Vehicle operation management system with automatic sequence detection

• US 10,417,842 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2018
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Runde, Jeffrey E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Akki, Munear T
• Application Number:
  US16/154,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20190043280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 63/10 operated by hydraulic or pneumatic means
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/00 Steering of agricultural machines or implements; Guiding agricultural machines or implements on a desired track
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/007 Steering or guiding of agricultural vehicles, e.g. steering of the tractor to keep the plough in the furrow
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 76/00 Parts, details or accessories of agricultural machines or implements, not provided for in groups A01B51/00 - A01B75/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/00 Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function for propulsion of purely electrically-propelled vehicles with power supplied within the vehicle B60L50/00 - B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

An operation management system for a vehicle controllable by an operator to perform various vehicle actions, the system including a processor, a memory, and a human-machine interface. The processor is configured to store, in the memory, sequences of operator initiated vehicle actions, each operator initiated vehicle action corresponding to an operational response of the vehicle. The processor is further configured to receive a new sequence of operator initiated vehicle actions, and compare the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence to the operator initiated vehicle actions of the stored sequences. If the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, identify a recommended sequence based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences.

Claims

1. An operation management system for a work vehicle controllable by an operator to perform various vehicle actions, the system including a processor, a memory, and a human-machine interface, the processor configured to:

store, in the memory, sequences of operator initiated vehicle actions, each operator initiated vehicle action corresponding to an operational response of the work vehicle;

receive a new sequence of operator initiated vehicle actions;

compare the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence to the operator initiated vehicle actions of the stored sequences; and

if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, identify a recommended sequence based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences,

wherein the processor of the operation management system is further configured to display the recommended sequence to the operator by way of the human-machine interface as a potential automated sequence.

2. The operation management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to delete the new sequence and the at least one of the stored sequences from the memory after the recommended sequence is identified.

3. The operation management system of claim 1, wherein if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, identify a recommended sequence based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences means:

if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences and if a number of steps in the new sequence is the same as a number of steps in the at least one of the stored sequences, then identify the recommended sequence based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences.

4. The operation management system of claim 1, wherein if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, identify a recommended sequence based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences means:

if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence are the same as the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, regardless of order, then identify the recommended sequence based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences.

5. The operation management system of claim 1, wherein if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, identify a recommended sequence based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences means:

if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence are the same as, and in the same order as, the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, then identify the recommended sequence as one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences.

6. The operation management system of claim 1, wherein identify a recommended sequence based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences means:

identify one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences as the recommended sequence.

7. The operation management system of claim 1, wherein identify a recommended sequence based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences means:

identify a combination of the new sequence and the at least one of the stored sequences as the recommended sequence.

8. The operation management system of claim 1, wherein if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences means:

if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least three of the stored sequences.

9. A method of facilitating operation of a work vehicle controllable by an operator to perform various vehicle actions, the method comprising:

storing, into an electronic memory, sequences of operator initiated vehicle actions, each operator initiated vehicle action corresponding to an operational response of the work vehicle;

receiving a new sequence of operator initiated vehicle actions;

comparing the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence to the stored sequences; and

if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, identifying a recommended sequence to the operator based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences, wherein the identifying includes displaying the recommended sequence to the operator by way of the human-machine interface as a potential automated sequence in order to facilitate operation of the work vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising recommending the recommended sequence to the operator as a potential automated sequence by way of a human-machine interface.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising deleting the new sequence and the at least one of the stored sequences from the electronic memory after the recommended sequence is identified.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, identifying a recommended sequence to the operator based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences means:

if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, and if a number of steps in the new sequence is the same as a number of steps in the at least one of the stored sequences, then identifying the recommended sequence based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, identifying a recommended sequence to the operator based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences means:

if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence are the same as the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, regardless of order, then identifying the recommended sequence based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, identifying a recommended sequence to the operator based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences means:

if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence are the same as, and in the same order as, the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, then identifying the recommended sequence as one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying a recommended sequence to the operator based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences means:

identifying one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences as the recommended sequence to the operator.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying a recommended sequence to the operator based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences means:

identifying a combination of the new sequence and the at least one of the stored sequences as the recommended sequence to the operator.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences means:

if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least three of the stored sequences.

18. A work vehicle controllable by an operator to perform various vehicle actions, the work vehicle including:

an operation management system having a processor, a memory, and a human-machine interface, the processor configured to;

receive a first sequence of operator initiated vehicle actions into the memory, each operator initiated vehicle action corresponding to an operational response of the work vehicle;

receive a second sequence of operator initiated vehicle actions into the memory;

compare the operator initiated vehicle actions of the first and second sequences; and

if the operator initiated vehicle actions of the second sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of the first sequence, then display by way of the human-machine interface a recommended sequence based on at least one of the first or second sequences.

19. The work vehicle of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to 1) query the operator, by way of the human-machine interface, whether to discard or save the recommended sequence, and 2) if the recommended sequence is saved, control the work vehicle to run the recommended sequence of operator initiated vehicle actions automatically.