Agricultural working machine having at least one control unit

• US 9,002,594 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2013
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH (CLAAS KGaA mbH)
• Original Assignee: Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH (CLAAS KGaA mbH)
• Inventors: Wilken, Andreas, Neu, Sebastian, Heitmann, Christoph, Baumgarten, Joachim, Bussmann, Christoph, Voecking, Henner, Kettelhoit, Boris
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US13/942,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20140019017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/06 in which the output signal represents a continuous function of the deviation from the desired value, i.e. continuous controllers G05B11/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/024 in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45017 Agriculture machine, tractor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45106 Used in agriculture, tree trimmer, pruner

Abstract

An agricultural working machine has a one control/regulating unit designed to adjust and monitor working parameters, quality parameters or both of the agricultural working machine that influence a harvesting process. The adjusting and monitoring are carried out in an automatable manner by the control/regulating unit using stored families of characteristics. The agricultural working machine also has at least one display device for depicting setpoint values and actual values of the working parameters, quality parameters or both. The control/regulating unit actuates defined measurement points in the stored families of characteristics and the specifically actuated measurement points are located in the boundary regions of the family of characteristics or outside the active working region of the particular family of characteristics.

Claims

1. An agricultural working machine, comprising

a separating device for separating unencumbered grains from harvested crop;

a cleaning device for cleaning the separated grains;

at least one control/regulating unit for monitoring and adjusting working parameters, quality parameters or both of the agricultural working machine that influence a harvesting process, in an automatable manner using stored families of characteristics that comprise predefined ranges of values in a form of operating points that model a particular separating or cleaning process, wherein the operating points define optional automatic separation settings and optional automatic cleaning settings for optimizing modes operation of the separating device and the cleaning device; and

at least one display device for depicting setpoint values and actual values of the working parameters, the quality parameters or both; and

wherein the control/regulating unit (23), at regular time intervals, actuates defined measurement points (54) in the stored families of characteristics located in boundary regions of the families of characteristics (48) or outside an active working region (52, 53) of a family of the stored families of characteristics (48) or both in order that the separating or cleaning models accurately represent the respective separating or cleaning processes in the boundary regions and in currently non-active working regions of the family a display device depiction.

2. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1, wherein at least one characteristic symbol (58) that visualizes the automated monitoring and adjusting monitoring of a working parameter (37), quality parameter (40) or both appears at the point in the display of the setpoint value, actual value or both of this working parameter or quality parameter (37, 40) upon activation of the specific actuation of a defined measurement point (54).

3. The agricultural working machine according to claim 2, wherein the number of specifically actuatable measurement points (54) per family of characteristics (48) is limited.

4. The agricultural working machine according to claim 3, wherein the number of specifically actuatable measurement points (54) per family of characteristics (48) is four (4).

5. The agricultural working machine according to claim 2, wherein the actuatable measurement points (54) are actuated repeatedly in a defined time interval and wherein the duration of the time interval increases as the operating time of the agricultural working machine (1) increases.

6. The agricultural working machine according to claim 5, wherein at the beginning of the operating period, the time interval is less than 15 minutes and increases to 30 minutes as the operating time increases.

7. The agricultural working machine according to claim 2, wherein the characteristic symbol (58) at least partially hides the display of the working parameter (37), the quality parameter (40) or both and wherein the working parameter (37), the quality parameter (40) or both that is at least partially hidden is visualized in a fading manner.

8. The agricultural working machine according to claim 2, wherein the characteristic symbol (58) at least partially hides the display of the working parameter (37), the quality parameter (40) or both and wherein the working parameter (37), the quality parameter (40) or both that is at least partially hidden is visualized in a faded manner.

9. The agricultural working machine according to claim 7, wherein the characteristic symbol (58) is hidden when an operator (24) over-rides the automated actuation of a measurement point (54).

10. The agricultural working machine according to claim 9, wherein a message can be shown on the display device (22) indicating that the automated adjustment and monitoring of parameters (37, 40) is inactive.

11. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1, wherein the working parameters (37) can include machine parameter settings (38b) and crop parameters.

12. The agricultural working machine according claim 1, wherein the quality parameters (40) include the parameters “

loss due to separation”

(42), “

loss due to cleaning”

(43), “

tailings”

(41), “

volume of tailings”

(41a), and “

portion of grain in the tailings”

(41b).

13. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1, wherein the families of characteristics (48) describing the quality parameters (40) are stored in automatic settings (45), wherein each automatic setting (45) is visualized in the display unit (22) by means of a pictogram (59), wherein activation of an automatic setting (45) is visualized by emphasizing the particular pictogram (59) and wherein the deactivation of the particular automatic setting (45) is visualized by hiding the particular pictogram (59).

14. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1, wherein the control/regulating unit (23) is automatically activated upon start-up of the working machine (1).

15. An agricultural working machine, comprising:

at least one control/regulating unit for monitoring and adjusting working parameters, quality parameters or both of the harvesting machine that influence a harvesting process, in an automatable manner using stored families of characteristics; and

at least one display device for depicting setpoint values and actual values of the working parameters, the quality parameters or both;

wherein the control/regulating unit (23) actuates defined measurement points (54) in the stored families of characteristics that are located in the boundary regions of the families of characteristics (48) or outside the active working region (52, 53) of a particular family of characteristics (48) or both;

wherein at least one characteristic symbol (58) that visualizes the automated monitoring and adjusting monitoring of a working parameter (37), quality parameter (40) or both appears at the point in the display of the setpoint value, actual value or both of this working parameter or quality parameter (37, 40) upon activation of the specific actuation of a defined measurement point (54); and

wherein the characteristic symbol (58) at least partially hides the display of the working parameter (37), the quality parameter (40) or both and wherein the working parameter (37), the quality parameter (40) or both that is at least partially hidden is visualized in a faded manner.

16. An agricultural working machine, comprising:

at least one control/regulating unit for monitoring and adjusting working parameters, quality parameters or both of the harvesting machine that influence a harvesting process, in an automatable manner using stored families of characteristics; and

at least one display device for depicting setpoint values and actual values of the working parameters, the quality parameters or both;

wherein the control/regulating unit (23) actuates defined measurement points (54) in the stored families of characteristics that are located in the boundary regions of the families of characteristics (48) or outside the active working region (52, 53) of a particular family of characteristics (48) or both;

wherein at least one characteristic symbol (58) that visualizes the automated monitoring and adjusting monitoring of a working parameter (37), quality parameter (40) or both appears at the point in the display of the setpoint value, actual value or both of this working parameter or quality parameter (37, 40) upon activation of the specific actuation of a defined measurement point (54);

wherein the actuatable measurement points (54) are actuated repeatedly in a defined time interval and wherein the duration of the time interval increases as the operating time of the agricultural working machine (1) increases; and

wherein at the beginning of the operating period, the time interval is less than 15 minutes and increases to 30 minutes as the operating time increases.