METHOD AND APPARATUS IN CONNECTION WITH FORESTRY MACHINE

• US 20120323453A1
• Filed: 11/25/2010
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ponsse Oyj
• Original Assignee: Ponsse Oyj
• Inventors: Havimäki, Esko, Savuoja, Jani, Ranta, Niko
• Granted Patent: US 9,747,731 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 23/00 Forestry
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

An apparatus comprising means for collecting data measured from operation and/or a state of a forestry machine and/or describing an environment thereof, which date may consist of one or more parameters, means for processing the collected data, and means for influencing, on the basis of the processed data, one or more parameters controlling the operation of the forestry machine or for conveying feedback or an instruction or a prompt to a driver to change his or her control.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A method in connection with working with a forestry machine, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

collecting data describing operation and/or a state and/or an environment of the forestry machine, which data may consist of one or more parameters;

processing the collected data;

influencing, on the basis of the processed data, one or more parameters controlling the operation of the forestry machine, or conveying feedback or an instruction or a prompt to a driver to change his or her control.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises

assessing, on the basis of the collected data, quality of control operations carried out by the driver of the forestry machine;

influencing the one or more parameters controlling the operation of the forestry machine to correspond with the quality of the control operations carried out by the driver.

22. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises

assessing, on the basis of the collected data, the quality of the control operations carried out by the driver of the forestry machine;

offering the driver automatic adaptation of the control operations in order to improve the quality;

adapting the driver'"'"'s control operations if the driver accepts the automatic adaptation of control.

23. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises assessing, on the basis of the collected data, the quality of the control operations carried out by the driver of the forest machine;

influencing the control of the forest machine by forcedly controlling the machine in regard to one or more control operations contrary to the control operations carried out by the driver if the quality does not meet a predetermined criterion.

24. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises

assessing the driver'"'"'s state of alertness by comparing a value of one or more parameters with previous values of the parameters;

influencing the one or more control parameters controlling the operation of the forest machine to correspond with the driver'"'"'s state of alertness.

25. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises

identifying a work phase or a work performance currently being carried out on the basis of the collected data describing the operation and/or the state and/or the environment of the forestry machine or its driver;

and

presenting or conveying to the driver information, feedback or guidance and/or other data concerning particularly the work phase or performance in question.

26. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises

presenting to the driver a value of one or more parameters and/or a derived quantity generated therefrom.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the method further comprises

presenting to the driver an estimation of optimality of the operation of the forestry machine and/or the control carried out by the driver.

28. A computer program product, comprising computer program code means stored on a computer-readable storage medium, the code means being configured to execute all steps of the method defined in claim 20 when the program is run on a computer.

29. An apparatus, wherein the apparatus comprises means for collecting data measured from operation and/or a state of a forestry machine and/or describing an environment thereof, which data may consist of one or more parameters;

means for processing the collected data; and

means for influencing, on the basis of the processed data, one or more parameters controlling the operation of the forestry machine, or for conveying feedback or an instruction or a prompt to a driver to change his or her control.

30. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein the apparatus comprises

means for assessing, on the basis of the measured parameters, quality of control operations carried out by the driver of the forestry machine;

and

means for influencing the one or more parameters controlling the operation of the forestry machine to correspond with the quality of the control operations carried out by the driver.

31. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein the apparatus comprises means for assessing, on the basis of the measured parameters, the quality of the control operations carried out by the driver of the forestry machine;

means for offering the driver automatic adaptation of the control operations in order to improve the quality;

means for adapting the driver'"'"'s control operations if the driver accepts the automatic adaptation of control.

32. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein the apparatus comprises means for assessing, on the basis of the measured control parameters, the quality of the control operations carried out by the driver of the forest machine;

and

means for influencing the control of the forest machine by forcedly controlling the machine in regard to one or more control operations contrary to the control operations carried out by the driver if the quality does not meet a predetermined criterion.

33. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein the apparatus comprises means for assessing the driver'"'"'s state of alertness by comparing a value of one or more parameters with previous values of the parameters;

and

means for influencing the one or more control parameters controlling the operation of the forest machine to correspond with the driver'"'"'s state of alertness.

34. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein the apparatus comprises means for identifying a work phase or a work performance currently being carried out on the basis of the collected data describing the operation and/or the state and/or the environment of the forestry machine or its driver;

and

means for presenting or conveying to the driver information, feedback or guidance and/or other data concerning particularly the work phase or performance in question.

35. An apparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein the apparatus comprises means for identifying a work phase or a work performance currently being carried out on the basis of the collected data describing the operation and/or the state and/or the environment of the forestry machine or its driver;

and

means for presenting or conveying to the driver information, feedback or guidance and/or other data concerning particularly the work phase or performance in question.

36. An apparatus as claimed in claim 31, wherein the apparatus comprises means for identifying a work phase or a work performance currently being carried out on the basis of the collected data describing the operation and/or the state and/or the environment of the forestry machine or its driver;

and means for presenting or conveying to the driver information, feedback or guidance and/or other data concerning particularly the work phase or performance in question.

37. An apparatus as claimed in claim 32, wherein the apparatus comprises means for identifying a work phase or a work performance currently being carried out on the basis of the collected data describing the operation and/or the state and/or the environment of the forestry machine or its driver;

and

means for presenting or conveying to the driver information, feedback or guidance and/or other data concerning particularly the work phase or performance in question.

38. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, w h e r e in the apparatus comprises means for presenting to the driver a value of one or more measurement parameters and/or a derived quantity generated therefrom;

and

means for presenting to the driver an estimation of optimality of the operation of the forestry machine and/or the control carried out by the driver.

39. A forestry machine, wherein the forestry machine comprises an apparatus according to claim 29.