Method of monitoring equipment of an agricultural machine

• US 20020116107A1
• Filed: 01/10/2002
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Rutz, Arnold, Colvin, Steven L., Mahoney, Brian J., Lang, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US10/044,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116107A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 63/00 Lifting or adjusting devices or arrangements for agricultural machines or implements lifting mechanisms for the cutter-bar of a mower A01D34/24; adjusting devices for the cutter-bar of a mower A01D34/28; constructional features of lifting devices per se B66F
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/00 Methods for working soil
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A method of monitoring equipment of an agricultural machine includes taking a process computer and connecting the same to at least one sensor measuring an operational characteristic of the agricultural machine. The process computer evaluates the data received from the sensor and checks whether they indicate a fault of the agricultural machine. In this case, the data may be below and/or above a predetermined threshold. When such as fault or error occurs, the process computer submits a fault message to a remote station using a communications interface. The fault message contains a fault information identifying a type of the fault.

Claims

1. A method of remote monitoring equipment for a machine fault, comprising,

monitoring equipment for an agricultural machine for detecting operational default information,

automatically transmitting detected default information to a control information server, and

automatically transmitting the default information to a person having owner, custodial or service responsibility for the machine.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the default information is transmitted to the fleet manager via e-mail or telephone.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the machine is one of a fleet of machines associated with the fleet manager, and the foregoing steps of monitoring, and transmitting default information, are used in conjunction with each machine in the fleet.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the default information is diagnosed at the central information server, and information resulting from the diagnosis is the default information transmitted to the fleet manager.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the machine is an agricultural machine, and a process computer is provided, sensing operational characteristics of the machines, submitting data containing information about the sensed characteristics to the process computer, and communicating the fault messages to the remotely located person.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the type of fault is at least one of an operational fault or a crop processing fault.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein an operational parts fault corresponds to operational data of the operational parts exceeding a predefined threshold, and a crop processing fault corresponds to crop processing characteristics of the agricultural implement exceeding a predefined threshold.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the type of fault is a service interval fault indicating that a predefined service interval is exceeded.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the operational data of the operational parts are data concerning at least one of a main engine'"'"'s oil pressure, temperature, number of rotations and number of rotations of an operative element of the agricultural implement.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the crop processing characteristics of operational parts are the amount of lost grain in a threshing and separating process of a combine.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the machine is an agricultural machine and a process computer is provided, sensing crop processing data of the machine and transmitting the same to the process computer wherein a detected fault message is submitted when a crop processing fault is identified.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the sensed operational data of the operational parts are data concerning at least one of the main engine'"'"'s oil pressure, temperature, number of rotations and number of rotations of an operative element of the agricultural machine.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the detected fault message is the amount of lost grain in a threshing and separating process of a combine.