Patent Application
20170115863
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controller for an agricultural system, and, more particularly, to a display regime for a data monitor under the control of a controller associated with the agricultural systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern farming practices have developed to improve the speed and efficiency of the farm equipment used to plant, maintain, and harvest crops. For example, tractors include a global positioning system (GPS) and a controller in the tractor is configured to provide a topographical view of a field and to identify the location of the tractor within the field based on the GPS coordinates. In addition, multiple agricultural implements may be connected to the tractor. During planting, for example, the tractor may pull an air cart having multiple containers including one or more types of seed and/or fertilizer. The tractor may also pull a planter to plant the seeds.
The controller on the tractor may be configured to control operation of the implements connected to the tractor. Different models of each implement may include varying operating parameters such as capacity, rate of application, or number of rows. The operating parameters may also depend, for example, on the configuration or operating characteristics of the tractor or the location within the field. Each of the operating parameters needs to be configured prior to operation of the respective implement. Consequently, each implement typically includes a configuration module stored on the controller of the tractor to configure operation of the respective implement.
However, as the number of features on the agricultural implements increase so does the number of operating parameters and the complexity of configuring operation of the tractor and the connected implements. In addition, different implements such as the air cart and planter may interact with each other. Changing the configuration of a parameter on one of the implements may impact operation of the other implement.
In a known type of planting implement, seed planting or row units are attached to a toolbar extending transverse to the direction of planting. The toolbar is coupled to a tractor or other work vehicle suitable for pulling the planting implement along a field that is to be seeded to a crop. Each planting unit includes a ground penetrating assembly, often including one or more discs, for opening a seed trench or furrow in the ground as the planting implement is pulled across a field. Components of the ground penetrating assembly shape the bottom and sides of the seed trench, and a seed-metering device provides individual seeds at a controlled rate for deposit in the seed trench. Furrow closing components of each row unit close the seed trench in a controlled manner.
Agricultural planters are commonly used implements to plant seeds in soil. An agricultural planter can include a chassis that carries one or more storage tanks carrying seed, and chemical applications that are to be applied to the field during the planting operation, a hitch mechanism that attaches to a tractor or other implement pulled by a tractor, and a tool bar that row units can be connected to so they are carried by the chassis. The planter can also include a pneumatic system carried by the chassis that supplies pressurized air to transport the seeds or other particulate from the storage tanks to the row units.
Each row unit of the agricultural planter places seeds in the field. Typically, the row units are laterally arranged along a length of the tool bar so that as the planter is pulled across the field, each row unit plants seeds at predefined intervals along the path it is pulled across. To plant seeds, the row units perform four main operations as they are pulled: opening a trench in the soil; placing a seed into the formed trench at appropriate intervals; closing the formed trench to put soil on top of the placed seed; and packing soil on top of the seed to provide desirable soil contact with the placed seed. To open a trench in the soil, a furrowing disc system, also called an opening disc, cuts into the soil and rotates, dislocating soil as it rotates to form the trench.
Once the trench is open, a seed is placed in the trench by a metering device which receives seeds from the main storage tank(s) or a row unit storage tank and typically utilizes a combination of differential air pressure, to select the seed, and gravity to place the seed in the trench at predefined intervals along the pulled path so that adjacent seeds in the row are not too close to one another. One or more closing discs carried behind the furrowing disc are pressed into the soil and also rotate as the planter is pulled to replace soil dislocated by the furrowing disc in the trench or dislocate adjacent soil into the trench to cover the seed placed in the trench with soil. Finally, at least one pressing wheel carried behind the closing disc(s) exerts pressure on the soil covering the seed to press the soil down onto the seed and provide good soil contact with the seed. By having multiple row units working in unison as the planter is pulled across a field, many seeds can be effectively planted in an efficient manner.
Since a variety of tractors can couple to a variety of implements, such as a planter, the capabilities of the controls and availability of information relative to the operation of the implement/vehicle system creates a problem of adequate displays of information and presentation of controls to a user. The amount of setups that a user has to go through on agricultural equipment may be overwhelming. There is software available that enforces an order of setups before it will operate, but it suffers from not conveying dependencies, nor having an intuitive need for order in the setup process.
What is needed in the art is a robust display that presents setup information and selections in an intuitive and efficient manner.
The present invention provides a hierarchical setup display for the configuring of an agricultural system.
The invention in one form is directed to an agricultural system including a vehicle, a controller and a display mounted in the vehicle. The display is coupled to the controller. The controller is configured to interact with a user by way of the display using a card manager system. The card manager system is configured to display a hierarchy of setup selections on the display using a plurality of setup cards displayed in a hierarchical manner thereby implying dependency between underlying setup criteria of equipment represented by said setup cards.
The invention in yet another form is directed to a method of displaying information for an agricultural system that includes a vehicle, a controller and a display mounted in the vehicle. The controller is coupled to the display. The method includes the steps of: interacting with a user using a card manager system, the card manager system being configured to display a plurality of setup cards on the display; and hierarchically displaying the plurality of cards with each card relating to a portion of the agricultural system thereby implying a dependency between at least some of said setup cards.
An advantage of the present invention is that setup information and selections are displayed in a hierarchical fashion thereby implying dependency of the setups and an order in which the setups should take place.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplification set out herein illustrates one embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
Now, additionally referring to
While a planter 14 is shown in detail it is to be understood that any agricultural implement 14 can be utilized. Further, although a towing of implement 14 by tractor 12 is illustrated herein it should be understood that tractor 12 may be any agricultural, construction, or forestry vehicle that can be coupled to various implements 14.
Now, additionally referring to
The present invention detects the coupling of implement 14 and tractor 12 and identifies the relationships that previously existed when last coupled together. This includes assigning functions to valve controls and associated flow rates so that implement 14 will function in the same manner as when last connected. For example, a valve control may have been assigned to raise and lower a chisel plow when coupled to tractor 12, but now that planter 14 is coupled the same control may, for example, cause the marking device 38 to deploy or retract using a different fluid flow rate than used with the chisel plow. The flow rate of hydraulic fluid and the identification of the control are altered due to the detection of the connection of tractor 12 with implement 14.
Depending on the equipment coupled together such as tractor 12 and planter 14 the layout of the cards will differ, and yet have a combined layout that is unique for that selection of equipment (such as different layouts for Tractors, Integrated Sprayers, Combo Sprayers, Combines). Each Card 52, 54, 56, 58 and 60 includes a representative icon, a title and a summary of setups inside. The icon on the tabs can be changed dynamically depending on the selection within the card, i.e. red or blue tractor respectively for CaseIH and New Holland Tractors and an icon tractor of whichever color the user has selected for his 3rd party tractor. Upon pressing on the info button, in the top-right corner of each card, a pop-over menu (see card 56,
When the Menu cards have either encountered an error such as an invalid setup or the setup needs checking, the cards coloring will change from blue to either red or orange and may have a an exclamation symbol in a triangle (see card 52,
In
Now, additionally referring to
While this invention has been described with respect to at least one embodiment, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
