Agricultural tractor control system and method

• US 9,086,699 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGCO SA (AGCO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AGCO SA (AGCO Corporation)
• Inventors: Pirotais, Jacques
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH-STEWART, DEMETRA R
• Application Number:
  US13/877,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20130289832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/00 Dashboards as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23193 Memory stores lifetime, different settings, configurations of controlled device
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25092 Customized control features, configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25389 Macro's, subroutines
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2637 Vehicle, car, auto, wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles

Abstract

An agricultural tractor (10) control system comprising an electronic control unit (ECU) (16) is provided in addition to a method of controlling a tractor (10). The ECU (16) is arranged to receive in real time signals from a plurality of sensors (40, 42) associated with operating functions of the tractor. The ECU (16) is also arranged to output control signals to a plurality of controlled operating components. Macroinstructions, or macros, are inputted to the ECU (16) by a user by direct definition or Internet download for example. Each macro comprises a condition and a command. The condition includes a trigger value and a corresponding input variable sensed by a respective sensor (40, 42, 50). The command involves the transmission of one of said output control signals to control an operating component in a predetermined manner. The ECU (16) is operable to run said macro during which the command is executed in response to the condition being met.

Claims

1. An agricultural tractor control system comprising an electronic control unit (ECU) arranged to receive a plurality of real time operating parameters each associated with operating functions of the tractor, and arranged to output control signals to a plurality of operating components, wherein the ECU is operable to receive and store a user-inputted macro comprising at least one condition and at least one command, the condition including an event of receiving of an operating parameter having a predetermined value and the command comprising the transmission of one of said output control signals, wherein the ECU is operable to run said macro during which the command is executed in response to the condition being met, the system further comprising a user interface device in communication with that ECU, wherein the user interface device is arranged to receive a macro from the user and transmit the macro to the ECU, wherein the user interface device comprises a communications link with a remote electronic device, and wherein the user interface device receives a predetermined macro from the remote electronic device via the communications link when commanded by a user.

2. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface device comprises data entry means which allows the user to define and input the macro.

3. A control system according to claim 2, wherein the user interface device is arranged to allow a user to select, as part of a condition definition process, an operating parameter from a displayed plurality of predetermined operating parameters.

4. A control system according to claim 3, wherein the user interface device is arranged to allow a user to define, as part of the condition definition process, said predetermined value which corresponds with the selected operating parameter.

5. A control system according to claim 2, wherein the user interface device is arranged to allow a user to select, as part of a command definition process, said command from a plurality of predetermined command options.

6. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface device comprises a communications link with a remote or local electronic device, and wherein the user interface device can receive a predetermined macro from the local electronic device via the communications link when commanded by a user.

7. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface device further comprises means to receive a data carrier so that a macro stored on the data carrier can be downloaded to the ECU.

8. A method of controlling an agricultural tractor comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of real time operating parameters each associated with operating functions of the tractor;

outputting control signals to a plurality of operating components;

receiving a user-inputted macro comprising at least one condition and at least one command, the condition including the receipt of a predetermined operating parameter value and the command comprising the transmission of one of said output control signals, wherein receiving the user-inputted macro comprises the steps of;

receiving a download command from the user;

downloading a predefined macro from a remote electronic device;

storing said macro; and

executing the command in response to the condition being met.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of real time parameters include at least one of groundspeed, ground acceleration, wheel slip, direction of travel, engine speed, engine temperature, engine load, power takeoff speed, steering angle, rear hitch position, front hitch position and hitch draft.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the operating components include at least one of an engine, a transmission, a power takeoff system, a rear hitch system, a front hitch system, a steering system and an auxiliary hydraulic system.

11. A method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of providing macro definition means which permit a user to define and input a macro.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the macro definition means includes a plurality of displayed predetermined operating parameters from which the user can select an operating parameter to form a component of the condition.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the macro definition means includes a plurality of displayed predetermined command options from which the user can select said command.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the macro definition means includes a plurality of displayed logic operators to allow a user to define a relationship between a plurality of conditions corresponding to a single command.

15. A method according to claim 8, wherein said receiving of the macro includes the steps of:

receiving a data carrier from a user; and

,

reading data from the data carrier to extract a stored macro.

16. A method according to claim 8, wherein the step of receiving of the macro includes the steps of:

receiving a download command from the user; and

downloading a predefined macro from a local electronic device.