# US 11,076,531 B2 · State machine for multiple input-multiple output harvester control > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,076,531 B2 - Document ID: US11076531B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/877,655 - Filed: 2018-01-23 - Published: 2019-07-25 - Granted: 2021-08-03 - Earliest claimed: 2018-01-23 - Assignees: Deere & Company - Applicants: Deere & Company - Inventors: Brian J. Gilmore; Paul Readel; Bhanu Kiran Reddy Palla; Timothy S. Hunt; Douglas J. Bollin; John M. Hageman; Aaron J. Bruns - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11076531B2 ## CPC - A01D 41/127: Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines - B60W 10/30: including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps - G05B 19/045: using logic state machines, consisting only of a memory or a programmable logic device containing the logic for the controlled machine and in which the state of its outputs is dependent on the state of its inputs or part of its own output states, e.g. binary decision controllers, finite state controllers - B60W 2300/158: Harvesters - B60W 2510/30: Auxiliary equipments - B60W 2555/00: Input parameters relating to exterior conditions, not covered by groups B60W2552/00, B60W2554/00 - B60W 2710/30: Auxiliary equipments - G05B 13/021: {in which a variable is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance} - G05B 2219/23289: State logic control, finite state, tasks, machine, fsm - G05B 2219/45017: Agriculture machine, tractor - G06F 9/4498: {Finite state machines} - A01D: HARVESTING; MOWING - 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 - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract An overall machine operational state (such as a problem state, field state, machine state, other non-problem state, etc.) is identified, and exit and entry conditions are monitored to determine whether the machine transitions into another operational state. When the machine transitions into a problem state, a multiple input, multiple output control system uses a state machine to identify the problem state and a solution is identified. The solution is indicative of machine settings that will return the machine to an acceptable, operational state. Control signals are generated to modify the machine settings based on the identified solution. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An agricultural harvesting machine, comprising: a plurality of sensors each generating a corresponding sensor signal indicative of a sensed variable; a plurality of controllable subsystems; and a multiple input-multiple output control system comprising: finite state machine logic configured to identify an operational state of the agricultural harvesting machine based on the sensed variables indicated by the sensor signals, the operational state being one of a plurality of predefined operational states on a hierarchy of predefined operational states including a lower predefined operational state, a higher predefined operational state and a plurality of intermediate predefined operational states hierarchically arranged on the hierarchy of predefined operational states between the lower predefined operational state and the higher predefined operational state; and control signal generator logic configured to identify a solution corresponding to the identified operational state, the solution being one of a plurality of hierarchically arranged solutions corresponding to the identified operational state and being indicative of a plurality of control signals that modify control of at least one of the plurality of controllable subsystems to transition the operational state of the agricultural harvesting machine from the identified operational state to a different predefined operational state higher in the hierarchy of predefined operational states than the identified operational state, the control signal generator logic generating the plurality of control signals. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The agricultural harvesting machine of claim 1 wherein the controllable subsystems comprise: a plurality of different selectable automation systems that are selectively activated to implement automated control of a portion of the agricultural harvesting machine. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The agricultural harvesting machine of claim 2 wherein the control signal generator logic comprises: arbitrator logic configured to receive an automation system precedence hierarchy input indicative of a precedence hierarchy corresponding to the selectively activated automation systems and to generate the plurality of control signals to modify control of the selectively activated automation systems, in order according to the automation system precedence hierarchy. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The agricultural harvesting machine of claim 1 wherein the finite state machine logic comprises: state identifier logic that identifies the operational state of the agricultural harvesting machine based on the sensed variables indicated by the sensor signals; and transition condition detection logic configured to detect that the agricultural harvesting machine is transitioning from the identified operational state to the different predefined operational state, based on the sensed variables indicated by the sensor signals. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The agricultural harvesting machine of claim 4 and further comprising: a problem state/solution data store that includes the hierarchically arranged solutions corresponding to each predefined operational state, each solution being indicative of a set of machine settings that implement the solution, wherein the control signal generator logic is configured to generate the plurality of control signals to implement the set of machine settings indicated by the identified solution. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The agricultural harvesting machine of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors comprises: a field sensor generating a field characteristic sensor signal indicative of a characteristic of a field over which the agricultural harvesting machine is traveling; a machine sensor generating a machine parameter sensor signal indicative of a parameter corresponding to the agricultural harvesting machine; and an error parameter sensor generating an error parameter signal indicative of a parameter that indicates an operational problem. ### Claim 7 A method of controlling an agricultural harvesting machine, comprising: detecting a plurality of sensor signals, each being indicative of a different sensed variable; receiving an automation system precedence hierarchy input indicative of a precedence hierarchy corresponding to a plurality of selectively activated automation systems that are selectively activated to implement automated control of a portion of the agricultural harvesting machine; identifying an operational state of the agricultural harvesting machine, using a finite state machine, based on the sensed variables indicated by the sensor signals, the operational state being one of a plurality of predefined operational states in the finite state machine; accessing the automation system precedence hierarchy, based on the identified operational state, to identify a first of the plurality of automation systems in the automation system precedence hierarchy; automatically generating a control signal to selectively activate the identified automation system; and if the operational state of the agricultural harvesting machine does not switch to a different operational state, then accessing the automation system precedence hierarchy to identify a second one of the automation systems and automatically generating a control signal to selectively activate the second automation system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein automatically generating a control signal comprises: and generating the control signals to modify control of the selectively activated automation systems, in order according to the automation system precedence hierarchy. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein identifying an operational state comprises: identifying the operational state of the agricultural harvesting machine based on the sensed variables indicated by the sensor signals; and detecting that the agricultural harvesting machine is transitioning from the identified operational state to a different operational state, based on the sensed variables indicated by the sensor signals. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein automatically generating a control signals comprises: accessing an operational state/solution data store that includes a solution corresponding to each predefined operational state, each solution being indicative of a set of machine settings that implement the solution; identifying the solution corresponding to the identified operational state; and generating the plurality of control signals to implement the set of machine settings indicated by the identified solution. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein the operational state/solution data store includes a separate set of hierarchically arranged solutions corresponding to each of a plurality of predefined operational states, wherein identifying the solution comprises: identifying the solution corresponding to the identified operational state, in an order corresponding to the hierarchically arranged solutions. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein detecting the plurality of sensor signals comprises: detecting a field characteristic sensor signal indicative of a characteristic of a field over which the agricultural harvesting machine is traveling; detecting a machine parameter sensor signal indicative of a parameter corresponding to the agricultural harvesting machine; and detecting an error parameter signal indicative of a parameter that indicates an operational problem. ### Claim 13 A control system for controlling an agricultural harvesting machine, the control system comprising: finite state machine logic configured to identify an operational state of the agricultural harvesting machine based on the sensed variables indicated by the sensor signals, the operational state being one of a plurality of predefined operational states on a hierarchy of operational states including a lower predefined operational state, a higher predefined operational state and a plurality of intermediate predefined operational states hierarchically arranged on the hierarchy of operational states between the lower predefined operational state and the higher predefined operational state; and control signal generator logic configured to identify a solution corresponding to the identified operational state, the solution being one of a plurality of hierarchically arranged solutions corresponding to the identified operational state and being indicative of a plurality of control signals that modify control of at least one of the plurality of controllable subsystems to transition the operational state of the agricultural harvesting machine from the identified operational state to a different predefined operational state higher in the hierarchy of operational states than the identified operational state, the control signal generator logic generating the plurality of control signals.