Agricultural Machine Control via Dual Communication Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for influencing agricultural machine functions using mobile terminals lack sufficient safety features and reliability, particularly in ensuring functional safety and maintaining communication integrity, which can lead to malfunctions and safety issues.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes a control device connected to at least two communication channels, allowing for signal comparison and verification between a mobile terminal and the control device, ensuring that machine functions can be safely controlled and parameterized even if a communication channel fails, using a combination of wired and wireless connections, and incorporating signal amplifiers or repeaters for enhanced security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a mobile terminal is used to control machine functions via wireless communication, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to signal transmission interruptions and lack of functional safety
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into multiple independent communication channels (first and second channels) between the mobile terminal and control device. Each channel can operate independently, and the system compares signals from both channels to ensure reliability, thus maintaining ease of wireless operation while improving reliability through redundancy
Solution Approach 2:
A control device acts as an intermediary between the mobile terminal and the machine actuators. This intermediary verifies signals received from the mobile terminal through comparison with signals from a second communication channel, ensuring functional safety and reliability while allowing wireless mobile operation
2Ease of operation
If signal transmission is performed via wireless communication channels, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to communication interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The wireless communication is segmented into two separate communication channels instead of relying on a single channel. This segmentation provides redundancy so that if one channel experiences interruptions, the other channel can still transmit signals, maintaining both ease of wireless operation and reliability
3Reliability
If functional safety requirements are implemented for safety-relevant machine functions, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control device performs multiple functions: it receives signals from the mobile terminal, compares signals from two communication channels, verifies signal integrity, and controls safety-relevant machine functions. By making the control device universal and multi-functional, the system achieves functional safety and reliability without requiring separate dedicated safety systems, thus managing device complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
A system (10) for influencing machine functions of an agricultural machine is disclosed, comprising at least one electrically and/or pneumatically and/or hydraulically operated actuator (16) for executing the machine function, further comprising a control device (14) configured for the indirect or direct control of the actuator (16), wherein the control device (14) is connectable to a mobile terminal device (12) via a first communication channel (20) and a second communication channel (22) for transmitting signals, wherein the mobile terminal device (12) is configured for carrying out administrative processes and/or for inputting commands into the control device (14) in order to provide a system by means of which machine functions of agricultural machines can be influenced by means of a mobile terminal device even in the event of a failure of a communication channel, and the system is furthermore designed in such a way thatTo enable its use for safety-relevant machine functions, the control unit (14) is designed to perform a signal comparison between the mobile device (12) and the first communication channel (20) and between the mobile device (12) and the second communication channel (22), depending on the command input via the mobile device (12). Furthermore, the control unit (14) is designed to vary and/or activate or deactivate a machine function depending on the signals determined by the signal comparison. The invention also relates to a method for influencing machine functions, as well as an agricultural machine with such a system and/or method.