12 . Barriers  26  and  28  are under control of processor  36 , which may be hardwired or wirelessly linked with control mechanisms associated with barriers  26  and  28 .  
         [0010]     Fields  12  and  14  are geographical units  12  and  14 , which may be thought of as locations for which entry is controlled by the method of the present invention. For purposes of clarity and to promote understanding of the invention an agricultural system is featured in this description. However, the control of geographical units for other purposes is also contemplated. For example, control of —a landfill operation, an area having hazards therein, a worksite, a woodlot, a mining operation, a disaster area and an explosively mined area.  
         [0011]     An operator of ground engaging equipment  20  approaches entry point  24  of field  12 . The identity of ground engaging equipment  20  is determined by an information interface  30  or  32  depending on the location of equipment  20  in either entry point  22  or  24 , respectively. Information obtained by data gathering device  32  includes the identity of equipment  20 , which for purposes of illustration includes a tractor and a towed piece of equipment. The identity of both the tractor and the towed agricultural equipment is communicated to processor  36  for evaluation. Information about field  12  may be additionally obtained by way of a field information node  34  positioned within field  12 .  
         [0012]     Processor  36  interfaces with a control system for barrier  28  and with information interface  32 . A receiver/transmitter  38  provides wireless communication with barrier  26 , information interface  30  and agricultural equipment  20 . Data is stored in data storage  40 , which may be local with processor  36  or stored in a database that is communicatively linked with processor  36 . Processor  36  may additionally have connections with predictive sources, such as future weather conditions and the contents and flow rates of water  16 .  
         [0013]     While the present invention is directed to the case of preventing human illness caused by contaminated produce in the food chain, it is also applicable to the transfer of plant diseases from fields that have had tilling, spraying and harvesting equipment therein. The present invention is also applicable to preventing livestock illnesses from being transferred from feedlots or buildings to other animal locations or to places of manure distribution. Additionally, tree and turf type diseases that may be transferred between logging and mowing sites are also contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention. The effects considered include the impact not only to field  12  but the impact upon an adjacent field  14  by a proposed operation on field  12 . Additionally, effect upon the water  16  or the effect on field  12  by the interaction of water  16  with the proposed operation are also considered by elements of method  100  to determine whether equipment  20  should be allowed to enter into field  12 .  
         [0014]     One embodiment of the method for the present invention includes method  100 , which includes the steps of approaching entry  24  by equipment  20 . As equipment  20  approaches entry  24 , at step  102 , an identification step  104  is carried out by the identifying of equipment  20  by way of information interface  32 . The identification of equipment  20  may take place by way of a radio frequency identification tag on both the tractor and the towed apparatus. Another manner in which identification of equipment  20  may be carried out is by way of a global positioning system that interacts with receiver transmitter  38  to report the position and vehicle identification of equipment  20 . Alternatively, an operator may initiate manual entry of an access code on information interface  32 . Data accessed by processor  36  is used to determine the previous locations of equipment  20  to determine if equipment  20  has visited another field in which there is a known contamination by disease or chemicals. Further, processor  36  has access to information to determine whether equipment  20  has been through a decontamination procedure or if field  12  has a contamination similar to a field previously visited by equipment  20  such that no new contamination would result by entry into field  12 .  
         [0015]     At step  106 , the purpose of agricultural equipment  20  in field  12  is determined by the identification of equipment  20  as well as information as to any chemicals being carried by equipment  20  for the proposed operation in field  12 .  
         [0016]     Several agricultural operations require a certification or license to perform that operation. At step  108 , the operator of equipment  20  is authenticated by identifying the operator and determining whether the operator has been properly certified to perform the proposed operation to field  12 . The operator identification and authentication can be done by way of cross-referencing records contained in data  40 . The identification step may be by way of a biometric identification system that occurs by way of information interface  32 .  
         [0017]     Evaluation of the impact of entry is determined at step  110  by evaluating the proposed operation to be performed by equipment  20  upon field  12 . For example, if harvest is to occur in field  12  at a specific point in time and the proposed operation is a spraying operation the evaluation would include the effect of the chemical upon the delivered grain if harvested at the proposed period of time. If the spraying would be within the predetermined time then authorization for entry into the field will be denied. Further, if field  12  is contaminated and equipment  20  has been scheduled to enter other fields which are not contaminated, processor  36  may deny entry and suggest to the operator, by way of interface  32 , to proceed to a field that is not contaminated and to return to field  12  when the non-contaminated fields have been processed. The evaluation process includes a “safe to enter” determinant that the farm equipment may enter and perform the operation as well as a “safe to harvest” determination, which may include insitu field and weather data that may be from field information node  34  or other predictive sources apart from field  12 . Such information includes soil type, topography, rainfall, temperature, irrigation water amounts and sources as well as external field and weather data to determine whether it is appropriate to harvest the crop in field  12 . The records kept in data  40  of field operations in field  12  and adjacent field  14 , and an evaluation of the impact upon field  12  of the execution of the proposed operation proceeds is analyzed by method  100 . Additionally, visual surveillance records for the entry of animals and people into field  12  may require further evaluation of the contamination or potential contamination of a field  12 . Cross references to the prior use of chemicals in field  12  have been applied or otherwise brought into a field during a manufacture specified or regulated period between the last application/exposure and harvest is also considered. Further determinations may also be made to evaluate the impact of weather, which may cause chemical drift from an adjacent field  14  into field  12 . If a problem in field  12  does exist the identified reason may lead to the generation of a remediation plan for field  12 , which may include waiting to harvest the field until a mandated waiting period has past after the application of a chemical. Further, scouting and/or laboratory analysis may be conducted to determine if cross-field contamination has occurred. Further, the harvested produced may be diverted from a fresh produce market to a processed market where a processing step may eliminate the biological and/or chemical agents from the harvested material. If this diversion is done, information may be automatically transferred from data  40  to track the product as it is eventually utilized for food or other purposes.  
         [0018]     Once the evaluation of the impact of entry into field  12  is completed a determination is made at step  112  as to whether entry is to be authorized into field  12 . If entry is authorized then barrier  28  is removed at step  114 . Alternatively if entry is not authorized, at step  116 , then barrier  28  is retained in position and the reason for the denial of entry is provided to the operator on information interface  32 , at step  118 . Although barrier  28  has been illustrated as a method of preventing entry, other methods are also possible such as using a geofencing technique, which would cause agricultural equipment  20  to become immobilized upon entry into field  12 . This can be accomplished by tracking the position of equipment  20  using a GPS method and using that information to disrupt the function of equipment  20  if it crosses a boundary of field  12 . Prior to the disruption of equipment  20  a warning would be issued to the operator that this was about to occur if the operator continued to enter field  12 .  
         [0019]     Information is recorded at step  120  which includes the time the operator spent in field  12 , the operation that was undertaken, information from field information node  34  during the time of the performance of the operation by equipment  20 . Other sensory information from field information node  34  may include weather conditions during the application and other observable information about the application. The recorded data is then available to evaluate performance of agricultural equipment  20  and becomes logged with the information being available for a subsequent entry of equipment  20  into another field.  
         [0020]     Having described the preferred embodiment, it will become apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.