Method of monitoring equipment of an agricultural machine

• US 20050096810A1
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Rutz, Arnold, Lang, Stephen, Colvin, Steven L., Mahoney, Brian J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,941,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• 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

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A method of monitoring equipment for an agricultural machine, comprising the steps of:

detecting the status of at least one operative part of the agricultural machine;

processing the detected status to determine if the detected status falls within a first predefined range;

processing the detected status to determine a performance parameter and determine if the performance parameter falls within a second predefined range;

automatically transmitting a fault message to a remote location when the detected status falls outside the first predefined range; and

automatically transmitting a fault message to a remote location when the performance parameter falls outside the second predefined range.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the fault message identifies a type of fault message as one of an engine fault, a crop processing fault, and a performance fault.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of determining the type of fault that has occurred at the remote location and proposing appropriate measures.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of activating an actuator based on the processed detected status.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of activating an actuator based on the processed performance parameters.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the remote location has a plurality of message blocks.

21. A device monitoring equipment for an agricultural machine, comprising:

means for detecting the status of at least one operative part of the agricultural machine;

means for processing the detected status to determine if the detected status falls within a first predefined range;

means for processing the detected status to determine a performance parameter and determine if the performance parameter falls within a second predefined range;

means for automatically transmitting a fault message to a remote location when the detected status falls outside the first predefined range; and

means for automatically transmitting a fault message to a remote location when the performance parameter falls outside the second predefined range.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the fault message identifies a type of fault message as one of an engine fault, a crop processing fault, and a performance fault.

23. The device of claim 21 further comprising mean for determining the type of fault that has occurred at the remote location and proposing appropriate measures.

24. The device of claim 21 further comprising means for activating an actuator based on the processed detected status.

25. The device of claim 21 further comprising means for activating an actuator based on the processed performance parameters.

26. The device of claim 21 wherein the remote location has a plurality of message blocks.

27. A method of monitoring equipment for an agricultural machine, comprising the steps of:

detecting the status of at least one operative part of the agricultural machine;

processing the detected status to determine if the detected status falls within a first predefined range; and

automatically transmitting a fault message to a remote location when the detected status falls outside the first predefined range.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the fault message identifies a type of fault message as one of an engine fault, a crop processing fault, and a performance fault.

29. The method of claim 27 further comprising the step of determining the type of fault that has occurred at the remote location and proposing appropriate measures.

30. The method of claim 27 further comprising the step of activating an actuator based on the processed detected status.

31. The method of claim 27 further comprising the step of activating an actuator based on the processed performance parameters.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein the remote location has a plurality of message blocks.