A drag HOSE system for distributing a fluid composition from a supply over a piece of farmland

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a drag hose system for distributing a fluid composition from a supply over a piece of farmland (150), the system comprising a tractor (1000), and operatively coupled to the tractor a distributor (120) having multiple nozzles for expelling the fluid composition towards the farmland, a stationary container (160) for holding the supply of the fluid composition, the container being positioned at a location remote from the piece of farmland, a hose (101) for providing a fluid connection between the supply in the container and the distributor, a pump (170) for pumping the fluid composition from the container to the distributor through the hose, a reel (100) provided on a wheeled support (130), which reel is positioned between the container and the distributor, on which reel part of the hose is wound to act as a buffer for adjusting the length of the hose unwound from the reel, wherein the wheeled support is a first autonomous vehicle which is controlled by performing a cultivation plan based on which the vehicle is able to autonomously 1) move to one or more positions on or adjacent the piece of farmland and 2) wind or unwind the reel to adjust the length of the unwound hose. The invention also pertains to a method for using this system and to a method for generating a cultivation plan for performing this method.

Description

[0001] A DRAG HOSE SYSTEM FOR DISTRIBUTING A FLUID COMPOSITION FROM A SUPPLY OVER A PIECE OF FARMLAND

[0002] GENERAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention in general pertains to a so called drag hose system for distributing a fluid composition (such as liquid manure, water, a liquid fertiliser etc.) from a supply present in a remote container over a piece of farmland, using a tractor and a distributor connected to that tractor, wherein there is provided a so called drag hose that runs over the land, from the remote supply to the tractor, through which hose the fluid composition is pumped from the container to the distributor. Such a system typically comprises a reel, on which part of the hose is wound or unwound for example to act as a buffer for adjusting the length of the hose to the distance the tractor has on the piece of farmland. The invention also pertains to a method for using this system and to a method for generating a cultivation plan for performing this method.

[0004] BACKGROUND ART

[0005] A drag hose system is an alternative liquid application system, typically used for distributing manure over farmland, which system has some important advantages for farms with a large amount of manure or other liquid material to spread. The system allows for example manure to be spread and incorporated with an irrigation pump. The pump sends the manure to a tractor through a flexible hose. The tractor pulls the hose and a distributor, typically a tillage implement that immediately incorporates the manure into te land.

[0006] Using an irrigation pump without the need to develop pressure at the outlet end allows more flow per minute than in a traveling gun system. The flow rates vary depending on the pump, the flowability of the liquid composition, the size, type and length of hose and any elevation differences. Typical flow rates vary from 1.5 m3per minute to 5 m3per minute. Depending on the method used, and the supply of the liquid composition available, up to 20 hectacres can be typically cultivated before changing the setup of hose and optionally pipes to a new site. Reels to wind up the drag hose can facilitate the change to a new site, in particular when using wheeled reels (i.e. a reel on a cart that can be hauled by a tractor). The drag hose system has proven itself to be a fast and reliable way to apply manure or other liquid compositions to a piece of farmland.

[0007] Another advantage of the system is that when applying manure, ammonia nitrogen is retained by immediate incorporation of the manure into the land. This can be a significant increase in the amount of nitrogen available for plant growth, since the ammonium portion of the manure is lost if it is not incorporated. If the manure application rate selected is used to meet the nitrogen needs of the crop, drag hose incorporation will reduce the required application rate by up to 50%. This can be a disadvantage however if the farm is trying to dispose of nitrogen.

[0008] Next to the above, using the drag hose system to deliver the liquid composition within the field eliminates the need to carry the weight of the composition across the field. Compaction from tank spreaders or injectors is known to reduce crop yields.

[0009] The drag hose has been used commercially to inject sludge since the '60's. Agricultural applications began in the late 70's. The hose is manufactured by the same companies that supply fire hose and irrigation hose. The hose used in manure or sludge application is specifically made heavier for the abuse it will take. The hose is typically constructed of an ultra-violet resistant polyurethane cover and lining with a synthetic fibre core. The outside resists abrasion yet more sharp stones in the fields will wear it out faster. The life of the hose is estimated to be 300 to 500 million litres. The inside is coated to provide a lower friction loss. The hose expands slightly with increased pressure so the diameter can vary. Manure at higher viscosities will increase the friction loss. The woven synthetic fibre provides the tensile strength for the hose. A tensile strength of 40,000 pounds is typical.

[0010] The drag hose can be connected to any kind of distributor implement by mounting a manifold on it. The hose is typically connected to a solid swing pipe with a quick release clamp. The swing pipe protects the soft hose from damage by the implement. The swing pipe hooks to a riser that distributes the manure to a number of hoses for injection or incorporation. The injection implement that works very adequately is a 30 cm sweep point on a chisel plow set for a 10 cm depth. This places the manure in a wide horizontal tube at a shallow depth for quicker biological breakdown and easier plant uptake. Incorporation implements may require less power to pull and do a needed tillage operation at the same time. The use of a heavy offset disk where the manure is splashed between the two gangs of disks has also been successful. The first gang of disks open up the ground, the manure is applied and the second gang incorporates the manure. A rolling spike has been used to achieve some incorporation on hayland. The tractor used needs to be able to drag the hose full of manure and the tillage implement. A four wheel drive 200 Hp tractor is typically used.

[0011] The system however needs a very skilled and well trained operator. Whilst driving, it is the operator of the tractor who determines how much is applied and where it is applied. The amount applied is varied by changing the speed of the tractor. A flow meter would make an accurate determination of the rate easier to obtain, but such a meter is quite expensive and calculations of the area covered and the amount removed from storage would have to be made and applied while driving. Also, the operator has to be very careful in choosing its paths, not to damage the hose that is lying across the land. Also, the operator in more advances systems controls the reel, i.e. the amount of hose wound or unwound form the reel to adjust to the position of the tractor. Next to this, when the reel needs to be displaced, it is often he same operator who is responsible for that. Still, the flexibility of application rates and the ability to place e.g. manure accurately along irregular field edges is an advantage of this system.

[0012] OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0013] It is an object of the invention to devise an improved drag hose system and method for distributing a liquid composition over a piece of farmland.

[0014] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015] In order to meet the object of the invention, a drag hose system as introduced here above has been devised, the system comprising a tractor, and operatively coupled to the tractor a distributor having multiple nozzles for expelling the fluid composition towards (including on and / or into) the farmland, a stationary container for holding the supply of the fluid composition, the container being positioned at a location remote from the piece of farmland (such as for example an isolated transportable 45 ft container parked along the piece of farmland, or an basin underneath or near an animal housing), a hose for providing a fluid connection between the supply in the container and the distributor, a pump for pumping the fluid composition from the container to the distributor through the hose, a (first) reel provided on a wheeled support, which reel is positioned between the container and the distributor, on which reel part of the hose is wound to act as a buffer for adjusting the length of the hose unwound from the reel, wherein the wheeled support is a first autonomous vehicle (thus without a human operator, either on site or at a remote location, controlling its movement) which is controlled by performing a (predetermined) cultivation plan based on which the vehicle is able to autonomously 1) move to one or more positions on or adjacent the piece of farmland and (thus also autonomously) 2) wind or unwind the reel to adjust the length of the unwound hose.

[0016] The inventors recognised that by using a reel that is basically part of an autonomous vehicle that is able to autonomously move to one or more positions on or adjacent the piece of farmland and at the same time is able to autonomously wind or unwind the reel to adjust the length of the unwound hose, the operator may focus to a greater extent on the driving action of the tractor which means that the demands are less stringent for the operator and the chance of any mistake, potentially leading to damage, is substantially less. This also means that time is saved, and that any liquid composition can be distributed at even a higher speed than with a common drag hose system.

[0017] It is noted that in US 2019 / 0174671 a drag hose system is described of which the tractor and reel can be made self-propelling and both being labelled “autonomous”, but still needing operator control from a remote control station, indicating that “autonomous” in the sense of the ‘671 application meaning self propelling and steering. The operator being remotely active and controlling both the tractor and reel reduces the labour involved in operating the tractor and reel, but still requires great focus of the operator to avoid any mis-operation, and thus, does not overcome the problem of high demands for an operator of the system.

[0018] The technology for a vehicle to run autonomously is by itself known in the art. Selfdriving cars are common these days. Based on the trends in regards to the advancement of technology, the technology can also be used for cultivating farmland, and in fact is even exploited commercially today. The concept of autonomous vehicles can be traced back prior to the introduction of the concept of precision farming in the eighties. During these days, farmers used GPS technology as a guide to the tractors across the farmland. The aim of such an approach was the reduction of fuel consumption and enhancing the efficiency of the tractors and the farming activities. As such, these initial steps formed the basis for the development of autonomous tractors, following the introduction of technologies that improved communication over wireless devices. Autonomous agricultural vehicles employ much the same approach as the driverless vehicles, i.e. using advanced control systems and sensors. With the inclusion of auto-steering abilities, such vehicles have added control abilities.

[0019] It is generally recognized that data plays a significant role in determining the decisions of operators of agricultural systems. Usually, the absence of clear and reliable data can interfere with the decisions operators make, and subsequently, have adverse impacts on the amount of outcome obtained from the fields. There are diverse sources and types of data that an operator needs to succeed in their farming activities. For example, data on soil is important in that it helps farmers in determining what crops will do well in a given piece of land by establishing the moisture content, and the amount of nutrients. The autonomous vehicles can be fitted with various sensors that can be used in the collection of data on the conditions of the soil, and hence, offer a platform for improving the outcome of the available crops. The elimination of the human interaction in farming following the use of autonomous tractors may thus be advantageous. Stressed employees cannot achieve the required efficiency level in the fields. Similarly, it is often hard for humans to manage diverse tasks on the farm especially where a large farmland is involved. Autonomous tractors have the appropriate sensors to offer the necessary help in the management of a several tasks in the farmland hence reducing stress and the workload in the farm.

[0020] The best way for using an autonomous vehicle is to establish a cultivation plan for the piece of farmland, thus before the cultivation actually commences, which plan typically comprises multiple contiguous paths that extend over or along the piece of farmland (depending in what is needed), which paths are to be crossed by the autonomous vehicle in a predetermined order, and only after the plan has been generated, controlling the autonomous vehicle such that it moves over each of the multiple contiguous paths according to the predetermined order. This concept of establishing a predetermined cultivation plan is a different concept than the use of a self-propelled vehicle which is remotely controlled and which operation is potentially only adapted (fine-tuned) by continuously sensing its environment and (slightly) adapting the operator instigated steering or other operation based on what is sensed. Such vehicles are sometimes also referred to as autonomous, but they are not autonomous in the sense of the present invention since they require operator control.

[0021] The invention is also embodied in an agricultural drag hose reel for winding and unwinding a drag hose for use in a system according to the invention, the reel being provided on self-propelled wheeled support and is arranged to autonomously 1) move to one or more positions on or adjacent a piece of farmland and 2) wind or unwind the reel to adjust the length of the unwound hose.

[0022] The invention is also embodied in an autonomous agricultural wheeled support comprising a first and a second reel, operatively coupled for carrying a drag hose for winding and unwinding the drag hose for use in a system according to any of the claims 1 to 9, the reels being provided on the self-propelled wheeled support which is arranged to autonomously 1) move to one or more positions on or adjacent a piece of farmland and 2) wind or unwind the reel to adjust the length of the unwound hose.

[0023] It is noted that the invention is also embodied in a method for distributing a fluid composition from a remote stationary supply over a piece of farmland using the system as introduced here above, the method comprising crossing the piece of farmland with the tractor, while expelling the fluid composition through the nozzles towards the farmland, by pumping the fluid composition through the hose from the remote stationary supply to the distributor coupled to the tractor, adjusting the length of the hose between the container and the tractor by winding or unwinding a reel provided on a wheeled support, which reel is positioned between the supply and the distributor, wherein the wheeled support is a first autonomous vehicle which vehicle based on a cultivation plan autonomously 1) moves to one or more positions on or adjacent the piece of farmland and 2) winds or unwinds the reel to adjust the length of the hose.

[0024] The invention is also embodied in a system for generating a cultivation plan for performing this method. DEFINITIONS

[0025] A tractor is an agricultural vehicle that is used cultivate land (i.e. to process the land with an agricultural operation), typically by pulling or carrying agricultural machinery, and to provide the energy needed for the machinery to cultivate the land. It commonly, but not necessarily, is a powerful vehicle with a gasoline or electric engine and large rear wheels or endless belt tracks (so called caterpillar tracks).

[0026] An autonomous vehicle is a self-propelled vehicle that can move over a piece of land according to a predetermined cultivation plan without a human operator (on site or at a remote location) controlling its movement. Such a vehicle can automatically perceive its environment, make decisions based on what it perceives and recognizes, and then actuate a movement or manipulation within that environment. These decision-based actions may include, but are not limited to, starting, stopping, and manoeuvring around obstacles that are in its way. Such a vehicle can cross farmland without needing continuous control of a human operator, and thus is able to autonomously cultivate the land.

[0027] A container is one that contains, such as a receptacle (such as a box or jar), but also an underground compartment (man-made or natural), or a portable compartment in which freight can be placed (as on a train or ship).

[0028] A hose is a flexible tube for conveying fluids (for example from a faucet or hydrant). A hose may be comprised of multiple operative connected sub-hoses, e.g. via standardised couplers or connectors and clamps.

[0029] Farmland is land that is used for or suitable for farming.

[0030] A fluid composition is a composition that is pumpable, i.e. that can be transported using a pumping action. Typical examples are liquid manure, water, and liquid fertilisers.

[0031] Remote from a piece of farmland means not on this piece of farmland itself, but along or far away from this piece of farmland.

[0032] A wheeled object is an object provided with wheels such that it is movable using these wheels. A cultivation plan for a vehicle used in cultivating a piece of land, is a plan which defines at least the position, direction and speed of the corresponding agricultural vehicle when crossing along or over the land such that the land in essence can be cultivated completely.

[0033] Automatic means without the need of (human) operator intervention. The term automatic does not exclude that something is operator initiated or operator stopped as long the process can be completed without needing operator intervention.

[0034] EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0035] In a first further embodiment of the drag hose system of the invention the autonomous vehicle is able to autonomously move to one or more positions on or adjacent the piece of farmland and at the same time autonomously wind or unwind the reel to adjust the length of the unwound hose. In the alternative, these two actions are performed sequentially, thus, the autonomous vehicle is able to autonomously move to one or more positions on or adjacent the piece of farmland and before or after that movement to autonomously wind or unwind the reel to adjust the length of the unwound hose.

[0036] In yet a further embodiment of the drag hose system according to the invention, the tractor is a second autonomous vehicle. In this embodiment, both the reel and the tractor crossing the farmland for actually distributing the liquid composition are autonomous vehicles. In this embodiment an operator can be completely dispensed with, increasing speed (since the system can run 24 / 7), lowering the risk of faults, and ultimately, lowering the costs per square unit of land, in particular when larger pieces of land are cultivated.

[0037] In again a further embodiment, the system comprises a third autonomous vehicle for vertically lifting the hose autonomously at a position downstream of the reel and upstream of the tractor. In the art, drag hoses simply lie on the land and dragged thereover. This means that when crop is present, the hose is limited in its dragging options, since the crop must not be damaged. Typically, in such a case a drag hose extends only in between rows of crops, and is never dragged while extending in a direction perpendicular thereto. The inventors recognised that if a device would be present to lift the drag hose locally to above the height of the crops, this would vastly increase the freedom to drag the hose across the land when crop is present. This is particularly advantageous for distributing water or liquid fertiliser to a piece of land with growing crops. The inventors also recognised that manual operation of such a lifting device would be too cumbersome. Therefore, an automatic lifting device is needed. Still, particularly advantageous is the embodiment wherein the lifting device is part of an autonomous vehicle that can autonomously position itself on or along the land and preferably also autonomously provide the proper lifting height.

[0038] In still another embodiment of the system according to the invention, the system comprises a central processing unit (CPU) for providing the cultivation plan, which plan involves the control of each autonomous vehicle that is part of the system. Such a CPU may be present locally, for example in one of the vehicles, but may also be present at a remote location, or even distributed over several locations. Typically, the CPU is connected to n interface that can be operated by a user to provide input for providing the cultivation plan, such as the location of the land, the location and type of the supply, the shape of the land, he conditions of the land, etc.

[0039] In yet another embodiment the first reel is provided rotatably on the wheeled support such that the reel is autonomously rotatable on the support along an axis that extends in the vertical direction from the wheeled support. It was found that in an autonomous system, exact alignment of the hose with the distributor / tractor is very important. Since a human operator is not present, it is not possible to manually adjust the initial angle of the hose with respect to the farmland when leaving the reel. However, to prevent any too high tension, or displacement of the hose when (un)winding, exact alignment was found to be very important. Such exact alignment can be guaranteed by providing the reel rotatable on the support along an axis that extends in the vertical direction from the wheeled support. The angle of rotation is made part of the cultivation plan and thus is performed autonomously.

[0040] In again another embodiment of the system according to the invention on the wheeled support, in addition to the first reel, a second reel is provided such that the hose operatively extends from the supply to the second reel, then downstream to the first reel and further downstream to the distributor. In this embodiment the second reel is added as a second buffer for a length of the hose, thus being able to accommodate a larger length of the hose. However, more importantly, tis embodiment is also to be able and accommodate the different angles the hose has to meet, i.e. one angle between the wheeled support and the supply, and the other angle between the wheeled support and the distributor. By having two reels on the wheeled support, the risk of unwanted tension build up in the hose can be lowered.

[0041] In a further embodiment, both the first and the second reel are provided independently rotatably on the wheeled support such that each of the first and second reels is autonomously rotatable on the support along a respective axis that extends in the vertical direction from the wheeled support. This way, tension build up in the hose and / or unwanted repositioning can be completely prevented. It was found that in the absence of a human operator, this embodiment is very advantageous in providing a reliable process (thus without any hoses tearing or snapping lose from their coupling, or any unwanted repositioning of the hose over the farmland) over a long period of time, thus ensuring autonomous distribution of the liquid without needing any human operator intervention.

[0042] The above described embodiments for the system lead to corresponding embodiments for the methods of the invention.

[0043] The invention will now be further illustrated using the following specific examples.

[0044] EXAMPLES OF THE INVENTION

[0045] Figure 1 schematically shows a system for use in the invention.

[0046] Figure 2 schematically shows a piece of farmland cultivated with a system according to the invention.

[0047] Figure 3 schematically shows an alternative embodiment of a system according to the invention.

[0048] Figure 4 schematically shows yet another alternative embodiment of a system according to the invention. Figure 1

[0049] Figure 1 schematically shows a system for use in the invention, illustrated for one autonomous vehicle being part of the system (whereas in the current system two or three, or of desired even more of such vehicles may be part of the system). The system 1 as illustrated comprises two subsystems 10 and 10’, subsystem 10 being a remote control station and subsystem 10’ representing essential parts of an autonomous vehicle 100 for actually cultivating a piece of farmland (see Figures 2 and 3), such as for example an autonomous reel, an autonomous tractor or an autonomous lifting device as described here above. Subsystem 10 comprises a central processing unit 2, that is operatively connected (wireless) to local processing unit 11 of subsystem / vehicle 10’, the two processing units together forming the processing unit of the system as a whole. Note that any connection between electronic components as indicated in figure 1 can be wired or wireless as commonly known in the art. The system 1 further comprises a memory unit 3 that holds data regarding a piece of land to be cultivated, such as the GPS coordinates, the type of soil, objects in and around the piece of land, etc. Unit 4 (connected to the world wide web, not indicated as such) comprises data regarding the (estimated) weather conditions and other conditions that apply during the period of time planned for cultivating the land. The CPU 2 is connected to a personal computer 5 that can be used by a human operator to input various data needed for planning the cultivation of the piece of farmland. This process as such is known from the art, such as for example a process as described in US2020033143 in conjunction with figures 6-11 therein. This way, the system 1 is able to generate a cultivation plan for the autonomous agricultural vehicle (not shown as such). For the actual operation to perform this plan, the local processing unit of the vehicle is connected to engine 12 and steering unit 13. The cultivation plan as generated by system 1 is stored in unit 14 and may be real-time adapted when needed by information provided for example via CPU 2 of the system. The local processing unit 11 is able to let the vehicle perform this plan via control of the engine 12 and steering unit 13.

[0050] The vehicle is additionally provided with multiple sensors, indicated by block 15 to assess and determine the value for any circumstance during performing any operation on the piece of farmland. This data is used for the generation of a following cultivation plan, which is at least partly on these data, apart from the data as described here above and provided via units 3 and 4.

[0051] Typically, the generation of the cultivation plan comprises the determination of multiple contiguous paths that extend over or along the piece of farmland (see Figures 2 and 3), an order in which the paths are to be crossed by the autonomous vehicles, and to the direction of movement of the vehicles on each of said multiple contiguous paths.

[0052] Figure 2

[0053] Figure 2, divided in two subfigures 2A and 2B, schematically shows a piece of farmland 150 cultivated with a system according to the invention, in this case for distributing liquid manure. The system comprises a remote supply of liquid manure 160, a pump 170, an autonomous cart with reel 100, a hose 101 that extends from the supply 160, via the reel 100 (on which the hose is partly wound) to tractor 1000, which is provided with a tillage implement 120. The tractor 1000 in this case is a regular operator controlled tractor. The operator controls the tractor to take path 110 as indicated in Figure 2A. At the same time, completely autonomously according to a predetermined cultivation plan, which plan in this embodiment is optionally continuously amended depending on the position and speed or other operations of the tractor 1000 that are used to adapt the plan as originally devised, the reel 100 continuously winds and unwinds the hose to adjust to the local position of the tractor and at the same time, travels along the indicated path 210 in the direction X. Ultimately, as depicted in Figure 2B, when the tractor takes the last path towards its endpoint 111 along a border of land 150, the reel 100 has moved itself to end point 211 of path 210.

[0054] It is noted that during the unwinding of the drag hose from the reel, it may be that the wheeled support is slowly moved in direction X in order to make sure that the drag hose is continuously dropped on the piece of farmland at exactly the same location. The drag hose namely (to be more precise: the part of the hose that just unwinds from the reel) when being unwound “moves” in the opposite direction of X when being unwound and thus, by moving the wheeled support correspondingly in the direction of X, it can be made sure that the part of the hose that is just unwound and lain on the piece of farmland, is continuously positioned at the same location such that the drag hose forms a perfect straight line on the piece of farmland. This is in particular important when (straight) rows of crop are present when using the system according to the invention.

[0055] It is also noted that if the line over which the drag hose is to be lain on the piece of farmland is inclined with respect to the direction X, it may be helpful that the reel can be rotated along an axis that extends vertically from the wheeled support to be able and align the line of the drag hose with that of the direction of unwinding. This option of rotation may be incorporated in the wheeled support as an autonomous action as well. Of course, it would also be possible to position the wheeled support as a whole on the side of the farmland under the same angle of inclination. Still, an embodiment wherein the reel is positioned on the wheeled support such that it is autonomously rotatable on the wheeled support provides more degrees of freedom. Thus, in an embodiment of the invention as such, the reel is provided rotatably on the wheeled support wherein the reel is autonomously rotatable on the support along an axis that extends in the vertical direction from the wheeled support.

[0056] Figure 3

[0057] Figure 3, divided in two sub-figures 3A and 3B, schematically shows an alternative embodiment of a system according to the invention, in this case for watering young crop 105 that is present on the land 150, using an autonomous reel 100, an autonomous tractor 100’ and an autonomous lifting device 100”.

[0058] Figure 3A is a top plan view, showing in essence the same parts as present in figure 2A, albeit that now rows of crop 105 are present (only part of which is depicted in figure 3A). The part of the drag hose 101 that runs in parallel to the rows of the crop is dragged in between two of these rows and thus will not cause any damage to the young crop. However, the upper most section of the hose (near tractor 100’) runs perpendicular to these rows of crop and if dragged over the surface of the land 150, would damage the crop 105. Therefore, an autonomous lifting device 100” is present that lifts the drag hose to a height such that the hose, extending from the lifting device 100” to the tractor 100’ does not touch any crop 105. This can be seen in the side view as depicted in Figure 3B. The lifting device autonomously travels with the tractor to make sure the part of the hose that runs perpendicular to the crop does not hit any of the crop.

[0059] It is noted that in a further embodiment of the invention, not shown in the figures, but applicable as a general concept, there is a second or further reel, also provided on a wheeled support and positioned between the container and the distributor, also acting as a buffer just like the first reel. This is for example to accommodate larger lengths of drag hose. The wheeled support may be common for the two or more reels, or there may be separate wheeled supports for each reel, each support being an autonomous vehicle that is able to move to one or more positions on or adjacent the piece of farmland and wind or unwind the reel to adjust the length of the unwound hose.

[0060] Figure 4

[0061] Figure 4, divided in two subfigures 4A and 4B, schematically shows a piece of farmland

[0062] 150 cultivated with a system according to the invention, in this case for distributing water for irrigation. The system and process is in essence the same as the system and process as described with reference to figure 2. The main difference is that in this embodiment the wheeled support (indicated with reference numeral 130), is provided with two reels, viz. a reel 500 with is downstream from the supply hydrant 160’ (in this case for pumping up underground water for irrigation) and 501), and further downstream reel 501 which is operatively connected to reel 500, and which guides the hose 101 downstream of this reel 501 to the tractor 1000 (which may or may not be an autonomous vehicle as well). Each of the reels are provided rotatably on the wheeled support 101 such that each of the first and second reels is autonomously rotatable on the support along an axis 200 that extends in the vertical direction from the wheeled support 130.

[0063] This embodiment with two reels that are each independently rotatable along a vertically extending axis 200 is advantageous in particular when a piece of farmland has non square dimensions, such as indicated in figure 4. Here the border 151 is inclined with respect to the direction in which the hose 101 extends over the piece of farmland 150. In the situation as depicted in figure 4A, the wheeled support is positioned along a piece of the border 151 that is almost perpendicular to the direction in which the hose 101 extends between the support 130 and the tractor 1000. In this case, in order to have angle a (i.e. the angle between the direction in which reel 500 extends and the direction in which the hose 101 extends between hydrant 160 and the support 130) right (i.e. at 90°), the reel is rotated along axis 200 to extend perpendicular to the length direction of the support 130. Correspondingly, in order to have angle B ( i.e. the angle between the direction in which reel 501 extends and the hose being unwound form the reel 501) right (i.e. at 90°), the reel 501 is not rotated with respect to the wheeled support 130.

[0064] This is different when another part of the farmland 150 is being irrigated, as indicated in figure 4B. In this case, the wheeled support 130 is positioned along a part of the border

[0065] 151 that is inclined with respect to the direction in which the hose 101 extends over the piece of farmland 150. In this case, in order to keep angles a and B both right, both reels are rotated along their respective axis 200 with respect to the wheeled support 130. This prevents any unwanted tension build up in the hose.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A drag hose system for distributing a fluid composition from a supply over a piece of farmland, the system comprising:- a tractor, and- operatively coupled to the tractor a distributor having multiple nozzles for expelling the fluid composition towards the farmland,- a stationary container for holding the supply of the fluid composition, the container being positioned at a location remote from the piece of farmland,- a hose for providing a fluid connection between the supply in the container and the distributor,- a pump for pumping the fluid composition from the container to the distributor through the hose,- a first reel provided on a wheeled support, which first reel is positioned between the container and the distributor, on which first reel part of the hose is wound to act as a buffer for adjusting the length of the hose unwound from the first reel, characterised in that the wheeled support is a first autonomous vehicle which is controlled by performing a cultivation plan based on which the vehicle is able to autonomously 1) move to one or more positions on or adjacent the piece of farmland and 2) wind or unwind the reel to adjust the length of the unwound hose.

2. A system according to claim 1 , characterised in that the autonomous vehicle is able to autonomously move to one or more positions on or adjacent the piece of farmland and at the same time autonomously wind or unwind the first reel to adjust the length of the unwound hose.

3. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that the autonomous vehicle is able to autonomously move to one or more positions on or adjacent the piece of farmland and before or after that movement to autonomously wind or unwind the first reel to adjust the length of the unwound hose.

4. A system according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the tractor is a second autonomous vehicle.

5. A system according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the system comprising a third autonomous vehicle for vertically lifting the hose autonomously at a position downstream of the reel and upstream of the tractor.

6. A system according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the system comprises a central processing unit for providing the cultivation plan, which plan involves the control of each autonomous vehicle that is part of the system.

7. A system according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first reel is provided rotatably on the wheeled support such that the reel is autonomously rotatable on the support along an axis that extends in the vertical direction from the wheeled support.

8. A system according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that on the wheeled support, in addition to the first reel, a second reel is provided such that the hose operatively extends from the supply to the second reel, then downstream to the first reel and further downstream to the distributor.

9. A system according to claim 8, characterised in that both the first and the second reel are provided rotatably on the wheeled support such that each of the first and second reels is autonomously rotatable on the support along an axis that extends in the vertical direction from the wheeled support.

10. An autonomous agricultural wheeled support comprising a first and a second reel, operatively coupled for carrying a drag hose for winding and unwinding the drag hose for use in a system according to any of the claims 1 to 9, the reels being provided on the self-propelled wheeled support which is arranged to autonomously 1) move to one or more positions on or adjacent a piece of farmland and 2) wind or unwind the reel to adjust the length of the unwound hose.

11. A method for distributing a fluid composition from a remote stationary supply over a piece of farmland using the system according to any of the claims 1 to 9, the method comprising:- crossing the piece of farmland with the tractor, while expelling the fluid composition through the nozzles towards the farmland, by pumping the fluid composition through thehose from the remote stationary supply to the distributor coupled to the tractor,- adjusting the length of the hose between the container and the tractor by winding or unwinding a reel provided on a wheeled support, which reel is positioned between the supply and the distributor, characterised in that the wheeled support is a first autonomous vehicle which vehicle based on a cultivation plan autonomously 1) moves to one or more positions on or adjacent the piece of farmland and 2) winds or unwinds the reel to adjust the length of the hose.

12. A method for generating a cultivation plan for performing the method according to claim 11.

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