Work Vehicle Implement Identification Using Multi-Signal Decision Trees

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods fail to accurately distinguish a wide variety of implements connected to work vehicles, hindering effective predictive maintenance and service improvement.

Innovation Solution

A system that utilizes a work vehicle's internal signals to generate input data, which is processed by trained machine learning models, specifically decision trees, to estimate the type of implement connected to the vehicle.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If existing methods use basic operation information to estimate implement type, then the system complexity is low, but the measurement precision of implement type identification is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimplement type identification accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the implement identification process into multiple stages: data collection from multiple sensors, feature extraction, machine learning model processing, and classification. This segmentation allows complex identification tasks to be broken down into manageable components, improving accuracy without overwhelming system complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces machine learning models as intermediary components between raw sensor data and implement type classification. These models act as mediators that process complex multi-sensor data and translate it into accurate implement type identification, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and system complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If multiple internal signals are acquired and processed through trained models, then the measurement precision of implement type estimation is improved, but the loss of time for data processing increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimplement type estimation accuracyVSAvoiddata processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-training machine learning models offline with extensive datasets before deployment. During actual operation, the pre-trained models can quickly classify implement types based on real-time sensor data, reducing online processing time while maintaining high accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent selectively processes only the most relevant features from multiple sensor signals rather than analyzing all possible data points. This partial action approach maintains high identification accuracy while reducing the computational burden and processing time required

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP4487668B1Method and system for estimating the type of implement connected to a work vehicle
Publication Date: 2026.04.08 KUBOTA CORP
  • EP4487668B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4487668B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4487668B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method to be executed by one or more computers configured or programmed to communicate with a work vehicle to execute work by driving an implement connected to the work vehicle includes repeatedly acquiring, from the work vehicle, 10 or more signals respectively indicating different internal states of the work vehicle, generating input data based on the 10 or more signals; estimating a type of the implement by inputting the input data to one or more trained models usable to estimate the type of the implement based on the input data, and generating output data including information indicating the estimated type of the implement and outputting the output data.