Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090254254 | Adaptive nonlinear steering control system and method for work vehicles - A steering control system and method for automated steering of work vehicles that adapts to nonlinearities and uncertainties of steering mechanisms including a tolerance control law, a dynamic control law, and a saturation control law selected and executed in real time based on the magnitude of steering angle error, steering mode command, and manual override signal in real time. The dynamic control law includes a dynamic compensator having a double compensation zero, an integral, and a compensation gain, and further includes a deadband compensator and a control signal limiter. | 10-08-2009 |
20090312919 | System and method employing short range communications for establishing performance parameters of an exemplar agricultural machine among a plurality of like-purpose agricultural machines - A system and method for enabling the communication to and establishment among a plurality of generally like and like-purpose agricultural machines designed to perform generally similar agricultural operations within a given area generally like performance parameters, especially based upon the performance parameters of a particular agricultural machine that is considered or deemed to be the expert or exemplar machine, which system and method employ short range communications systems included in or associated with the operating systems of the individual agricultural machines to effect the distribution of the exemplar performance parameters to the plurality of agricultural machines, through a peer-to-peer wireless network between and among the plurality of agricultural machines for point-to-point communications, for use by the individual agricultural machines in controlling and performing the agricultural operation. | 12-17-2009 |
20100042297 | System and method employing short range communications for communicating and exchanging operational and logistical status information among a plurality of agricultural machines - A system, and method of use thereof, for enabling short range intercommunication and the exchange of logistical information between and among a plurality of authorized agricultural machines that are designed to be operable in conjunction with one another to effect, as a specific identified group, a given agricultural operation, including a plurality of individual agricultural machines each of which has a communications control portion operable to transmit and receive short distance communications signals and each of which also has authentication credentials associated therewith establishing such machine's entitlement to share in the logistical information and to be considered and treated as a member of the specific identified group involved in the performance of the given agricultural operation, with such individual agricultural machines, when positioned in range of the short distance communications signals of the individual agricultural machines, forming a peer-to-peer network in which such individual agricultural machines are joined as group members and are operable to effect the distribution over a wireless bus of the peer-to-peer network of logistical information of a group member of such network. | 02-18-2010 |
20100070145 | System and method employing short range communications for interactively coordinating unloading operations between a harvester and a grain transport - A system, and method of use thereof, that employs short distance communications signals, thereby limiting and localizing the dissemination area for such signals, for interactively coordinating crop material transfer operations between a harvester and a grain transport, including the automated conduct of an unloading operation, including commencement of the actual unloading of the grain through continuation of such unloading to termination of such unloading, which system and method of the present invention employs operating systems in the harvester and grain transport that so operate to become electronically linked to one another to thereafter operate in unison with one another to effect and control the conduct of the crop material transfer operation between the harvester and grain transport, with each of such operating systems having associated therewith a short range communications system for the transmission and receipt at close range of electronic data signals, such operating systems, when appropriately electronically linked to one another, being operable in conjunction with one another to exchange information, to maintain a communications link therebetween, and to automatedly coordinate and effect various activities of the harvester and grain transport as a crop material transfer operation is effected and proceeds. | 03-18-2010 |
20100070178 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE ORIENTATION MEASUREMENT - The orientation of a self-propelled vehicle or a towed vehicle relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle can be determined by mounting two ground speed sensors on the vehicle. The orientation of the vehicle relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle can be used to correct the error in the location of an implement mounted on the vehicle determined by a GPS system mounted on the vehicle or the vehicle towing the implement due to crabbing of the vehicle as the vehicle travels substantially perpendicular to a significant slope. | 03-18-2010 |
20110112721 | Towable Agricultural Implement Having Automatic Steering System - A steering system for a towable implement includes a steering sensor, an implement steering controller, a steering control valve, a steering cylinder, and an implement steering mechanism that steers the implement. The steering sensor measures, directly or indirectly, the angular position of the steerable wheels of the implement. The implement steering controller processes feedback from the steering sensor and with a desired steering angle, outputs a steering control signal that is input to the steering control valve. The steering control valve controls the flow of hydraulic fluid to the steering cylinder, which, in turn, powers the implement steering mechanism to turn the wheels of the implement. The steering system may be operated in various control modes, such as, a transportation steering mode, a corner and 180 turn steering mode, a swath tracking steering mode, crab steering mode, and a manual steering mode, which allows manual control of the steering system. | 05-12-2011 |
20110125371 | Auto-Steerable Farming System - A steering system for a towable implement includes a steering sensor, an implement steering controller, a steering control valve, a steering cylinder, and an implement steering mechanism that steers the implement. The steering sensor measures, directly or indirectly, the angular position of the steerable wheels of the implement. The implement steering controller processes feedback from the steering sensor and with a desired steering angle, outputs a steering control signal that is input to the steering control valve. The steering control valve controls the flow of hydraulic fluid to the steering cylinder, which, in turn, powers the implement steering mechanism to turn the wheels of the implement. The steering system may be operated in various control modes, such as, a transportation steering mode, a corner and 180 turn steering mode, a swath tracking steering mode, crab steering mode, and a manual steering mode, which allows manual control of the steering system. | 05-26-2011 |
20120215381 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SYNCHRONIZED CONTROL OF A HARVESTER AND TRANSPORT VEHICLE - A control system and method is provided for synchronized control of a harvester and transport vehicle during unload on the go operation. The control system can maintain a desired lateral distance between the harvester and transport vehicle using swath information that is used to steer the harvester. In addition, the control system can also bring a transport vehicle into appropriate alignment with the harvester using the same swath information. | 08-23-2012 |
20120215394 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SYNCHRONIZED CONTROL OF A HARVESTER AND TRANSPORT VEHICLE - A control system and method is provided to control a longitudinal position of a transport vehicle relative to a harvester during an unload on the go operation and to control both the lateral position and the longitudinal position of a transport vehicle relative to a harvester during an unload on the go operation to evenly fill a receiving area of the transport vehicle with crop material from the harvester. The longitudinal position of the transport vehicle is maintained within an acceptable range by adjusting the velocity of the transport vehicle. The receiving area of the transport vehicle can be more evenly filled with crop material by adjusting the lateral position and the longitudinal position of the transport vehicle within predetermined trim distances associated with the receiving area of the transport vehicle. | 08-23-2012 |
20120215409 | HARVESTER SPOUT CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD - A control system and method is provided for controlling the operational configuration of a spout of a harvester being used to perform unload on the go operations with an associated transport vehicle. The velocities of the harvester and transport vehicle and the lateral and longitudinal distances between the harvester and transport vehicle are used to predict future lateral and longitudinal distances between the harvester and transport vehicle. A control signal is issued to a harvester spout control system if either of the predicted lateral distance or longitudinal distance is outside of an associated acceptable range. The harvester spout control system then either shuts off the spout or changes the orientation of the spout in response to the control signal. | 08-23-2012 |
20130231823 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRAJECTORY CONTROL OF A TRANSPORT VEHICLE USED WITH A HARVESTER - A control system and method is provided to control the trajectory of a transport vehicle ( | 09-05-2013 |