ARTICULATED MACHINE PROXIMITY SYSTEM

• US 20160250965A1
• Filed: 05/06/2016
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGCO Corporation
• Original Assignee: AGCO Corporation
• Inventors: KENDRICK, Patrick, RETZLAFF, Lawrence, JOHNSON, Gerald R., GUHR, Quentin
• Granted Patent: US 9,738,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01F 15/08 Details
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/30 for sway control , e.g. stabilising or anti-fishtail devices; Sway alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/58 Auxiliary devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/62 involving supply lines, electric circuits, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 2001/008 specially adapted for implements, e.g. towed tools
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/305 Indicating devices for towed vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/005 automatically actuated

Abstract

In one embodiment, a towed implement proximity system, the system comprising: a first device comprising a transceiver, the first device configured to: transmit a signal; receive a first signal at a first angle and a second signal at a second angle responsive to the transmitted signal, the first and second signals comprising first information and second information, respectively, the first and second information each corresponding to respective positional information; and a controller coupled to the first device, the controller configured to determine a relative position in three axes between a first machine and a second machine based on the first and second information.

Claims

1. An articulated machine proximity system, the system comprising:

a first device comprising a transceiver, the first device configured to—

transmit a signal, and

receive a first signal at a first angle and a second signal at a second angle responsive to the transmitted signal, the first and second signals comprising first information and second information, respectively, the first and second information each corresponding to respective positional information, and

a controller coupled to the first device, the controller configured to determine a relative position between a first machine and a second machine based on the first and second information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the relative position based on a triangulation computation.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to cause a component of the first machine to align with a component of the second machine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to alert an operator when the relative position between the first machine and the second machine closes to within a threshold distance.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to alert the operator by providing a visual alert, an audio alert, or a combination of both.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to automatically cause one of the first machine or the second machine to modify a current manner of movement responsive to the relative position between the first machine and the second machine closing to within a threshold distance.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the relative position between the first machine and the second machine comprises a relative position between a first component of a towing vehicle and a second component of a vehicle towed by the towing vehicle.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first component comprises an unloading auger of a combine harvester machine and the second component comprises a frame of a baler.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to receive the first signal and the second signal from second and third target devices.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first device is located on the first machine embodied as a towing machine and the second and third device are coupled to the second machine embodied as a towed machine.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the second and third devices are located on the first machine embodied as a towing machine and the first device is coupled to the second machine embodied as a towed machine.

12. An articulated machine proximity system, the system comprising:

a first device on a first machine, the first device configured to—

transmit a signal, and

receive a first response signal and a second response signal responsive to the transmitted signal;

a second device on a second machine, the second device configured to receive the signal from the first device and provide the first response signal responsive to the signal from the first device, the first response signal comprising first position information;

a third device on the second machine, the third device configured to receive the signal from the first device and provide the second response signal responsive to the signal from the first device, the second response signal comprising second position information; and

a controller coupled to the first device, the controller configured to determine a relative position between a first machine and a second machine based on the first and second position information.