Patent Description:
Crop yields are affected by a variety of factors, such as seed placement, soil quality, weather, irrigation, and nutrient applications. Soil quality is affected by the amount of residue left on the surface of the soil at the end of a growing season and after tilling. As used herein, the term "residue" means plant material that is not mixed into soil. Residue may be used to control erosion, moisture in the soil, temperature of the soil, and other properties.

In some fields and with some crops, it is desirable to keep the amount of residue in a given area relatively constant. In other circumstances, it may be desirable to vary the amount of residue in a given area (e.g., based on slope, soil type, water table, etc.). However, the amount of residue can vary based on a number of factors, and it is difficult to correct for different factors without making adjustments to tilling parameters in the field, which is difficult for a farmer to do precisely. <CIT> discloses a method of monitoring yield data during harvest, and improving the monitoring by correlating to planting data.

In accordance with an aspect if the invention, there is provided a method of operating a tillage implement as defined in claim <NUM>. Further optional features of the method according to this aspect of the invention are set out in the claims dependent on claim <NUM>.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage media as defined in claim <NUM>.

The illustrations presented herein are not actual views of any particular harvester, tillage implement, or portion thereof, but are merely idealized representations that are employed to describe example embodiments of the present disclosure. Additionally, elements common between figures may retain the same numerical designation.

As used herein, the terms "comprising," "including," "containing," "characterized by," and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method acts, but also include the more restrictive terms "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" and grammatical equivalents thereof.

<FIG> is a simplified representation of a map <NUM> of a field <NUM>. A combine <NUM> is illustrated working the field <NUM> (i.e., by harvesting crops in the field <NUM>). The field <NUM> is depicted as having a harvested area <NUM> and an unharvested area <NUM>.

As the combine <NUM> traverses the field <NUM> (i.e., harvesting a crop), sensors carried thereon may collect data about the conditions of the field <NUM>. For example, the combine <NUM> may collect data about the amount of crop harvested, the amount of MOG (material other than grain) expelled from the combine <NUM> onto the field <NUM>, or data about the soil conditions, such as water content, color, particle size, etc. The data collected by the combine <NUM> may be correlated to locations on the map <NUM>, such as by matching the collected data to information about a location from a GPS receiver carried by the combine <NUM>. The collected data may be stored after harvesting for use in a subsequent growing season.

<FIG> is a simplified representation of a map <NUM> of the field <NUM>. The map <NUM> may include different areas <NUM>-<NUM> separated by boundaries <NUM>. The areas <NUM>-<NUM> may be defined to have different residue amounts, soil characteristics, topographies, or any other property. The map <NUM> may include any number of areas <NUM>-<NUM> with any selected classifications of properties. The map <NUM> may be generated based on the data collected by the combine <NUM> (<FIG>), and may include operating parameters for a tillage implement to be used to work the field <NUM>. The areas <NUM>-<NUM> may be defined to have different seed varieties or seed populations planted therein.

Generation of maps of fields is described generally in <CIT>; <CIT>; and International Patent Publication <CIT>.

<FIG> illustrates a tractor <NUM> drawing tillage implement <NUM>, which includes a draw bar <NUM> supporting tilling assemblies <NUM>. A computer <NUM>, which may include a central processing unit ("CPU") <NUM>, memory <NUM>, implement controller <NUM>, and graphical user interface ("GUI") (e.g., a touch-screen interface), is typically located in the cab of the tractor <NUM>. A global positioning system ("GPS") receiver <NUM> may be mounted to the tractor <NUM> and connected to communicate with the computer <NUM>. The computer <NUM> may include an implement controller <NUM> configured to communicate with the tilling assemblies <NUM> and/or the GPS receiver <NUM>, such as by wired or wireless communication.

The tilling assemblies <NUM> may be any of a variety of tools, such as those described in <CIT>; <CIT>; and <CIT>.

The CPU <NUM> may use the map <NUM> (<FIG>), which may be stored in the memory <NUM>, to determine an operating parameter of the tillage implement <NUM> at the location of the tillage implement <NUM> within the field <NUM>. The implement controller <NUM> may control the tillage implement <NUM> such that the tilling assemblies <NUM> each work the soil in the field <NUM> at a selected depth at each location within the field <NUM>. The operating parameter may be adjusted as the tillage implement <NUM> traverses the field <NUM> based on the map <NUM> and the location of the tillage implement <NUM> within the field <NUM>. For example, the operating parameter may be adjusted when the tillage implement <NUM> crosses a boundary <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the depth of the tilling assemblies <NUM> may be set by the implement controller <NUM>, though the tilling assemblies <NUM> may not be individually adjusted by the implement controller <NUM>. In such embodiments, contours of the ground may prevent the tilling assemblies <NUM> from all operating at the same depth. In other embodiments, the tilling assemblies <NUM> may be individually adjusted. The tilling assemblies <NUM>, the tillage implement <NUM>, and the tractor <NUM> may have other parameters that may also be adjusted, such as a gang angle, a gang depth, an implement depth, a shank depth, a time delay, a data-filtering parameter, a finishing tool pressure, a finishing tool angle, a hitch draft load, a wheel load, a vehicle speed, etc. The tilling assemblies <NUM> may operate to cut, chop, grind, scrape, or otherwise manipulate the soil and residue as the tractor <NUM> and the tillage implement <NUM> traverse the field. In some embodiments, the tillage implement <NUM> may be configured to collect a portion of the residue. In other embodiments, the tilling assemblies <NUM> may mix a portion of the residue with the soil, such that the residue is under the surface of the ground. The depth of the tilling assemblies <NUM> may affect the amount of the residue that remains on top of the soil (as opposed to mixed into the soil or collected by the tillage implement <NUM>.

The draw bar <NUM> may also carry one or more sensors <NUM> oriented to measure a property of the field <NUM> in which the tractor <NUM> operates. The sensors <NUM> may be configured to measure visible, ultraviolet (UV), and/or infrared (IR) radiation; moisture levels; soil composition; particle size; residue; etc. Each of the sensors <NUM> may be oriented such that they measure the ground behind the tilling assemblies <NUM> in the direction of travel of the tractor <NUM>.

Information from the sensors <NUM> may be transmitted to the computer <NUM>, which may use the information to determine whether the operating parameters indicated on the map <NUM> are adequate to achieve a selected result with respect to the soil conditions after the tillage implement <NUM> works the ground (e.g., a selected amount of residue on the ground surface).

<FIG> is a simplified flow chart illustrating a method <NUM> of working a field, such as the field <NUM> shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. As shown in block <NUM>, a harvester (e.g., the combine <NUM>) collects data correlated to a map a field. The collected data includes information about the yield (e.g., mass of grain harvested) or the MOG (e.g., mass of material processed by the harvester and returned to the field).

In block <NUM>, an operating parameter map (e.g., the map <NUM>) of an operating parameter of a tillage implement is generated. The operating parameter map is correlated to the map of the field and based at least in part on the collected data. The operating parameter map may be generated by a computer associated with the harvester, a computer associated with the tillage implement, or another computer. The harvester may transfer the collected data to a computer associated with the tillage implement, either directly or indirectly, and either before or after generating the operating parameter map. In some embodiments, the operating parameter map may be generated by a computer remote from the field (e.g., a computer on the Internet that receives the collected data from the harvester and transmits the operating parameter map to the tillage implement).

In block <NUM>, the operating parameter of the tillage implement is adjusted as the tillage implement traverses the field based on the operating parameter map and a location of the tillage implement within the field.

In block <NUM>, the tillage implement optionally detects a property of the field after the tillage implement passes. For example, the sensors <NUM> (<FIG>) may detect one or more properties as discussed above. The computer <NUM> may adjust the operating parameter of the tillage implement based on the property detected. That is, the sensors <NUM> may provide feedback to the computer <NUM> to assist the computer <NUM> in adjusting the operating parameter responsive both to actual current field conditions and the operating parameter map generated based on the data collected during harvest. In some embodiments, the tillage implement may capture an image of the field, and may use the captured image to determine the amount of residue on the ground surface. If the amount of residue detected is different than a selected amount, the operating parameter map may be adjusted accordingly (e.g., offset by an amount to correct for the difference and maintain a selected amount of residue). Thus, the sensors <NUM> may assist the computer <NUM> in making fine-tune adjustments to the operating parameter to achieve a selected result.

<FIG> is a simplified flow chart illustrating another method <NUM> of working a field, such as the field <NUM> shown in <FIG> and <FIG>.

In block <NUM>, a variation of an operating parameter of a tillage implement is selected with respect to a position within the field based on information collected by a harvester. Typically, the variation is based on a map of the field (e.g., the map <NUM>), and may be selected by a computer program configured to model operation of the tillage implement.

In block <NUM>, the tillage implement is propelled through the field, such as by dragging the tillage implement behind a tractor or another vehicle. In block <NUM>, the operating parameter of the tillage implement is adjusted based on the selected variation as the tillage implement travels through the field. For example, the operating parameter to be adjusted may be a gang angle, a gang depth, an implement depth, a shank depth, a time delay, a data-filtering parameter, a finishing tool pressure, a finishing tool angle, a hitch draft load, a wheel load, and/or a vehicle speed.

In block <NUM>, a camera carried by the tillage implement may optionally capture an image of the field. The image may be captured at the rear of the tillage implement, and may be an image of the ground surface just after working by the tillage implement. The captured image may depict visible light, ultraviolet radiation, infrared radiation, or any combination thereof. The image may be used to identify residue on the ground surface, such as MOG. For example, a computer associated with the tillage implement may determine an amount of residue on the surface of the field. The computer may then adjust the operating parameter of the tillage implement. In some embodiments, the computer may modify the variation of the operating parameter based on the image (e.g., the computer may apply an offset to the variation based on the map). Though described with respect to capturing an image, the process may be performed with any type of information collected by the tillage implement, including combinations of different types of data (e.g., an image plus a measure of soil moisture).

Still other embodiments involve a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) having processor-executable instructions configured to implement one or more of the techniques presented herein. An example computer-readable medium that may be devised is illustrated in <FIG>, wherein an implementation <NUM> includes a computer-readable storage medium <NUM> (e.g., a flash drive, CD-R, DVD-R, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a platter of a hard disk drive, etc.), on which is computer-readable data <NUM>. This computer-readable data <NUM> in turn includes a set of processor-executable instructions <NUM> configured to operate according to one or more of the principles set forth herein. In some embodiments, the processor-executable instructions <NUM> may be configured to cause the computer <NUM> (<FIG>) to perform operations <NUM> when executed via a processing unit, such as at least some of the example method <NUM> depicted in <FIG> or the method <NUM> depicted in <FIG>. In other embodiments, the processor-executable instructions <NUM> may be configured to implement a system, such as at least some of the example tractor <NUM> and tillage implement <NUM> of <FIG>. Many such computer-readable media may be devised by those of ordinary skill in the art that are configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the techniques presented herein.

The tractor <NUM> and tillage implement <NUM> disclosed herein may be used in conjunction with plowing a field in preparation for planting, or at the end of a growing season. By adjusting tilling parameters, the overall yield of the field may be increased because soil may be tilled such that the properties of the soil are conducive to the crop to be grown in the field. For example, the properties of the soil may be selected to protect the soil from erosion, nutrient loss, and moisture loss.

Claim 1:
A method of operating a tillage implement (<NUM>), the method characterized by:
selecting a variation of an operating parameter of a tillage implement with respect to a position within a field (<NUM>) based on information collected by a harvester (<NUM>) relating to an amount of grain harvested or an amount of material other than grain processed and returned to the field by the harvester;
propelling the tillage implement through the field; and
adjusting the operating parameter of the tillage implement based on the selected variation.