1. A system for implementing a situational awareness comprising:
a plurality of data gathering devices for observing physical environment and transforming physical into digital information;
a plurality of field monitoring units with each of the plurality of field monitoring units communicating with a corresponding plurality of data gathering units to obtain data therefrom; and
an aggregate monitoring unit communicating with each of the plurality of field monitoring units to monitor and control each of the plurality of field monitoring units and collect data from the plurality of data gathering devices;
wherein each of the plurality of field monitoring units communicates with each other.
2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the field monitoring units are operable to instant message among themselves.
3. The system according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of field monitoring units broadcasts the data obtained from the corresponding plurality of data gathering devices to other monitoring units and to the aggregate monitoring unit.
4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the aggregate monitoring unit can send a task instruction to at least one of the plurality field monitoring units.
5. The system according to claim 4 wherein the task instruction is a predefined set of instructions.
6. The system according to claim 4 wherein the task instruction is a custom set of instructions.
7. The system according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of field monitoring units includes an identity.
8. The system according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of field monitoring units includes location information.
9. The system according to claim 8 wherein the location information embedded in the field monitoring unit.
10. The system according to claim 8 wherein the location information is provided by one of the plurality of the data gathering devices.
11. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of field monitoring units includes a time stamp.
12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the time stamp information is embedded in the field monitoring unit.
13. The claim according to claim 11 wherein the time stamp information is provided by one of the plurality of the data gathering devices.
14. The system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of data gathering devices is a hazardous materials sensor.
15. The system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of data gathering devices is a biometric sensor.
16. The system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of data gathering devices is an environmental sensor.
17. The system according to claim 1 wherein the aggregate monitoring unit records all the data from the plurality of field monitoring units.
18. The system according to claim 1 further comprising an information repository.
19. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a configuration management unit communicating with each of the plurality of field monitoring units.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A combine harvester, comprising:
a chassis;
a processing system coupled to the chassis, the processing system comprising threshing, separating and cleaning components; and
a double-walled, plastic grain storage bin coupled to the chassis, the bin comprising a plurality of integrated support structures disposed on interior surfaces of the bin that contact crop material processed by the processing system.
2. The combine harvester of claim 1, wherein the plurality of integrated support structures are disposed on plural sides of the bin.
3. The combine harvester of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of integrated support structures comprises a ladder.
4. The combine harvester of claim 3, wherein a bottom of the ladder is only accessible from inside the bin.
5. The combine harvester of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of integrated support structures comprises an access panel.
6. The combine harvester of claim 5, further comprising an additional access panel.
7. The combine harvester of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of integrated support structures comprises a plurality of ribs, the ribs extending from at least one of the double walls toward a center of the bin.
8. The combine harvester of claim 7, wherein the ribs are arranged vertically.
9. The combine harvester of claim 1, wherein the bin comprises an additional plurality of integrated support structures disposed on exterior surfaces of the bin.
10. The combine harvester of claim 9, wherein the plurality of integrated support structures disposed on the exterior surfaces of the bin are disposed on plural sides of the bin.
11. The combine harvester of claim 1, further comprising a conveying apparatus and plural apertures, wherein a first of the plural apertures is disposed on the bottom of the bin and comprises an uninterrupted passageway between an interior volume of the bin and the conveying apparatus.
12. The combine harvester of claim 11, wherein a second of the plural apertures enables a flow of the processed crop material to the bin.
13. The combine harvester of claim 1, wherein the bin and the integrated support structures are formed in a rotational molding process.
14. A combine harvester, comprising:
a chassis; and
a double-walled, plastic grain storage bin coupled to the chassis, the bin comprising an integrated support structure disposed on an interior surface of the bin that contacts crop material processed by the combine harvester.
15. The combine harvester of claim 14, further comprising a processing system coupled to the chassis, the processing system comprising a threshing and separating rotor and a cleaning system that processes crop material.
16. The combine harvester of claim 14, further comprising one or more additional integrated support structures that are disposed on one or more interior surfaces of the bin, one or more exterior surfaces of the bin, or a combination of both.
17. The combine harvester of claim 16, wherein the integrated support structure and the one or more additional integrated support structures comprises one or any combination of a ladder, a rib, or a hingeable access panel.
18. The combine harvester of claim 17, wherein the rib is arranged vertically.
19. The combine harvester of claim 17, wherein the bin and the integrated support structure and the one or more additional integrated support structures are formed in a rotational molding process.
20. A combine harvester, comprising:
a chassis; and
a rotationally-molded, double-walled, plastic grain storage bin coupled to the chassis, the bin comprising a first storage volume that receives and stores crop material processed by the combine harvester and a plurality of integrated support structures disposed on interior surfaces of the bin that contact the processed crop material.