Automatic fill control based on visual identification of grain receiving vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12439851-B2
Application number	US-202318316657-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2023
Priority date	Apr 29, 2020
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

Abstract

A camera captures an image of a portion of a cart and accesses stored maps that map visual features of carts to a set of settings that are applied to an automatic fill control system. A map that matches visual features of the cart, in the captured image, is identified and the settings in that map are applied to the automatic fill control system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A filling machine control system configured to control a filling machine to load a receiving machine with material, the filling machine control system comprising:
a sensor configured to generate an image of a portion of the receiving machine;
an automated settings control system configured to:
identify an optical feature of the receiving machine based on the image of the portion of the receiving machine;
search, based on the identified optical feature, a data store to identify a map, the map including fill settings; and
identify fill settings based on the identified map;

a settings output component configured to output the identified fill settings; and
an automatic filling control system configured to automatically control the filling machine during a filling operation, during which the filling machine loads the receiving machine with material, based on the identified fill settings.

2. The filling machine control system of claim 1 , wherein the automated settings control system comprises a specific receiving machine matching component that accesses a set of feature-to-settings maps, each feature-to-settings map mapping a corresponding optical feature to corresponding fill settings, to identify, as the identified map, a matching feature-to-settings map that has a corresponding optical feature that matches the identified optical feature.

3. The filling machine control system of claim 2 , wherein the specific receiving machine matching component is configured to obtain the corresponding fill settings from the matching feature-to-settings map and provide the corresponding fill settings obtained from the matching feature-to-settings map to the settings output component, the settings output component configured to output, as the fill settings, the fill settings obtained from the matching feature-to-settings map.

4. The filling machine control system of claim 1 , wherein the automated settings control system comprises a specific receiving machine matching component configured to access a set of feature-to-settings maps, each feature-to-settings map mapping a corresponding optical feature to corresponding fill settings, to determine that there is not a matching feature-to-settings map that has a corresponding optical feature that matches the identified optical feature, the filling machine control system further comprising:
a new receiving machine processing system configured to, based on the determination that there is not a matching feature-to-settings map, detect fill settings input by an operator and generate a new feature-to-settings map that maps the identified optical feature to the fill settings input by the operator, and provide the fill settings input by the operator to the settings output component, the settings output component configured to output, as the fill settings, the fill settings input by the operator.

5. The filling machine control system of claim 4 , wherein the new receiving machine processing system comprises:
a new receiving machine identification system configured to generate an operator interface indicator identifying the receiving machine as a new receiving machine for which no matching feature-to-settings map is found;
a new settings detector configured to detect the fill settings input by the operator; and
a feature-to-settings map generator configured to generate the new feature-to-settings map that maps the identified optical feature to the fill settings input by the operator.

6. The filling machine control system of claim 1 , wherein the automated settings control system comprises:
a receiving machine type classifier configured to identify a receiving machine type, indicative of a type of the receiving machine, based on the identified optical feature.

7. The filling machine control system of claim 6 , wherein the automated settings control system comprises:
a receiving machine type matching component configured to access a set of receiving machine type-to-settings maps, each receiving machine type-to-settings map mapping a corresponding receiving machine type value to corresponding fill settings, to determine if there is a matching receiving machine type-to-settings map that has a corresponding receiving machine type that matches the identified receiving machine type of the receiving machine identified by the receiving machine type classifier.

8. The filling machine control system of claim 7 , wherein the receiving machine type matching component is configured to:
determine that there is a matching receiving machine type-to-settings map that has a corresponding receiving machine type that matches the identified receiving machine type of the receiving machine identified by the receiving machine type classifier;
obtain the corresponding fill settings from the matching receiving machine type-to- settings map; and
provide the corresponding fill settings obtained from the matching receiving machine type-to-settings map to the settings output component, the settings output component configured to output, as the fill settings, the corresponding fill settings obtained from the matching receiving machine type-to-settings map.

9. The filling machine control system of claim 7 , wherein the receiving machine type matching component is configured to determine that there is not a matching receiving machine type-to-settings map that has a corresponding receiving machine type that matches the identified receiving machine type of the receiving machine identified by the receiving machine type classifier and wherein the automated settings control system comprises:
a new receiving machine type processing system configured to, based on the determination that there is not a matching receiving machine type-to-settings map, generate an operator interface indicator identifying the receiving machine as being of a new receiving machine type for which no matching receiving machine type- to-settings map is found;
a new settings detector configured to detect operator fill settings input by an operator; and
a receiving machine type-to-settings map generator that generates a new receiving machine type-to-settings map that maps the identified receiving machine type to the fill settings input by the operator.

10. The filling machine control system of claim 9 , wherein the new receiving machine type processing system comprises:
a classifier training system that trains the receiving machine type classifier to recognize receiving machines having the receiving machine type of the receiving machine based on the identified optical feature.

11. A computer implemented method of controlling a filling machine to load a receiving machine with material, the computer implemented method comprising:
obtaining an image of a portion of the receiving machine;
identifying an optical feature of the receiving machine based on the obtained image of the portion of the receiving machine;
searching a data store to identify a map based on the identified optical feature of the receiving machine, the identified map including fill settings;
obtaining fill settings based on the identified map; and
automatically controlling the filling machine during a filling operation, during which the filling machine loads the receiving machine with material, based on the obtained fill settings.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11 , wherein searching the data store to identify the map based on the identified optical feature of the receiving machine comprises:
accessing, in the data store, a set of feature-to-settings maps, each feature-to-settings map mapping a corresponding optical feature to corresponding fill settings; and
identifying, as the identified map, a ma

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• O'Connor Kellen
• Miller Scott
• Faust Jeremy J
• Bonefas Zachary T

Classifications

• B60W2420/403

  Image sensing, e.g. optical camera · CPC title

• A01D43/087

  with controllable discharge spout · CPC title

• A01D43/073

  with controllable discharge spout · CPC title

• B60W2300/158

  Harvesters · CPC title

• B60W10/30

  including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps · CPC title