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US 12,635,606 B2Granted
Multi pass unloading operation
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsKellen E. O'Connor, Jeremy J. Faust, Sara C. O'Connor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A leading vehicle loads material into a receiving vehicle during an unloading operation. The unloading operation loads the receiving vehicle according to a multi-pass fill pattern.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- identifying an initial landing point in a receiving vehicle to receive material from a leading vehicle during an unloading operation in which the material is unloaded from the leading vehicle into the receiving vehicle, the receiving vehicle being propelled by a following vehicle;
- controlling the unloading operation to perform a first unloading pass in a first direction based on an initial fill level, the first unloading pass being controlled to unload the material into the receiving vehicle beginning at the initial landing point and then unloading material at each of a plurality of successive additional first pass landing points, each successive additional first pass landing point being displaced in the first direction from an immediately preceding first pass landing point;
- detecting a fill level at a final first pass landing point;
- based on a comparison of the fill level at the final first pass landing point to the initial fill level and without regard to a detected fill level at other first pass landing points, other than the final first pass landing point, initiating a second unloading pass in a second direction, opposite the first direction;
- and
- controlling the unloading operation to perform the second unloading pass based on a final fill level different from the initial fill level, the second unloading pass being controlled to unload the material into the receiving vehicle at each of a plurality of successive second pass landing points, each successive second pass landing point being displaced in the second direction from an immediately preceding second pass landing point.
3 more elements
An unloading system, comprising:
- an initial value identifier configured to identify an initial landing point in a receiving vehicle to receive material from a leading vehicle during an unloading operation in which the material is unloaded from the leading vehicle into the receiving vehicle, the receiving vehicle being propelled by a following vehicle;
- a fill level detector configured to detect a level of material in the receiving vehicle;
- and
- an unloading control system configured to, when the fill level detector detects that the receiving vehicle is empty, control the unloading operation to perform a first unloading pass in a first direction unloading the material into the receiving vehicle beginning at the initial landing point and then unloading material at each of a plurality of successive landing points spaced from one another in the first direction, based on an initial fill level and to perform a second unloading pass in a second direction, opposite the first direction, unloading the material into the receiving vehicle at second pass landing points, based on a final fill level that is different from the initial fill level, wherein the unloading control system is configured to set, during the first unloading pass, a lockout condition that inhibits landing point movement in the second direction prior to the second unloading pass.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- identifying an initial landing point in a receiving vehicle to receive material from a leading vehicle during an unloading operation in which the material is unloaded from the leading vehicle into the receiving vehicle, the receiving vehicle being propelled by a following vehicle;
- controlling the unloading operation to perform a first unloading pass in a first direction based on an initial fill level, the first unloading pass being controlled to unload the material into the receiving vehicle beginning at the initial landing point and then unloading material at each of a plurality of successive additional first pass landing points, each successive additional first pass landing point being displaced in the first direction from an immediately preceding first pass landing point;
- detecting a fill level at a final first pass landing point;
- based on a comparison of the detected fill level at the final first pass landing point to the initial fill level, controlling the unloading operation to initiate a second unloading pass in a second direction, opposite the first direction, based on a final fill level different from the initial fill level, the second unloading pass being controlled to unload the material into the receiving vehicle at each of a plurality of successive second pass landing points, each successive second pass landing point being displaced in the second direction from an immediately preceding second pass landing point;
- and
- setting, during the first unloading pass, a lockout condition that inhibits landing point movement in the second direction prior to the initiation of the second unloading pass.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.