Method and installation for working a plot of land with at least one replenished agricultural robot

1 . A method of working a plot of land by an autonomous and independent agricultural machine or robot, said plot of land comprising an access point or entry and a headland zone, which may or may not surround a main field, formed by one or more headland parts, each of the headland parts associated with one side of the main field, or with an unworked zone of the main field, said method comprising:

prior to progress of the work upon the main field and possibly the headland zone, sub-dividing the main field into elementary work zones, in the form of strips, at least one end of the elementary work zones is bordered by a headland portion and the work zones each of is allocated to the robot to be worked upon by the robot, a size, shape, and surface area of each work zone being based on user selected parameters;

after prior assessment and planning of the work to be carried out on the plot of land in question, programming the robot with instructions and/or control sequences prior to starting the work, and an input supply sequence for the robot, which may occur while working upon the entire plot of land in question;

defining, after the assessment and planning stage, a preferred headland portion specifically intended for input supply and in which a supply station for an input is located, the supply station being configured to move or reposition within the preferred headland portion, the robot heading towards preferred headland portion when a supply instruction is received or generated by the robot; and

arranging and dimensioning the preferred headland portion in such a way that during a supply operation, the supply station and the robot are both located entirely within the preferred headland portion;

automatically executing the work in the work zone by the robot; and

moving the supply station in the preferred headland portion depending on the progress of the work in the plot of land so as to minimize a total of travel of the supply station and travel of the robot towards the supply station,

wherein the preferred headland portion is determined based on the access point or entry to the plot of land; and

wherein the one or the work zones is work on by two robots, and the supply station is moved by the last robot leaving the one of the work zones.

2 . The work method according to claim 1 , further comprising defining the preferred headland portion as corresponding to a headland portion, in a form of a strip of substantially constant width, bordering one side of the main field, or a partial fraction of such a portion.

3 . The work method according to claim 2 , further comprising predefining in the preferred headland portion, in addition to a first initial location for the supply station, at least one second location forming a supply point, based on prior estimates of input consumption.

4 . The work method according to claim 2 , further comprising, after the assessment and planning stage, sub-dividing the main field into at least two main field portions, each main field portion comprising several elementary work zones, in the form of strips, assigning the preferred headland portion for each of the main field portions to be either a separate own preferred headland portion, or a preferred headland portion common to all the main field portions, and in moving the supply station within the common preferred headland portion, or from one separate own preferred headland portion to the next, separate own preferred headland portion, depending on the progress of work in the plot of land in question.

5 . The work method according to claim 1 , further comprising predefining in the preferred headland portion, in addition to a first initial location for the supply station, at least one second location forming a supply point, based on prior estimates of input consumption.

6 . The work method according to claim 1 , further comprising, after the assessment and planning stage, in sub-dividing the main field into at least two main field portions, each main field portion comprising several elementary work zones, in the form of strips, assigning the preferred headland portion for each of the main field portions to be either a separate own preferred headland portion, or a preferred headland portion common to all the main field portions, and moving the supply station within the common preferred headland portion, or from one separate own preferred headland portion to the next, separate own preferred headland portion, depending on the progress of work in the plot of land in question.

7 . The work method according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning of the supply station in the preferred headland portion concerned is modified when the location the supply station occupies temporarily becomes part of a headland segment located at an end of an elementary work zone worked upon by the robot, the headland segment being allocated exclusively to said robot for the duration of its work in the elementary work zone worked upon by the robot.

8 . The work method according to claim 1 , wherein the robot performs a supply operation when a level of the input is insufficient to enable the robot, while working normally, to make a round trip within an elementary work zone the robot must work upon or upon which the robot is currently working.

9 . An agricultural machine combination for the implementation of the automated work method for plots of land according to claim 1 , said combination comprising:

a fleet of at least two mobile robots, equipped with suitable work tools, operating autonomously and independently,

a central common management and control system configured to

assess and plan the work to be carried out on a plot of land in question, and

communicate with said robots in order to transmit at least one of instructions and controls to the robots, and to receive in return at least one of operating and status information from said robots, each robot also being provided with a satellite positioning or tracking device and with measuring means for its input reserves and its autonomy based on its current and estimated future consumption, and

an input supply station, which is mobile, and which is initially positioned on the plot of land in the preferred headland portion predefined by the central common management and control system and in which the input supply station remains located.