Closed loop closing system control
An agricultural machine includes a furrow opener and a furrow closing system and a controller that performs closed loop control of the furrow closing system.
1 . An agricultural machine, comprising:
a furrow opener opening a furrow in soil;
planting functionality providing seed to the furrow;
a furrow closing system that engages the soil to close the furrow, the furrow closing system comprising:
a primary furrow closing system; and
a secondary furrow closing system;
a soil sensor sensing a characteristic indicative of a closing performance of the primary furrow closing system in moving the soil to close the furrow and generating a soil sensor signal representing the closing performance of the primary furrow closing system; and
a furrow closing system controller that receives the soil sensor signal representing the closing performance of the primary furrow closing system and that generates a closing system control signal to control the secondary furrow closing system based on the soil sensor signal representing the closing performance of the primary furrow closing system.
2 . The agricultural machine of claim 1 wherein the primary furrow closing system comprises:
a closer; and
an actuator coupled to the closer to exert a downforce on the closer, the furrow closing system controlling the actuator based on the soil sensor signal.
3 . The agricultural machine of claim 2 comprising:
a moisture sensor that senses soil moisture, wherein the furrow closing system is controlled based on the soil moisture.
4 . The agricultural machine of claim 2 comprising:
a soil type sensor that senses soil type, wherein the furrow closing system is controlled based on the soil type.
5 . The agricultural machine of claim 4 wherein the soil type sensor comprises;
a map processing system that receives a soil type map and that processes the soil type map to obtain soil type.
6 . The agricultural machine of claim 1 wherein the soil sensor comprises an image capture device that captures an image of the soil after the primary furrow closing system has traveled over the soil, and further comprising:
an image processor that identifies the closing performance of the primary furrow closing system based on the image.
7 . The agricultural machine of claim 6 wherein the image capture device comprises a stereo camera.
8 . The agricultural machine of claim 1 wherein the secondary furrow closing system comprises:
a closer; and
an actuator that moves the closer between a first position in engagement with the soil and a second position out of engagement with the soil and wherein the furrow closing system controller generates the closing system control signal to move the closer between the first position and the second position.
9 . The agricultural machine of claim 1 wherein one of the primary furrow closing system or the secondary furrow closing system comprises:
a closer with a soil engaging surface that is controllably adjustable to change a shape of the soil engaging surface of the closer, the furrow closing system controller generating the closing system control signal to control the shape of the soil engaging surface of the closer based on the soil sensor signal.
10 . The agricultural machine of claim 1 , wherein the primary furrow closing system has a first soil engaging surface and wherein the secondary furrow closing system has a second soil engaging surface, different than the first soil engaging surface.
11 . The agricultural machine of claim 10 , wherein the first soil engaging surface is smooth and the second soil engaging surface is non-smooth.
12 . A control system on an agricultural machine, the control system comprising:
a controller that receives a soil sensor signal indicative of a closing performance of a primary furrow closing system in moving soil to close a furrow and identifies, responsive to the soil sensor signal indicative of the closing performance of the primary furrow closing system, a control parameter for controlling a secondary furrow closing system; and
a control signal generator that generates a closing system control signal to control downforce applied by the secondary furrow closing system to the soil based on the control parameter.
13 . The control system of claim 12 wherein the controller receives a soil moisture characteristic and identifies the control parameter based on the soil moisture characteristic, the controller and the control signal generator performing closed loop control of the downforce applied by at least one of the primary furrow closing system or secondary furrow closing system based on the soil moisture characteristic.
14 . The control system of claim 12 wherein the secondary furrow closing system comprises a closer and an actuator that moves the closer between a first position in engagement with the soil and a second position out of engagement with the soil and wherein the controller identifies, as the control parameter, a position to which to move the closer.
15 . The control system of claim 12 wherein at least one of the primary furrow closing system or the secondary furrow closing system comprises an adjustable closer with a soil engaging surface that is controllable to change a shape of the soil engaging surface of the adjustable closer, the controller identifying, as the control parameter, the shape of the soil engaging surface of the adjustable closer based on the soil sensor signal.
16 . A method of controlling an agricultural machine, comprising:
opening a furrow in soil;
providing seed to the furrow;
engaging the soil to close the furrow with a primary furrow closing system;
sensing a characteristic of the soil after the primary furrow closing system has engaged the soil, wherein the characteristic comprises a closing performance of the primary furrow closing system
generating a soil sensor signal representing the closing performance of the primary furrow closing system and
generating a control signal to selectively engage or disengage a secondary furrow closing system with the soil based on the soil sensor signal representing the closing performance of the primary furrow closing system.
17 . The method of claim 16 wherein the control signal controls a downforce applied by the secondary furrow closing system to the soil.
18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the characteristic comprising soil moisture.
19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the characteristic comprising soil type.