Patents Assigned to CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
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Publication number: 20250048965Abstract: A self-propelled combine harvester and a method for operating a self-propelled combine harvester. The self-propelled combine harvester comprises a feed channel which is pivotably articulated to a combine harvester about a horizontal axis for height adjustment by linear actuators, and a draper arranged or positioned on the feed channel, which comprises a center segment with a central frame segment and two side segments each with an outer frame segment. The particular side segment is pivotably connected to the center segment by a frame joint comprising a pivot axis, and the particular side segment is positionable relative to the center segment by an actuatable actuator. The combine harvester includes a control unit that is configured to actuate the actuators in order to align the side segments relative to the center segment depending on the height adjustment of the feed channel when lifting the draper.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2024Publication date: February 13, 2025Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Christian Füchtling, Andreas Wielenberg, Thomas Hinz
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Publication number: 20250031616Abstract: A control device for controlling a self-propelled combine harvester. The combine harvester comprises a draper having a plurality of conveyor belts driven at a belt speed for collecting and conveying harvested material to a conveying device in the feed channel of the combine harvester, a plurality of working units arranged or positioned downstream from the feed channel for processing the picked-up harvested material, and a drive motor for driving the draper, the conveying device, the working units and a travel drive for operating the combine harvester at a driving speed which is regulated by the control device. The control device is configured to determine the utilization of the drive motor during harvesting mode and to automatically reduce the belt speed of the conveyor belts of the draper when a first limit value for a peak capacity of the drive motor saved in the control device is exceeded.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 29, 2024Publication date: January 30, 2025Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Dennis Neitemeier, Christian Füchtling, Sebastian Spiekermann, Daniel Irmer
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Publication number: 20250036148Abstract: A route planning system configured to create a route plan of a forage harvesting process chain. The forage harvesting process chain comprises a plurality of agricultural work machines which perform a forage harvesting process in a predetermined order. The forage harvesting process comprises successive process steps with each process step being performed by a number of the plurality of agricultural work machines. The route planning system is further configured to generate a common route plan for the plurality of agricultural work machines of the forage harvesting process chain and/or an individualized route plan for each agricultural work machine of the plurality of agricultural work machines.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2024Publication date: January 30, 2025Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Philipp Mümken, Josef Fischer, Martin Reinhardt, Christian Schmid, Magnus Rupp, Sascha Pflanze, Andreas Mock, Martin Ober, Joachim Oldenburg, Michael Fugunt, Waldemar Thiesmann, Michael Becker
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Patent number: 12201056Abstract: A side cutting unit for a cutting unit of an agricultural harvesting machine. The side cutting unit comprises a support frame designed as a bar rail, wherein the bar rail supports, in the longitudinal direction, at least one oscillating knife bar using blade holding apparatuses, and at one end is coupled to a drive that causes the oscillating movement of the at least one knife bar, with the bar rail being designed as a one-piece profiled tube, such as an extruded profiled tube.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2021Date of Patent: January 21, 2025Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Heribert Dudler, Josef Köckemann, Robert Tiemann, Lukas Eidhoff
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Patent number: 12185669Abstract: A forage harvester. The forage harvester has a work assembly for harvesting a crop and for processing harvested material of the crop, which includes grain components and non-grain components. In operation, the harvested material is transported in a harvested material flow along a harvested material transport path through the harvesting machine. The forage harvester also has a control assembly that includes an optical measuring system arranged on the harvested material transport path. The optical measuring system has a camera for recording image data of the harvested material of the harvested material flow. The control assembly, using an image recognition routine, determines image regions assigned to a non-grain component in the image data, determines geometric properties of the assigned non-grain components based on the image regions, and determines an indicator of a structural percentage of the harvested material from the geometric properties.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2021Date of Patent: January 7, 2025Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Christoph Heitmann, Sven Carsten Belau, Ingo Bönig, Frédéric Fischer
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Publication number: 20240428389Abstract: An image analysis method and system for the computer-implemented determination of the degree of grain cracking of grains within a flow of harvested material processed by working units of a forage harvester. The flow of harvested material comprises whole grains and crushed grains as grain components and non-grain components. The at least one working unit is automatically controlled depending on the degree of grain cracking. Images of the flow of harvested material are cyclically recorded using an optical recording device and transmitted to an image analysis apparatus for evaluation. The image analysis apparatus, in a first stage classifies image pixels contained in the images into grain components and non-grain components, and in a second stage, determines a length of a long main axis and a short main axis of each classified grain component via a length-width comparison, with the first stage and the second stage performed by a neural network.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 24, 2024Publication date: December 26, 2024Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Dennis Neitemeier, Sven Carsten Belau, Ingo Bönig, Markus Brune, Marwin Klein Heimkamp
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Publication number: 20240423127Abstract: An image analysis method for the computer-implemented determination of the degree of grain cracking of grains. A flow of harvested material is processed by working units of a forage harvester, with the flow including whole grains and crushed grains as grain components, and non-grain components. Images of the flow of harvested material are recorded via a camera system and transmitted to an image analysis apparatus for evaluation. At least one working unit is controlled depending on the degree of grain cracking. To determine the degree of grain cracking, image pixels in the images are classified into grain components and non-grain components, with a classification of whole grains and crushed grains performed within the image pixels of an image classified as grain components using a segmentation model, and a loss function, used by the segmentation model, being weighted with an adjustable weighting factor.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 24, 2024Publication date: December 26, 2024Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Dennis Neitemeier, Sven Carsten Belau, Ingo Bönig, Markus Brune, Marwin Klein Heimkamp
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Patent number: 12144287Abstract: An agricultural harvesting machine, with at least one work assembly and a monitoring assembly, is disclosed. The agricultural harvesting machine transports harvested material in a harvested material flow along a harvested material transport path. The monitoring assembly includes an measuring system positioned on the harvested material transport path and an evaluation device configured to determine at least one harvested material parameter. The measuring system includes a first passive optical sensor that senses image data indicative of visible light in a first section and a second non-passive non-optical sensor that senses data in a second section that at least partly overlaps the first section. The evaluation device correlates the image data for the overlapping section from the first optical sensor and the data from the second optical sensor and determines, based on the correlation, at least one harvested material parameter.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2021Date of Patent: November 19, 2024Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Frédéric Fischer, Marvin Barther, Dennis Neitemeier, Maik Heufekes, Sven Carsten Belau, Johann Witte
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Publication number: 20240349646Abstract: An agricultural work machine, such as a forage harvester, is disclosed. The agricultural work machine comprises an axle body with at least one ground engaging device arranged or positioned on the axle body, a wheel housing that comprises a fender sectionally surrounding the ground engaging device radially on the outside and a side wall, and a storage space with a functional assembly located therein being arranged or positioned on the side wall.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2024Publication date: October 24, 2024Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Markus Hohlfeld, Günter Schnitger
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Publication number: 20240337617Abstract: A sensor assembly for detecting at least one material property of a harvested material picked up by a self-propelled harvesting machine and passing through the sensor assembly is disclosed. The sensor assembly includes at least one sensor element which is arranged on a plate-shaped carrier, and an evaluation circuit for evaluating signals which the at least one sensor element generates on the basis of physical contact of the plate-shaped carrier with the harvested material. The plate-shaped carrier is designed as a ceramic-containing plate with a contact surface, which is in contact with the harvested material, and a sensor surface facing away from the contact surface. The at least one sensor element and the evaluation circuit are arranged thereon on the sensor surface of the plate-shaped carrier facing away from the harvested material.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2024Publication date: October 10, 2024Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Dennis Neitemeier, Christoph Lehmann
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Patent number: 12066381Abstract: An optical measuring device for the spectral measurement of a sample is disclosed. The optical measure device includes an integrating cavity that has a diffusely reflective interior in order to render the light in the integrating cavity diffuse, a light source that is configured to emit light of a predetermined wavelength range into the integrating cavity, and a sensor that is configured to receive light from the integrating cavity, wherein the integrating cavity comprises an optical opening, and wherein the optical measuring device is provided and configured to measure a sample located outside of the integrating cavity directly in front of the optical opening.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2021Date of Patent: August 20, 2024Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Frédéric Fischer, Johann Witte, Ralf Marbach
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Publication number: 20240273643Abstract: A method for providing technical service to an agricultural working machine is provided. A digital service module of a server coordinating the technical service receives a request for service, the request for service including at least one part and at least one service needed to fix a problem with the agricultural working machine. The server includes a database, which stores information about locations of parts (which may be in service vehicles, locations assigned to service providers, or at a central storage), service providers, and part runners.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2023Publication date: August 15, 2024Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Scott Wellensiek, Christoph Tetzlaff, G. Eric Raby, Timothy Conrad, Brian Abrahams, Jeffrey Tilden, Daryl Theis, Mark Turnis, Patricio Frangella
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Patent number: 12052949Abstract: An agricultural harvesting machine and a method for operating an agricultural harvesting machine. The agricultural harvesting machine includes an attachment configured to receive a crop containing grain components, at least one work assembly for processing the received crop, a transfer device, a near-infrared (NIR), and an evaluation device. The crop is received by the attachment and traverses the harvesting machine, thereby defining a crop stream. The NIR sensor is positioned along the crop stream downstream from the at least one work assembly and generates one or more signals indicative of at least one aspect of the grain components in the crop stream. Further, the evaluation device receives and analyzes the signals from the NIR sensor in order to determine a degree to which the grain components contained in the crop stream are cracked.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2020Date of Patent: August 6, 2024Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Stefan Sander, Mathias Escher, Carsten Grove, Alexander Kirchbeck
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Publication number: 20240251713Abstract: A self-propelled agricultural harvester, such as a forage harvester, is disclosed. The harvester has at least one post-acceleration unit for the variable acceleration of harvested material and a transfer device downstream from the post-acceleration unit for ejecting the harvested material into a loading container. The width of a harvested material passage gap of the post-acceleration unit may be adjusted using a gap-changing device for the variable acceleration of the harvested material. A control device may evaluate data generated by a swath detection device with the data indicative of properties of the harvested material. Based on the evaluation, the control device may generate control signals to control the gap-changing device, thereby for adjusting the width of the harvested material passage gap.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 31, 2024Publication date: August 1, 2024Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Niklas Löffler, Tobias Deufel
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Publication number: 20240155976Abstract: A self-propelled harvester is disclosed. The harvester comprises a drive motor, an attachment drive that has a hydraulic pump configured to drive a hydraulic motor to drive an attachment positioned on a feed device of the harvester, and a control device. The control device controls the attachment drive by accessing an attachment-specific parameter set tailored to the attachment that is connected to the harvester so that the hydraulic motor generates an attachment-specific operating torque which is lower than a maximum torque specific to the attachment to be driven. Further, the control device is configured, when a load peak is detected, to control the hydraulic motor to increase the operating torque generated by the hydraulic motor up to the attachment-specific maximum torque by changing a preset pivot angle.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2023Publication date: May 16, 2024Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Marcel Rohde-Fölling, Christian König, Josef Fischer
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Patent number: 11968926Abstract: A forage harvester that includes a cutterhead assembly and two frame parts between which the cutterhead assembly is rotatably suspended. The forage harvester assembly is held on both frame parts by a clamp bearing that defines a rotary axis. Contact points between an element on the frame part side and an element on the assembly side of the clamp bearing lie on a spherical surface centered on the rotary axis.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2021Date of Patent: April 30, 2024Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Stefan Look, Jochen Rathjens
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Patent number: 11959861Abstract: An agricultural machine is disclosed that includes an NIR sensor configured to detect NIR spectra of plant material and output them as raw data, an evaluation unit configured to derive at least one parameter of the plant material in real time from the raw data, and an interface for the data traffic with at least one data processing unit outside of or external to the agricultural machine that is configured to transmit the raw data to the data processing unit.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2021Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Björn Stremlau, Carsten Grove, Michael Roggenland, Frank Claussen, Maximilian von Nordheim, Jeremias Hagel, Jörg Wesselmann
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Publication number: 20240107944Abstract: An agricultural harvesting machine having a cutting unit for cutting harvested material and a driver assistance system is disclosed. The driver assistance system includes a memory in which control strategies for the operation of the cutting unit are stored and a computing device for controlling a cutting angle of the cutting unit in accordance with the control strategies. The computing device is configured to link first and second control strategy to one another via a weighting variable, with the weighting variable being adjustable by a driver. The driver assistance system uses at least one of the control strategies and sensed forefield information to automatically determine the cutting angle of the cutting unit and to automatically control the cutting unit based on the determined cutting angle.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2023Publication date: April 4, 2024Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Waldemar Thiesmann, Christoph Bussmann, Christian Cord-Kruse, Dennis Neitemeier, Andreas Wielenberg, Christian Füchtling, Bastian Bormann, Andreas Wilken, Maik Heufekes, Joachim Baumgarten
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Patent number: 11944036Abstract: A forage harvester with at least one work assembly is disclosed. The forage harvester has a corn cracker to process grain components and a driver assistance system. The driver assistance system controls the corn cracker by adjusting the machine parameters of the corn cracker. In particular, the driver assistance system has an optimization model which includes a multidimensional characteristic map that represents a relationship between a processing quality of the grain components and at least three parameters that comprise an input parameter representing a current harvesting process state and at least one machine parameter of the corn cracker as an output parameter. Thus, the driver assistance system determines the output parameter in the control routine during the harvesting process based on the varying input parameter from the optimization model and adjusts it in the corn cracker to achieve a uniform given processing quality of the grain components during the harvesting process.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2021Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Christoph Heitmann, Sven Carsten Belau, Ingo Bönig, Jan Meyer zu Hörste
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Publication number: 20240090375Abstract: A combine harvester is disclosed, including a separating device for separating grain and straw and a shredding device downstream from the separating device for shredding a straw portion discharged from the separating device. The shredding device comprises a chopping rotor which is rotationally driven about an axis oriented transversely to an infeed direction of the portion of straw into the shredding device, and the rotary movement of which generates an air flow directed away from the chopping rotor. The rotary movement is opposite the infeed direction on a part of the circumference of the chopping rotor. Further, the infeed direction of the straw portion into the shredding device is regulated by at least one structure, such as an adjustable crop guide plate, in such a way that the air flow does not counteract the infeed of the straw portion into the shredding device.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 19, 2023Publication date: March 21, 2024Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbHInventors: Ulrich Claes, Manuel Elpmann