Operator performance recommendation generation

• US 10,380,704 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2014
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Pfeiffer, Dohn W., Blank, Sebastian
• Primary Examiner(s): Bromell, Alexandria Y
• Application Number:
  US14/271,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20150199360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: 707723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining

Abstract

A set of data is received. The data is indicative of sensed parameters on a mobile machine. The data is evaluated against a set of actionable conditions to determine the degree of fulfillment of each condition. A recommendation for changing the operation of the mobile machine is identified based on the degree of fulfillment. An output is generated based on the recommendation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

detecting a speed of an agricultural machine, using a mobile machine speed sensor, and generating a speed signal indicative of the detected speed of the agricultural machine while a given operator is operating the agricultural machine;

detecting a configuration of the agricultural machine, using a machine configuration identifier, and generating a machine configuration signal indicative of the detected machine configuration;

detecting a mass flow of material through the agricultural machine, using a mass flow sensor, and generating a mass flow signal indicative of the detected mass flow of material;

receiving, at a productivity computation component, the speed signal, the machine configuration signal and the mass flow signal and calculating a grain productivity for the agricultural machine;

controlling, with a processor, a grain productivity fuzzy logic evaluation mechanism to evaluate a comparison of the grain productivity for the agricultural machine to reference data, and, based on the evaluation, generate a value indicative of a productivity performance of the given operator;

controlling, with the processor, a grain productivity metric generator to generate a productivity pillar score based on the value indicative of the productivity performance;

controlling, with the processor, an engine to identify a rule corresponding to an actionable condition and determine a degree of fulfillment of the rule based on the productivity pillar score;

generating control data indicative of the degree of fulfillment of the rule corresponding to the actionable condition;

generating a control signal that controls an output component to output a control recommendation, based on the control data, wherein the control recommendation modifies an operating characteristic of the agricultural machine to modify the degree of fulfillment of the rule corresponding to the actionable condition.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting a control recommendation, on a user interface device, to the operator based on the degree of fulfillment of the rule corresponding to the actionable condition.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the control recommendation comprises a recommendation to modify an operating characteristic of the agricultural machine to reduce the degree of fulfillment of the rule corresponding to the actionable condition.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the control recommendation varies based on the degree of fulfillment of the rule.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the control recommendation varies according to a predefined function associated with the rule.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the control recommendation is a fixed recommendation that is the same type regardless of the degree of fulfillment of the rule.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the rule corresponding to the actionable condition comprises:

identifying the rule, corresponding to the actionable condition, from an enumerated set of rules based on a priority of the rule.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the engine is configured to determine a degree of fulfillment for each rule within the enumerated set of rules.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the engine is configured to determine the degree of fulfillment for each rule within the enumerated set of rules based on a plurality of pillar scores.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating control data indicative of the degree of fulfillment of the rule comprises:

determining an amount of time since control data was last generated for the rule; and

based on the determination, generating the control data to perform automated, closed loop control of the agricultural machine.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein modifying the degree of fulfillment comprises decreasing the degree of fulfillment.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the control signal comprises generating the control signal to perform automated, closed loop control of the agricultural machine based on the degree of fulfillment of the rule corresponding to the actionable condition.

13. A computer system, comprising:

a time sensor configured to sense an operating time of an agricultural machine;

a machine state sensor configured to sense a machine state of the agricultural machine;

a speed sensor configured to sense a speed of the agricultural machine;

a processor configured to calculate a distance the agricultural machine travels in each machine state and a time the agricultural machine is in each machine state based on the operating time, machine state and speed of the agricultural machine;

a fuzzy logic controller configured to evaluate a comparison of the output of the processor to reference data, and, based on the evaluation, generate a value indicative of a performance of an operator of the agricultural machine in regards to a logistics metric;

a logistics metric generator configured to receive the value from the fuzzy logic controller and generate a logistics pillar score based on the value;

an engine configured to receive the logistics pillar score, identify a rule corresponding to an actionable condition and determine a degree of fulfillment of the rule based on the logistics pillar score; and

a control system configured to generate control signals based on the determined degree of fulfillment of the rule that controls an output component to output a control recommendation, wherein the control recommendation modifies an operating characteristic of the agricultural machine to modify the degree of fulfillment of the rule corresponding to the actionable condition.

14. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising:

a user interface device that indicates control recommendation based on the determined degree of fulfillment of the rule corresponding to the actionable condition.

15. The computer system of claim 13 and further comprising:

a plurality of different pillar score generators, each generating a different performance pillar score indicative of a relative performance of the operator in a given one of a plurality of different performance categories, relative to a performance level represented by a set of reference data in the given performance category, the engine receiving the performance pillar scores and determining a degree of fulfillment for a plurality of rules corresponding to actionable conditions based on the performance pillar scores.

16. The computer system of claim 13 wherein the control system generates the control signals in order to reduce the degree of fulfillment of the rule.

17. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the engine is configured to identify the rule, corresponding to the actionable condition, from an enumerated set of rules based on a priority of the rule.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the engine is configured to determine a degree of fulfillment for each rule, within the enumerated set of rules, periodically during operation of the agricultural machine.

19. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the engine identifies the rule corresponding to the actionable condition based on the priority and a previously evaluated rule within the enumerated set of rules.

20. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the engine identifies the rule corresponding to the actionable condition based on the priority and a sensed operating condition of the agricultural machine.

21. A mobile machine, comprising:

a shoe loss sensor configured to sense a shoe loss of the agricultural machine;

a separator loss sensor configured to sense a separator loss of the agricultural machine;

a tailings volume sensor configured to sense a volume of tailings of the agricultural machine;

a mass flow sensor configured to sense a mass flow of material through the agricultural machine;

a processor configured to break the sensed shoe loss, separator loss and mass flow into discrete timeframes and generate an output indicative of the broken sensed shoe loss, separator loss and mass flow;

a fuzzy logic controller configured to receive the output from the processor and evaluate a comparison of the output to reference data, and, based on the evaluation, generate a value indicative of a performance of an operator of the agricultural machine in regards to a material loss metric;

a grain loss metric generator configured to receive the value from the fuzzy logic controller and generate a material loss pillar score based on the value;

an engine configured to receive the material loss pillar score, identify a rule corresponding to an actionable condition and determine a degree of fulfillment of the rule based on the material loss pillar score; and

a control system configured to generate control signals based on the determined degree of fulfillment of the rule that controls an output component to cutout a control recommendation, wherein the control recommendation modifies an operating characteristic of the agricultural machine to modify the degree of fulfillment of the rule corresponding to the actionable condition.

22. The mobile device of claim 21, further comprising:

a user interface device that indicates a control recommendation based on the determined degree of fulfillment of the rule corresponding to the actionable condition.

23. The mobile machine of claim 21 wherein the control system generates the control signals based on the degree of fulfillment and a priority of the rule corresponding to the actionable condition.