NAVIGATION OF AN AGRICULTURAL WORK MACHINE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for navigating an agricultural work machine and a system for navigation.

[0002] Today, agricultural machinery usually does not have its own navigation system and, at best, displays destination coordinates in the form of GPS coordinates, so the driver of the agricultural machinery must enter these GPS coordinates into a mobile navigation device, as is known from DE102010053331A1. This process of entering GPS coordinates is time-consuming and particularly error-prone, so that the planned operation of the agricultural machinery is disadvantageous in terms of time, work efficiency, and fuel consumption if the GPS coordinates are incorrectly entered. This places a particularly heavy burden on new or temporary drivers.

[0003] The present invention is based on the object of providing an improved or at least an alternative embodiment of a method for navigating an agricultural work machine and a system for navigation, wherein in particular a reduction in the time expenditure and / or the susceptibility to errors is provided.

[0004] This object is achieved according to the invention by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0005] The present invention is based on the general idea that the agricultural work machine provides an optical pattern with navigation information. The navigation information can include at least one piece of information for satellite-based navigation, in particular GPS-based navigation, and / or radio-based navigation and / or GSM-based navigation. The navigation information can include GPS coordinates.

[0006] The method according to the invention for navigating the agricultural work machine provides that the agricultural work machine provides the optical pattern with the navigation information, and a mobile navigation device detects this optical pattern, in particular optically. The mobile navigation device is designed and / or programmed such that the navigation information is determined from the detected optical pattern and, based on this navigation information, a navigation routine for route guidance is initiated. The use of the optical pattern with navigation information enables simple, machine-readable provision of the navigation information, so that the initiation of the navigation routine for route guidance can be carried out with a short expenditure of time and with a lower susceptibility to errors.

[0007] The navigation routine can generate optical and / or acoustic navigation signals using the mobile navigation device to guide the driver of the agricultural machine to the destination. It can be provided that, upon initiation, a determined route destination, in particular its destination coordinates, is displayed to the driver via the mobile navigation device, and the driver is asked whether they agree with the determined route destination. If the driver confirms the determined route destination to the mobile navigation device haptically and / or acoustically, the driver of the agricultural machine is guided to the destination using the navigation routine. For this purpose, the navigation routine can comprise a navigation method, in particular a computer-implemented navigation method and / or a navigation app.

[0008] In an advantageous development of the inventive solution, the navigation information includes target coordinates relating to an agricultural area and / or an agricultural field and / or an agricultural field location. This allows the driver to guide the agricultural machine to the target agricultural area with optimized time expenditure and avoided susceptibility to errors. The navigation routine can guide the driver of the agricultural machine to the target coordinates, particularly using optical and / or acoustic navigation signals, starting from the current position of the mobile navigation device.

[0009] It can be provided that the navigation information alternatively or additionally comprises information relating to a field and / or a driver and / or the work machine and / or an attachment and / or a means. The means can be an agricultural means that is to be applied to the field and / or plants of the field. The navigation information can in particular comprise an ID and / or a name of the field, an ID and / or a name of the driver, an ID and / or a name of the attachment and / or an ID and / or a name of the means. A name can be a designation. Alternatively or additionally, the navigation information can comprise a telephone number, in particular a service telephone number. Using the service telephone number, the navigation device can, for example, display a note to the driver indicating that the driver should contact the service telephone number.Alternatively or additionally, the navigation information can include a diagnostic trouble code (DTC). Using the diagnostic trouble code, the navigation device can, for example, display a hint to the driver regarding relevant information regarding an error message. In an advantageous development of the solution according to the invention, the mobile navigation device uses satellite-based positioning, in particular GPS-based positioning, and / or radio-based positioning and / or GSM-based positioning for route guidance.

[0010] In an advantageous development of the inventive solution, the optical pattern is a QR code and / or a barcode. These optical patterns have the advantage of being easily machine-readable and also capable of storing a relatively large amount of information.

[0011] In an advantageous development of the solution according to the invention, the agricultural work machine has a driver assistance system with a display, in particular a touchscreen, wherein the driver assistance system provides the optical pattern, and the optical pattern is displayed on the display. With the driver assistance system, for example, working units of the agricultural work machine can be regulated or controlled via working unit settings. These can be, in particular, internal working units, such as a threshing unit, but also external working units, such as attachments.

[0012] In an advantageous development of the solution according to the invention, the navigation device is provided with a camera with which the navigation device captures the optical pattern. This allows sufficient information to be obtained without requiring complex input from the driver of the agricultural machine.

[0013] In an advantageous development of the solution according to the invention, the navigation device is a mobile phone, in particular a smartphone, which executes the navigation routine for route guidance. The navigation device, in particular the mobile phone and / or the smartphone, can have a navigation application. The navigation device, in particular the mobile phone and / or the smartphone, can be designed and / or programmed to transmit the navigation information to the navigation application upon initiation of the navigation routine, with the navigation application subsequently executing the navigation. The navigation device, in particular the mobile phone and / or the smartphone, can have at least one further application in addition to the navigation application.The navigation device, in particular the mobile phone and / or the smartphone, can be designed and / or programmed to transmit, for example, the additional information relating to the field and / or the driver and / or the work machine and / or the attachment and / or the means to the at least one further application before and / or during and / or after the initiation of the navigation routine.

[0014] Furthermore, the invention relates to a system for navigation, in particular using the method described here, comprising an agricultural working machine and a mobile navigation device, wherein the agricultural working machine provides an optical pattern with navigation information, which is detected by the mobile navigation device, and that based on the navigation information in the optical pattern, a navigation routine for guiding the agricultural working machine to the destination is executed.

[0015] In an advantageous development of the inventive solution, the navigation device is a mobile phone, in particular a smartphone. The navigation device, in particular the mobile phone and / or the smartphone, can have a navigation application. The navigation device, in particular the mobile phone and / or the smartphone, can be designed and / or programmed to transmit the navigation information to the navigation application upon initiation of the navigation routine, with the navigation application subsequently executing the navigation.

[0016] In an advantageous development of the solution according to the invention, it is provided that the agricultural working machine is a self-propelled combine harvester, a self-propelled forage harvester or a tractor.

[0017] In an advantageous development of the solution according to the invention, it is provided that the agricultural working machine has a driver's cab, wherein at least one display for displaying the optical pattern is formed in the driver's cab.

[0018] Further important features and advantages of the invention emerge from the subclaims, from the drawings and from the associated description of the figures based on the drawings.

[0019] It is understood that the features mentioned above and those to be explained below can be used not only in the combination specified in each case, but also in other combinations or on their own, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0020] Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and are explained in more detail in the following description, wherein the same reference numerals refer to the same or similar or functionally identical components.

[0021] They show, schematically, Fig. 1 an agricultural working machine according to the invention, and Fig. 2 a driver assistance system from Fig. 1 .

[0022] The Fig. 1 shows a self-propelled agricultural machine 1, which is designed, for example, as a self-propelled combine harvester. The agricultural machine 1 has a cabin 8 in which a driver can control the agricultural machine 1. Within the cabin 8, there is a driver assistance system 5 with a display 6. This display 6 is in the Fig. 2 presented in more detail.

[0023] The agricultural work machine 1 provides an optical pattern 2 with navigation information via the display 6. The driver can capture this optical pattern 2 with a mobile navigation device 3. The navigation device 3 determines the navigation information from the captured optical pattern 2 and initiates a navigation routine for route guidance. In other words, the driver is navigated to a destination contained in the navigation information via the mobile navigation device 3. The navigation information can include destination coordinates relating to an agricultural area and / or an agricultural field and / or an agricultural field location.

[0024] For the driver's navigation, the mobile navigation device 3 connects to a satellite 4 in order to guide the driver of the agricultural machine 1 from the current position of the mobile navigation device 3 to the target coordinate, in particular by means of optical and / or acoustic navigation signals. Fig. 1 As indicated, a system 7 for navigating the driver is thus formed. This guides the driver of the agricultural machine 1 in the Fig. 1 for example, along a road to a desired location. List of reference symbols

[0025] 1agricultural machine 2pattern 3mobile navigation device 4satellite 5driver assistance system 6display 7system 8cabin

Claims

1. A method for navigating an agricultural working machine (1), characterized in that - the agricultural working machine (1) provides an optical pattern (2) with navigation information, and - a mobile navigation device (3) detects the optical pattern (2) and determines the navigation information from the detected optical pattern (2) and initiates a navigation routine for route guidance based on this navigation information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the navigation information comprises target coordinates relative to an agricultural area and / or to a piece of an agricultural field and / or to an agricultural field site.

3. The method according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the mobile navigation device (3) uses positioning determination based on a satellite (4), in particular GPS-based positioning determination, and / or radio-based positioning determination and / or GSM-based positioning determination for the route guidance.

4. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the optical pattern (2) is a QR code and / or a barcode.

5. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the agricultural working machine has a driver assistance system (5) with a display (6), wherein the driver assistance system (5) provides the optical pattern (2) and the optical pattern (2) is displayed on the display (6).

6. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the navigation device (3) has a camera, with which the navigation device (3) detects the optical pattern.

7. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the navigation device (3) is a mobile telephone, in particular a smart phone, which executes the navigation routine for route guidance.

8. A system (7) for navigating an agricultural working machine (1) by application of a method according to one of the preceding claims, and comprising a mobile navigation device (3), characterized in that the agricultural working machine (1) is configured to provide an optical pattern (2) with navigation information, which is detected with the mobile navigation device (3), and in that, based on the navigation information in the optical pattern (2), a navigation routine for route guidance of the agricultural working machine (1) is executed.

9. The system (7) according to claim 8, characterized in that the navigation device is a mobile telephone, in particular a smart phone.

10. The system (7) according to claim 8 or claim 9, characterized in that the agricultural working machine is a self-propelled combine harvester, a self-propelled forage harvester or a tractor.

11. The system (7) according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the agricultural working machine has a driver's cab, wherein at least one display for displaying the optical pattern is constructed in the driver's cab.