Automatic display of remote camera image

• US 9,345,194 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Renaud, Daniel Lynn, King, John Michael, McKee, Kevin Douglas, Schroeder, Jay David
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, KYUNG J
• Application Number:
  US12/570,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20110072773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,428 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 348/118, 348/120, 348/148, 56/102.R
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines

Abstract

A farm vehicle includes a crop gathering mechanism to convey harvested crop material to a crop flow path passing internally through at least part of the vehicle. The vehicle includes a vehicle data bus and a plurality of control modules operatively connected to the vehicle data bus and configured to monitor information on the vehicle data bus and to act according to such information. An electronic operator module is configured to monitor the states of operator controls and to broadcast information on the vehicle data bus specifying such states. Additionally, video cameras positioned within the vehicle face the crop flow path and are operably connected to a graphic display. A graphic display control module includes a processor configured to control the display of images on the graphic display for selective display of images from the video cameras based upon information from the vehicle data bus.

Claims

1. A farm vehicle including a threshing and cleaning assembly defining part of the internal crop flow path to separate grain material from the harvested crop material, the threshing and cleaning assembly including a threshing cylinder rotatably supported from a frame, a threshing concave positioned proximate to the threshing cylinder to operably interact with the threshing cylinder, one or more sieves, and a fan, comprising:

a crop gathering mechanism mounted on an end portion of the frame to convey harvested crop material to a crop flow path passing internally through at least part of the vehicle;

a vehicle data bus;

a plurality of control modules operatively connected to the vehicle data bus and configured to monitor information on the vehicle data bus and to act according to the information on the vehicle data bus, wherein at least one of the plurality of control modules constitutes a graphic display control module, one or more of the control modules are configured to control at least one function selected from the group consisting of;

a rotor speed for the threshing cylinder, a fan speed, a sieve opening size, and a threshing concave clearance, based upon the information from the vehicle data bus;

a graphic display;

a plurality of operator controls, the operator controls include at least one control selected from the group consisting of;

a rotor speed control, a threshing concave clearance control, a fan speed control, and a sieve opening control;

an electronic operator module configured to monitor states of the operator controls and to broadcast information on the vehicle data bus specifying the states of the operator controls, the electronic operator module is configured to detect and broadcast information on the vehicle data bus indicative of a change of state of at least one operator control selected from the group consisting of;

the rotor speed control, the threshing concave clearance control, the fan speed control, and the sieve opening control;

a plurality of video cameras positioned within the vehicle to face the crop flow path and being operably connected to the graphic display, each of the plurality of video cameras is assigned to capture a portion of the crop flow path, wherein the change of state of at least one operator control activates one of the plurality of video cameras that is assigned to that portion of the crop flow affected by the at least one operator control;

the graphic display control module including a processor configured to control the display of images on the graphic display for the selective display of images on the graphic display from one or more of the plurality of video cameras based upon information from the vehicle data bus, the processor is configured to select images for display on the graphic display from one of the plurality of video cameras; and

the processor selects a video camera from among a plurality of available video cameras that based on action of an operator have become simultaneously available for display of a live video for operator feedback, the processor with commands that arbitrate among the plurality of images from the available video cameras that are simultaneously available for display to the operator.

2. The farm vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the threshing and cleaning assembly comprises one or more light sources positioned to provide illumination to at least a portion of the crop flow path to permit visual detection of the grain material by one or more of the plurality of video cameras, and wherein one or more of the control modules are configured to control an activation of the one or more light sources.

3. The farm vehicle according to claim 2, wherein:

one or more of the control modules are configured to temporarily activate the light source in response to the information from the vehicle data bus indicative of the change of state of the at least one operator control selected from the group consisting of;

the rotor speed control, the threshing concave clearance control, the fan speed control, and the sieve opening control.

4. The farm vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to prioritize, select, and exclude images from the video cameras for display by the graphic display based upon a predetermined command.

5. The farm vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising:

a propulsion handle coupled with the data bus; and

a rear camera coupled with the data bus and facing away from a back portion of the farm vehicle, and wherein the processor is configured to prioritize and select a display of images from the rear camera on the graphic display in response to information on the vehicle data bus indicative of a reverse movement direction of the farm vehicle.

6. The farm vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the one or more control modules comprise an engine control module configured to broadcast engine speed information to the vehicle data bus, and wherein the graphic display is configured to display engine speed based on the engine speed information.

7. The farm vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the video cameras are directly connected to the graphic display to communicate with the graphic display.

8. A farm vehicle, comprising:

a frame;

a crop gathering mechanism mounted on an end portion of the frame to convey harvested crop material to a crop flow path passing internally through at least part of the vehicle;

a vehicle data bus;

a plurality of control modules operatively connected to the vehicle data bus and configured to monitor information on the vehicle data bus and to act according to the information on the vehicle data bus, wherein at least one of the plurality of control modules constitutes a graphic display control module;

a graphic display operatively connected to the graphic display control module;

a plurality of operator controls;

an electronic operator module configured to monitor states of the operator controls and to broadcast information on the vehicle data bus specifying the states of the operator controls; and

a plurality of video cameras positioned within the vehicle to face the crop flow path and being operably connected to the graphic display, wherein the graphic display control module is configured to select one of the plurality of video cameras for the display of video images on the graphic display based upon information from the vehicle data bus; and

a processor that arbitrates for selection of a video camera from a plurality of video cameras that are simultaneously available for display of a live image to an operator, a plurality of live images become simultaneously available for display to the operator based on an action of the operator.

9. A farm vehicle, comprising:

a frame;

a crop gathering mechanism mounted on an end portion of the frame to convey harvested crop material to a crop flow path passing internally through at least part of the vehicle;

a vehicle data bus;

a plurality of control modules operatively connected to the vehicle data bus and configured to monitor information on the vehicle data bus and to act according to the information on the vehicle data bus, wherein at least one of the plurality of control modules constitutes a graphic display control module;

a graphic display operatively connected to the graphic display control module;

a plurality of operator controls;

an electronic operator module configured to monitor states of the operator controls and to broadcast information on the vehicle data bus specifying the states of the operator controls; and

a plurality of video cameras positioned within the vehicle to face the crop flow path and being operably connected to the graphic display, wherein the graphic display control module is configured to activate one of the plurality of video cameras based upon information from the vehicle data bus, and

a processor having commands to arbitrate about selection of a video camera that supplies a live video for operator feedback, from a plurality of video cameras that are simultaneously available for display to an operator, the plurality of video cameras become simultaneously available for display to the operator based on an action of the operator.