Interactive gauge control system and method for agricultural systems

#The invention relates generally to agricultural systems and, more particularly, to interactive gauges for monitoring and controlling agricultural systems.

#Generally, operators monitor and control agricultural systems using manual controls (e.g., levers, knobs, switches, etc.) and/or displays (e.g., gauges, alphanumeric displays, graphical displays, etc.). For example, an operator may monitor a needle gauge during operation to verify that hydraulic fluid pressure is within a target range. Alternatively, a graphic display may present several measurements to an operator, including fluid pressures, fuel levels, and positions of various pieces of agricultural equipment. As a result, operators may monitor a variety of tillage, planting, and/or fertilizing operations from the cab of a work vehicle or offsite control station.

#In one embodiment, an electronic control system for an agricultural system includes a controller. In some embodiments, the controller is configured to instruct a display of a user interface to present a gauge having a first indication of a current state of operation of a controllable device of the agricultural system. Moreover, the controller is configured to receive an input indicative of a desired state of operation of the controllable device. Furthermore, the controller is configured to output a signal to the controllable device indicative of the desired state of operation, and to instruct the display to present a second indication on the gauge indicative of the desired state of operation.

#These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an agricultural implement and a work vehicle having a control system;

#FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a control system configured to control an agricultural implement and for a work vehicle;

#One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

#When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Any examples of operating parameters and/or environmental conditions are not exclusive of other parameters/conditions of the disclosed embodiments.

#The embodiments described herein relate to an interactive gauge with a state indicator. The interactive gauge is part of a user interface that is configured to enable an operator to adjust operating parameters of an agricultural vehicle and/or a work vehicle through interaction with the gauge. For example, the operator may touch and slide the indicator to manually change an operating parameter of the agricultural equipment and show automatic changes to the operating parameters of the agricultural equipment. Moreover, in certain embodiments, the indicator is configured to change colors and/or shapes to provide a visual indication to the operator regarding the operating mode (e.g., manual or automatic) and the operating parameters of the implement and/or work vehicle. Furthermore, the interactive gauge provides real time feedback to the operator about current operating parameters. The user interface with the interactive gauges enables operators to efficiently monitor operating conditions and make adjustments based on anticipated conditions.