Communication network and operating method for agricultural working machines

• US 8,254,351 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2007
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH (CLAAS KGaA mbH)
• Original Assignee: Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH (CLAAS KGaA mbH)
• Inventors: Fitzner, Werner, Wippersteg, Heinz-Hermann, Steckel, Thilo
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, WESLEY LEO
• Application Number:
  US11/764,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20070298744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/445, 455/517, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A communication network contains several nodes, which are equipped with transmitter/receiver units for wireless communication, including nodes referred to as mobile nodes that are installed on mobile machines. So that decentralized decisions can be made regarding the use of the mobile machines at the sites where the machines are located, a memory for storing the operating parameter profiles of several of the mobile machines is assigned to each node; every node is designed to transmit profiles stored in its assigned memory via its transmitter/receiver unit, and to update the profile of a particular mobile machine stored in its assigned memory based on a profile of this mobile machine that is received from another node.

Claims

1. A communication network, comprising

several nodes equipped with transmitter/receiver units for wireless communication, said nodes including mobile nodes installable on mobile machines;

and

a memory for storing operating parameter profiles of several of the mobile machines, assigned to each of said nodes and to which operating parameter profiles a time stamp is assigned to denote when each of the operating parameter profiles was generated;

wherein every node is assigned to transmit the respective profiles of the several of the mobile machines stored on its assigned memory via its transmitter/receiver unit, and to update a profile of a particular mobile machine of the several of the mobile machines stored in its assigned memory based on a profile of the particular mobile machine that was received from another node, and

wherein every node implements a process of updating parameter profiles which includes comparing a time stamp assigned to a stored profile of a mobile machine with a time stamp assigned to a received profile for the mobile machine and overwriting the stored profile with the received profile if the received profile is determined to be a more recent profile, in accordance with the following steps;

a) a first node (4) receiving (S2), from a second node (1), a set of time stamps, each of which is assigned to a profile (P2a, P2b, P3a, P3b, P3c) of a mobile machine (2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c) in a memory assigned to the second node (1),

b) comparing the received time stamps with corresponding time stamps in the memory assigned to the first node (4) and determining in which of the machines the profiles assigned to the first node (4) must be overwritten,

c) prompting (S3) the second node (1) to transmit the profiles of the machines, and

d) storing the profiles transmitted (S4), as prompted, by the second node, instead of storing the profiles to be overwritten.

2. A communication network as defined in claim 1, wherein the first node (4) is also configured to determine, in step b), which profiles in the memory (11) of the second node (1) must be overwritten, and, in step e), to transmit (S4) these profiles to the second node.

3. A communication network as defined in claim 1, wherein the nodes (1) support a first operating mode (S7 through S16), in which the transmitter/receiver units (16) of the mobile nodes (1), at the least, communicate with each other directly.

4. A communication network as defined in claim 3, wherein the transmitter/receiver units (16) communicate, in a first operating mode, according to the WLAN, WIMAX, or Bluetooth standard.

5. A communication network as defined in claim 3, wherein each of the mobile nodes (1) is designed to temporarily switch from a first operating mode to the second operating mode when no communication takes place with another node for a specified time period (T1) in the first operating mode.

6. A communication network as defined in claim 1, wherein the nodes (1) support a second operating mode (S1 through S5), in which two of the mobile nodes communicate with each other directly via a stationary node (4).

7. A communication network as defined in claim 6, wherein the stationary node (4) includes, as the transmitter/receiver unit (6, 9), a base station (6) of a cellular mobile communication network, and each of the transmitter/receiver units (16) of the mobile nodes (1) includes an end device of the mobile communication network.

8. A communication network as defined in claim 6, wherein each of the mobile nodes (1) is designed to temporarily switch from a first operating mode to the second operating mode when no communication takes place with another node for a specified time period (T1) in the first operating mode.

9. A communication network as defined in claim 8, wherein the mobile machines (2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c) include a storage container and are configured to transfer the contents of the storage container to another one of the mobile machines (2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c) and/or to accept therefrom, and the operating parameters stored in the profiles (P2a, P2b, P3a, P3b, P3c) include a fill level of the storage container and a location of the mobile machine.

10. A communication network as defined in claim 8, wherein one of the operating parameters stored in the profiles (P2a, P2b, P3a, P3b, P3c) contains information about a performance capability of the machine (2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c).

11. A communication network as defined in claim 1, wherein the mobile machines (2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c) include machines selected from the group consisting of agricultural working machines, hauling machines and both.

12. A method for operating a communication network with several nodes, comprising the steps of

providing the nodes with transmitter/receiver units for wireless communications;

installing on mobile machines at least some of the nodes configured as mobile nodes;

storing operating parameter profiles of several of the mobile machines in a memory assigned to each node to which profiles a time stamp is assigned to denote when each was generated;

transmitting by a first node respective profiles of the several of the mobile machines stored in its assigned memory via its transmitter/receiver unit; and

updating a profile of a particular mobile machine of the several of the mobile machines stored in its assigned memory based on a profile of this mobile machine that it receives from another node if the time stamp assigned to the profile received from the other node is determined to be a more recent profile than the profile assigned to the memory-stored profile, further comprising;

a) a first node (4) receiving (S2), from a second node (1), a set of time stamps, each of which is assigned to a profile (P2a, P2b, P3a, P3b, P3c) of a mobile machine (2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c) in a memory assigned to the second node (1),

b) comparing the received time stamps with corresponding time stamps in the memory assigned to the first node (4) and determining in which of the machines the profiles assigned to the first node (4) must be overwritten,

c) prompting (S3) the second node (1) to transmit the profiles of the machines, and

d) storing the profiles transmitted (S4), as prompted, by the second node, instead of storing the profiles to be overwritten.

13. A communication network, comprising:

several nodes equipped with transmitter/receiver units for wireless communication, said nodes including mobile nodes installable on mobile machines; and

a memory for storing operating parameter profiles of several of the mobile machines, assigned to each of said nodes;

wherein every node is assigned to transmit the respective profiles of the several of the mobile machines stored on its assigned memory via its transmitter/receiver unit, and to update a profile of a particular mobile machine of the several of the mobile machines stored in its assigned memory based on a profile of the particular mobile machine that was received from another node; and

wherein a time stamp is assigned to each of said stored operating parameter profiles denoting when each of the operating parameter profiles was generated, and said nodes are designed to determine, based on said time stamp, and in a process of updating the operating parameter profiles of two profiles that relate to a same mobile machine, which of the two profiles is older, and to overwrite this older profile with a more recent profile, in accordance with the following steps;

a) a first node (4) receiving (S2), from a second node (1), a set of time stamps, each of which is assigned to a profile (P2a, P2b, P3a, P3b, P3c) of a mobile machine (2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c) in a memory assigned to the second node (1),

b) comparing the time stamps with corresponding time stamps in the memory assigned to the first node (4) and determining in which of the machines the profiles assigned to the first node (4) must be overwritten,

c) prompting (S3) the second node (1) to transmit the profiles of the machines, and

d) storing the profiles transmitted (S4), as prompted, by the second node, instead of storing the profiles to be overwritten.