Predictive machine control
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsAndy B. Appleton, Nohoon Ki, Wissam H. El-Ratal, Rui Zhang, Justin T. Roth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A policy map is obtained that includes prescribed machine settings values for controlling a machine to perform an operation at different locations in the field. Sensor signals indicating conditions that will be encountered by the machine in the future, as it moves through the site. A predictive model provides an expected machine response, based upon the future condition and a prescribed machine setting value. An adjusted machine setting value is generated based on the expected machine response. Control signals are generated, based on the adjusted machine setting value, to control a set of controllable subsystems.
Claims8
A method of controlling an agricultural machine, comprising:
- obtaining a policy map that maps a machine trajectory and includes prescribed machine setting values for the agricultural machine at different locations along the machine trajectory;
- identifying, as the agricultural machine is performing an operation, a future condition that the agricultural machine will encounter at a future location in performing the operation;
- sensing a current machine operating characteristic as the agricultural machine is performing the operation;
- generating a current condition sensor signal indicative of the current machine operating characteristic;
- receiving, at a predictive model that models the agricultural machine in performing the operation, the identified future condition that the agricultural machine will encounter at the future location, the current condition sensor signal, and a machine setting value, in the policy map, corresponding to the future location;
- generating, with the predictive model, an expected machine response output indicative of expected agricultural machine response characteristics based on the identified future condition that the agricultural machine will encounter at the future location, the current condition sensor signal, and the machine setting value, in the policy map, corresponding to the future location;
- determining that an adjustment is to be made to the prescribed machine setting value in the policy map corresponding to the future location based on the expected machine response output, and generating an adjusted machine setting value based on the determination;
- and
- selecting control values based on the adjusted machine setting value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.