Autonomous or remote-controlled vehicle platform for planting

1. A vehicle platform comprising:

a central body;

a plurality of adjustable legs extending downward from the central body, each adjustable leg having a corresponding leg actuator to adjust a respective vertical height of each adjustable leg, each adjustable leg supports the central body;

a plurality of planting row units supported by or suspended from the central body; each planting row unit comprising an opener for opening the soil, a seed tube with a seed outlet for planting seed in the opened soil or furrow, and a closer for closing or covering seed with soil; the planting row unit comprising a bin for holding seed, the bin coupled to a seed metering unit for controlling a rate of seed provided to the seed outlet associated with the opener;

a pivotable arm assembly coupled between the central body and a support beam, wherein the planting row units are secured to the support beam; and

an arm actuator, the arm actuator arranged to control a transverse position of the support beam and the planting row units with respect to a reference point on the central body, such that each of the planting row units may be aligned with a set of target positions for a row of seeds or plants.

2. The vehicle platform according to claim 1 wherein the pivotable arm assembly comprises:

a first arm; and

a second arm, the first arm spaced apart and generally parallel to the second arm, the first arm and the second arm each having a primary pivot point about a generally vertical axis closer to the central body than to the support beam, the first arm and the second arm each having a secondary pivot point about a generally vertical axis closer to the support beam than to the central body.

3. The vehicle platform according to claim 2 wherein the first arm, the second arm, and the support beam form three sides of a substantially trapezoidal structure, such as a substantially parallelogram structure, and wherein a fourth side of the trapezoidal structure is optionally formed by a bracket that extends downward from the central body.

4. The vehicle platform according to claim 1 further comprising:

a tracked wheel for each of the adjustable legs that is independently drivable or rotatable by a drive unit, the drive unit comprising an electric motor or a hydraulic motor to differentially steer or change a heading of the vehicle platform.

5. The vehicle platform according to claim 1 wherein each one of the adjustable legs terminates in a tracked wheel, the tracked wheel having an adjustable footprint or a track contact area in contact with the ground.

6. The vehicle platform according to claim 5 wherein the tracked wheel comprises:

an outer belt or linked chains that forms a track or tread that can move or turn the vehicle with respect to the ground;

a drive wheel associated with a rotational energy source, such as an electric motor or hydraulic motor, the drive wheel engaging with an inner surface of the outer belt;

a pair of idler wheels for engaging the inner surface of the belt and for rotating with the belt;

a lower support for supporting the idler wheels, where the idler wheels are rotatable with respect to the lower support;

an upper hub for supporting the drive wheel, the drive wheel rotatable with respect to the upper hub;

an idler actuator extending between the lower support and the upper hub to adjust the tread area or longitudinal dimension of the tread in contact with the ground; and

tensioner wheels pivotably mounted to the upper hub for rotation about a pivot point in a generally horizontal axis, the tensioner wheels resiliently biased to maintain a target tension on the outer belt against the drive wheel, the idler wheels and the tensioner wheels.

7. The vehicle platform according to claim 6 further comprising a resilient member, a spring or an adjustable torsion bar for the target tension on the outer belt.

8. The vehicle platform according to claim 5 further comprising:

a data processor adapted to dynamically adjust the track contact area in contact with the ground in response to observed vehicle ground speed with respect to a threshold speed and an observed yaw rate change with respect to a threshold yaw rate change.

9. The vehicle platform according to claim 8 wherein the data processor is adapted to reduce or minimize the track contact area in contact with the ground for a time period if the observed vehicle ground speed is greater or equal to a velocity threshold, if the observed yaw rate change is greater than or equal to the yaw rate change threshold, and if a current track contact area is not minimized.

10. The vehicle platform according to claim 9 wherein the time period of the minimized track contact area is limited to a time period until the yaw rate change is less than the yaw rate change threshold.

11. The vehicle platform according to claim 1 wherein:

each one of the adjustable legs has a cross section selected from a substantially circular cross section, a substantially elliptical cross section, a substantially rectangular cross section, or a substantially polygonal cross section, and each one of the adjustable legs is hollow and has an actuator located coaxially within the corresponding adjustable leg, wherein the actuator is a hydraulic actuator or a linear motor.

12. The vehicle platform according to claim 1 further comprising:

a data processor adapted to adjust a height of the adjustable legs such that a horizontal plane of the body is level, with respect to the ground, based on sensor data from a motion sensor, an accelerometer, a set of accelerometers, a gyroscope, an inertial measurement unit, or an inertial measurement unit associated with a location-determining receiver.

13. The vehicle platform according to claim 1 wherein the opener comprises a planting disc.

14. A vehicle platform comprising:

a central body;

a plurality of adjustable legs extending downward from the central body, each adjustable leg having a corresponding leg actuator to adjust a respective vertical height of each adjustable leg, each adjustable leg supports the central body;

a plurality of planting row units supported by or suspended from the central body; each planting row unit comprising an opener for opening the soil, a seed tube with a seed outlet for planting seed in the opened soil or furrow, and a closer for closing or covering seed with soil; and

wherein the central body has a first side and a second side spaced apart from the first side by a fixed known distance, wherein a first location-determining receiver is associated with the first side and wherein a second location determining receiver is associated with the second side, the first location-determining receiver, alone or together with second location determining receiver configured to determine a position or angular orientation in a horizontal plane of the Earth of the vehicle platform or central body with respect to a reference angle, such as magnetic North.

15. A vehicle platform comprising:

a central body;

a plurality of adjustable legs extending downward from the central body, each adjustable leg having a corresponding leg actuator to adjust a respective vertical height of each adjustable leg, each adjustable leg supports the central body;

a plurality of planting row units supported by or suspended from the central body; each planting row unit comprising an opener for opening the soil, a seed tube with a seed outlet for planting seed in the opened soil or furrow, and a closer for closing or covering seed with soil; the planting row unit comprising a bin for holding seed, the bin coupled to a seed metering unit for controlling a rate of seed provided to the seed outlet associated with the opener;

a forked arm having a first distal end, a second distal end and a vertex, the forked arm pivotable at the vertex with respect to a support of the planting row unit to adjust a planting depth of the seed outlet;

a gauge depth wheel rotatably coupled to the second distal end of the forked arm; and

a depth adjustment mechanism coupled between the support and the first distal end.

16. The vehicle platform according to claim 15 wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a threaded rod or bolt.

17. The vehicle platform according to claim 16 wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a threaded rod that is rotatable by an electric motor in response to a data message or signal from a data processor.