System and method employing short range communications for establishing performance parameters of an exemplar agricultural machine among a plurality of like-purpose agricultural machines
First Claim
1. A system for enabling the establishment of generally like performance parameters for and among a plurality of generally like-purpose agricultural machines each of which is designed and operable to generally similarly perform a particular agricultural operation in accordance with an operating set of performance parameters established for such agricultural machine, comprisinga plurality of generally like-purpose individual agricultural machines located within a given area, each of which individual agricultural machines includes an operating system that includes an operator interface portion, a sensor input portion, a master machine control portion, and an operation performance portion,said master machine control portion operatively connected to said operator interface portion, said sensor input portion, and said operation performance portion,said operator interface portion including operator input controls operable to provide operator input data to said master machine control portion,said sensor input portion operable to monitor certain operational conditions and to provide sensor input data to said master machine control portion,said output performance portion operable to effect performance of a particular agricultural operation by such individual agricultural machine under control of said master machine control portion thereof,said master machine control portion responsive to said data provided thereto from said operator interface portion and said sensor portion to establish performance parameters for said individual agricultural machine,each said individual agricultural machine operable to establish machine-specific performance parameters for such agricultural machine and to independently perform the particular agricultural operation in accordance with said machine-specific performance parameters established therefor, said machine-specific performance parameters including as at least a subset thereof a set of performance parameters defining a base operating set of performance parameters,each said individual agricultural machine also having associated therewith a communications control portion operable to transmit and receive short distance communication signals, said communications control portion operatively connected to said master machine control portion to effect the communication therefrom and thereto of communications data,said plurality of individual agricultural machines being positioned with respect to one another to be within range of said short distance communication signals,said positioned plurality of individual agricultural machines defining and being group members in a peer-to-peer network having a wireless communications bus accessible through said communications control portions of said individual agricultural machines interconnecting said positioned plurality of individual agricultural machines for point-to-point communications,a group member of said peer-to-peer network being operable to enable said group member to identify a desired agricultural machine of said plurality of individual agricultural machines as an exemplar machine and to effect the transmission by said exemplar machine of data representative of said operating set of performance parameters of said exemplar machine over said wireless communications bus to others of said plurality of agricultural machines,at least one of said plurality of like-purpose agricultural machines, defined as a target machine, operable to receive over said wireless communications bus said data representative of said base operating set of performance parameters of said exemplar machine and to establish for said target machine, in place of said target machine'"'"'s previously established base operating set of machine-specific performance parameters, a substitute base operating set of performance parameters generally like said base operating set of performance parameters established for said exemplar machine,said target machine thereafter operable to independently perform the particular agricultural operation in accordance with said substitute base operating set of performance parameters established therefor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
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.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A system for enabling the establishment of generally like performance parameters for and among a plurality of generally like-purpose agricultural machines each of which is designed and operable to generally similarly perform a particular agricultural operation in accordance with an operating set of performance parameters established for such agricultural machine, comprising
a plurality of generally like-purpose individual agricultural machines located within a given area, each of which individual agricultural machines includes an operating system that includes an operator interface portion, a sensor input portion, a master machine control portion, and an operation performance portion, said master machine control portion operatively connected to said operator interface portion, said sensor input portion, and said operation performance portion, said operator interface portion including operator input controls operable to provide operator input data to said master machine control portion, said sensor input portion operable to monitor certain operational conditions and to provide sensor input data to said master machine control portion, said output performance portion operable to effect performance of a particular agricultural operation by such individual agricultural machine under control of said master machine control portion thereof, said master machine control portion responsive to said data provided thereto from said operator interface portion and said sensor portion to establish performance parameters for said individual agricultural machine, each said individual agricultural machine operable to establish machine-specific performance parameters for such agricultural machine and to independently perform the particular agricultural operation in accordance with said machine-specific performance parameters established therefor, said machine-specific performance parameters including as at least a subset thereof a set of performance parameters defining a base operating set of performance parameters, each said individual agricultural machine also having associated therewith a communications control portion operable to transmit and receive short distance communication signals, said communications control portion operatively connected to said master machine control portion to effect the communication therefrom and thereto of communications data, said plurality of individual agricultural machines being positioned with respect to one another to be within range of said short distance communication signals, said positioned plurality of individual agricultural machines defining and being group members in a peer-to-peer network having a wireless communications bus accessible through said communications control portions of said individual agricultural machines interconnecting said positioned plurality of individual agricultural machines for point-to-point communications, a group member of said peer-to-peer network being operable to enable said group member to identify a desired agricultural machine of said plurality of individual agricultural machines as an exemplar machine and to effect the transmission by said exemplar machine of data representative of said operating set of performance parameters of said exemplar machine over said wireless communications bus to others of said plurality of agricultural machines, at least one of said plurality of like-purpose agricultural machines, defined as a target machine, operable to receive over said wireless communications bus said data representative of said base operating set of performance parameters of said exemplar machine and to establish for said target machine, in place of said target machine'"'"'s previously established base operating set of machine-specific performance parameters, a substitute base operating set of performance parameters generally like said base operating set of performance parameters established for said exemplar machine, said target machine thereafter operable to independently perform the particular agricultural operation in accordance with said substitute base operating set of performance parameters established therefor.
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20. A method for establishing generally like performance parameters for and among a plurality of generally like-purpose agricultural machines each of which is designed and operable to generally similarly perform a particular agricultural operation in accordance with an operating set of performance parameters established for such agricultural machine, comprising
providing a plurality of generally like-purpose individual agricultural machines, each of which individual agricultural machines includes an operating system that includes an operator interface portion, a sensor input portion, a master machine control portion, and an operation performance portion, said master machine control portion operatively connected to said operator interface portion, said sensor input portion, and said operation performance portion, said operator interface portion including operator input controls operable to provide operator input data to said master machine control portion, said sensor input portion operable to monitor certain operational conditions and to provide sensor input data to said master machine control portion, said output performance portion operable to effect performance of a particular agricultural operation by such individual agricultural machine under control of said master machine control portion thereof, said master machine control portion responsive to said data provided thereto from said operator interface portion and said sensor portion to establish performance parameters for said individual agricultural machine, each said individual agricultural machine operable to establish machine-specific performance parameters for such agricultural machine and to independently perform the particular agricultural operation in accordance with said machine-specific performance parameters established therefor, said machine-specific performance parameters including as at least a subset thereof a set of performance parameters defining a base operating set of performance parameters, each said individual agricultural machine also having associated therewith a communications control portion operable to transmit and receive short distance communication signals, said communications control portion operatively connected to said master machine control portion to effect the communication therefrom and thereto of communications data, each said individual agricultural machine being positionable relative to said other individual agricultural machines to be within range of said short distance communication signals and, with said other individual agricultural machines, to define a peer-to-peer network having a wireless communications bus accessible through said communications control portions of said individual agricultural machines interconnecting said positioned plurality of individual agricultural machines for point-to-point communications when so positioned and to be a group member of said peer-to-peer network, wherein a group member of said peer-to-peer network is operable to enable said group member to identify a desired agricultural machine of said plurality of individual agricultural machines as an exemplar machine and to effect the transmission by said exemplar machine of data representative of said operating set of performance parameters of said exemplar machine over said wireless communications bus to others of said plurality of agricultural machines, and at least one of said plurality of like-purpose agricultural machines, defined as a target machine, is operable to receive over said wireless communications bus said data representative of said base operating set of performance parameters of said exemplar machine and to establish for said target machine, in place of said target machine'"'"'s previously established base operating set of machine-specific performance parameters, a substitute base operating set of performance parameters generally like said base operating set of performance parameters established for said exemplar machine, positioning said plurality of individual agricultural machines with respect to one another within the field to be within range of said short distance communication signals, effecting the establishment of a peer-to-peer network including said plurality of positioned individual agricultural machines as group members thereof, said peer-to-peer network having a wireless communications bus accessible through said communications control portions of said individual agricultural machines interconnecting said positioned plurality of individual agricultural machines for point-to-point communications, operating a group member of said peer-to-peer network to effect a distribution of data representative of said base operating set of performance parameters of an exemplar machine to others of said plurality of generally like-purpose individual agricultural machines, including operating said group member to identify a desired agricultural machine of said plurality of individual agricultural machines as an exemplar machine and to effect the transmission by said exemplar machine of data representative of said operating set of performance parameters of said exemplar machine over said wireless communications bus to others of said plurality of agricultural machines, the receipt by a target machine of said data representative of said operating set of performance parameters of said exemplar machine transmitted over said wireless communications bus to establish for said target machine said operating set of performance parameters of said exemplar machine as a substitute base operating set of performance parameters for said target machine, and the subsequent operability of said target machine in accordance with said substitute base operating set of performance parameters, whereby said base operating set of performance parameters of said exemplar machine is distributable over said wireless communications bus of said peer-to-peer network to each target machine to thereafter be usable by said target machines to be independently operable in accordance with said substitute base operating sets of performance parameters established therefor to perform the particular agricultural operation.
Specification