Granted Patent B2

US 12,329,056 · App. 18/323,560 · Granted Jun 17, 2025

Inventors: Dennis George Thompson (Eagle Ridge, CA); Ashish Jagannath Dubey (Saskatoon, CA); Prabhakar Prafulla Pandit (Saskatoon, CA)

A01C7/084A01C7/06

Abstract

Claims (51)

1. An air flow control system for an agricultural system, comprising:

a controller comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the controller is configured to:

receive an agricultural product signal indicative of an agricultural product disposed within a storage tank of the agricultural system, wherein the storage tank is configured to provide the agricultural product to a metering system of the agricultural system, and the metering system is configured to control an agricultural product flow rate of the agricultural product into a primary line of the agricultural system;

select a selected flow rate relationship from a plurality of flow rate relationships based on the agricultural product disposed within the storage tank, wherein each flow rate relationship of the plurality of flow rate relationships comprises a plurality of input agricultural product flow rates and a corresponding plurality of output air flow rates for a respective input agricultural product;

determine a target air flow rate of an air flow through the primary line based on the selected flow rate relationship and the agricultural product flow rate; and

control an air source to establish an air flow rate of the air flow through the primary line within a threshold range of the target air flow rate.

2. The air flow control system of claim 1 , comprising an air flow sensor communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the air flow sensor is configured to output an air flow signal indicative of the air flow rate of the air flow through the primary line.

3. The air flow control system of claim 1 , comprising:

a user interface communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the user interface is configured to output the agricultural product signal in response to user input; or

an agricultural product sensor communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the agricultural product sensor is configured to monitor the agricultural product within the storage tank and output the agricultural product signal.

4. The air flow control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine a flow rate relationship of the plurality of flow rate relationships via a calibration process comprising:

controlling the metering system to output the respective input agricultural product at a first input agricultural product flow rate of the plurality of input agricultural product flow rates;

controlling the air source to adjust the air flow rate until a target criterion is achieved to establish a first air flow value;

controlling the metering system to output the respective input agricultural product at a second input agricultural product flow rate of the plurality of input agricultural product flow rates;

controlling the air source to adjust the air flow rate until the target criterion is achieved to establish a second air flow value; and

determining the flow rate relationship based on the first input agricultural product flow rate, the first air flow value, the second input agricultural product flow rate, and the second air flow value.

5. The air flow control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to update at least one flow rate relationship of the plurality of flow rate relationships using machine learning based on operation of the agricultural system within a field.

6. The air flow control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to increase the target air flow rate in response to the agricultural product flow rate decreasing below a threshold value.

7. The air flow control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to apply a bias to the selected flow rate relationship to increase or decrease each of the plurality of output air flow rates.

8. The air flow control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the agricultural product flow rate based at least in part on an agricultural product prescription, a ground speed of the agricultural system, and a lateral extent of a plurality of row units configured to receive the agricultural product from the primary line.

9. An agricultural system, comprising:

an air source configured to output an air flow;

a primary line extending from the air source and configured to receive the air flow;

a metering system configured to control an agricultural product flow rate of agricultural product into the primary line; and

an air flow control system, comprising a controller comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the controller is configured to:

receive an agricultural product signal indicative of the agricultural product;

select a selected flow rate relationship from a plurality of flow rate relationships based on the agricultural product, wherein each flow rate relationship of the plurality of flow rate relationships comprises a plurality of input agricultural product flow rates and a corresponding plurality of output air flow rates for a respective input agricultural product;

determine a target air flow rate of the air flow based on the selected flow rate relationship and the agricultural product flow rate; and

control the air source to establish an air flow rate of the air flow within a threshold range of the target air flow rate.

10. The agricultural system of claim 9 , wherein the airflow control system comprises an air flow sensor communicatively coupled to the controller, and the air flow sensor is configured to output an air flow signal indicative of the air flow rate of the air flow through the primary line.

11. The agricultural system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to update at least one flow rate relationship of the plurality of flow rate relationships using machine learning based on operation of the agricultural system within a field.

12. The agricultural system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to increase the target air flow rate in response to the agricultural product flow rate decreasing below a threshold value.

13. The agricultural system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to apply a bias to the selected flow rate relationship to increase or decrease each of the plurality of output air flow rates.

14. The agricultural system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the agricultural product flow rate based at least in part on an agricultural product prescription, a ground speed of the agricultural system, and a lateral extent of a plurality of row units configured to receive the agricultural product from the primary line.

15. The agricultural system of claim 9 , wherein the air flow control system comprises:

a user interface communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the user interface is configured to output the agricultural product signal in response to user input; or

an agricultural product sensor communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the agricultural product sensor is configured to monitor the agricultural product within the storage tank and output the agricultural product signal.

16. A method for controlling an air flow through a primary line of an agricultural system, comprising:

receiving, via a controller comprising a memory and a processor, an agricultural product signal indicative of an agricultural product disposed within a storage tank of the agricultural system, wherein the storage tank is configured to provide the agricultural product to a metering system of the agricultural system, and the metering system is configured to control an agricultural product flow rate of the agricultural product into the primary line;

selecting, via the controller, a selected flow rate relationship from a plurality of flow rate relationships based on the agricultural product disposed within the storage tank, wherein each flow rate relationship of the plurality of flow rate relationships comprises a plurality of input agricultural product flow rates and a corresponding plurality of output air flow rates for a respective input agricultural product;

determining, via the controller, a target air flow rate of the air flow through the primary line based on the selected flow rate relationship and the agricultural product flow rate; and

controlling, via the controller, an air source to establish an air flow rate of the air flow through the primary line within a threshold range of the target air flow rate.

17. The method of claim 16 , comprising determining, via the controller, a flow rate relationship of the plurality of flow rate relationships via a calibration process comprising:

controlling, via the controller, the metering system to output the respective input agricultural product at a first input agricultural product flow rate of the plurality of input agricultural product flow rates;

controlling, via the controller, the air source to adjust the air flow rate until a target criterion is achieved to establish a first air flow value;

controlling, via the controller, the metering system to output the respective input agricultural product at a second input agricultural product flow rate of the plurality of input agricultural product flow rates;

controlling, via the controller, the air source to adjust the air flow rate until the target criterion is achieved to establish a second air flow value; and

determining, via the controller, the flow rate relationship based on the first input agricultural product flow rate, the first air flow value, the second input agricultural product flow rate, and the second air flow value.

18. The method of claim 16 , comprising updating, via the controller, at least one flow rate relationship of the plurality of flow rate relationships using machine learning based on operation of the agricultural system within a field.

19. The method of claim 16 , comprising increasing, via the controller, the target air flow rate in response to the agricultural product flow rate decreasing below a threshold value.

20. The method of claim 16 , comprising applying, via the controller, a bias to the selected flow rate relationship to increase or decrease each of the plurality of output air flow rates.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (39)