Patents by Inventor Alex John Weidenbach

Alex John Weidenbach 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).

  • Publication number: 20240028048
    Abstract: A control system includes a first input to receive a positional output characteristic of a first vehicle at a first communication frequency and a second input to receive a kinematic output characteristic of the first vehicle at a second frequency, where the second frequency is greater than the first frequency. A guidance controller of a second vehicle is configured to process the kinematic output characteristic of the first vehicle to obtain a heading of the first vehicle, compare the heading of the first vehicle with a heading of the second vehicle to obtain a heading deviation of the second vehicle, and determine a guidance heading of the second vehicle based on the heading deviation of the second vehicle. A control interface is configured to communicate the guidance heading to one or more of steering, throttle or brake elements of the second vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2023
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Inventors: Matthew K. Rust, Joel Jared Kocer, Matthew Michael Rottinghaus, Koby Kevin Jackson, Jacob David Deines, Brandon Joseph Roth, Gustavo de Almeida Martins, Alex John Weidenbach
  • Publication number: 20230263150
    Abstract: A semi-active suspension system includes a suspension element having a damping coefficient range. The suspension element optionally includes an implement end and a chassis end. The semi-active suspension system includes a suspension control circuit in communication with the suspension element. The suspension control circuit optionally includes a kinematic assessment circuit in communication with one or more sensors. The kinematic assessment circuit is configured to measure or determine kinematic characteristics of one or more of the agricultural implement and the chassis. The suspension control circuit optionally includes a damping control circuit, and the damping control circuit generates a specified damping characteristic based on the measured or determined kinematic characteristics. The damping control circuit optionally directs the suspension element to operate within the damping coefficient range based on the specified damping characteristic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2023
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Inventors: Alex John Weidenbach, Jesse Lee Wagers, John D. Preheim
  • Patent number: 11687083
    Abstract: An agricultural vehicle monitoring system includes first and second noncontact sensors configured for coupling with an agricultural vehicle, where the first and second noncontact sensors are configured to sense respective first and second environmental characteristics for determining a position of the agricultural vehicle in a field. The system further includes a comparative vehicle monitor in communication with the first and second noncontact sensors. The comparative vehicle monitor includes a filter module to filter outputs of the first and second noncontact sensors based on an indicator of a relative quality of the output of each sensor. The comparative vehicle monitor additionally includes an evaluation module to determine a vehicle position of the agricultural vehicle relative to at least one of the first and second environmental characteristics according to filtered outputs of the first and second noncontact sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Raven Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Van Roekel, Alex John Weidenbach, John D. Preheim, Drew John Waltner, Joel Quentin Quanbeck
  • Patent number: 11470760
    Abstract: An agricultural vehicle monitoring system includes one or more noncontact sensors configured to sense multiple objects along a scanline. A comparative vehicle monitor is in communication with the one or more noncontact sensors. The comparative vehicle monitor is configured to provide a specified row width and to identify one or more crop rows from the scan line and determine one or more lengths of scan line segments between identified crop rows. The comparative vehicle monitor is further configured to determine a vehicle position including one or more of a vehicle angle or a vehicle location according to the specified row width and the one or more determined lengths of scan line segments between the identified crop rows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Raven Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Van Roekel, Alex John Weidenbach, John D. Preheim, Drew John Waltner, Joel Quentin Quanbeck
  • Publication number: 20220187832
    Abstract: A row steering system of an agricultural machine is provided. The row steering system includes a first sensor assembly configured to detect a first orientation of the agricultural machine relative to a path reference in a field using a first sensor configured to measure a first characteristic. The system also includes a second sensor assembly configured to detect a second orientation of the agricultural machine using a second sensor configured to measure a second characteristic. The system further includes a control module including a first evaluation module to obtain a first confidence in the detected first orientation, a second evaluation module to obtain a second confidence in the detected second orientation, and a selector module to selectively provide one or more of the detected first orientation or the detected second orientation to a machine controller of the agricultural machine based on the first and second confidences.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2021
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventors: Alex John Weidenbach, Jonathan Eugene Mathews
  • Publication number: 20210195824
    Abstract: An agricultural vehicle monitoring system includes one or more noncontact sensors configured to sense multiple objects along a scanline. A comparative vehicle monitor is in communication with the one or more noncontact sensors. The comparative vehicle monitor is configured to provide a specified row width and to identify one or more crop rows from the scan line and determine one or more lengths of scan line segments between identified crop rows. The comparative vehicle monitor is further configured to determine a vehicle position including one or more of a vehicle angle or a vehicle location according to the specified row width and the one or more determined lengths of scan line segments between the identified crop rows.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Van Roekel, Alex John Weidenbach, John D. Preheim, Drew John Waltner
  • Publication number: 20210132618
    Abstract: An agricultural vehicle monitoring system includes first and second noncontact sensors configured for coupling with an agricultural vehicle, where the first and second noncontact sensors are configured to sense respective first and second environmental characteristics for determining a position of the agricultural vehicle in a field. The system further includes a comparative vehicle monitor in communication with the first and second noncontact sensors. The comparative vehicle monitor includes a filter module to filter outputs of the first and second noncontact sensors based on an indicator of a relative quality of the output of each sensor. The comparative vehicle monitor additionally includes an evaluation module to determine a vehicle position of the agricultural vehicle relative to at least one of the first and second environmental characteristics according to filtered outputs of the first and second noncontact sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Van Roekel, Alex John Weidenbach, John D. Preheim, Drew John Waltner, Joel Quentin Quanbeck
  • Patent number: 9872433
    Abstract: The systems and methods described herein adjust harvest characteristics by selecting one or more harvest characteristics according to the location of a harvester within a field. For example, the selection includes determining the location of the harvester within the field, associating the location with a corresponding zone of a plurality of zones in the field where each of the plurality of zones corresponds to a respective crop planted within the field (for instance a hybrid type), and assigning one or more harvest characteristics to a harvest operation according to at least the corresponding zone and the respective crop within the corresponding zone. Harvest operations are conducted with the assigned one or more harvest characteristics. The systems and methods described repeat selecting the one or more harvest characteristics as the harvester changes location within the field according to further examples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Raven Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: John Earl Acheson, Alex John Weidenbach
  • Publication number: 20160330906
    Abstract: The systems and methods described herein adjust harvest characteristics by selecting one or more harvest characteristics according to the location of a harvester within a field. For example, the selection includes determining the location of the harvester within the field, associating the location with a corresponding zone of a plurality of zones in the field where each of the plurality of zones corresponds to a respective crop planted within the field (for instance a hybrid type), and assigning one or more harvest characteristics to a harvest operation according to at least the corresponding zone and the respective crop within the corresponding zone. Harvest operations are conducted with the assigned one or more harvest characteristics. The systems and methods described repeat selecting the one or more harvest characteristics as the harvester changes location within the field according to further examples.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Publication date: November 17, 2016
    Inventors: John Earl Acheson, Alex John Weidenbach