Patents by Inventor Henner Voecking

Henner Voecking 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: 20240065155
    Abstract: An agricultural production machine configured for determining optimized working parameters for the of the agricultural production machine is disclosed. The agricultural production machine has a driver assistance system and a sensor system and performs an agricultural task in a local context. The driver assistance system comprises a map control system that includes one or more maps to optimize work parameters of the process units of the agricultural production machine. A particular characteristic map describes a relationship between working parameters of the process unit and quality parameters using initial working points. When performing the agricultural task, the driver assistance system checks a local context to determine whether a context-related map is available and, if so, replace the basic map with the context-related map in order to determine optimized working parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Waldemar Thiesmann, Heinrich Warkentin, Mohamed Altaleb, Henner Vöcking, Bastian Bormann
  • Patent number: 11304369
    Abstract: A combine harvester has multiple working mechanisms for carrying out specific treatment subprocesses of an overall treatment process for processing crop, and a driver assistance system for controlling the working mechanisms, which includes a memory for storing data and a computing device for processing the data stored in the memory, wherein the driver assistance system, together with the particular working mechanisms provided for carrying out the treatment subprocesses, forms independently operating automated adjusting mechanisms which are utilized for optimizing the control of the working mechanisms for carrying out the treatment subprocesses, wherein a process supervisor is assigned to the driver assistance system for controlling individual automated adjusting mechanisms and a data exchange of the automated adjusting mechanisms with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Bastian Bormann, Henner Voecking, Andreas Wilken, Joachim Baumgarten, Christoph Bussmann, Stefan Teroerde, Arthur Berger, Sascha Dieckmeyer
  • Patent number: 11284564
    Abstract: A combine harvester has multiple working mechanisms for carrying out specific treatment subprocesses of an overall treatment process for processing crop and a driver assistance system for controlling the working mechanisms, which includes a memory for storing data, a computing device for processing the data stored in the memory, and a graphical user interface. The driver assistance system, together with the particular working mechanisms provided for carrying out the treatment subprocesses, forms independently operating automated adjusting mechanisms which are utilized for optimizing the control of the working mechanisms for carrying out the treatment subprocesses. A process supervisor is assigned to the driver assistance system for controlling individual automated adjusting mechanisms and a data exchange of the automated adjusting mechanisms with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Bastian Bormann, Henner Voecking, Andreas Wilken, Joachim Baumgarten, Christoph Bussmann, Stefan Teroerde, Arthur Berger, Sascha Dieckmeyer
  • Publication number: 20190343044
    Abstract: A combine harvester has multiple working mechanisms for carrying out specific treatment subprocesses of an overall treatment process for processing crop, and a driver assistance system for controlling the working mechanisms, which includes a memory for storing data and a computing device for processing the data stored in the memory, wherein the driver assistance system, together with the particular working mechanisms provided for carrying out the treatment subprocesses, forms independently operating automated adjusting mechanisms which are utilized for optimizing the control of the working mechanisms for carrying out the treatment subprocesses, wherein a process supervisor is assigned to the driver assistance system for controlling individual automated adjusting mechanisms and a data exchange of the automated adjusting mechanisms with one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Applicant: CLAAS Sebstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Bastian Bormann, Henner Voecking, Andreas Wilken, Joachim Baumgarten, Christoph Bussmann, Stefan Teroerde, Arthur Berger, Sascha Dieckmeyer
  • Publication number: 20190343043
    Abstract: A combine harvester has multiple working mechanisms for carrying out specific treatment subprocesses of an overall treatment process for processing crop and a driver assistance system for controlling the working mechanisms, which includes a memory for storing data, a computing device for processing the data stored in the memory, and a graphical user interface. The driver assistance system, together with the particular working mechanisms provided for carrying out the treatment subprocesses, forms independently operating automated adjusting mechanisms which are utilized for optimizing the control of the working mechanisms for carrying out the treatment subprocesses. A process supervisor is assigned to the driver assistance system for controlling individual automated adjusting mechanisms and a data exchange of the automated adjusting mechanisms with one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Applicant: CLAAS Sebstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Bastian Bormann, Henner Voecking, Andreas Wilken, Joachim Baumgarten, Christoph Bussmann, Stefan Teroerde, Arthur Berger, Sascha Dieckmeyer
  • Patent number: 10448569
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method and device for the operation of a combine harvester with multiple work elements for harvesting a crop via a driver assistance system. In one example implementation, a method for operating such a combine harvester includes determining separately a harvest setting for the crop and a machine configuration of the combine harvester, preselecting a process control strategy among a plurality of process control strategies based on the harvest setting and machine configuration wherein each of the plurality of process control strategies is aimed at fulfillment of at least one harvesting quality criterion stored in the memory of the combine harvester, and automatically determining at least one machine parameter for the work elements of the combine harvester according to the preselected process control strategy and controlling the work elements corresponding to the at least one machine parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Joachim Baumgarten, Christoph Bussmann, Christoph Heitmann, Sebastian Neu, Stefan Terörde, Henner Vöcking, Scott Wellensiek, Andreas Wilken
  • Patent number: 10231380
    Abstract: A combine harvester includes a threshing unit for threshing picked-up crop to obtain grain, a driver assistance system, with a memory for storing data, for controlling the threshing unit, and a computing unit for processing at least the data stored in the memory. A sensor system ascertains at least a portion of the current harvesting-process state. A sensor configuration assigned to the sensor system is defined by the type and scope of operational sensors is stored or can be stored in the memory. A functional system model for at least a portion of the combine harvester is stored in the memory. The computing unit is designed to carry out an autonomous determination of a threshing-unit parameter based on the system model, and defines the system model forming a basis of the control of the threshing unit depending on the sensor configuration stored in the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Heitmann, Andreas Wilken, Joachim Baumgarten, Sebastian Neu, Christoph Bussmann, Henner Voecking
  • Patent number: 10126929
    Abstract: An agricultural work machine for processing an agricultural work process, having numerous working units (1-5) and having a driver assistance system (10) for controlling the working units (1-5) according to at least one user-side specifiable work process strategy (A), which is aimed at fulfilling at least one quality criterion (Q), wherein the driver assistance system (10) comprises a memory (11) for storing data, and a computing device (12) for processing the data stored in the memory (11), wherein the driver assistance system (10) has a graphical user interface (14), via which at least a portion of the work process strategy (A) can be specified by a user. It is proposed that competing quality criteria (Q) that are weighted in relation to one another in accordance with a weighting variable (G) are entered into the work process strategy (A), and that the weighting variable (G) is visualized and can be specified by a user via a virtual operating element (16-19) of the graphical user interface (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Joachim Baumgarten, Andreas Wilken, Christoph Heitmann, Bastian Bormann, Sebastian Neu, Christoph Bussmann, Klaus Schäfer, Henner Vöcking, Arthur Berger, Stefan Terörde
  • Patent number: 9807938
    Abstract: A self-propelled harvesting machine such as a combine harvester has multiple working units for processing crop picked up from a field, a driver assistance system for the sensor-supported control of the working units, an environmental sensor system for detecting environmental information and spatial areas of applicability located in the environment of the harvesting machine. The driver assistance system has a memory for storing data and a computing unit for processing data, including the data stored in the memory. A functional system model for at least one part of the harvesting machine is stored in the memory. The computing unit functions as a characteristic control on the basis of the system model and autonomously determines machine parameters of at least one working unit and specifies these to the particular working unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: CLAAS SELBSTFAHRENDE ERNTEMASCHINEN GMBH
    Inventors: Andreas Wilken, Christoph Heitmann, Bastian Bormann, Joachim Baumgarten, Sebastian Neu, Boris Kettelhoit, Thilo Krause, Christoph Bussmann, Henner Voecking, Felix Herter
  • Patent number: 9756787
    Abstract: A combine harvester has a threshing unit for threshing picked-up crop to obtain grain and a driver assistance system for controlling the threshing unit. The driver assistance system includes a memory for storing data and a computing unit for processing the data stored in the memory. The threshing unit, together with the driver assistance system, forms an automated threshing unit, in that a plurality of selectable harvesting-process strategies is stored in the memory and in that, in order to implement the particular selected harvesting-process strategy, the computing device autonomously determines at least one machine parameter, for example, a threshing-unit parameter, and specifies the parameter to the threshing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Heitmann, Andreas Wilken, Joachim Baumgarten, Sebastian Neu, Christoph Bussmann, Henner Voecking, Stefan Teroerde, Christopher Vieregge
  • Patent number: 9756786
    Abstract: A combine harvester has a threshing unit for threshing picked-up crop to obtain grain, a driver assistance system for controlling the threshing unit which has a memory for storing data and a computing unit for processing the data stored in the memory. A functional system model for at least a portion of the combine harvester is stored in the memory. The computing unit is designed to carry out an autonomous determination of at least one threshing-unit parameter on a basis of the system model and, for depicting functional interrelationships, at least one family of characteristics (A-J) is assigned to at least one harvesting-process parameter. The at least one harvesting-process parameter is defined as an output variable of the at least one family of characteristics (A-J).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Heitmann, Andreas Wilken, Joachim Baumgarten, Sebastian Neu, Christoph Bussmann, Henner Voecking, Stefan Teroerde
  • Publication number: 20170188515
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method and device for the operation of a combine harvester with multiple work elements for harvesting a crop via a driver assistance system. In one example implementation, a method for operating such a combine harvester includes determining separately a harvest setting for the crop and a machine configuration of the combine harvester, preselecting a process control strategy among a plurality of process control strategies based on the harvest setting and machine configuration wherein each of the plurality of process control strategies is aimed at fulfillment of at least one harvesting quality criterion stored in the memory of the combine harvester, and automatically determining at least one machine parameter for the work elements of the combine harvester according to the preselected process control strategy and controlling the work elements corresponding to the at least one machine parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2016
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen Gmbh
    Inventors: Joachim Baumgarten, Christoph Bussmann, Christoph Heitmann, Sebastian Neu, Stefan Terörde, Henner Vöcking, Scott Wellensiek, Andreas Wilken
  • Publication number: 20170160916
    Abstract: An agricultural work machine for processing an agricultural work process, having numerous working units (1-5) and having a driver assistance system (10) for controlling the working units (1-5) according to at least one user-side specifiable work process strategy (A), which is aimed at fulfilling at least one quality criterion (Q), wherein the driver assistance system (10) comprises a memory (11) for storing data, and a computing device (12) for processing the data stored in the memory (11), wherein the driver assistance system (10) has a graphical user interface (14), via which at least a portion of the work process strategy (A) can be specified by a user. It is proposed that competing quality criteria (Q) that are weighted in relation to one another in accordance with a weighting variable (G) are entered into the work process strategy (A), and that the weighting variable (G) is visualized and can be specified by a user via a virtual operating element (16-19) of the graphical user interface (14).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Applicant: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Joachim Baumgarten, Andreas Wilken, Christoph Heitmann, Bastian Bormann, Sebastian Neu, Christoph Bussmann, Klaus Schäfer, Henner Vöcking, Arthur Berger, Stefan Terörde
  • Publication number: 20160309656
    Abstract: A self-propelled harvesting machine such as a combine harvester has multiple working units for processing crop picked up from a field, a driver assistance system for the sensor-supported control of the working units, an environmental sensor system for detecting environmental information and spatial areas of applicability located in the environment of the harvesting machine. The driver assistance system has a memory for storing data and a computing unit for processing data, including the data stored in the memory. A functional system model for at least one part of the harvesting machine is stored in the memory. The computing unit functions as a characteristic control on the basis of the system model and autonomously determines machine parameters of at least one working unit and specifies these to the particular working unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2016
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Inventors: ANDREAS WILKEN, CHRISTOPH HEITMANN, BASTIAN BORMANN, JOACHIM BAUMGARTEN, SEBASTIAN NEU, BORIS KETTELHOIT, THILO KRAUSE, CHRISTOPH BUSSMANN, HENNER VOECKING, FELIX HERTER
  • Publication number: 20160286722
    Abstract: A combine harvester has a threshing unit for threshing picked-up crop to obtain grain and a driver assistance system for controlling the threshing unit. The driver assistance system includes a memory for storing data and a computing unit for processing the data stored in the memory. The threshing unit, together with the driver assistance system, forms an automated threshing unit, in that a plurality of selectable harvesting-process strategies is stored in the memory and in that, in order to implement the particular selected harvesting-process strategy, the computing device autonomously determines at least one machine parameter, for example, a threshing-unit parameter, and specifies the parameter to the threshing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventors: Christoph Heitmann, Andreas Wilken, Joachim Baumgarten, Sebastian Neu, Christoph Bussmann, Henner Voecking, Stefan Teroerde, Christopher Vieregge
  • Publication number: 20160286721
    Abstract: A combine harvester includes a threshing unit for threshing picked-up crop to obtain grain, a driver assistance system, with a memory for storing data, for controlling the threshing unit, and a computing unit for processing at least the data stored in the memory. A sensor system ascertains at least a portion of the current harvesting-process state. A sensor configuration assigned to the sensor system is defined by the type and scope of operational sensors is stored or can be stored in the memory. A functional system model for at least a portion of the combine harvester is stored in the memory. The computing unit is designed to carry out an autonomous determination of a threshing-unit parameter based on the system model, and defines the system model forming a basis of the control of the threshing unit depending on the sensor configuration stored in the memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventors: CHRISTOPH HEITMANN, ANDREAS WILKEN, JOACHIM BAUMGARTEN, SEBASTIAN NEU, CHRISTOPH BUSSMANN, HENNER VOECKING, STEFAN TEROERDE, CHRISTOPHER VIEREGGE
  • Publication number: 20160286720
    Abstract: A combine harvester has a threshing unit for threshing picked-up crop to obtain grain, a driver assistance system for controlling the threshing unit which has a memory for storing data and a computing unit for processing the data stored in the memory. A functional system model for at least a portion of the combine harvester is stored in the memory. The computing unit is designed to carry out an autonomous determination of at least one threshing-unit parameter on a basis of the system model and, for depicting functional interrelationships, at least one family of characteristics (A-J) is assigned to at least one harvesting-process parameter. The at least one harvesting-process parameter is defined as an output variable of the at least one family of characteristics (A-J).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventors: CHRISTOPH HEITMANN, ANDREAS WILKEN, JOACHIM BAUMGARTEN, SEBASTIAN NEU, CHRISTOPH BUSSMANN, HENNER VOECKING, STEFAN TEROERDE, CHRISTOPHER VIEREGGE
  • Patent number: 9220196
    Abstract: A method for automatic adjustment of at least one of several working units of a self-propelled harvesting machine involved in a harvesting process, includes the steps of initially modeling the harvesting process by at least one program map, based on a data base characteristic of a current harvesting process; determining an initial working point of the at least one of the working units on a basis of the initial modeling; adapting the at least one program map on a basis of data currently collected by measurements and which influence the harvesting process; determining a new working point of the at least one working unit depending on the adaptation of the program map; and iteratively approximating the new working point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Joachim Baumgarten, Sebastian Neu, Christoph Bussmann, Andreas Wilken, Henner Voecking, Christoph Heitmann
  • Patent number: 9002594
    Abstract: An agricultural working machine has a one control/regulating unit designed to adjust and monitor working parameters, quality parameters or both of the agricultural working machine that influence a harvesting process. The adjusting and monitoring are carried out in an automatable manner by the control/regulating unit using stored families of characteristics. The agricultural working machine also has at least one display device for depicting setpoint values and actual values of the working parameters, quality parameters or both. The control/regulating unit actuates defined measurement points in the stored families of characteristics and the specifically actuated measurement points are located in the boundary regions of the family of characteristics or outside the active working region of the particular family of characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Wilken, Sebastian Neu, Christoph Heitmann, Joachim Baumgarten, Christoph Bussmann, Henner Voecking, Boris Kettelhoit
  • Patent number: 8935060
    Abstract: A driver assistance system for an agricultural working machine includes at least one control/regulating unit designed to adjust and monitor working parameters, quality parameters or both, of the agricultural working machine in an automatable manner based on use of a family of characteristics stored in the control/regulating unit. A selectable process implementation strategy is specified in order to automatically monitor or adjust at least one working parameter or quality parameter or both of the agricultural working machine. The driver assistance system suggests that the process implementation strategy be changed at least when the specified setpoint value of one or more of the quality parameters cannot be reached within the preselected process implementation strategy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Joachim Baumgarten, Andreas Wilken, Sebastian Neu, Christoph Heitmann, Christoph Bussmann, Henner Voecking, Boris Kettelhoit