Agricultural implement

Abstract

The present invention relates to an agricultural implement (1) having at least one drive device (2), at least one working unit (3), at least one sensing device (4) for sensing living beings in a working path of the working unit (3), and at least one evaluation unit for evaluating the signal from the sensor, wherein the sensing device is fastened to the drive device (2) and / or to the working unit (3), and the sensing device (4) is in contact with the ground via at least one rotatable unit (5), and the sensing device (4) has at least one sensor (6) for scanning the working path of the working unit (3). The sensor (6) is designed in such a way that the working path is completely scanned before the working unit (3) travels over the scanned working path.

Description

[0001] Agricultural implement

[0002] The present invention relates to an agricultural implement with which living beings in the working path of the agricultural implement are detected.

[0003] The rescue of animals, especially larger animals such as fawns, is a hot topic in modern agriculture. Contact with wildlife or accidents with agricultural equipment can have serious consequences not only for animal welfare, but also for the quality of the

[0004] Harvested crops are contaminated by animals that die during harvesting. If this contaminated crop is used as animal feed, the animals fed with it would also die. Therefore, contaminated crops can no longer be used or sold, resulting in significant economic losses.

[0005] This can lead to losses. Furthermore, contact between the animal and the agricultural implement can damage and / or contaminate the implement, resulting in additional repair and cleaning costs.

[0006] The biggest problem with detecting field animals so far has been that existing sensors don't get close enough to the animals. Furthermore, precision decreases with increasing mowing height, reducing the likelihood of reliably detecting field animals.

[0007] There are currently several approaches to solving this problem. For example, drone flights are carried out over the field before harvest to specifically spot fawns and then rescue them from the field. The problem with this is that the detection takes place very far from the ground, so that the success rate for detecting fawns is only 80%. In addition, small animals cannot be detected with this system. A further disadvantage is that this approach is very time-consuming and personnel-intensive, and there is also a time lag between the drone flight and the actual use of the agricultural equipment. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that other field animals will settle in the field during this period.

[0008] To enable real-time detection of field animals,

[0009] EP 3 183 950 A1 proposes that animals in the path of the agricultural machine are detected by a sensor attached to a pole suspended in front of the machine. If an animal is detected, the machine is automatically stopped so that the animal can be rescued. The disadvantage of this approach is that the higher the mowing height, the more difficult successful detection becomes, and thus the precision of the system decreases. Reliable detection of animals in tall mowing heights continues to pose major challenges for agricultural operations.

[0010] The present invention is therefore based on the object of proposing an agricultural implement that is capable of reliably detecting larger and smaller living beings in the working path even when the mowing area is high.

[0011] This object is achieved according to the invention by an agricultural implement according to claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are described in the dependent claims.

[0012] An agricultural implement comprises at least one drive unit, at least one working unit, and at least one detection device for detecting living beings in a working path of the working unit. The detection device is attached to the drive unit and / or to the working unit. Furthermore, the detection device is in contact with the ground via at least one rotatable unit, wherein the detection device comprises at least one sensor for scanning the working path of the working unit. The sensor is designed such that the working path is completely scanned before the working unit travels over the scanned working path. Furthermore, at least one evaluation unit is provided for evaluating the sensor signal.

[0013] First of all, "fully scanned" means that the entire ground area has been surveyed or checked for any animals present before the working unit passes over it. In this case, the surveyed ground area is passed over by the working unit almost immediately after the survey. "Almost immediately" refers to a time span of a few seconds, in particular from 1 s to 10 s. The agricultural implement achieves technical advantages in that this device can detect even smaller field animals with almost 100% certainty in real time. The constant contact of the detection unit with the ground reduces the likelihood of field animals being overlooked, especially in tall mowed crops. Furthermore, the ground contact enables the system to reliably detect field animals even under adverse environmental conditions (dust, wind, rain).

[0014] The rotating unit can also be designed as a wheel, particularly a disc wheel. This design minimizes the device's design effort. Furthermore, the scaling of the wheel allows the detection device to be flexibly adapted to different surfaces. Particular attention is paid to the size, i.e., the diameter and the running surface of the wheel. Surfaces with very pronounced unevenness may require wheels with a larger diameter than surfaces with comparatively less pronounced unevenness. Furthermore, this prevents damage to the mowed surface.

[0015] Furthermore, the rotating unit can be made of a soft material so that field animals and crops are not injured or damaged upon contact.

[0016] In this context, "soft" means that the rotating unit is compliant when it comes into contact with a field animal. This means that the energy of the impact between the field animal and the rotating unit is absorbed by the rotating unit.

[0017] In addition, the detection device is connected to the rotating unit via a spring and / or damping system. The design of the spring ensures that vibrations of the detection device are reduced during operation. This ensures that the sensor can be kept in a constant position relative to the ground.

[0018] In addition, the detection device can be mounted on the side and / or front of the drive unit and / or the work unit. The various mounting options for the detection device allow a variety of different working paths (e.g., with multiple work units) to be scanned simultaneously. This also allows the entire area determined by the width of the agricultural implement to be scanned.

[0019] The detection device can also be made of at least one lightweight material, preferably carbon fiber or carbon, a plastic, an elastomer, aluminum, or a composite material. Thus, the detection device can be easily assembled and disassembled by one person. The reduced weight of the detection device also reduces the fuel and energy consumption of the drive unit.

[0020] Furthermore, the sensor can be implemented as a laser system, thermal, infrared, infrasound, ultrasonic, or optical bi-spectral camera. The variety of possible sensor systems makes it possible to further improve detection accuracy.

[0021] In addition, at least one sensor can be positioned close to the ground. "Low to the ground" refers specifically to vertical distances between the sensor and the ground of less than 0.2 m. This low to the ground design ensures that even small field animals can be reliably detected.

[0022] In addition, a safety device can be configured for lifting and / or moving away and / or stopping and / or braking collision-relevant devices, which can be controlled via recorded sensor data from at least one sensor. By implementing a safety device, it can be ensured that the field animal is not injured by the agricultural implement. The work process can be automatically interrupted, and the animal can subsequently be rescued.

[0023] Finally, the detection device can include fiber optic endoscope systems for forwarding the sensor data to the safety device. This ensures that the sensor data can be transmitted quickly and reliably to the safety device in order to prevent a collision with the field animal in a timely manner.

[0024] Embodiments of the device are illustrated in the drawings and are described below with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Recurring features are provided with identical reference numerals.

[0025] They show:

[0026] Fig. 1 is a schematic drawing of an agricultural implement in plan view; and

[0027] Fig. 2 shows a schematic drawing of a detection device with a plurality of sensors in a side view. As Fig. 1 shows, the agricultural implement 1 can be driven in particular by a tractor as the drive unit 2. In this case, the tractor, i.e., the drive unit 2, can be designed autonomously or controllable via a remote control. Conventional control by a driver is also possible. Furthermore, other drive units 2 are also conceivable, which can also be integrated into the work unit.

[0028] In addition, various agricultural tools, i.e. work units 3, can be attached to the drive device. In particular, the design of the work unit 3 as a mower is conceivable. In this case, the work unit 3 can be arranged behind the drive device 2, as shown in Fig. 1. This means that the work unit 3 is pulled by the drive device 2 during operation. The attachment of work units 3 to the side and / or in front of the drive device 2 is also possible. Devices suitable for tilling fields are possible, such as ploughs, harrows, field rollers, seed drills, furrow openers, slurry scoops and pumps. Devices suitable for harvesting field crops can also be used, such as mowing hooks, sharpening and sharpening devices, mowers, hay tedders and potato harvesters. Furthermore, devices for further processing can also be used as the work unit 3, including threshing machines and chopping machines.

[0029] As further shown in Fig. 1, the detection units 4 can be attached to the side and front of the drive unit 2. The detection devices 4 can also be formed on the working unit 3. Because the working unit 4 can be flexibly attached to the drive unit 2 and / or the working unit 3, it is possible to precisely align the detection device 4 so that the sensors attached to it ensure complete scanning of the working path of the working unit 3, thereby enabling more precise detection of field animals.

[0030] A sensor carrier, including the detection units 4 arranged on it, should be arranged in front of the drive unit 2 or towing vehicle including the towing device, or the drive units 3 arranged on the side of the drive unit 2 or towing vehicle, or agricultural equipment such as mowers, at a distance such that, depending on the speed of the machines, the braking process until the agricultural tractor and its towing and attachments come to a standstill takes place in front of the animal at any time, thus making animal rescue possible without danger. The minimum distance of the sensor carrier in front of the tractor and its towing and attachments can be variably adjusted depending on the speed (e.g., using hydraulic devices), but should be at least 3 meters even at low speeds.

[0031] Fig. 2 shows a detection device 4 with five crossbars directed toward the ground, which are in contact with the ground via five flat wheels 5. The design of the flat wheels 5 ensures that the crop is not damaged. In other embodiments, at least one wheel is sufficient. This contact ensures that the detection device 4 does not begin to vibrate during operation of the agricultural implement 1. This prevents detection errors caused by an unstable detection device 4. Furthermore, the wheels 5 can be mounted in such a way that they reproduce the rotational movement of the wheels of the drive device 2.

[0032] The actual detection of the field animals is carried out via sensors 6, which are attached to the detection device 4. The sensors can preferably be attached to the crossbars of the detection device 4. This makes it possible to place the sensors as close to the ground as possible. Due to the shortened distance to the ground, the measurement, i.e. the scanning of the ground surface in the working area of ​​the working unit 3, can be carried out with almost no environmental influences. The sensors 6 are arranged approximately perpendicular to the ground, so that, depending on the orientation of the sensors 6, an area lying in front of the sensor 6 as well as areas lying behind the sensor 6 are scanned. The viewing direction of the sensors 6 is therefore not directed perpendicular to the ground. Thus, a detection range of the sensors 6 of preferably 45° to less than 90° should be realized.The sensors can also be mounted at a height of less than 0.2 m, which is particularly advantageous. This ensures that the entire working path, i.e., almost 100%, is scanned.

[0033] Furthermore, the alignment of the sensors 6 described above allows them to be mounted one above the other on the detection device 4. By positioning the sensors at different heights, the detection of animal species of different sizes can be improved.

[0034] The sensors 6 used in this embodiment can preferably be designed as a laser system, which again increases the robustness of the measurement.

[0035] Furthermore, the use of rotating units 5 offers significant technical advantages. First, constant ground contact prevents excessive vibrations from occurring, even with long detection units 4. The rotating units 5 also fulfill a stabilizing function, allowing the use of longer detection devices 4. For free-floating systems, the length is limited. Furthermore, it is also possible to install pressure sensors in the rotating units 5, which also emit a sensor signal upon contact with a field animal, causing the safety device to stop the process.

[0036] The invention thus solves the technical problem of detecting and protecting as many as 100% of field animals possible. Detection therefore occurs in the immediate vicinity of the ground without any time delay. The detection device 4 with the sensors 6 is inexpensive and lightweight. With the invention, fawns can even be touched without injuring them, while at the same time smaller creatures such as cats or hedgehogs can be detected, located and thus rescued by the detection device 4. Because the detection device 4 is made of lightweight materials, it can be easily assembled or disassembled by one person, and operation is also guaranteed in all weather conditions. Furthermore, the design of the detection device 4 with the sensors 6 prevents the mowed grass from being flattened or damaged.

[0037] This also gives the device the advantage of being practical and relatively easy to handle, allowing it to be easily assembled and disassembled by one person. It is relatively inexpensive and operates reliably. As mentioned above, the invention neither damages plants nor injures animals. Furthermore, detection can be performed during cornering, ensuring continuous monitoring of the work area.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Agricultural implement (1), comprising: at least one drive device (2) and at least one working unit (3) and at least one detection device (4) for detecting living beings in a working path of the working unit (3), wherein the detection device is attached to the drive device (2) and / or to the working unit (3) and the detection device (4) has at least one rotatable unit (5) is in contact with the ground and the detection device (4) has at least one sensor (6) for scanning the working path of the working unit (3), wherein the sensor (6) is designed such that the working path is completely scanned before the working unit (3) travels over the scanned working path and at least one evaluation unit for evaluating the signal from the sensor.

2. Agricultural implement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotatable unit (5) is designed as a running wheel.

3. Agricultural implement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotatable unit (5) is made of a soft material so that field animals and crops are not injured or damaged upon contact.

4. Agricultural implement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the detection device (4) is connected to the rotatable unit (5) via a suspension and / or damping.

5. Agricultural implement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the detection device (4) can be or is mounted laterally and / or at the front of the drive device (2) and / or on the working unit (3).

6. Agricultural implement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the detection device (4) is formed from at least one lightweight material.

7. Agricultural implement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor (6) is designed as a laser system or thermal or infrared or infrasound or ultrasonic or optical bi-spectral camera.

8. Agricultural implement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one sensor (6) is designed close to the ground.

9. Agricultural implement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a safety device is designed for lifting and / or moving away and / or stopping and / or braking collision-relevant devices, wherein said safety device can be controlled via recorded sensor data of the at least one sensor (6).

10. Agricultural implement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the detection device (4) has fiber optic endoscope systems for forwarding the sensor data to the safety device.

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