Automatic tuning of an intelligent combine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9901031-B2
Application number	US-201414495734-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2014
Priority date	Sep 24, 2014
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

A method for automatically tuning an agricultural combine ( 100 ), comprises the steps of: receiving ( 304 ) a signal from an operator of the agricultural combine ( 100 ) indicating that current operation of the agricultural combine ( 100 ) operation is acceptable; determining ( 306 ) current performance parameters of the agricultural combine after the step of receiving; calculating ( 310 ) a performance parameter error limit for each of the current performance parameters in the step of determining; again determining ( 312 ) current performance parameters; comparing ( 314 ) the again determined current performance parameters with the performance parameter error limits to thereby determine whether one or more of the again determined current performance parameters falls outside its associated performance parameter error limit; and if at least one of the again determined current performance parameters falls outside its associated performance parameter error limit, then calculating ( 316 ) changes to machine settings of the agricultural combine ( 100 ) that will bring the at least one of the again determined current performance parameters back within its associated performance parameter error limit.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for automatically tuning an agricultural combine, comprising steps of:
receiving a signal from an operator of the agricultural combine indicating that current operation of the agricultural combine operation is acceptable;
determining and storing current performance parameters of the current operation of the agricultural combine indicated as being acceptable;
determining and storing machine settings providing the current performance parameters of the current operation of the agricultural combine indicated as being acceptable, the determined and stored machine settings serving as baseline machine settings, the machine settings comprising at least two of a group consisting of rotor speed, a upper sieve position, lower sieve position, fan speed, threshing gap, threshing load and header height;
calculating a performance parameter error limit for each of the determined current performance parameters;
again determining current performance parameters;
comparing the again determined current performance parameters with the performance parameter error limits to thereby determine whether one or more of the again determined current performance parameters falls outside its associated performance parameter error limit; and
if at least one of the again determined current performance parameters falls outside its associated performance parameter error limit as determined in the previous step, then calculating changes to current machine settings of the agricultural combine based upon the previously determined and stored baseline machine settings that will bring the at least one of the again determined current performance parameters back within its associated performance parameter error limit.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of comparing the again determined current performance parameters with the performance parameter error limits further comprises the step of sequentially comparing each of the again determined current performance parameters with its associated performance parameter error limit, to thereby sequentially determine whether said each of the again determined current performance parameters falls outside its associated performance parameter error limit.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the current performance parameters comprise at least one of a group consisting of grain yield, grain quality, and grain loss.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the machine settings are indicated by at least one of a group consisting of a rotor speed sensor, a threshing gap sensor, a grain yield sensor, a tailings sensor, a threshing load sensor and a feederhouse mass flow sensor.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first shoe loss sensor is disposed on the left side of a cleaning shoe, and wherein the second shoe loss sensor is disposed on the right side of the cleaning shoe.

6. A method for automatically tuning an agricultural combine comprising the steps of:
transmitting an electronic signal to an ECU indicating that a current performance of the agricultural combine is acceptable;
receiving the electronic signal by the ECU;
determining and storing in the ECU current performance parameters of the agricultural combine indicated as being acceptable;
determining and storing machine settings providing the current performance parameters of the current operation of the agricultural combine indicated as being acceptable, the determined and stored machine settings serving as baseline machine settings, the machine settings comprising at least two of a group consisting of rotor speed, a upper sieve position, lower sieve position, fan speed, threshing gap, threshing load and header height;
calculating in the ECU a performance parameter error limit for each of the determined current performance parameters;
again determining current performance parameters in the ECU;
comparing in the ECU the again determined current performance parameters with the performance parameter error limits to thereby determine whether one or more of the again determined current performance parameters falls outside its associated performance parameter error limit; and
if at least one of the again determined current performance parameters falls outside its associated performance parameter error limit in the immediately previous step then calculating in the ECU changes to machine settings of the agricultural combine based upon the previously determined and stored baseline machine settings that will bring the at least one of the again determined current performance parameters back within its associated performance parameter error limit.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the machine settings are indicated by at least one of a group consisting of a rotor speed sensor connected to the ECU, a threshing gap sensor connected to the ECU, a grain yield sensor connected to the ECU, a tailings sensor connected to the ECU, a threshing load sensor ( 218 ) connected to the ECU, a grain quality sensor connected to the ECU, a straw quality sensor connected to the ECU, a header height sensor ( 226 ) connected to the ECU, and a feederhouse mass flow sensor connected to the ECU.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first shoe loss sensor is disposed on the left side of a cleaning shoe, and wherein the second shoe loss sensor is disposed on the right side of the cleaning shoe.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the ECU comprises one or more ECUs connected together in a network.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the step of comparing in the ECU the again determined current performance parameters with the performance parameter error limits further comprises the step of sequentially comparing each of the again determined current performance parameters with its associated performance parameter error limit, to thereby sequentially determine whether said each of the again determined current performance parameters falls outside its associated performance parameter error limit.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the current performance parameters comprise at least one of a group consisting of grain yield, grain quality, grain loss.

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Mott Cameron R
• Hunt Timothy S
• Bruns Aaron J
• Eggerl Anja
• Palla Bhanu Kiran

Classifications

• A01D41/1274 Primary

  for drives · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• A01D41/1277

  for measuring grain quality · CPC title

• A01D41/1276

  for cleaning mechanisms · CPC title

• A01D41/127 Primary

  Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines · CPC title