# US 10,369,872 B2 · Removable panel on an autonomous work vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,369,872 B2 - Document ID: US10369872B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/179,146 - Filed: 2016-06-10 - Published: 2017-12-14 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-06-10 - Assignees: CNH Industrial America LLC - Applicants: CNH Industrial America LLC - Inventors: Dwayne St. George Jackson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10369872B2 ## CPC - B60J 9/00: Devices not provided for in one of main groups B60J1/00 - B60J7/00 (B60J10/00 takes precedence) - A01B 69/00: Steering of agricultural machines or implements; Guiding agricultural machines or implements on a desired track - A01B 69/001: {Steering by means of optical assistance, e.g. television cameras (steering devices for road marking vehicles E01C23/163)} - B60J 1/085: {removably mounted} - B60W 50/00: Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit {, e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces} - G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) - B60J: WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES (fastening, suspending, closing, or opening of such devices E05) - A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21) - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract In one embodiment, an autonomous agricultural vehicle includes a control interface disposed in an enclosure of the autonomous agricultural vehicle and configured to at least setup or control operation of the autonomous agricultural vehicle, an implement attached to the autonomous agricultural vehicle, or a combination thereof. The autonomous agricultural vehicle further includes a removable panel at least partially removably coupled to the autonomous agricultural vehicle over the enclosure, wherein the removable panel is positioned to be accessible to an operator who is operating the autonomous agricultural vehicle outside of the autonomous agricultural vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An autonomous agricultural vehicle, comprising: a control interface disposed in an enclosure of the autonomous agricultural vehicle and configured to at least setup or control operation of the autonomous agricultural vehicle, the control interface comprising a stop button configured to stop the autonomous vehicle, an implement attached to the autonomous agricultural vehicle, or a combination thereof, wherein the enclosure is not included inside of a cabin or a passenger cab and does not-comprise the cabin or the passenger cab; an ignition switch; an autonomous/manual switch, wherein the ignition switch and the autonomous/manual switch are used in cooperation to control operation of the autonomous agricultural vehicle; and a toollessly removable panel coupled to the autonomous agricultural vehicle over the enclosure to cover the control interface, wherein the toollessly removable panel is positioned to be accessible to an operator who is operating the autonomous agricultural vehicle outside of the autonomous agricultural vehicle, and wherein the toollessly removable panel is configured to be completely removed from the enclosure without using tools, or opened and closed over the enclosure via an attachment mechanism, to access the control interface. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the enclosure and the toollessly removable panel are positioned on a side of the autonomous vehicle and accessible to the operator of the autonomous agricultural vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The autonomous agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the toollessly removable panel comprises at least one magnet and wherein the autonomous agricultural vehicle comprises a metal portion or a second magnet aligned so that the at least one magnet magnetically couples the toollessly removable panel to the autonomous agricultural vehicle over the enclosure. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The autonomous agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the attachment mechanism comprises a hinge at coupling the toollessly removable panel to the autonomous agricultural vehicle to enable the removable panel to open and to close over the enclosure. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The autonomous agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the toollessly removable panel comprises an opacity level from 0 to 90 percent. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The autonomous agricultural vehicle of claim 5, wherein the toollessly removable panel comprises a photochromic removable panel, an electrochromic removable panel, or a combination thereof, configured to automatically change the opacity level. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The autonomous agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the toollessly removable panel comprises at least one light configured to illuminate the control interface. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The autonomous agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the autonomous agricultural vehicle comprises a recess disposed about the enclosure and configured to enable a human hand to grab the toollessly removable panel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The autonomous agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the toollessly removable panel is completely removable from the autonomous agricultural vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The autonomous agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the toollessly removable panel comprises a seal configured to abut against the autonomous agricultural vehicle to prevent ingress of particles or fluids into the enclosure. ### Claim 11 A vehicle system, comprising: an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle comprising: a toollessly removable panel coupled to the autonomous vehicle over an enclosure having a control interface used to control the autonomous vehicle, the control interface comprising a stop button configured to stop the autonomous vehicle, wherein the enclosure is not included inside of a cabin or a passenger cab and does not comprise the cabin or the passenger cab, wherein the toollessly removable panel covers the control interface, wherein the toollessly removable panel is positioned to be accessible to an operator who is operating the autonomous vehicle outside of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein the toollessly removable panel is configured to be completely removed from the enclosure without using tools, or opened and closed over the enclosure via an attachment mechanism, to access the control interface; an ignition switch; and an autonomous/manual switch, wherein the ignition switch and the autonomous/manual switch are used in cooperation to control operation of the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the toollessly removable panel comprises at least one magnet and wherein the autonomous vehicle comprises a metal portion or a second magnet aligned so that the at least one magnet magnetically couples the toollessly removable panel to the autonomous vehicle over the enclosure. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the attachment mechanism comprises a hinge coupling the toollessly removable panel to the autonomous agricultural vehicle to enable the toollessly removable panel to open and to close over the enclosure. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the toollessly removable panel comprises an opacity level from 0 to 90 percent. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, comprising the control interface having a display, wherein the control interface is configured to turn on the display when the toollessly removable panel is at least partially removed from the autonomous vehicle, when the removable panel is opened, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the toollessly removable panel comprises at least one light configured to illuminate the control interface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the toollessly removable panel is completely removable from the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 18 An autonomous vehicle, comprising: a control interface comprising: a display; and an ignition switch; and an autonomous/manual switch, wherein the ignition switch and the autonomous/manual switch are used in cooperation to control operation of the autonomous vehicle; and a removable panel coupled to the autonomous vehicle over an enclosure having the control interface to cover the control interface, the control interface comprising a stop button configured to stop the autonomous vehicle, wherein the enclosure does not comprise a passenger cab, wherein the removable panel is positioned to be accessible to an operator who is operating the autonomous vehicle outside of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein the removable panel is configured to be completely removed from the enclosure, or opened and closed over the enclosure via an attachment mechanism, to access the control interface. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The autonomous vehicle of claim 18, wherein the removable panel comprises at least one magnet and wherein the autonomous vehicle comprises a metal portion or a second magnet aligned so that the at least one magnet magnetically couples the removable panel to the autonomous vehicle over the enclosure. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The autonomous vehicle of claim 18, wherein the removable panel is completely removable from the autonomous vehicle.