Patents by Inventor Bradley J. Hitchler

Bradley J. Hitchler has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11659827
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for a boom suspension system that mitigates roll of respective booms as an associated vehicle rolls from side to side. The exemplary system can comprise a stabilizer bar that couples a left boom to a right boom, by coupling to respective booms' tilt cylinders. The stabilizer bar can be engaged with a central frame, which is fixedly engaged with the vehicle's chassis, through a stabilizer link. The stabilizer link allows the stabilizer bar to move horizontally left and right independently of the left and right movement of the central frame, caused by the vehicle roll. In this way, the inertia of the respective booms allows the stabilizer bar to remain in a substantially neutral position while the central frame, and vehicle, roll from side to side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Garry E. Baxter, Bradley J. Hitchler
  • Publication number: 20220232753
    Abstract: A mobile agricultural machine includes a row unit having a furrow opener mounted to the row unit and configured to engage a surface of ground over which the mobile agricultural machine travels to open a furrow in the ground. A furrow closer is mounted to the row unit behind the furrow opener relative to a direction of travel of the mobile agricultural machine and is configured to engage the surface of the ground to close the furrow. An image sensor system is mounted to the row unit and configured to sense characteristics of residue and seeds in the furrow opened by the furrow opener and generate a sensor signal indicative of the characteristics. The mobile agricultural machine can further include a control system configured to generate a residue/seed characteristic indicator corresponding to the sensed characteristics and to generate an action signal to control an action of the mobile agricultural machine based on the residue/seed characteristic indicator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Inventors: Bradley W. VAN DE WOESTYNE, Bradley J. HITCHLER, Justin A. BORGSTADT, Anil Kumar TELIKICHERLA, Oosman SAEED
  • Publication number: 20210022331
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for a boom suspension system that mitigates roll of respective booms as an associated vehicle rolls from side to side. The exemplary system can comprise a stabilizer bar that couples a left boom to a right boom, by coupling to respective booms' tilt cylinders. The stabilizer bar can be engaged with a central frame, which is fixedly engaged with the vehicle's chassis, through a stabilizer link. The stabilizer link allows the stabilizer bar to move horizontally left and right independently of the left and right movement of the central frame, caused by the vehicle roll. In this way, the inertia of the respective booms allows the stabilizer bar to remain in a substantially neutral position while the central frame, and vehicle, roll from side to side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Applicant: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Garry E. Baxter, Bradley J. Hitchler
  • Patent number: 10095235
    Abstract: A mobile machine includes controllable mechanism that performs a prescribed operation on a worksite as the mobile machine travels over the worksite in a direction of travel, and a communication system that receives attribute data indicative of an attribute corresponding to the worksite, and that receives effect data indicative of an effect of the prescribed operation being performed on the worksite. The mobile machine may further include a control system that generates a difference map indicative of a difference between the attribute data and the effect data, and that controls the controllable mechanism to adjust performance of the prescribed operation on the worksite, based on the difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Ramanathan Sugumaran, Noel W. Anderson, Bradley J. Hitchler
  • Publication number: 20170315555
    Abstract: A mobile machine includes controllable mechanism that performs a prescribed operation on a worksite as the mobile machine travels over the worksite in a direction of travel, and a communication system that receives attribute data indicative of an attribute corresponding to the worksite, and that receives effect data indicative of an effect of the prescribed operation being performed on the worksite. The mobile machine may further include a control system that generates a difference map indicative of a difference between the attribute data and the effect data, and that controls the controllable mechanism to adjust performance of the prescribed operation on the worksite, based on the difference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Inventors: RAMANATHAN SUGUMARAN, NOEL W. ANDERSON, Bradley J. Hitchler
  • Patent number: 9740208
    Abstract: A sensor senses an attribute of a worksite at a location that is geographically spaced from a corresponding mobile machine. An operation is performed at the location, based upon the sensed attribute. An action signal is generated based on the effect data. An unmanned aerial vehicle communicates effect data, indicative of an effect of the operation at the location, to the mobile machine. The action signal can be used to control worksite operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Ramanathan Sugumaran, Noel W. Anderson, Bradley J. Hitchler
  • Patent number: 9604237
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method and a control system are described for controlling one or more operations of a sprayer vehicle with a tilt-detection mechanism, a tank, and a tank fill-volume sensor. The tilt-detection mechanism is utilized to determine a tilt indicator. A tilt value is determined based upon the tilt indicator. A tank fill-volume indicator is determined based upon information from the tank fill-volume sensor. A tilt-corrected fill-volume of the tank is determined based upon the tilt value and the tank fill-volume indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: David A. Hanson, Richard A. Humpal, Bradley J. Hitchler, Matthew T. Martin
  • Publication number: 20170031365
    Abstract: A sensor senses an attribute of a worksite at a location that is geographically spaced from a corresponding mobile machine. An operation is performed at the location, based upon the sensed attribute. An action signal is generated based on the effect data. An unmanned aerial vehicle communicates effect data, indicative of an effect of the operation at the location, to the mobile machine. The action signal can be used to control worksite operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Publication date: February 2, 2017
    Inventors: RAMANATHAN SUGUMARAN, NOEL W. ANDERSON, BRADLEY J. HITCHLER
  • Publication number: 20160074891
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method and a control system are described for controlling one or more operations of a sprayer vehicle with a tilt-detection mechanism, a tank, and a tank fill-volume sensor. The tilt-detection mechanism is utilized to determine a tilt indicator. A tilt value is determined based upon the tilt indicator. A tank fill-volume indicator is determined based upon information from the tank fill-volume sensor. A tilt-corrected fill-volume of the tank is determined based upon the tilt value and the tank fill-volume indicator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2014
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Inventors: DAVID A. HANSON, RICHARD A. HUMPAL, BRADLEY J. HITCHLER, MATTHEW T. MARTIN
  • Publication number: 20140300451
    Abstract: A system for configuring a vehicle that comprises a feature. An electronic tag is coupleable to the feature. The system comprises a reader in communication with the electronic tag. The reader is configured to perform at least one of detecting a presence of the electronic tag, detecting an absence of the electronic tag, and receiving a feature data communicated by the electronic tag. A processor is in communication with the reader. The processor is operable to configure the vehicle based on at least one of the presence of the electronic tag, the absence of the electronic tag, and the feature data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: Deere & Company
    Inventors: ROBERT J. REISING, MICHAEL L. GARDNER, ROBERT E. LORENTZEN, GARRY E. BAXTER, ADAM J. ROYAL, KENT A. KLEMME, BRADLEY J. HITCHLER
  • Patent number: 8800887
    Abstract: A system for agricultural spraying including a solution reservoir and primary pump for delivering fluid to a plurality of laterally spaced nozzles interconnected by supply conduits. A chemical reservoir and chemical injection pump are interconnected to the output of the primary pump through a mixer. Controllers for the primary pump and chemical injection pump are coordinated to run the pumps a predetermined time to fill each of the supply conduits from the chemical injection pump and primary pump so as to automatically prime the injection system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Michael L. Moeller, Bradley J. Hitchler
  • Publication number: 20120241533
    Abstract: A system for agricultural spraying including a solution reservoir and primary pump for delivering fluid to a plurality of laterally spaced nozzles interconnected by supply conduits. A chemical reservoir and chemical injection pump are interconnected to the output of the primary pump through a mixer. Controllers for the primary pump and chemical injection pump are coordinated to run the pumps a predetermined time to fill each of the supply conduits from the chemical injection pump and primary pump so as to automatically prime the injection system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Inventors: Michael L. Moeller, Bradley J. Hitchler