Route planning system for agricultural working machines

• US 7,756,624 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH (CLAAS KGaA mbH)
• Original Assignee: Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH (CLAAS KGaA mbH)
• Inventors: Diekhans, Norbert, Brunnert, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jen; Ian
• Application Number:
  US11/566,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20070135190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 701/209, 701/202, 701/26, 460/114
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/007 Steering or guiding of agricultural vehicles, e.g. steering of the tractor to keep the plough in the furrow
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 91/00 Methods for harvesting agricultural products
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A route planning system for an agricultural working machine including at least one crop material storage unit for storing quantities of crop material transferable to forage vehicles, has a unit for generating driving routes in a territory based on a defined working width assigned to the agricultural working machine, a unit for reconciling a crop material quantity stored in the crop material storage unit depending on at least one characteristic parameter, and a unit for dynamically adapting the reconciliation to changes in the at least one characteristic parameter.

Claims

1. A route planning system for an agricultural working machine including at least one crop material storage unit for storing quantities of crop material transferable to forage vehicles, the route planning system comprising

an evaluation unit configured for generating driving routes in a territory based on a defined working width assigned to the agricultural working machine and for reconciling a crop material quantity stored in the crop material storage unit depending on at least one characteristic parameter selected from the group consisting of a crop material-specific parameter, a field-specific parameter, a machine-specific parameter, and a combination thereof;

and

a fill level detection device for measuring grain throughput, for measuring a grain fill level difference between incoming grain flow and grain flow removed from crop material storage, for generating a crop material fill level signal representative of the grain fill level difference and for transmitting the crop material storage fill level signal to the evaluation unit;

wherein said evaluation unit dynamically adapts the reconciliation to changes in the at least one characteristic parameter.

2. A route planning system as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising sensors which sense the crop material quantity stored in the crop material storage unit; and

an evaluation unit in which signals specific to the crop material quantity generated by said sensors are correlated with at least one of the characteristic parameters provided in said evaluation unit so that said evaluation unit generates information which is used to reconcile the crop material quantity.

3. A route planning system as defined in claim 2, wherein said evaluation unit is configured so that the information which is generated by said evaluation unit and used to reconcile the crop material quantity includes an information selected from the group consisting of expected crop material yields, expected unloading points, an unloading point in time, a remaining distance over which the crop material quantity is conveyed out of the crop material storage unit, and a combination thereof.

4. A route planning system as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for reconciling is formed so that the reconciliation includes a determination of a current grain tank fill level and forecasting a geographical position of an unloading point in the route planning system with consideration for at least one field-specific parameter.

5. A route planning system as defined in claim 2, wherein said evaluation unit is configured so that it determines, with consideration at least for a fill level of the crop material storage unit, an unloading point which was determined, a position of at least one unloading vehicle and a determined driving route, an unloading strategy which adjusts at least one of these parameters depending on remaining parameters.

6. A route planning system as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for reconciling is configured so that the reconciliation includes stating what additional unloading capacity is required, depending on a crop material quantity expected.

7. A route planning system as defined in claim 6, wherein said means for reconciling is configured so that the unloading capacity required is provided as a waiting-time reconciliation such that, depending on a fill level of the crop material storage unit and/or an unloading point which was determined, at least one unloading vehicle which forms the unloading capacity switches between a large number of agricultural working machines with consideration for an optimization criterium for storing crop material.

8. A route planning system as defined in claim 7, wherein said means for reconciling is configured so that the optimization criterium is a criterium selected from the group consisting of a short driving distance of the unloading vehicle on a territory to be worked, an optimal filling of the unloading vehicle, a prioritization of the agricultural working machine to be approached, and a combination thereof.

9. A route planning system as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising means for controlling of one or more unloading vehicles automatically depending on at least one determined unloading point.

10. A route planning system as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising at least one graphic display unit for visualizing an unloading point which was determined and provided in the agricultural working machine and at least one unloading vehicle.

11. A route planning system as defined in claim 10, wherein said graphical display unit is configured so that it depicts driving tracks, and the driving tracks are depicted depending on driving path properties.

12. A route planning system as defined in claim 11, wherein said graphical display unit is configured so that a graphical display of the driving tracks includes, at least, a depiction of a worked driving track and a driving track yet to be worked, which depends on the unloading point which was determined.

13. A route planning system as defined in claim 1, wherein said evaluation unit is configured so that the crop material-specific parameters include parameters selected from the group consisting of a crop material type, a crop material moisture, a crop material throughput, a grain throughput, a grain-straw ratio, and a combination thereof.

14. A route planning system as defined in claim 1, wherein said evaluation unit is configured so that the field-specific parameters include parameters selected from the group consisting of field geometry, driving routes, hilly terrain, a location of obstacles, and a combination thereof.

15. A route planning system as defined in claim 1, wherein said evaluation unit is configured so that the machine-specific parameters include parameters selected from the group consisting of a fill level of the crop material storage unit, a crop material quantity delivered to the crop material storage unit, a crop material quantity unloaded from the crop material storage unit, specific information about at least one unloading vehicle, and a combination thereof.

16. A route planning system as defined in claim 11, wherein said graphic display unit is configured so that a display of driving tracks is adapted dynamically to changing basic conditions.

17. A route planning system as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising a display unit for visualizing an unloading point, an unloading point in time, and a remaining distance in a manner selected from the group consisting of individually and in combination.

18. A route planning system as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising means for dynamically adjusting an unloading point, an unloading point in time, and a remaining distance.

19. A route planning system for an agricultural working machine including at least one crop material storage unit for storing quantities of crop material transferable to forage vehicle, the route planning system comprising:

an evaluation unit configured for generating driving routes in a territory based on a defined working width assigned to the agricultural working machine for correlating signals generated by crop material sensors that are specific to a crop material quantity stored in the crop material storage unit with at least one characteristic parameter selected from the group consisting of a crop material specific parameter, a field-specific parameter, a machine-specific parameter, and a combination thereof, a fill level detection device for measuring grain throughput, for measuring a grain fill level difference between incoming grain flow and grain flow removed from crop material storage, for generating a crop material fill level signal representative of the grain fill level difference and for transmitting the crop material storage fill level signal to the evaluation unit, and for reconciling a crop material quantity store in the crop material storage unit depending on at least one characteristic parameter selected from the group consisting of a crop material-specific parameter, a field-specific parameter, a machine-specific parameter, and a combination thereof;

wherein said evaluation unit dynamically adapts the reconciliation to changes in the at least one characteristic parameter.