Agricultural work machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10126929-B2
Application number	US-201615354688-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2016
Priority date	Dec 7, 2015
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

An agricultural work machine for processing an agricultural work process, having numerous working units ( 1 - 5 ) and having a driver assistance system ( 10 ) for controlling the working units ( 1 - 5 ) according to at least one user-side specifiable work process strategy (A), which is aimed at fulfilling at least one quality criterion (Q), wherein the driver assistance system ( 10 ) comprises a memory ( 11 ) for storing data, and a computing device ( 12 ) for processing the data stored in the memory ( 11 ), wherein the driver assistance system ( 10 ) has a graphical user interface ( 14 ), via which at least a portion of the work process strategy (A) can be specified by a user. It is proposed that competing quality criteria (Q) that are weighted in relation to one another in accordance with a weighting variable (G) are entered into the work process strategy (A), and that the weighting variable (G) is visualized and can be specified by a user via a virtual operating element ( 16 - 19 ) of the graphical user interface ( 14 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An agricultural work machine for processing an agricultural work process, the agricultural work machine comprising:
a plurality of working units; and
a driver assistance system configured to control the plurality of working units according to at least one user-side specifiable work process strategy aimed at fulfilling at least one quality criterion, wherein the driver assistance system comprises:
a display screen configured to display an interactive graphical user interface; and
a computing device configured to:
generate the interactive graphical user interface to include a depiction of at least a portion of the work process strategy for assigning a quality criteria weighting strategy;
control the display of the graphical user interface on the display screen;
receive, through the interactive graphical user interface, the quality criteria weighting strategy, wherein the quality criteria weighting strategy assigns a weighted value for each quality criteria identified in the work process strategy; and
reactively adapt the graphical user interface on the display screen in response to receiving the quality criteria weighting strategy.

2. The agricultural work machine according to claim 1 , wherein a pairing weighting variable is assigned to respective pairs of quality criteria competing in pairs, wherein each pair of quality criteria is visualized and can be specified by a user via a virtual operating element of the interactive graphical user interface.

3. The agricultural work machine according to claim 2 , wherein the virtual operating element includes a middle position corresponding to a balance of the competing quality criteria assigned to the virtual operating element in relation to one another; and
wherein the computing device is further configured to change the weighted value for each quality criteria based on an adjusted direction of the virtual operating element from the middle position.

4. The agricultural work machine according to claim 2 , wherein the pairing weighting variable is adjustable via a drag and drop operation of the virtual operating element.

5. The agricultural work machine according to claim 2 , wherein the virtual operating element is visualized via the interactive graphical user interface as a virtual sliding adjuster or as a virtual rotating adjuster.

6. The agricultural work machine according to claim 2 , wherein a user-side adjustment of the virtual operating element is proportional to a change in the pairing weighting variable.

7. The agricultural work machine according to claim 2 , wherein the agricultural work machine is designed as a combine harvester.

8. The agricultural work machine according to claim 1 , wherein two competing quality criteria correspond to adjusting or optimizing of work process parameters for “fragmented grain portion,” and “threshed out,” such that the two competing quality criteria represent minimizing of the work process parameter “fragmented grain portion,” and maximizing of the work process parameter “threshed out”.

9. The agricultural work machine according to claim 1 , wherein two competing quality criteria correspond to adjusting or optimizing of work process parameters for “output” and “cleanliness,” such that the two competing quality criteria represent maximizing of the work process parameter “output” and maximizing of the work process parameter “cleanliness”.

10. The agricultural work machine according to claim 1 , wherein two competing quality criteria correspond to adjusting or optimizing of work process parameters for “output,” and “straw quality,” such that the two competing quality criteria represent maximizing of the work process parameter “output,” and maximizing of the work process parameter “straw quality”.

11. The agricultural work machine according to claim 1 , wherein work process parameters “output” and “fuel consumption” are combined, and assigned a single quality parameter.

12. The agricultural work machine according to claim 1 , wherein the driver assistance system executes a visualization of the quality criteria competing with one another, depending on a machine configuration, a control configuration, or a work process status.

13. The agricultural work machine according to claim 1 , wherein the computing device is configured to determine at least one machine parameter autonomously and to specify the respective working unit for implementing the respective selected work process strategy.

14. The agricultural work machine according to claim 1 , wherein the driver assistance system meets respective assigned control measures for fulfilling the at least one quality criterion.

15. A method for controlling an agricultural work machine, the method comprising:
operating a driver assistance system to control a plurality of working units included in the agricultural work machine according to at least one user-side specifiable work process strategy aimed at fulfilling at least one quality criterion;
displaying an interactive graphical user interface on a display screen of the agricultural work machine;
generating the interactive graphical user interface to include a depiction of at least a portion of the work process strategy for assigning a quality criteria weighting strategy;
controlling the display of the graphical user interface on the display screen;
receiving, through the interactive graphical user interface, the quality criteria weighting strategy, wherein the quality criteria weighting strategy assigns a weighted value for each quality criteria identified in the work process strategy; and
reactively adapting the display of the graphical user interface on the display screen in response to receiving the quality criteria weighting strategy.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein a pairing weighting variable is assigned to respective pairs of quality criteria competing in pairs, wherein each pair of quality criteria is visualized and can be specified by the user via a virtual operating element of the interactive graphical user interface.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the virtual operating element includes a middle position corresponding to a balance of the competing quality criteria assigned to the virtual operating element in relation to one another; and
wherein the method further comprises changing the weighted value for each quality criteria based on an adjusted direction of the virtual operating element from the middle position.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein two competing quality criteria (Q 1 , Q 2 ) correspond to the adjusting or the optimizing of the work process parameters for “fragmented grain portion,” and “threshed out,” such that the two competing quality criteria (Q 1 , Q 2 ) represent minimizing of the work process parameter “fragmented grain portion,” and the maximizing of the work process parameter “threshed out”.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein two competing quality criteria (Q 3 , Q 4 ) correspond to the adjusting or the optimizing of the work process parameter “output” and “cleanliness,” such that the two competing quality criteria (Q 3 , Q 4 ) represent maximizing of the work process parameter “output” and the maximizing of the work process parameter “cleanliness”.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein two competing quality criteria (Q 5 , Q 6 ) correspond to the adjusting or the optimizing of the work process parameter for “output,” and “straw quality,” such that the two competing quality criteria (Q 5 , Q 6 ) represent maximizing of the work process parameter “output,” and the

Assignees

• CLAAS Selbstfahrende Ernternaschinen GmbH
• Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen Gmbh

Inventors

• Baumgarten Joachim
• Wilken Andreas
• Heitmann Christoph
• Bormann Bastian
• Neu Sebastian
• Bussmann Christoph
• SCHäFER KLAUS
• Vöcking Henner
• Berger Arthur
• Terörde Stefan

Classifications

• G06F3/04847 Primary

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• A01D41/1277

  for measuring grain quality · CPC title

• G06F3/0486

  Drag-and-drop · CPC title

• G06F3/14

  Digital output to display device {; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units} · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title