Variable rate agricultural product application implement with multiple inputs and feedback
US6070539A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 15, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jun 6, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 15, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S111/903
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
One or more agricultural products, such as seed, fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide, may be dispensed at each of a plurality of row locations on an agricultural implement toolbar. A local bus connects each local metering device to a local controller at the row location, which may also have actual product application rate and soil characteristic sensors. The local controllers are connected through a system bus to a central processor mounted on the tractor, which is connected to a memory for storing product prescription and actual application maps, and also to a GPS receiver for determining current location in the field. Each local controller controls the agricultural product metering device(s) at the row location as a function of the last commanded rate received from the processor and the actual rate as sensed at the row location. The commanded rate may be derived by the processor as a function of multiple variables as stored in levels of the prescription map, or from a manual override signal from the operator.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.