Agricultural hitch with a system for management and guidance of operations and a method thereof

• US 10,524,406 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2016
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KUHN SA (Bucher Industries AG)
• Original Assignee: KUHN SA (Bucher Industries AG)
• Inventors: Potier, Philippe, Yatskul, Andrii, Lemiere, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Merlino, David P.
• Application Number:
  US15/299,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20170188505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 59/002 Details, component parts
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 59/042 having pulling means arranged on the rear part of the tractor
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/003 Steering or guiding of machines or implements pushed or pulled by or mounted on agricultural vehicles such as tractors, e.g. by lateral shifting of the towing connection
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/004 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 13/00 Steering specially adapted for trailers combined traction and steering hitches B60D
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 involving a learning process

Abstract

An agricultural hitch with a system for management and guidance of maneuvers and a method employed by the hitch is provided. The hitch includes a tractor, an agricultural machine hitched by an articulated linkage, and a system for management and guidance of maneuvers, provided with a computing and control unit. The computing and control unit or of the hitched agricultural machine constitutes the master unit of the system for management and guidance of maneuvers, and is adapted to compute a set path for a maneuver to come, by employing an algorithm for prediction of paths and an algorithm for optimization of path settings, and to automatically execute the maneuver or of assisting in semiautomatic execution of the maneuver by steering the tractor and by recording, during maneuvering, the differences between the predefined set path and the real or currently estimated path.

Claims

1. A hitch comprising:

a tractor;

a towed or semi-carried agricultural machine hitched to the tractor by an articulated linkage; and

a system for management and guidance of maneuvers including

a computing and control unit integrated with the agricultural machine,

a first sensor informing about current mutual relative positions of the tractor and the agricultural machine connected to one another by the articulated linkage,

a unit for management and control of the tractor,

an interface for communication with a driver, and

a unit for parameter assignment or programming,

wherein the computing and control unit constitutes a master unit of the system for management and guidance of maneuvers,

wherein the system for management and guidance of maneuvers is configured to;

compute a set path for a maneuver to come, initiated automatically or by the driver, the set path being based on preprogrammed parameters relating to characteristics and physical variables of the tractor and of the agricultural machine, at least one of objectives or constraints related to agricultural work to be executed, ground to be treated, or operating options of the hitch, and an algorithm for prediction of paths and an algorithm for optimization of path settings, and

automatically execute the maneuver by steering the tractor, directly or by the unit for management and control of the tractor, and record, during maneuvering, differences between a predefined set path and a real or currently estimated path, in order to correct the differences automatically, or assist in semiautomatic execution of the maneuver by signaling the differences to the driver in semiautomatic mode by way of an adapted algorithm, of maneuvers for corrections of a path to be followed,

wherein a parameter for computing the set path includes a turning angle of steered wheels of the tractor based on a wheelbase of the tractor and a turning radius of the tractor which is then corrected by taking interactions with soil into account, and the corrected turning angle of the steered wheels of the tractor is used to calculate transitional entrance and exit phases of the tractor, the interactions with the soil including a drift angle created on the steered wheels due to resistance of the soil on both sides of the steered wheels, and

wherein the transitional entrance and exit phases of the tractor are calculated by

2. The hitch according to claim 1, further comprising a second sensor capable of and designed for furnishing information about at least one of the turning angle of steered wheels, a speed of rotation of driving wheels, an absolute forward speed, a height position of a component of the hitch, or a drive speed of a power take-off.

3. The hitch according to claim 1, wherein the agricultural machine comprises first and second agricultural machines hitched in series one after the other to the tractor, the first agricultural machine of the series being connected directly to the tractor, and the second machine being connected in articulated manner to the first agricultural machine, and

wherein the first sensor furnishes a first signal indicative of the mutual relative position of the tractor and the first agricultural machine, and a second sensor furnishes a second signal indicative of the mutual relative position of the first agricultural machine and the second agricultural machine.

4. The hitch according to claim 1, wherein the articulated linkage pivots around an axis of rotation that is at least one of vertical or perpendicular to the soil, and the first sensor furnishes a signal indicative of a configuration of the articulated linkage around the axis of rotation.

5. The hitch according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the tractor or the agricultural machine is equipped with a geolocation antenna, data of which is transmitted to the computing and control unit and processed by the computing and control unit for at least one of an automatic mode of functioning or being displayed visually on the interface for communication.

6. The hitch according to claim 5, wherein the computing and control unit and the geolocation antenna are mounted on the agricultural machine which is connected directly to the tractor.

7. The hitch according to claim 1, wherein the computing and control unit is connected to a power control interface of the tractor or to the unit for management and control of the tractor by a communication bus, the communication bus assuring transmission of data between the computing and control unit and the other components of the system for management and guidance of maneuvers.

8. The hitch according to claim 1, wherein the interface for communication with the driver is provided with a means for selecting a mode of functioning between fully automatically controlled, semiautomatically controlled or manually controlled functioning.

9. A method for automated or semiautomated management of maneuvers of a hitch comprising a tractor, an agricultural machine hitched to the tractor by an articulated linkage, and a system for management and guidance of maneuvers provided with a computing and control unit integrated with the agricultural machine, a sensor informing the computing and control unit about current mutual relative positions of operational components of the hitch connected to one another by the articulated linkage, a unit for management and control of the tractor, an interface for communication with a driver, and means for parameter assignment or programming, the method comprising:

computing a set path for a maneuver to come, initiated automatically or by the driver, the set path being based on preprogrammed parameters relating to characteristics of the tractor and at least one of objectives or constraints related to the agricultural work to be executed and to the ground to be treated and to functioning options of the hitch and by employing a path-computing algorithm for prediction of paths and a path-optimizing algorithm for optimization of path settings; and

automatically executing the maneuver by steering the tractor, directly or by the unit for management and control of the tractor, and by recording, during maneuvering, differences between a predefined set path and a real or currently estimated path, in order to correct the differences automatically, or assisting in semiautomatic execution of the maneuver by signaling the differences to the driver in semiautomatic mode by employment of an adapted algorithm, of measures for correction of a path to be followed,

wherein a parameter for computing the set path includes a turning angle of steered wheels of the tractor based on a wheelbase of the tractor and a turning radius of the tractor which is then corrected by taking interactions with soil into account, and the corrected turning angle of the steered wheels of the tractor is used to calculate transitional entrance and exit phases of the tractor, the interactions with the soil including a drift angle created on the steered wheels due to resistance of the soil on both sides of the steered wheels,

wherein the method further comprises, prior to treatment of a jobsite, assigning parameters to the path-computing algorithm by indicating different functional, structural and dimensional characteristics of the tractor and of the agricultural machine, and

wherein the following characteristics and variables are entered during a phase of assigning parameters to the path-computing algorithm;

a maximum turning angle of the tractor,

maximum widths of the components of the hitch,

a forward speed desired during the maneuver,

a maximum angular speed of turning of the steered wheels of the tractor,

angles of maximum articulation or pivoting between the components of the hitch,

a distance between a rear bridge of a component of the hitch and a hitch point of a next component that is connected thereto,

a distance between a rear bridge of a hitched component and its point of hitching to a preceding component,

wheelbases of the components of a kinematic assembly formed by the hitch, and

a turning direction.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising, in the semiautomatic mode of management of a maneuver, displaying, for the driver present in the tractor, a recommended set path of the hitch, and permitting the driver to execute the maneuver within safety limits of the hitch, the computing and control unit of the agricultural machine furnishing assistance by providing a recommended path.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising taking into account, during execution under control of the maneuver according to a computed and optimized set path, the data furnished by different sensors mounted on at least one of the tractor, the agricultural machine, or the articulated linkage.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising taking into account, during execution under control of the maneuver in accordance with a computed and optimized set path, data furnished by a geolocating system including an antenna mounted on the agricultural machine or on the tractor, and if necessary recording differences from the recommended set path and displaying the differences and computing compensating actions and at least one of indicating the compensating actions to the driver or automatically executing the compensating actions.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising, in automatic mode of management of a maneuver, taking into account data furnished by at least one geolocation antenna installed on at least one of the tractor or the agricultural machine.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising assigning parameters to the path-optimizing algorithm by entering desired optimization objectives including at least one of minimization of working time, minimization of a distance traveled by one of the components of the hitch during the maneuver or minimization of at least one geometric dimension characterizing a maneuvering space.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising assigning parameters to the path-optimizing algorithm, in a case of management of half-turns, by the indication of execution constraints including at least one of imposition of an entrance point or of an exit point in a zone of working, or imposition of a maximum permitted width of a headland corresponding to a specified multiple of a working width of a broadest agricultural machine of the hitch.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising executing the maneuver by transmission of instructions to a power control interface of the tractor.

17. The method according to claim 9, further comprising taking into account, at the articulated linkage, a degree of freedom in which the articulated linkage pivots around an axis of rotation that is at least one of vertical or perpendicular to the soil, the sensor furnishing a signal indicative of a configuration of the articulated linkage around the axis of rotation.