Agricultural work machine and method to operate an agricultural work machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12433200-B2
Application number	US-202318119440-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2023
Priority date	Mar 10, 2022
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

An agricultural work machine and a method for operation an agricultural work machine are disclosed. The agricultural work machine includes a driver's cab with an interior space spatially partially delimited by a front window and at least one side window, a driver's seat arranged in the interior space, an input device for entering input by an operator, a visualization system for visualizing information for an operator sitting on the driver's seat, and a control device which is communication with the visualization system. The control device controls the visualization system in such a way that process information relevant to the selected work process is visualized.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An agricultural work machine comprising:
a driver's cab with an interior space spatially at least partially delimited by a front window and at least one side window;
a driver's seat positioned within the interior space;
an input device configured to enter input by an operator of the agricultural work machine;
an eye monitoring system configured to detect information of at least one eye parameter of the operator;
a visualization system configured to output visualizing information for the operator sitting on the driver's seat, the visualization system comprising at least one display positioned inside the driver's cab and at least one window display configured for outputting the visualizing information in or on one or both of the front window or the at least one side window; and
a control device in communication with the visualization system and the input device, wherein the input device is configured to transmit one or more entries to the control device, wherein the control device is configured to:
select at least one work process of the agricultural work machine by one or both of,
automatic analysis by the control device: or
responsive to manual input via the input device by the operator; and

determine process information based on the at least one work process selected;
receive the information of the at least one eye parameter;
using the information of the at least one eye parameter, detect one or both of: a viewing direction of the operator indicative of a location of a visualization: or an object of the process information; and
control, depending on the at least one work process selected, the visualization system so that the at least a part of the process information is one or both of visualized or prioritized over other visualizing information by:
visualizing the process information depending on one or both of the viewing direction of the operator or the object of the process information.

2. The agricultural work machine of claim 1 , wherein the information of the at least one eye parameter of the operator comprises a detected viewing direction of the operator;
wherein the control device is configured to perform one or both of:
selecting, based on the detected viewing direction of the operator and from at least one of the at least one display or the at least one window display, a selected display for output; or
determining, based on the detected viewing direction of the operator, a part of the agricultural work machine or a transport vehicle configured to receive harvested material processed by the agricultural work machine that the operator is looking at; and
selecting, based on the part of the agricultural work machine or the transport vehicle that the operator is looking at, gaze-detected process information for output using the visualization system;

wherein the control device is configured to control the visualization system based on one or both of: the selected display for output or the selected gaze-detected process information for output using the visualization system.

3. The agricultural work machine of claim 2 , wherein the control device is configured to perform both of:
selecting, based on the detected viewing direction of the operator, the selected display for output; or
determining, based on the detected viewing direction of the operator, the part of the agricultural work machine or the transport vehicle that the operator is looking at; and
selecting, based on the part of the agricultural work machine or the transport vehicle that the operator is looking at, the gaze-detected process information for output using the visualization system; and
wherein the control device is configured to control the visualization system based on both of: the selected display for output and the selected gaze-detected process information for output using the visualization system.

4. The agricultural work machine of claim 3 , wherein, responsive to determining the part of the agricultural work machine or the transport vehicle that the operator is looking at, the control device is configured to place at least one overlay onto an image for output on the selected display; and
wherein the at least one overlay is indicative of the gaze-detected process information.

5. The agricultural work machine of claim 4 , wherein a transfer device is configured to pour the harvested material into the transport vehicle; and
wherein, responsive to determining that the part of the agricultural work machine is the transfer device, the control device is configured to control the visualization system so that the at least one overlay is placed onto an image of the transport vehicle.

6. The agricultural work machine of claim 5 , wherein the at least one overlay is indicative of one or both of: a fill level of the transport vehicle; or a direction to relocate the transfer device relative to the transport vehicle.

7. The agricultural work machine of claim 6 , wherein the at least one overlay is indicative of both of: the fill level of the transport vehicle; and the direction to relocate the transfer device relative to the transport vehicle.

8. The agricultural work machine of claim 7 , wherein the control device is configured to modify the image by performing one or both of replacing or supplementing real components that are opaque in the image with the at least one overlay in such a way that the real components that are opaque are visualized as being at least partly transparent by the replacing or the supplementing of the image.

9. The agricultural work machine of claim 3 , wherein the at least one side window comprises a first side window have a first respective side and a second side window have a second respective side;
wherein the control device is configured to determine, based on the detected viewing direction of the operator, which, of the first respective side or the second respective side, the operator is viewing; and
wherein the control device is configured to select a respective window display as the selected display responsive to determining which of the first respective side or the second respective side the operator is viewing.

10. The agricultural work machine of claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to control the visualization system in order to coordinate output of an operator interactive input across both of the at least one display and the at least one window display.

11. The agricultural work machine of claim 1 , further comprising at least one sensor configured to generate data indicative of an environment of the agricultural work machine through which to detect visual information and to transmit the data to the control device;
wherein the control device is further configured to: analyze the data in order to detect the visual information and to control the visualization system in order to output an indicator of the visual information;
wherein the data comprises an image; and
wherein the control device is configured to modify the image based on the analysis of the image and to control the visualization system to output the modified image.

12. A method for operating an agricultural work machine, the agricultural work machine comprising a driver's cab with an interior space spatially at least partially delimited by a front window and at least one side window; a driver's seat positioned within the interior space; an input device configured to enter input by an operator of the agricultural work machine; a visualization system configured to output visualizing information for the operator sitting on the driver's seat, the visualization system comprising at least one display positioned inside the driver's cab and at l

Assignees

• Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen Gmbh

Inventors

• Thiesmann Waldemar
• Albers Klaus
• Beck Robert
• Galland Stefan
• Geiger Jan
• Kirchbeck Ingo
• Losch Michael
• Piontek Michael
• Juerschik Peter
• Neitemeier Dennis
• Jeppe Eckehard
• Frenser Reinhard
• Baumgarten Joachim
• Bormann Bastian
• Wilken Andreas
• Heufekes Maik
• Domnik Matthias
• Barther Marvin
• Witte Johann
• Schröder Maximilian

Classifications

• B60K35/235

  with means for detecting the driver's gaze direction or eye points · CPC title

• B60K35/10

  Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• B60K2360/77

  Instrument locations other than the dashboard · CPC title

• B60K2360/16

  Type of output information · CPC title

• B60K35/81

  for controlling displays · CPC title