Agricultural Machine Speed Control via Work Quality Feedback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing agricultural machines face challenges in achieving high efficiency and work quality due to manual or automated speed control methods, which often result in either excessive speed leading to low work quality or insufficient speed causing inefficiency.

Innovation Solution

A work quality-based machine speed control system that utilizes sensors and machine learning to adjust the speed of agricultural machines based on real-time work quality metrics, ensuring optimal performance by balancing speed and quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If machine speed is increased to improve productivity, then productivity increases, but work quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveproductivityVSAvoidwork quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic speed control that adjusts machine speed in real-time based on actual work quality measurements. The control system continuously monitors work quality metrics and automatically modifies speed to maintain optimal performance, transforming the static speed setting into a dynamic parameter that adapts to changing conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs a feedback mechanism where work quality is measured by sensors and fed back to the control system. This closed-loop control allows the system to compare actual work quality against target quality levels and adjust speed accordingly, ensuring high work quality while maximizing productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Manufacturing precision

If machine speed is decreased to improve work quality, then work quality improves, but productivity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvework qualityVSAvoidproductivity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The control system dynamically adjusts speed based on real-time work quality feedback, allowing the machine to operate at higher speeds when work quality is sufficient and reduce speed only when necessary to maintain quality standards, thereby optimizing the balance between productivity and work quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the speed parameter dynamically based on measured work quality conditions. Rather than operating at a fixed low speed, the system adjusts speed as a variable parameter responsive to actual work quality measurements, maximizing productivity while maintaining quality thresholds.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If manual speed control is used to maintain work quality, then work quality can be maintained, but operator workload and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvework qualityVSAvoidcontrol complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control system performs self-adjustment by automatically monitoring work quality and modifying speed without operator intervention. The system serves itself by using its own sensors and control algorithms to maintain optimal performance, eliminating the need for complex manual control while preserving work quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The automated feedback control system replaces manual control complexity with an automatic closed-loop system that continuously measures work quality and adjusts speed accordingly, simplifying the operator's task while maintaining high work quality through automated regulation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4154694B1Agricultural machine speed control based on work quality metrics
Publication Date: 2025.05.28 DEERE & CO
  • EP4154694B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4154694B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4154694B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method of controlling a mobile agricultural machine that includes detecting a target value setting input identifying a target metric value for a quality metric representing a performance characteristic of the mobile agricultural machine and having an inverse relationship to machine speed, receiving machine data indicative of operating parameters on the mobile agricultural machine, generating, based on the machine data, a current metric value for the quality metric, determining a target machine speed based on the current metric value relative to the target metric value, and outputting a control instruction that controls the mobile agricultural machine based on the target machine speed.