WO2024103172A1 - Système modulaire pour l'agriculture, véhicules industriels associés et procédés associés - Google Patents

Système modulaire pour l'agriculture, véhicules industriels associés et procédés associés Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024103172A1
WO2024103172A1 PCT/CA2023/051529 CA2023051529W WO2024103172A1 WO 2024103172 A1 WO2024103172 A1 WO 2024103172A1 CA 2023051529 W CA2023051529 W CA 2023051529W WO 2024103172 A1 WO2024103172 A1 WO 2024103172A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
agricultural vehicle
autonomous agricultural
autonomous
tank
implement
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/CA2023/051529
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Peter Pfister
Original Assignee
Ferme Pfister 2018 Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ferme Pfister 2018 Inc. filed Critical Ferme Pfister 2018 Inc.
Publication of WO2024103172A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024103172A1/fr

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01C—PLANTING; SOWING; FERTILISING
    • A01C15/00—Fertiliser distributors
    • A01C15/005—Undercarriages, tanks, hoppers, stirrers specially adapted for seeders or fertiliser distributors
    • A01C15/006—Hoppers
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01B—SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL
    • A01B69/00—Steering of agricultural machines or implements; Guiding agricultural machines or implements on a desired track
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01B—SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL
    • A01B69/00—Steering of agricultural machines or implements; Guiding agricultural machines or implements on a desired track
    • A01B69/007—Steering or guiding of agricultural vehicles, e.g. steering of the tractor to keep the plough in the furrow
    • A01B69/008—Steering or guiding of agricultural vehicles, e.g. steering of the tractor to keep the plough in the furrow automatic
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01C—PLANTING; SOWING; FERTILISING
    • A01C23/00—Distributing devices specially adapted for liquid manure or other fertilising liquid, including ammonia, e.g. transport tanks or sprinkling wagons
    • A01C23/008—Tanks, chassis or related parts
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/60—Intended control result
    • G05D1/648—Performing a task within a working area or space, e.g. cleaning

Definitions

  • the technical field generally relates to industrial vehicles for agricultural applications. More particularly, the technical field relates to a modular system for agriculture, related industrial vehicles, as well as associated methods.
  • Automatization of industrial processes may be desirable in some context. For instance, technical fields facing labor shortage or involving repetitive tasks may benefit from automatized solutions.
  • a nonlimitative example of technical fields dealing with these challenges is agriculture. Providing automatized solutions in agriculture may not only help in addressing the challenges listed above, but it may also lead to more efficient process, for example by reducing the time required to perform some tasks and/or by increasing the precision of some of the actions that should be taken in a field.
  • the present description generally relates to a modular system for agriculture, related industrial vehicles and methods.
  • an autonomous agricultural vehicle which includes a frame extending between a front end and a rear end and a steering mechanism for controlling a displacement (e.g., a direction) of the autonomous agricultural vehicle.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle includes a bulk tank mounted on the frame, between the front end and the rear end.
  • the bulk tank is configured to contain a bulk material or any other load (e.g., power generator for laser or any other task with high electricity consumption, natural gas tank, and the like).
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle includes an agricultural implement mounted to the front end or the rear end of the frame.
  • the bulk tank is configured to dispense the bulk material, which may circulate through the agricultural implement.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle includes a bulk tank sensor located under the bulk tank. The bulk tank sensor is configured to monitor a weight of the bulk tank as the agricultural implement dispenses the bulk material.
  • the steering mechanism includes a vision module adapted to obtain an image, a collection of images or a video of a portion of a field located below the autonomous agricultural vehicle, and a controller configured to change a trajectory of the autonomous agricultural vehicle.
  • the vision module includes a plurality of downwardly oriented detectors.
  • the vision module includes a plurality of peripheral detectors.
  • the detectors are optical detectors.
  • the vision module includes at least one emitter.
  • the detectors are ultrasonic detectors.
  • the detectors are radar detectors.
  • the vision module is configured to detect an unexpected event on a trajectory of the autonomous agricultural vehicle, and upon detection of the unexpected event, produce a warning signal and send the same to the controller, thereby causing an interruption of the displacement of the autonomous agricultural vehicle.
  • the controller is configured to produce a user notification when the warning signal is produced.
  • the agricultural implement is a distributor, a dispenser, a planting-seeding implement, an application implement, a weed management implement, or a light-tillage implement.
  • the bulk tank is in communication with the agricultural implement through a circuit, the circuit including at least one of tube(s), valve(s), actuator(s), sensor(s) and pump(s).
  • the bulk tank sensor is a weight sensor.
  • the weight sensor includes at least one pillar-shaped weight sensors, and preferably three pillar-shaped weight sensors.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle further includes a locking mechanism mechanically engageable with the bulk tank and an abutment structure configured to mechanically contact the bulk tank.
  • the locking mechanism includes a biasing element engageable with the abutment structure and the bulk tank.
  • the locking mechanism is a three-point locking mechanism.
  • the locking mechanism comprises at least one quickrelease attachment.
  • said at least one quick-release attachment is a spring- loaded attachment.
  • the bulk tank has an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion having an upwardly oriented truncated pyramidal shape and the lower portion having a downwardly oriented truncated pyramidal shape.
  • the upper portion and/or the lower portion may have a conical shape or a truncated conical shape.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle further includes an implement sensor configured to automatically determine which agricultural implement is mounted to the frame.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle includes two portions and a rotating mechanism linking the two portions together, the rotating mechanism allowing a relative rotation between the two portions of the autonomous agricultural vehicle.
  • the relative rotation is made in at least one of a plane substantially parallel to a surface of the field, a plane substantially perpendicular to the surface of the field, and a plane forming any angles with a surface of a field.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle further includes a position-tracking module to determine a geographical location of the autonomous agricultural vehicle.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle further includes a downforce sensor operatively connected to the agricultural implement.
  • an agricultural implement for removing weeds present in a field including one or more depth wheels, each depth wheel having a plurality of teeth or chains disposed along a respective circumference, wherein the teeth are configured to capture and pull, destroy and/or damage the weeds as the depth wheels roll over the terrain.
  • the weeding unit(s) may have a plurality of blades.
  • the weeder wheels are arranged in spaced-apart rows.
  • each row is separated by at least one dispenser operatively connected to the bulk tank.
  • each row includes intercalated weeder wheels.
  • the depth wheels are spring loaded or operatively connected to a depth-control mechanism.
  • the wheels are coaxially aligned one with each other.
  • an automatic filling station for the autonomous agricultural vehicle as described herein, wherein the automatic filling station includes an opened structure configured for allowing a passage of the autonomous agricultural therethrough, at least one reservoir containing the bulk material, and a dispensing mechanism operatively connected to said at least one reservoir.
  • an automatic filling station for the autonomous agricultural vehicle as described herein, wherein the automatic filling station comprises a tank-lifting mechanism configured for lifting a bulk tank from the autonomous vehicle and mounting thereto another bulk tank.
  • the present description also relates to industrial vehicles for agricultural applications, and more specifically to industrial vehicles configured for spreading manure over a field in agricultural applications.
  • an autonomous agricultural vehicle including: a frame extending between a front end and a rear end; a steering mechanism for controlling a displacement of the autonomous agricultural vehicle; a manure tank mounted on the frame, between the front end and the rear end, the manure tank being configured to contain manure; a manure dispenser in fluid communication with the manure tank, the manure dispenser being configured to spread the manure during the displacement of the autonomous agricultural vehicle.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle of further includes a manure tank sensor located under the manure tank, the manure tank sensor being configured to monitor a weight of the manure tank as the manure dispenser dispenses the manure.
  • the manure is liquid.
  • the manure is solid.
  • the steering mechanism includes: a vision module adapted to obtain an image, a collection of images or a video of a portion of a field located below the autonomous agricultural vehicle; and a controller configured to adjust or maintain a trajectory of the autonomous agricultural vehicle.
  • the vision module includes a plurality of downwardly oriented detectors.
  • the vision module includes a plurality of peripheral detectors.
  • the detectors are optical, lidar, ultrasonics and/or radar detectors.
  • the vision module includes at least one emitter.
  • the vision module is configured to: detect an unexpected event on a trajectory of the autonomous agricultural vehicle; and upon detection of the unexpected event, produce a warning signal and send the same to the controller, thereby causing an interruption of the displacement of the autonomous agricultural vehicle.
  • the controller is configured to produce a user notification when the warning signal is produced.
  • the manure tank is in communication with the dispenser through a circuit, the circuit including at least one of tube(s), valve(s), actuator(s), sensor(s) and pump(s).
  • the manure tank sensor is a weight sensor.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle further includes a locking mechanism mechanically engageable with the manure tank and an abutment structure configured to mechanically contact the manure tank.
  • the locking mechanism includes a biasing element engageable with the abutment structure and the manure tank.
  • the locking mechanism is a three-point locking mechanism.
  • the locking mechanism includes at least one quick-release attachment.
  • said at least one quick-release attachment is a spring- loaded attachment.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle further includes a position-tracking module to determine a geographical location of the autonomous agricultural vehicle.
  • Figure 1 is a front view of an autonomous agricultural vehicle in an automatic filing station, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • Figure 2 is a rear view of an autonomous agricultural vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • Figures 3A-B respectively illustrate an embodiment of a downforce sensor and an embodiment of an implement sensor.
  • Figure 4 is a front view of an autonomous agricultural vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • Figure 5 is a left view of an autonomous agricultural vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • Figure 6 is a top view of an autonomous agricultural vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • Figure 7 illustrates a portion of a weeder implement, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • FIG. 8 to 14 illustrates different views of a weeder implement, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • Figure 15 shows a self-propelled autonomous manure spreader, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • Figure 16 shows a self-propelled autonomous manure spreader, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • Figure 17 shows a self-propelled autonomous manure spreader, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • Figure 18 shows a self-propelled autonomous manure spreader, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • Figure 19 shows a self-propelled autonomous manure spreader, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • Figure 20 shows a self-propelled autonomous manure spreader, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • connection refers to any connection, coupling or engagement, either direct or indirect, between two or more elements.
  • the connection, coupling or engagement between the elements may be mechanical, physical, operational, electrical or a combination thereof.
  • autonomous vehicle is intended to encompass not only fully autonomous vehicle but also any other types of assisted or partially assisted autonomous vehicles.
  • the agricultural vehicles according to the present techniques may require no human supervision, optional human supervision, or only a limited amount of human supervision when operated in a field or during other agricultural operations such as, for example and without being limitative, manure spreading.
  • the term “field” is herein used to refer to a region of land where trees, plants, crops and the like usually grow.
  • soil is herein used for qualifying the underground area beneath the surface of the field, which may include the surface or a portion thereof.
  • the expressions “trees”, “plants”, “crops”, synonyms, and derivatives thereof may encompass a broad variety of organisms and should not be considered limitative.
  • Nonlimitative examples of trees, plants or crops may include seedlings, ornamental crops, ornamental plants, plugs, liners, fruits, small fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, herbs, young plants, high-value crops, perennial plants, annual plants, biennial plants, grain, grass, cereal, and many others.
  • the trees, plants or crops may be produced for human food, non-human food, or non-food applications. Of course, these examples are nonlimitative and serve an illustrative purpose only.
  • the present description generally relates to industrial vehicles for agricultural applications, and more specifically to a modular system and associated methods for such industrial vehicles for agricultural applications, including maintenance operations in a field.
  • an autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 In accordance with one aspect, and with reference to Figures 1 to 14, there is provided an autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 is said to be “modular” or to include a “modular system”, “modules” and/or “modular components”, as it will be described in greater detail below.
  • modularity synonyms and derivatives thereof refer to the capacity of interchanging, mounting, unmounting, combining, and recombining different components or modules to the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 includes a frame 32 (sometimes referred to as a “chassis”) and steerable wheel(s) and/or track(s) mechanically attached to the frame.
  • the frame 32 extends between a front end 34 and a rear end 36.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 may include one, two, three, four, or even more wheels, at least one of them being steerable.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 may include one, two, three, four, or even more tracks, at least one of them being steerable.
  • the agricultural vehicle 30 may include wheel(s) and track(s).
  • the wheel(s), track(s) and any combinations thereof are configured and adapted to orient the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 during its operation, i.e., the wheel(s), track(s) or combinations thereof collectively allow maintaining, changing or controlling a trajectory to be followed by the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 when in operation.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 includes a steering mechanism 38 for controlling a displacement of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • the steering mechanism 38 includes a vision module and a controller.
  • the vision module may include one or more detectors (collectively referred to as “the detectors”).
  • the detectors are adapted to capture an image, a collection of images or a video of a region surrounding the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • the vision module may include a plurality of downwardly oriented detectors to image a portion of the field located below the autonomous agricultural vehicle.
  • Other detectors may be provided along an outer periphery of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 to image and identify potential obstacles on the trajectory followed by the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30, or in a region peripheral to the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • the detectors are optical detectors.
  • the detectors are cameras. In some embodiments, the detectors may be based on LIDAR technologies, ultrasonic and/or radar detectors. In some embodiments, the detectors may include physical touch detectors and/or bump detectors.
  • the vision module may further include or be optically coupled with an emitter configured to generate light or electromagnetic signal ranging, which may facilitate or improve the detection made by the detectors, for example by providing background illumination or supplementing the illumination when needed (e.g., poor illumination conditions of the field).
  • the controller is operatively connected to the vision module and the steerable wheel(s) or track(s). The controller gathers absolute geographic position coordinates from space-based services such as, for example and without being limitative, GNSS, Galileo or enhanced terrestrial localization techniques, such as GNSS RTK.
  • the vision module When the vision module detects an unexpected event on a trajectory of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30, the vision module produces a warning signal and sends the same to the controller, thereby causing an interruption of the displacement of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • unexpected event include, but are not limited to a hole, a fallen tree, an animal, a human, or any other objects that blocks the displacement of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 along its expected trajectory.
  • the controller may be provided with or connected to a storage device, which may be embodied by a physical memory or a server.
  • the storage device is configured to store and update information about the field on which the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 is operating.
  • the information may be a list of properties of the field such as size, dimension, presence of slope(s), presence of water stream(s), presence of buildings, and the like.
  • the storage device may also be configured to record the trajectory of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 and/or collect a plurality of trajectories having been followed by the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30. Such a collection of the trajectories may be useful for identifying an optimal path or a most optimal path to be followed by the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 in the future.
  • the storage device may include a database associating a geographical position of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 with past, present and future coordinates of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 in the field.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 includes at least one agricultural implement 40, the agricultural implement 40 being mounted to the front end 34 or the rear end 34 of the chassis or frame 32. In the illustrated embodiments, only one side has a 3-point hitch.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 may be bidirectional in case the agricultural implement 40 needs to switch sides.
  • the agricultural implement 40 is configured to dispense a bulk material. Nonlimitative of agricultural implements includes a distributor or a dispenser, which may be adapted for applying liquids, solids, seeds, fertilizers, the like, or any combinations thereof.
  • the agricultural implement 40 may also be embodied by a plantingseeding implement, an application implement, a weed management implement, or a light-tillage implement.
  • the agricultural implement 40 may also be adapted to control the distribution of the liquids, solids, seeds and/or fertilizers.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 includes a bulk tank 42.
  • the bulk tank 42 defines an enclosed volume adapted to hold or store liquids, solids, seeds, fertilizers, other compounds or materials useful in agriculture, or any combinations thereof, collectively referred to as the bulk material.
  • the bulk tank 42 is in communication with the agricultural implement 40 through an appropriate circuit, which may include, for example and without being limitative tube(s), valve(s), actuator(s), sensor(s), pump(s) and the like.
  • the circuit may be a fluidic circuit when the product to be dispensed in the field is liquid or contains a liquid.
  • the circuit may otherwise be a mechanical circuit when the product to be dispensed in the field is solid or contains a solid.
  • the bulk tank 42 is mounted or attached to the frame 32 or the chassis of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30, instead of the agricultural implement 40.
  • the bulk tank 42 is positioned between the front end 34 and the rear end 36 of the frame 32. This positioning or localization of the bulk tank 42 allows for a better weight distribution across the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • the overall weight of the bulk tank 42 will vary or decrease as the volume of the contents of the bulk tank 42 varies or decreases.
  • the positioning of the bulk tank 42 between the front end 34 and the rear end 36 is such that it is closer to the center of mass of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30, which reduces the amount of force being applied near the periphery, the front end 34, and the rear end 36 of the frame 32, and thereby reduces or limits tip-over hazards, which are traditionally caused by the variable weight of traditional bulk tanks and its effect on the weight distribution of traditional agricultural vehicles, as the bulk material is dispensed.
  • the content of the bulk tank 42 makes up a large portion of the overall weight of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30, and having the bulk tank 42 mounted on the frame or chassis (between the front end 34 and the rear end 36) allows mitigating the potential negative effects of this dynamic load near the front end 34 or the rear end 36 of the frame 32.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 may include two bulk tanks, one being attached or mounted near the front end 34 of the frame 32 or chassis, and another one being attached or mounted near the rear end 36 of the frame 32 or chassis.
  • the bulk tank 42 may include an additional power generating module.
  • the bulk tank 42 has a volume accommodating up to eight- hour long seeding and/or planting process. In some embodiments, the volume of the bulk tank 42 is about 2 000 liters or more. In some embodiments, the weight of bulk tank 42 may be about 1 500 kg. In some embodiments, two bulk tanks may be mounted near the front end 34 or near the back end 36, and one of the two bulk tanks may be stacked on top of another one of the two bulk tanks.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 includes a bulk tank sensor 44 configured to detect the presence or absence of the bulk tank 42 on the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • the bulk tank sensor 44 is also configured to monitor a weight of the bulk tank 42 as the agricultural implement 40 dispenses the bulk material.
  • the bulk tank sensor 44 may be configured to automatically detect or semi-automatically determine at least one property of the bulk tank 42 being mounted to the chassis or frame 32 of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • the bulk tank sensor 44 may determine the weight, the model, the size, the dimensions, the configuration and/or the content of the bulk tank 42.
  • the bulk tank sensor 44 includes weight sensors.
  • the weight sensors may be provided as pillars configured to detect weight variations of the bulk tank 42.
  • the bulk tanks sensor 44 may automatically calibrate application rates for volumetrically dispensed bulk.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 includes three pillar-shaped weight sensors 46.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 includes a downforce sensor 48 operatively connected to the agricultural implement 40.
  • the downforce sensor 48 may be embodied by a combination of sensors, actuators, and a feedback loop.
  • the sensors and/or the actuators may include electronic component(s), mechanical component(s), optical component(s), pneumatical component(s) and any combinations thereof.
  • the feedback loop may be operatively connected to the downforce sensor 48, the bulk tank sensor 44, the implement 40 and/or the bulk tank 42.
  • the bulk tank 42 may be provided as a module, which may be mounted and unmounted from the chassis or frame 32 of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 when needed.
  • the module may be constructed with standardized dimensions which may provide the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 with greater flexibility, adaptability, and variety in use. The standardized dimensions of the modules may also facilitate their relative alignment or their interchangeability.
  • the module may be attached, mounted or secured to the frame 32 or chassis of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 using a locking mechanism.
  • the locking mechanism is mechanically engageable with the module and an abutment structure provided on the chassis and configured to mechanically contact the module.
  • the locking mechanism can include a biasing element engageable with the abutment structure and the module.
  • the biasing element can be configured or adapted to apply a force on the abutment structure and/or the module to align the abutment structure and the module, with respect with the frame 32 or chassis of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • the locking mechanism is a three-point locking mechanism.
  • the locking mechanism comprises at least one quickrelease attachment.
  • the at least one quick-release attachment is a spring-loaded attachment.
  • the bulk tank 42 has an upper portion and a lower portion.
  • the upper portion and the lower has a different shape.
  • the upper portion has an upwardly oriented truncated pyramidal shape
  • the lower portion has a downwardly oriented truncated pyramidal shape.
  • the shape of the upper and lower portions may allow evenly spreading the content of the bulk tank 42, which may in turn facilitate its spreading on the field.
  • This configuration of the bulk tank 42 also avoids the need for a human to manually spread the bulk material or component within the bulk tank 42.
  • the configuration of the bulk tank 42 may also allow automatically filling the bulk tank 42 with the bulk component or material without any human input.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 includes an implement sensor 50.
  • the implement sensor 50 is mounted near or to the implement support and is configured to automatically determine which agricultural implement 40 is mounted to the implement support.
  • the implement sensor 50 may include or be operatively connected to a storage device adapted to store information about the agricultural implement 40, as well as calibration data.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 is powered using at least one battery.
  • the battery typically has a lifetime of about eight hours.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 includes two portions 52,54 and a rotating mechanism 56 linking the two portions together.
  • Each portion 52,54 may be associated with dedicated wheel(s) or track(s).
  • the rotating mechanism 56 allows a relative rotation between the two portions 52,54 of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 (e.g., a front portion and a rear portion).
  • the relative rotation can be made in a plane substantially parallel to a surface of the field, in a plane substantially perpendicular to the surface of the field, or in a plane forming any angles with the surface of the field.
  • the freedoms of movement associated with the relative rotation between the two portions 52,54 of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 allow compensating a position of the agricultural implement 40 with respect to the surface of the field, which may be required when the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 is operated on uneven surfaces, such as a slope, or any other irregularities present in the field, as it is often the case.
  • one or more degrees of freedom may be locked, in order to limit a movement of one of the two portions 52,54 one with respect to the other.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 may include a position-tracking module.
  • the position-tracking module may be useful to determine a geographical location of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • the positiontracking module may be operatively connected to the steering mechanism 38 (or component(s) thereof), and may be configured to determine, control and/or adjust the trajectory of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30, based on the geographical data obtained or produced by the position-tracking module.
  • an agricultural implement 58 for removing weeds present in a field.
  • the agricultural implement 58 will herein be referred to as the “weeder implement 58”.
  • the weeder implement 58 may include one or more weeder or depth wheels 60 having a plurality of teeth 62 (chains) disposed along a circumference of each wheel 60. As the depth wheels 60 roll over the weeds, the weeds are captured and damaged by the teeth/chains 62.
  • the depth wheels 60 may be provided in spaced-apart rows. In some embodiments, each row is separated by a dispenser 64 operatively connected to the bulk tank 42. This configuration of the weeder implement 58 allows simultaneously removing the weeds and seeding.
  • each row includes intercalated weeder wheels, i.e., two subsequent wheels are offset one with respect to the other in a direction parallel to the surface of the field.
  • the depth wheels 60 are spring loaded or operatively connected to a depth-control mechanism. In some embodiments, the wheels 60 are coaxially aligned one with each other.
  • an automatic filling station 66 for the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 herein described.
  • the automatic filling station 66 includes an opened structure configured for allowing a passage of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 therethrough.
  • the automatic filling station 66 includes or is operatively connected to at least one reservoir containing a bulk material.
  • the automatic filling station 66 includes or is operatively connected to a plurality of reservoirs, each being filled with a different bulk material.
  • the automatic filling station 66 includes a dispensing mechanism operatively connected to the reservoir(s).
  • an automatic filling station 66 for the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 as herein described.
  • the automatic filling station 66 includes a tank-lifting mechanism 68 configured for lifting a bulk tank 42 from the autonomous vehicle 30 and mounting thereto another bulk tank 42.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 When the bulk tank 42 of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 is empty or near empty, a signal is sent to the steering system 38, and the autonomous agricultural vehicle30 moves towards one of the automatic filling stations 66 having been herein described in response thereto.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30 positions itself under or near the dispensing mechanism and remains there until the bulk tank 42 is filled to the expected level.
  • the detection of the amount of material present in the bulk tank 42 may be achieved with the bulk tank sensor 44 provided under the bulk tank 42.
  • the automatic filling station 66 may be adapted to automatically change the bulk tank 42 and/or the agricultural implement 40 mounted to the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • the automatic filling station 66 is equipped with robotized components, such as robotic arms and the like to remove the bulk tank 42 and/or the agricultural implement 40 from the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30, and then mount another bulk tank 42 and/or agricultural implement 40 on the autonomous agricultural vehicle 30.
  • different types of bulk tanks may be provided in the automatic filling station 66, such as, for example and without being limitative, seed tank, fertilizer tank, dry material tank, solution tank, and the like (e.g., power generating unit).
  • the bulk tank 42 may be a single tank or a split tank. Self-propelled autonomous manure spreader implementations
  • the present description also relates to industrial vehicles configured for spreading manure over a field in agricultural applications.
  • an autonomous agricultural vehicle which will be described with reference to Figures 15 to 20, each illustrating an embodiment of the autonomous agricultural vehicle, respectively labeled 130, 230, 330, 430, 530 et 630.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle will be described with reference to Figures 15 to 20, each illustrating an embodiment of the autonomous agricultural vehicle, respectively labeled 130, 230, 330, 430, 530 et 630.
  • the 130.230.330.430.560.630 includes a frame extending between a front end and a rear end, and a steering mechanism for controlling a displacement of the autonomous agricultural vehicle, similar to what has been previously described.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 130,230,330,430,560,630 also includes a manure tank 70 mounted on the frame, between the front end and the rear end, the manure tank 70 being configured to contain manure.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 130,230,330, 430,560,630 also includes a manure dispenser 72 (sometimes simply referred to as “a dispenser”) in fluid communication with the manure tank 70.
  • the dispenser 72 is configured to spread the manure during the displacement of the autonomous agricultural vehicle 130,230,330, 430,560,630.
  • the autonomous agricultural vehicle 130,230,330, is the autonomous agricultural vehicle 130,230,330,
  • 430.560.630 further includes a manure tank sensor 74 located under the manure tank 70, the manure tank sensor 74 being configured to monitor a weight of the manure tank 70 as the dispenser 72 dispenses the manure.
  • the manure is liquid. In some embodiments, the manure is solid.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Soil Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
  • Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
  • Guiding Agricultural Machines (AREA)

Abstract

Un véhicule agricole autonome comprenant un châssis s'étendant entre une extrémité avant et une extrémité arrière, et un mécanisme de direction pour commander un déplacement du véhicule agricole autonome sont prévus. Le véhicule se déplace de façon autonome sur un trajet dans une zone définie par l'utilisateur sur la base de coordonnées géographiques absolues. Le véhicule comprend un réservoir de vrac monté sur le châssis, entre l'extrémité avant et l'extrémité arrière. Le réservoir de vrac est conçu pour contenir un matériau en vrac. Le véhicule comprend un outil agricole monté sur l'extrémité avant ou l'extrémité arrière du châssis. L'outil est conçu pour distribuer le matériau en vrac. Le véhicule comprend un capteur de réservoir de vrac situé sous le réservoir. Le capteur est conçu pour surveiller un poids du réservoir lorsque l'outil distribue le matériau.
PCT/CA2023/051529 2022-11-15 2023-11-15 Système modulaire pour l'agriculture, véhicules industriels associés et procédés associés WO2024103172A1 (fr)

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WO2017205406A1 (fr) * 2016-05-24 2017-11-30 Cnh Industrial America Llc Chariot à grains autonome dimensionné pour se loger derrière un connecteur
US20180338405A1 (en) * 2017-05-26 2018-11-29 Deere & Company Autonomous or remote-controlled vehicle platform for spraying
WO2019014779A1 (fr) * 2017-07-21 2019-01-24 Morris Industries Ltd. Système agricole autonome
US20210037691A1 (en) * 2018-04-05 2021-02-11 Horsch Maschinen Gmbh Autonomous agricultural carrier vehicle
WO2022161904A1 (fr) * 2021-01-26 2022-08-04 Horsch Maschinen Gmbh Véhicule porteur agricole autonome, et combinaison de machines agricoles autonomes

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20150105965A1 (en) * 2013-10-14 2015-04-16 Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. Autonomous systems, methods, and apparatus for ag based operations
WO2017205406A1 (fr) * 2016-05-24 2017-11-30 Cnh Industrial America Llc Chariot à grains autonome dimensionné pour se loger derrière un connecteur
US20180338405A1 (en) * 2017-05-26 2018-11-29 Deere & Company Autonomous or remote-controlled vehicle platform for spraying
WO2019014779A1 (fr) * 2017-07-21 2019-01-24 Morris Industries Ltd. Système agricole autonome
US20210037691A1 (en) * 2018-04-05 2021-02-11 Horsch Maschinen Gmbh Autonomous agricultural carrier vehicle
WO2022161904A1 (fr) * 2021-01-26 2022-08-04 Horsch Maschinen Gmbh Véhicule porteur agricole autonome, et combinaison de machines agricoles autonomes

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