System for evaluating the productivity of a working machine and its driver

• US 8,364,440 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2009
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Deere Forestry Oy (Deere & Company)
• Original Assignee: John Deere Forestry Oy (Deere & Company)
• Inventors: Putkonen, Aki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nghiem, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ngon, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US12/472,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20090299707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 702/182, 702/33, 702/179
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 23/00 Forestry
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A system and method for evaluating the productivity of a working machine and its driver in a real or virtual operating environment is controlled by a control system to perform work, and in which the work cycles relating to the work performed by the working machine are determined by continuous measurements directed to the working machine when it is controlled by the driver. Characteristic values relating to the performance of the determined work cycles are collected on the basis of the continuous measurements for the purpose of evaluating the performance of the work or for comparison.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating the productivity of a working machine and its driver in a real or virtual operating environment, said working machine being controlled by means of a control system to perform work, comprising the steps of:

performing, in the control system, for collecting measurement data, continuous measurements directed to the working machine when the working machine is controlled by the driver to perform work;

determining, in the control system or a separate computer system, work cycles relating to said work by identifying said work cycles by mathematical methods and based on said measurement data obtained from the working machine;

determining, in the control system or the separate computer system, work cycle times and state changes between work cycles relating to said work, the determination being based on said measurement data;

deriving, in the control system or the separate computer system, characteristic values representing said work and productivity of the driver by a model applying a fuzzy evaluating method, the derivation being based on said measurement data, said work cycle times and said state changes; and

collecting, in the control system or the separate computer system, said characteristic values for the purpose of evaluating the performance of the work or for comparison.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of presenting, as a characteristic value, one or more time values of one or more work cycles in the form of an illustrative graphic presentation to the driver.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the working machine comprises a display module connected to the control system, and the method comprises the step of the displaying of said representation by means of said display module.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the working machine comprises a control bus connected to the control system, and said measurements relates to signals transmitted in said control bus.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the working machine is a forestry machine selected from the group:

consisting of a harvester and a forwarder.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the virtual operating environment is a working machine simulator, whose operation corresponds to the driving of the working machine in a real operating environment.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the working machine is a harvester and the method further comprises the step of modeling the working method of the driver for performing said work cycles by mathematical methods and based on measurements obtained from said harvester, the measurements being related to both the direction of felling of a trunk in a picking up cycle and the distance of transfer of the trunk in the picking up cycle, or both the direction of felling of a trunk in a felling cycle and the distance of transfer of the trunk in the felling cycle, or both the direction of stacking of a trunk in a processing cycle and the distance of stacking of the trunk in the processing cycle.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of comparing the performing of the work cycles with a reference, given limits, or the actions of an experienced driver, and giving feedback from the comparisons to the driver of the working machine.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of continuously monitoring the performing of the work cycles, classified according to the size class of a tree trunk to be processed.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of monitoring the fuel consumption of the working machine by continuously monitoring at least the quantity of fuel consumed by the machine for processing a tree trunk in different work cycles.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of monitoring the operation of a boom system of the working machine.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of analyzing the work cycles by mathematical methods and determining, for performing the work, those work cycles, in which a quick improvement in the productivity can be achieved, and performing said analysis individually for the driver of the working machine.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer instructions that are stored therein and configured to cause a control computer to execute the steps of the method according to claim 1 when said computer instructions are run the control computer.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein said control computer is a central processing unit of a control system of a forest machine.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer instructions stored therein for causing a computer processor to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1.

16. The non transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein said computer processor is a central processing unit of a control system of a forest machine.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein said model applies the fuzzy evaluating method of an adaptive network-based fuzzy interference system.

18. A system for evaluating the productivity of a working machine and its driver in a real or virtual operating environment, comprising a control system arranged to control said working machine and its different functions to perform work, wherein the control system is configured

to perform, for collecting measurement data, continuous measurements directed to the working machine when the working machine is controlled by the driver to perform work;

to determine work cycles relating to said work by identifying said work cycles by mathematical methods and based on said measurement data obtained from the working machine;

to determine work cycle times and state changes between work cycles relating to said work, the determination being based on said measurement data;

to derive characteristic values representing said work and productivity of the driver by a model applying a fuzzy evaluating method, the derivation being based on said measurement data, said work cycle times and said state changes; and

to collect said characteristic values for the purpose of evaluating the performance of the work or for comparison.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the system also comprises a control bus connected to the control system and configured to operate under the control of the control system, said measurements being directed to a signal transmitted in said control bus.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the control system is configured to present, as a characteristic value, a common or detailed variation or duration in time of one or more work cycles in the form of an illustrative graphic presentation to the driver.