Remote Combine Harvester Control Interface with Visual Feed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for managing and monitoring combine harvesters lack real-time, comprehensive interfaces for remote operators and managers to assess machine and operator performance, leading to difficulties in adjusting settings for improved performance and inefficient data review processes.
Innovation Solution
A control interface that integrates image or video data with sensor information, allowing remote users to view and interact with combine harvester settings and performance metrics in near real-time, enabling direct control and adjustments through a user-friendly interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If remote managers use current systems to monitor combine harvesters, then they can access operational data, but they experience delays of thirty minutes or more and data is presented as difficult-to-interpret numeric values
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional numeric data display with visual image and video feeds from multiple cameras on the combine harvester. This substitution allows remote operators to directly see operational conditions (crop flow, grain quality, machine status) rather than interpreting numeric sensor data, eliminating the need for complex data interpretation while providing real-time visual information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates visual copies of the combine harvester's operational environment through multiple cameras positioned at strategic locations. These camera feeds are transmitted to remote devices, allowing remote operators to view the same visual information that the on-board operator sees, thereby eliminating delays and providing intuitive real-time monitoring without requiring data interpretation.
2Loss of information
If remote managers need to review data after harvesting season, then they can analyze performance, but they consume large amounts of bandwidth making multiple calls to remote data stores
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by continuously transmitting and storing visual operational data during the harvesting season. Instead of requiring post-season data retrieval through multiple bandwidth-intensive calls, the relevant visual information is already captured, transmitted, and made accessible in advance, allowing immediate review without additional bandwidth consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The visual data transmission system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides real-time monitoring during operation, enables immediate performance review after operations, and creates a permanent visual record for later analysis. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate data retrieval operations that would consume additional bandwidth.
3Adaptability or versatility
If combine harvesters have complex control operations and multiple settings, then they can be adjusted for different crops and conditions, but it becomes very difficult to determine how machines and operators are performing and why
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements visual feedback by transmitting live camera feeds from the combine harvester to remote devices. This allows remote managers to directly observe the effects of machine settings and operator actions in real-time, providing immediate feedback on performance. The visual information makes it easy to understand why certain settings are being used and how they are affecting operation, despite the complexity of multiple adjustable parameters.
Data Source
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AI summary
A user device (204), that is remote from a combine harvester (100), communicates with the remote harvester (100) to receive contextual information indicative of machine settings on the combine harvester (100). Remote view and control logic receives the contextual information from the combine harvester (100), along with image or video display information generated from an image capture device (such as a video camera or other image capture device (150, 154, 156, 158)) on the combine harvester (100). The contextual information is displayed, along with the video or image information on the remote user device (204).