RU-2861565-C2 - METHOD FOR PLANNING OPTIMISED TILLAGE PROCESS OF FIELD FOR AGRICULTURAL ASSEMBLY AND DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT SUCH METHOD

RU2861565C2RU 2861565 C2RU2861565 C2RU 2861565C2RU-2861565-C2

Abstract

FIELD: agriculture. SUBSTANCE: method for planning an optimised tillage process of a field for an agricultural assembly (4) comprising an agricultural working machine (1) and a tillage agricultural implement (3). Provided is a planning and control device (13) which, by means of an expert model based on field soil data, determines technological recommendations for the tillage process. Field soil data are location-dependent. Provided is a sensor device (6) for determining the absolute working depth (7) of the agricultural implement (3). Sensor device (6) comprises a sensor (8) for determining measurement data relating to the absolute working depth (7) of the implement (3), a sensor holder (9) and a sensor control unit (10). Sensor (8) in a mounted state in a mounting position (11) during the tillage process records measurement data relating to the absolute working depth (7) of the implement (3) and transmits them to the sensor control unit (10). Planning and control device (13) by means of the expert model as a technological recommendation determines, based on the soil data, an optimised absolute working depth (7) of the implement (3) for the tillage process. An assembly control unit (14) sets the determined optimised working depth (7) on the implement (3) for the tillage process. Sensor device (6) enables, using the same sensor (8), determining the working height (15) of various implements (3). Sensor control unit (10) determines, based on the measurement data, the working depth (7) independent of the mounting position, and/or the planning and control device (13) determines the optimised absolute working depth (7) dependent on the mounting position. Planning and control device for an optimised tillage process of a field for an agricultural assembly comprises at least one control unit (10, 14) operatively connected to a memory device. Control unit is configured to receive location-dependent field soil data from at least the sensor device (6) and/or from the memory device, process the data using the expert model, determine technological recommendations for the tillage process, determine an optimised absolute working depth (7) of the agricultural implement (3), and transmit control data to the assembly control unit (14) for setting the optimised working depth (7). EFFECT: simplification of determining optimised settings of machine parameters. 17 cl, 2 dwg

Inventors

BIRKMANN, CHRISTIAN
WIECKHORST, JAN CARSTEN
Pieper, Jona
SCHAUB, CHRISTIAN
EHLERT, CHRISTIAN
Meyer, Lennart

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20220803
Priority Date: 20210810

Claims (17)

1. A method for planning an optimized process of tilling a field soil for an agricultural unit (4), wherein the agricultural unit (4) comprises an agricultural working machine (1) and a tillage agricultural attachment (3), wherein a planning and control device (13) is provided, wherein the planning and control device (13) determines technological recommendations for the tillage process by means of an expert model based on the field soil data, wherein said field soil data are location-dependent, wherein a sensor device (6) is provided for determining the absolute working depth (7) of the agricultural attachment (3), wherein the sensor device (6) comprises a sensor (8) for determining measurement data concerning the absolute working depth (7) of the attachment (3), a sensor holder (9) and a sensor control unit (10), wherein the sensor (8) in the mounted state in the mounting position (11) during the tillage process records measurement data concerning the absolute working depth (7) of the attachment (3) and transmits them to the unit (10) sensor control, wherein the planning and control device (13) determines, on the basis of soil data, an optimized absolute working depth (7) of the mounted implement (3) for the soil processing process by means of an expert model as a technological recommendation, wherein the control unit of the unit (14) sets a certain optimized working depth (7) for the soil processing process on the mounted implement (3), wherein the sensor device (6) ensures the determination of the working height (15) of different mounted implements (3) by means of the same sensor (8), wherein the sensor control unit (10) determines, on the basis of the measurement data, a working depth (7) independent of the mounting position, and/or the planning and control device (13) determines an optimized absolute working depth (7) dependent on the mounting position.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the technological recommendations contain the type of soil cultivation, preferably contain a recommendation on whether the soil cultivation should include cultivation and/or plowing.
3. The method according to paragraph 1 or 2, characterized in that the technological recommendations contain the type of soil cultivation and the soil cultivation parameters, in particular, the working depth.
4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor (8) can be installed with the possibility of disconnecting on the mounted implements (3), wherein the sensor (8) is used to determine the working height (15) of several mounted implements (3) and for this purpose is installed on each mounted implement (3), wherein, preferably, the sensor (8) is installed with the possibility of disconnecting by means of at least one sensor holder (9) in the mounting position (11) on different mounted implements (3), wherein the sensor holder (9) can be installed separately from the sensor (8) on different mounted implements (3), and the sensor (8) can be installed with the possibility of disconnecting on the sensor holder (9).
5. The method according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that the sensor (8) is, in particular, a contactless distance sensor, wherein, preferably, the distance sensor operates on the basis of electromagnetic waves, acoustic waves or mechanical scanning, wherein, preferably, the distance sensor is a radar sensor, a lidar sensor, an optical sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, or the sensor (8), in particular, in the form of a force sensor or a displacement sensor, is mounted on a structural element touching the surface of the soil (12), in particular on a follower bracket, on skids or on a support roller.
6. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the soil data comprises data on the crop rotation of the field, indicating, in particular, current crops and/or previous crops and/or catch crops and/or planned crops, and/or data on the state of the environment, preferably climate data, in particular data on temperature and/or amount of precipitation, and/or data on the type of soil and/or the condition of the soil.
7. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the location-dependent soil data comprises track data, wherein, preferably, the track data includes data on the units (4) used on the tracks, in particular wheel loads and/or tire sizes and/or tire pressures and/or soil conditions during movement.
8. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the location-dependent soil data comprises data of work processes that relate to previous soil cultivation processes and/or to previous agricultural crop cultivation processes, wherein the data of work processes preferably comprises data on the working depth (7) and/or on the mounted implements (3) from previous soil cultivation processes, and/or data on the application of fertilizers, and/or on plant protection measures, and/or on sprinkling during previous agricultural crop cultivation processes.
9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the data of the work processes contain data on the yield of previous harvesting periods, and, preferably, the model is adjusted on the basis of data on the yield of previous work processes, in particular, depending on the field.
10. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the location-dependent soil data comprises environmental data, wherein, preferably, the environmental data comprises soil type data and/or soil condition data, wherein, preferably, the soil type data and/or soil condition data were at least partially determined from soil samples and/or comprise nutrient data.
11. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the location-dependent soil data comprises satellite data of the field, in particular biomass data determined on the basis of satellite data, and/or the location-dependent soil data comprises video data of the field, in particular video data of the field transmitted by drones, wherein, preferably, the video data of the field comprises data on weeds, in particular on weed species.
12. The method according to one of paragraphs 1, 4-11, characterized in that the planning and control device (13) by means of a model takes into account the available agricultural working machines (1) and/or mounted implements (3) when determining the optimized working depth (7), wherein, preferably, the planning and control device (13) by means of a model suggests an agricultural working machine (1) and/or mounted implement (3) for performing the soil cultivation process.
13. The method according to one of paragraphs 1, 4-12, characterized in that the planning and control device (13) determines by means of a model at least one additional optimized setting of the mounted implement (3), in particular depending on the working depth (7), wherein, preferably, said additional optimized setting is the working width of the plough (5).
14. The method according to one of paragraphs 1, 4-13, characterized in that the planning and control device (13) by means of a model offers an optimized selection of one or more sensors (8) and/or types of sensors, and/or mounting positions (11), and/or the number of sensors of the sensor device (6).
15. The method according to one of claims 1, 4-14, characterized in that the soil data were at least partially obtained during previous soil processing processes by means of the same sensor (8) of the sensor device (6), wherein, preferably, the soil data were at least partially obtained during previous soil processing processes by means of the same sensor (8) of the sensor device (6) on different mounted implements (3).
16. The method according to one of paragraphs 1, 4-15, characterized in that the planning and control device (13), when determining the optimized working depth (7), takes into account the target plans of competing goals, wherein, preferably, said target plans contain minimized fuel consumption and/or maximized speed of the soil cultivation process, and/or minimization of costs for the soil cultivation process, and/or maximization of the quality of work performed.
17. A planning and control device for an optimized process of cultivating field soil for an agricultural unit, comprising at least one control unit (10, 14) operatively connected to a memory device, wherein said control unit is configured to receive location-dependent data on the field soil from at least a sensor device (6) and/or from the memory device, process said data using an expert model, determine technological recommendations for the process of cultivating the soil, determine an optimized absolute working depth (7) of an agricultural mounted implement (3) and transmit control data to the unit control unit (14) for setting the optimized working depth (7).

Description

Field of technology to which the invention relates The present invention relates to a method for planning an optimized soil cultivation process according to the preamble of claim 1 of the invention, as well as to a planning and control device according to claim 17 of the invention. State of the art Agricultural machinery, particularly grain harvesters, forage harvesters, and tractors, can be combined with various attachments. These attachments are connected to the agricultural machinery via a coupling. In this case, we are primarily talking about agricultural units consisting of an agricultural machinery and an agricultural attachment. The latter is preferably pulled by the agricultural machinery. Such mounted implements are typically used to perform agricultural work. This primarily involves soil cultivation, particularly plowing or cultivating. A common feature of this type of soil cultivation is that the mounted implements are typically installed at a specific working depth. The success and energy consumption of soil cultivation often depend significantly on this working depth. At the same time, it also depends on various machine parameters of the mounted implement and the agricultural machine. Typically, the working depth is set manually before soil cultivation, depending on the mounted implement. This setting is based on user experience rather than objective criteria. Furthermore, during soil cultivation, the working depth is often not further adjusted. At the same time, it is not taken into account that even the machine parameters of the agricultural implement influence the working depth. For example, the rear tractor lift can lower the plow or change its working depth. These changes are not transparent to the user and often depend on control parameters, particularly insufficient traction, and do not correspond to the soil cultivation process. WO 2019/158454 A1 also discloses a method for adjusting the working depth; however, it concerns a relative working depth, which is determined by the length of the plow cylinders, not relative to the soil surface. Thus, the machine parameters of the agricultural implement remain unaccounted for. This also includes the problem that a field is rarely uniform enough to be optimally cultivated at a single working depth. For example, DE 102019125896 A1 describes a method for determining soil properties. Based on these soil properties, an optimized working depth can, in principle, be calculated for different parts of the field. However, the aforementioned problems of managing or regulating the working depth remain. Using sensor devices to determine absolute working depth is possible in principle, but relatively expensive. Farms often have various agricultural implements, all of which would benefit from determining working height. Working depth is considered a special case of working height. Working depth represents the working height directed into the soil. However, for economic reasons, not all implements can be equipped with a sensor to determine working depth. Therefore, the absolute working depth of soil-cultivating implements is usually not determined in practice. In addition, planning of tillage processes is often carried out manually and is based on the experience of the farmer. Therefore, there is a need to improve the known state of the art in relation to soil cultivation. Disclosure of the essence of the invention The invention is based on the task of expanding and improving known methods in such a way as to create a solution for improved soil cultivation that will reduce the aforementioned disadvantages and make its economical use possible. The stated problem is solved using a method with the features disclosed in paragraph 1 of the invention formula. A key consideration is that the planning and control system can generate technological recommendations for tillage processes. These technological recommendations are determined based on a model, particularly an expert model. Specific technological recommendations can be determined based on location-dependent soil data within the field. Location-dependent soil data is soil data that varies within the field and, depending on the location, provides information appropriately for different positions within the field. In particular, a method is proposed for planning an optimized process of cultivating field soil for an agricultural unit, wherein said agricultural unit comprises an agricultural working machine and a soil-cultivating agricultural attachment, wherein a planning control device is provided, wherein the planning control device, using a model, in particular an expert model, on the basis of data on the field soil, determines technological recommendations for the soil cultivation process, wherein the data on the field soil are location-dependent. In one preferred embodiment, according to claim 2, the process recommendation may relate to the question of which type of soil cultivation should be implemented. The