Self-propelled, close-coupled, autonomous grain cart

• US 10,028,442 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lon Owen Crosby
• Original Assignee: Lon Owen Crosby
• Inventors: Crosby, Lon Owen
• Primary Examiner(s): McPherson, James M
• Application Number:
  US15/092,582
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/12 Details of combines
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/00 Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects ambulances or other vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances A61G3/00; hearses A61G21/00; fire-fighting land vehicles A62C27/00; refuse-collecting vehicles B65F3/00, B65F7/00; snow-removing vehicles E01H; armoured or armed vehicles F41H7/00; self-propelled mine-clearing vehicles F41H11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0293 Convoy travelling

Abstract

An autonomous self-propelled grain cart for short-coupled operation with a grain harvesting combine includes a frame and an operator'"'"'s cab affixed to the frame. The operator'"'"'s cab includes interactive controls for steering, regulating propulsion, and utility operation by an operator. A plurality of drive units propel the cart over the surface of an agricultural field. A grain hopper includes a grain bin and an unloading apparatus. A power system is electrically communicative with the drive units and the grain hopper unloading apparatus. The grain cart also includes a position sensing system, and a control system. The control system includes a central processing unit having an associated memory, a display, a user input device, and an instruction set resident in the memory. The instruction set, when executed and integrated with the position sensing system, functions to autonomously maintain a close-coupled position with respect to an operating combine.

Claims

1. An autonomous self-propelled grain cart for short-coupled operation with a grain harvesting combine, the autonomous self-propelled grain cart comprising:

a frame;

an operator'"'"'s cab supported by the frame, the operator'"'"'s cab rotatable about a vertical axis between a forward facing orientation and a rear facing orientation and further wherein the operator'"'"'s cab is selectively raised and lowered along the vertical axis, the operator'"'"'s cab including interactive controls for steering, regulating propulsion, and utility operation by an operator occupying the operator'"'"'s cab, the interactive controls generating control signals for transmission via an electrical signal harness to operate systems external to the operator'"'"'s cab;

a plurality of drive units affixed to the frame for propelling the autonomous grain cart over a surface of an agricultural field;

a grain hopper affixed to and supported by the frame, the grain hopper further including a grain bin for receiving harvested grain and an unloading apparatus for removing the grain from the grain bin;

a power system mounted to the frame and operationally communicative with the drive units and the unloading apparatus;

a positioning system for determining a geographical position of the grain cart; and

a control system further comprising;

a central processing unit having an associated memory;

a display;

a user input device; and

an instruction set resident in the memory and executable by the central processing unit wherein the instruction set when executed and integrated with the positioning system functions to autonomously maintain a short-coupled position with respect to a combine operating on an agricultural field.

2. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 1 wherein the power system comprises an electrical generator driven by an internal combustion engine and further wherein each of the drive units includes a variable speed electric motor electrically communicative with the electrical generator.

3. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 2 wherein at least one of the drive units further includes a brake, and one of the group consisting of a wheel and an agricultural track.

4. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 2 wherein the variable speed electric motor of each of the drive units is a switched reluctance electric motor.

5. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 2 wherein the drive units are mounted to an end of an axle selectively adjustable to modify a lateral spacing between the drive units.

6. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 5 wherein the axle comprises an outer box beam and an inner box beam telescopically movable within the outer box beam.

7. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 6 including a hydraulic cylinder having a first end affixed to the outer box beam and a second end affixed to the inner box beam to telescopically move the inner box beam with respect to the outer box beam.

8. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 1 wherein each of the drive units is independently steerable of others of the drive units.

9. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 1 wherein the control system receives operational inputs from the interactive controls and further wherein in response thereto the control system generates electrical operational commands to the drive units, said operational commands including at least steering commands, acceleration commands, deceleration commands, and braking commands.

10. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 1 wherein the frame includes at least one attach point for hard coupling the self-propelled autonomous grain cart to the combine.

11. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 1 wherein the grain bin includes a partition separating the grain bin into at least two compartments.

12. An autonomous self-propelled grain cart for short-coupled operation with a grain harvesting combine, the autonomous self-propelled grain cart comprising:

a frame;

a plurality of drive units affixed to the frame for propelling said autonomous self-propelled grain cart over a surface of an agricultural field, at least two laterally opposed ones of the drive units defining a primary drive axle and at least two laterally opposed ones of the drive units defining a steering axle, each of the drive units including a variable speed electric motor, a brake, and a traction member selected from the group consisting of a wheel and an agricultural track;

a power system mounted to the frame and operationally communicative with the drive units, the power system including an electrical generator driven by an internal combustion engine, the electrical generator electrically communicative with the variable speed electric motors of the drive units;

an operator'"'"'s cab supported by the frame at the steering axle, the operator'"'"'s cab rotatable about a vertical axis between a forward facing orientation and a rear facing orientation and further wherein the operator'"'"'s cab is selectively raised and lowered along the vertical axis, the operator'"'"'s cab including interactive controls for steering, regulating propulsion, and utility operation by an operator occupying the operator'"'"'s cab, the interactive controls generating control signals for transmission via an electrical signal harness to operate systems external to the operator'"'"'s cab;

a grain hopper affixed to and supported by the frame at the primary drive axle, the grain hopper further including a grain bin for receiving harvested grain and an unloading apparatus electrically communicative with the power system for removing the grain from the grain bin;

a positioning system for determining a geographical position of the grain cart; and

a control system further comprising;

a central processing unit having an associated memory;

a display;

a user input device; and

an instruction set resident in the memory and executable by the central processing unit wherein the instruction set when executed and integrated with the positioning system functions to autonomously control the self-propelled autonomous grain cart operating on an agricultural field;

wherein;

the autonomous self-propelled grain cart is bi-directionally operable wherein a first operable directional configuration is a forward facing operator'"'"'s cab orientation, steering axle forward orientation, and wherein a second operable directional configuration is a drive axle forward, operator'"'"'s cab rearward orientation, the operator'"'"'s cab being raised and rotated 180 degrees about its vertical axis.

13. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 12 wherein the variable speed electric motor of each of the drive units is a switched reluctance electric motor.

14. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 12 wherein each of the drive units is independently steerable of others of the drive units.

15. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 12 wherein the drive units are mounted at an end of an axle having an outer box beam and an inner box beam telescopically received therein and selectively adjustable to modify a lateral spacing between the drive units.

16. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 12 including a hydraulic cylinder having a first end affixed to the outer box beam and a second end affixed to the inner box beam to telescopically move the inner box beam with respect to the outer box beam.

17. The autonomous self-propelled grain cart according to claim 12 wherein the control system receives operational inputs from the interactive controls and further wherein in response thereto the control system generates electrical operational commands to the drive units, the operational commands including at least steering commands, acceleration commands, deceleration commands, and braking commands.

18. A method of short-coupling an autonomous self-propelled grain cart to a combine for agricultural field harvesting operations wherein the combine is of the type incorporating systems for continuously transmitting the combine physical position during the field harvesting operations, the method comprising the steps:

obtaining an autonomous self-propelled grain cart having a frame, an operator'"'"'s cab supported by the frame and rotatable about a vertical axis between a forward facing orientation and a rear facing orientation and selectively raised and lowered along the vertical axis, the operator'"'"'s cab also including interactive controls for steering, regulating propulsion, and utility operation, a plurality of independently steerable drive units affixed to the frame for propelling the grain cart, a grain hopper affixed to the frame, a power system mounted to the frame and operationally communicative with the drive units, a positioning system, and a control system including a central processing unit having an associated memory, a display, a user input device, and an instruction set resident in the memory and executable by the central processing unit for autonomously directing the grain cart across a surface of an agricultural field;

determining a desired physical position of the autonomous self-propelled grain cart with respect to the combine;

inputting the desired physical position of the autonomous self-propelled grain cart to be maintained into the central processing unit memory;

receiving the transmitted combine position;

calculating steering and velocity inputs for each drive unit to maintain the desired physical position with respect to the combine;

sending the calculated steering and velocity inputs to the drive units; and

repeating the receiving, the calculating, and the sending steps to continuously maintain the desired physical position with respect to the combine.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein the positioning system is a global positioning system.

20. The method according to claim 18 wherein the desired position of the autonomous self-propelled grain cart is calculated relative to an outlet of an unload spout of the combine and wherein the combine further includes drive units and the drive units of the grain cart substantially track the drive units of the combine.