US 12,268,125 B2
Agricultural method and system for performing the method
Karel Van Den Berg, Maassluis (NL); Korstiaan Cornelis Blokland, Maassluis (NL); Renatus Ignatius Josephus Fransen, Maassluis (NL); Carlo Van Sonsbeek, Maassluis (NL); and Ingrid Elisabeth Maria Den Uijl, Maassluis (NL)
Assigned to LELY PATENT N.V., Maassluis (NL)
Appl. No. 18/012,085
Filed by LELY PATENT N.V., Maassluis (NL)
PCT Filed Jul. 15, 2021, PCT No. PCT/IB2021/056391
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 21, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/013804, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 20, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2026073 (NL), filed on Jul. 16, 2020; and application No. 1043808 (NL), filed on Oct. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0232741 A1, Jul. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. A01D 41/12 (2006.01); A01C 23/04 (2006.01); A01D 41/127 (2006.01); A01D 41/133 (2006.01); A01F 15/07 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC A01D 41/1278 (2013.01) [A01C 23/047 (2013.01); A01D 41/1277 (2013.01); A01D 41/133 (2013.01); A01F 15/071 (2013.01); G05D 1/0212 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An agricultural method, using an autonomous, unmanned device and a control device, comprising the following steps, which are performed both sequentially and repeatedly:
a) automatically harvesting feed crop in a part of a crop field by the autonomous, unmanned device;
b) automatically loading the harvested feed crop directly into a storage space provided on the autonomous, unmanned device without said harvested feed crop contacting soil;
c) choosing a destination location from a feeding location and a stationary crop processing location;
d) automatically transporting the harvested feed crop from the crop field to the chosen destination location by the autonomous, unmanned device; and
e) automatically unloading the harvested feed crop from the storage space of the autonomous, unmanned device at the chosen destination location.