Deere + Company

Jason J Wanner

Austin J Karst

Paul R Bramel

Karl-Heinz Otto Mertins

Barry Douglas Batcheller

Jon Thomas Jacobson

John C Thomas

John D Paulson

Trevor D Fuss

Daryl N Roehrich

John R Kearney

A steering system for controlling an agricultural machine having a pair of front and rear wheels includes a controller and a steer input sensor for detecting a change in an operator steer input corresponding to a steer command. The system includes a displacement input for communicating a motor displacement associated with an operating mode. A primary differential steering system includes a drive motor for operably controlling the pair of front wheels and a secondary steering system controls the pair of rear wheels. The controller determines if the motor displacement is being controlled according to a first motor displacement or a second motor displacement, and outputs a control signal to actuate first and second actuators as a function of the steer command. The control signal includes a rear steering gain that is a function of machine speed and either the first motor displacement or the second motor displacement.

Method of controlling a differential motor torque steering system of a working machine and system thereof

A steering system for controlling an agricultural machine having a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels includes a controller, an operator steer input for communicating a steer command, a steer input sensor for detecting and outputting the steer command to the controller, a primary differential steering system for operably controlling the pair of front wheels, and a secondary steering system for operably controlling the pair of rear wheels. The secondary steering system includes a first actuator for controlling a first rear wheel and a second actuator for controlling a second rear wheel. The primary differential steering system is controlled based on the steer command. The controller outputs a control signal to operably actuate the first and second actuators at a non-linear steering gain rate as a function of the steer command.

Method of a variable steering response for different steering operations of a working machine and system thereof

A data processor applies transform processing to a first group of samples at a primary sampling rate, where the first group of samples is within a data window associated with at least one of the data blocks. A detector detects an estimated frequency shift between the transmitted signal and the reflected signal based on a primary peak frequency determined by the transform processing at the primary sampling rate. The data processor applies transform processing to a second group of samples at a secondary sampling rate, where the data window contains previously read samples and at least one new sample, if the estimated frequency shift falls within a target response frequency band. The detector detects an observed frequency shift between the transmitted signal and the reflected signal based on a secondary peak frequency determined by the transform processing at the secondary sampling rate. A velocity estimator for estimating a velocity of at least one of the object and the transmitter based on the estimated frequency shift, the observed frequency shift, or both.

Method and system for determining velocity by using variable or distinct sampling rates

An optical particle flow monitoring system for monitoring particle flow through the primary and/or secondary tubes of an air dispensing system, such as an air seeder. The primary tubes include a particle sensor having at least one emitter lens body, which forms a substantially uniform, collimated beam which illuminates a sensing area in a seed tube in order to accurately monitor the number of particles flowing in the seed tube. In the preferred embodiment, optical fibers connect the emitter lens bodies to optical beam generating devices, and connect respective receiver lens bodies to optical beam detecting devices, with both the optical beam generating devices and the optical beam detecting devices being located remotely from the seed tubes for improved immunity to static electricity discharge. All the particles flowing in the secondary seed tubes associated with a given primary tube may be counted by a particle sensor located on the primary tube, thus greatly decreasing the number of sensors and the amount of data processing required to determine the total number of particles dispensed by the secondary tubes of the air dispensing system.

Method of counting seeds dispensed through seed tubes of an air seeding

A seed monitor includes a planter master unit having one or more planter counting units connected to the planter master unit, with each planter counting unit associated with a different seed tube. Each planter counting unit includes a light source, a means for forming a light beam that traverses a sensing area of a seed tube, a detector and a processor. The circuit board connects the detector and light source with a processor. The processor adjusts the intensity of the light source and selects an output amplifier gain that is appropriate for the counting of seeds. In this manner, the planter monitoring system adjusts for long-term dust and dirt accumulation and aging of components. The processor processes the selected stage of amplified output from the detector and determines the number of seeds that have traversed the sensing area of the associated seed tube. The planter master unit receives binary data of the counted seed, and from this data, provides an output to the operator. In a preferred embodiment, plural planter counting units are connected to the planter master unit in a series connection.

Seed planter monitoring system with optical sensors

Computer implemented methods for determining blocked and partially blocked conditions in the flow of particulate matter in an agricultural air seeding system are disclosed which automatically adapt for changes in seed type, seed density, fan rate or seed rate. In a first embodiment, the number of samples that are taken before making a determination of the blockage condition is varied depending on the number of seed events that have been detected in a given time interval. In a second embodiment, one or more criteria such as the maximum number of samples to wait for an event, the value a sensor filter must reach before the method determines a blockage sensor to be BLOCKED, or the value a sensor filter must reach when in the blocked state before the method determines the sensor is no longer blocked is varied depending on a smoothed value of the number of seed events that are detected per sampling period.

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Falls, IA, United States of America

Jason J Wanner