Automatic display of remote camera image

{
  "publication_number": "US9345194B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Automatic display of remote camera image",
  "abstract": "A farm vehicle includes a crop gathering mechanism to convey harvested crop material to a crop flow path passing internally through at least part of the vehicle. The vehicle includes a vehicle data bus and a plurality of control modules operatively connected to the vehicle data bus and configured to monitor information on the vehicle data bus and to act according to such information. An electronic operator module is configured to monitor the states of operator controls and to broadcast information on the vehicle data bus specifying such states. Additionally, video cameras positioned within the vehicle face the crop flow path and are operably connected to a graphic display. A graphic display control module includes a processor configured to control the display of images on the graphic display for selective display of images from the video cameras based upon information from the vehicle data bus.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A farm vehicle including a threshing and cleaning assembly defining part of the internal crop flow path to separate grain material from the harvested crop material, the threshing and cleaning assembly including a threshing cylinder rotatably supported from a frame, a threshing concave positioned proximate to the threshing cylinder to operably interact with the threshing cylinder, one or more sieves, and a fan, comprising: a crop gathering mechanism mounted on an end portion of the frame to convey harvested crop material to a crop flow path passing internally through at least part of the vehicle; a vehicle data bus; a plurality of control modules operatively connected to the vehicle data bus and configured to monitor information on the vehicle data bus and to act according to the information on the vehicle data bus, wherein at least one of the plurality of control modules constitutes a graphic display control module, one or more of the control modules are configured to control at least one function selected from the group consisting of: a rotor speed for the threshing cylinder, a fan speed, a sieve opening size, and a threshing concave clearance, based upon the information from the vehicle data bus; a graphic display; a plurality of operator controls, the operator controls include at least one control selected from the group consisting of: a rotor speed control, a threshing concave clearance control, a fan speed control, and a sieve opening control; an electronic operator module configured to monitor states of the operator controls and to broadcast information on the vehicle data bus specifying the states of the operator controls, the electronic operator module is configured to detect and broadcast information on the vehicle data bus indicative of a change of state of at least one operator control selected from the group consisting of: the rotor speed control, the threshing concave clearance control, the fan speed control, and the sieve opening control; a plurality of video cameras positioned within the vehicle to face the crop flow path and being operably connected to the graphic display, each of the plurality of video cameras is assigned to capture a portion of the crop flow path, wherein the change of state of at least one operator control activates one of the plurality of video cameras that is assigned to that portion of the crop flow affected by the at least one operator control; the graphic display control module including a processor configured to control the display of images on the graphic display for the selective display of images on the graphic display from one or more of the plurality of video cameras based upon information from the vehicle data bus, the processor is configured to select images for display on the graphic display from one of the plurality of video cameras; and the processor selects a video camera from among a plurality of available video cameras that based on action of an operator have become simultaneously available for display of a live video for operator feedback, the processor with commands that arbitrate among the plurality of images from the available video cameras that are simultaneously available for display to the operator.",
    "2. The farm vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the threshing and cleaning assembly comprises one or more light sources positioned to provide illumination to at least a portion of the crop flow path to permit visual detection of the grain material by one or more of the plurality of video cameras, and wherein one or more of the control modules are configured to control an activation of the one or more light sources.",
    "3. The farm vehicle according to claim 2, wherein: one or more of the control modules are configured to temporarily activate the light source in response to the information from the vehicle data bus indicative of the change of state of the at least one operator control selected from the group consisting of: the rotor speed control, the threshing concave clearance control, the fan speed control, and the sieve opening control.",
    "4. The farm vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to prioritize, select, and exclude images from the video cameras for display by the graphic display based upon a predetermined command.",
    "5. The farm vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising: a propulsion handle coupled with the data bus; and a rear camera coupled with the data bus and facing away from a back portion of the farm vehicle, and wherein the processor is configured to prioritize and select a display of images from the rear camera on the graphic display in response to information on the vehicle data bus indicative of a reverse movement direction of the farm vehicle.",
    "6. The farm vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the one or more control modules comprise an engine control module configured to broadcast engine speed information to the vehicle data bus, and wherein the graphic display is configured to display engine speed based on the engine speed information.",
    "7. The farm vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the video cameras are directly connected to the graphic display to communicate with the graphic display.",
    "8. A farm vehicle, comprising: a frame; a crop gathering mechanism mounted on an end portion of the frame to convey harvested crop material to a crop flow path passing internally through at least part of the vehicle; a vehicle data bus; a plurality of control modules operatively connected to the vehicle data bus and configured to monitor information on the vehicle data bus and to act according to the information on the vehicle data bus, wherein at least one of the plurality of control modules constitutes a graphic display control module; a graphic display operatively connected to the graphic display control module; a plurality of operator controls; an electronic operator module configured to monitor states of the operator controls and to broadcast information on the vehicle data bus specifying the states of the operator controls; and a plurality of video cameras positioned within the vehicle to face the crop flow path and being operably connected to the graphic display, wherein the graphic display control module is configured to select one of the plurality of video cameras for the display of video images on the graphic display based upon information from the vehicle data bus; and a processor that arbitrates for selection of a video camera from a plurality of video cameras that are simultaneously available for display of a live image to an operator, a plurality of live images become simultaneously available for display to the operator based on an action of the operator.",
    "9. A farm vehicle, comprising: a frame; a crop gathering mechanism mounted on an end portion of the frame to convey harvested crop material to a crop flow path passing internally through at least part of the vehicle; a vehicle data bus; a plurality of control modules operatively connected to the vehicle data bus and configured to monitor information on the vehicle data bus and to act according to the information on the vehicle data bus, wherein at least one of the plurality of control modules constitutes a graphic display control module; a graphic display operatively connected to the graphic display control module; a plurality of operator controls; an electronic operator module configured to monitor states of the operator controls and to broadcast information on the vehicle data bus specifying the states of the operator controls; and a plurality of video cameras positioned within the vehicle to face the crop flow path and being operably connected to the graphic display, wherein the graphic display control module is configured to activate one of the plurality of video cameras based upon information from the vehicle data bus, and a processor having commands to arbitrate about selection of a video camera that supplies a live video for operator feedback, from a plurality of video cameras that are simultaneously available for display to an operator, the plurality of video cameras become simultaneously available for display to the operator based on an action of the operator."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "As combine harvesters (“combines”) become larger and more complicated, it becomes more difficult for the combine operator to maintain visual contact with functions of the harvesting process and logistics of operating and maneuvering the combine harvester. To that end, remote mounted video cameras may be utilized on combine harvesters to allow the operator to ‘see’ critical functions. For example, the images may be displayed on a dedicated video monitor in the combine cab and the vehicle control monitor can have the ability to show video output if the operator manually selects to view the desired video footage.\n\nSome of the functions that may be viewed via a remote mounted video camera are the unloading process, and backing up of the combine while driving the combine in reverse. A camera mounted either to the end of the unloading tube directed into the receiving receptacle or cameras mounted at the rear of the combine used to view the combine surroundings for safe reverse movement of the combine may be utilized. However, this requires the combine operator to determine which images to see and to select them, all the while operating an increasingly complicated machine.\n\nU.S. Pat. No. 6,758,745, issued on Jul. 6, 2004, and titled Tool and Method for Removal and Installation of Threshing Concave, is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,720, issued on Nov. 2, 1999, and titled Agricultural Machine, Especially Combine Harvester, with Multiprocessor Guide System, is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.",
  "cpc": [
    "A01D 41/127"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "A01D 41/127",
    "A01F 12/00",
    "H04N 7/18"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "CNH Industrial America LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Jay David SCHROEDER",
    "Daniel Lynn RENAUD",
    "John Michael King",
    "Kevin Douglas McKEE"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2009-09-30",
  "publication_date": "2016-05-24",
  "grant_date": "2016-05-24",
  "priority_date": "2009-09-30",
  "application_number": "US-57064309-A",
  "family_id": "43037789",
  "cited_by_count": 28,
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}