Patents by Inventor Kristian Kirk

Kristian Kirk 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: 20220284698
    Abstract: A method and system for identifying, using a computing unit, lengths of a particle in a material flow is disclosed. The computing unit is configured to analyze images of the material flow (13) in an analytical routine and to derive particle lengths of particles of the material flow contained in the images. The particle length derived in the analytical routine may comprise an excess length, with the analytical routine being based on a machine learning method trained to find or identify particles with the excess length.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2022
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Applicant: CLAAS E-Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Christoffer Rasmussen, Kristian Kirk, Thomas B. Moeslund, Sven Carsten Belau, Frédéric Fischer
  • Publication number: 20220279720
    Abstract: A method and system for identifying lengths of a particle in a flow of harvested material comprising particles in an agricultural harvester is disclosed. The agricultural harvester has at least one work assembly for harvesting a crop or for processing harvested material of the crop and can be adjusted using machine parameters. The harvested material is transported as a flow of harvested material through the agricultural harvester while the agricultural harvester is operating. The agricultural harvester has a camera that takes images of the flow of harvested material, with a computing unit of the agricultural harvester analyzing the images of the flow of harvested material in an analytical routine thereby finding particle lengths of particles of the flow of harvested material that are an excess length.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2022
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Applicant: CLAAS E-Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Christoffer Rasmussen, Kristian Kirk, Thomas B. Moeslund, Sven Carsten Belau, Frédéric Fischer
  • Patent number: 9924636
    Abstract: A crop harvesting machine has a machine body and a discharge spout attached to the machine body for overloading crop via a crop stream to a trailer. And electronic spout control and a discharge spout drive arrangement displaces the discharge spout relative to the machine body based on drive commands of the electronic spout control for guiding the crop stream to a target hit point at the trailer. A first sensor arrangement generates sensor information by optically identifying a reference feature at the trailer and detecting the position of the reference feature and/or space orientation of the reference feature. The second sensor arrangement generates sensor information by detecting a space orientation of the machine body, the discharge spout or both. The electronic spout control generates its drive commands for guiding the crop stream based on the sensor information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: CLAAS E-Systems KGaA mbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Pavel Lisouski, Kristian Kirk, Gert Lysgaard Andersen, Morten Rufus Blas, Ralf Hartmann, Dirk Lahmann
  • Publication number: 20170086378
    Abstract: A crop harvesting machine has a machine body and a discharge spout attached to the machine body for overloading crop via a crop stream to a trailer. And electronic spout control and a discharge spout drive arrangement displaces the discharge spout relative to the machine body based on drive commands of the electronic spout control for guiding the crop stream to a target hit point at the trailer. A first sensor arrangement generates sensor information by optically identifying a reference feature at the trailer and detecting the position of the reference feature and/or space orientation of the reference feature. The second sensor arrangement generates sensor information by detecting a space orientation of the machine body, the discharge spout or both. The electronic spout control generates its drive commands for guiding the crop stream based on the sensor information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Inventors: Pavel Lisouski, Kristian Kirk, Gert Lysgaard Andersen, Morten Rufus Blas, Ralf Hartmann, Dirk Lahmann
  • Patent number: 9107344
    Abstract: A control system controlling a goods carrier of an agricultural vehicle for conveying goods to a target area, has a 3D imaging device providing frames imaging the target area, a data processor and a memory. The control system derives information from the frames and operates to obtain a reference frame comprising 3D information about the pose of the target area, identify a plurality of characteristic points of the target area in the reference frame, obtain a new frame, analyze the new frame to identify a plurality of characteristic points, search and match characteristic points in the reference frame and the new frame, analyze pairs of matched characteristic points to establish a group of pairs showing a common change of pose between the reference frame and the new frame, and provide a signal taking into account results of the latter analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: CLAAS E-Systems KGaA mbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Tommy Ertbolle Madsen, Morten Rufus Blas, Kristian Kirk
  • Patent number: 8656693
    Abstract: A filling degree gauge for measuring and displaying a residual filling potential of a target area, such as a container, being filled through a target, such as an open top, with goods by a goods carrier, such as a discharge spout, of an agricultural vehicle, such as a harvester, has a 3D sensor for observing at least a part of the target area including at least a part of the target, a data control system and a visual display unit. The data control system operates to provide on the visual display unit a visual display indicating residual filling potential by indicating the current one of at least three different levels of residual filling potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: CLAAS Agrosystems KGaA mbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Tommy Ertbolle Madsen, Morten Rufus Blas, Kristian Kirk
  • Patent number: 8234047
    Abstract: A transferring device includes controllable goods carrier conveying goods to a target area, a stereo camera for providing images of the target area and a control system for deriving information from the images and controlling the goods carrier taking into account the information derived from the images. The stereo camera has two objective lenses and defines a common base line with a tilt angle relative to a horizontal. The common base line is placed in a vertical plane. The transferring device also includes floodlight projectors that are placed at a distance of at least 0.5 m from the stereo camera. Preferably, the controllable goods carrier is an ejecting spout.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: CLAAS Agrarsystems GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Tommy Ertbolle Madsen, Morten Rufus Blas, Allan Kildeby, Kristian Kirk
  • Publication number: 20110061762
    Abstract: A filling degree gauge for measuring and displaying a residual filling potential of a target area, such as a container, being filled through a target, such as an open top, with goods by a goods carrier, such as a discharge spout, of an agricultural vehicle, such as a harvester, has a 3D sensor for observing at least a part of the target area including at least a part of the target, a data control system and a visual display unit. The data control system operates to provide on the visual display unit a visual display indicating residual filling potential by indicating the current one of at least three different levels of residual filling potential.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Inventors: Tommy Ertbolle Madsen, Morten Rufus Blas, Kristian Kirk
  • Publication number: 20110064274
    Abstract: A control system controlling a goods carrier of an agricultural vehicle for conveying goods to a target area, has a 3D imaging device providing frames imaging the target area, a data processor and a memory. The control system derives information from the frames and operates to obtain a reference frame comprising 3D information about the pose of the target area, identify a plurality of characteristic points of the target area in the reference frame, obtain a new frame, analyse the new frame to identify a plurality of characteristic points, search and match characteristic points in the reference frame and the new frame, analyse pairs of matched characteristic points to establish a group of pairs showing a common change of pose between the reference frame and the new frame, and provide a signal taking into account results of the latter analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Inventors: Tommy Ertbolle Madsen, Morten Rufus Blas, Kristian Kirk
  • Publication number: 20100063692
    Abstract: A transferring device comprises a controllable goods carrier such as an ejecting spout (9) for conveying goods to a target area (19), a stereo camera (29) for providing images of the target area, and a control system (46) for deriving information from the images and controlling the goods carrier (9) taking into account the information derived from the images. The stereo camera (29) has objective lenses (36a, 36b) defining a base line (43) with a tilt angle relative to horizontal (45). Preferably the base line is placed in a vertical plane. The transfer devise has floodlight projectors (31, 33) placed at lease 0.5 m from the stereo camera (29).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Publication date: March 11, 2010
    Inventors: Tommy Ertbolle MADSEN, Morten Rufus BLAS, Allan KILDEBY, Kristian KIRK
  • Publication number: 20090044505
    Abstract: The invention relates to an agricultural working machine (1), in particular a forage harvester (2), with at least one spout (4) for conveying received and processed crop (7) to a transport vehicle (6, 25), wherein an electro-optical device (18) is provided for the direction control of the spout (4) at least during the process of conveying to the transport vehicle (6, 25), and wherein the electro-optical device (18) detects characteristic parameters (30) of the spout (4) and characteristic parameters (30) of the transport vehicle (6) and/or the agricultural working machine (1). This ensures that a control of a spout (4) of agricultural working machines (1, 2) is provided which almost completely relieves the operator of the agricultural working machine (1, 2) of the task of monitoring the spout.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Inventors: Jochen Huster, Jens Moeller, Norbert Diekhans, Ludger Autermann, Gerhard Nienaber, Peter Hieronymus, Andreas Wilken, Christoph Pein, Michael Reckermann, Karl-Josef Kleingraeber, Hubert Erdmann, Tommy Madsen, Kristian Kirk, Jesper Vilander, Rufus Blas, Allan Kildeby
  • Publication number: 20090037059
    Abstract: The invention relates to a control system for agricultural working vehicles with at least two sensor systems which generate sensor signals (A, B), wherein the sensor signals (A, B) are vehicle-dependent or dependent on the crop characteristics or a combination of both. The object of this invention is to develop a control system for agricultural working vehicles in such a manner that a suitable fusion of the sensor signals (A, B) of the sensor systems is achieved, in particular. This object is achieved according to the invention in that at least one first and at least one second sensor signal processing algorithm (I,II,III,IV,V) is provided in the control system, and in that a selection is made as to which sensor signal processing algorithm (I,II,III,IV,V) is to be used as a function of at least one characteristic parameter (P).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Inventors: Jochen Huster, Jens Moeller, Norbert Diekhans, Ludger Autermann, Gerhard Nienaber, Peter Hieronymus, Andreas Wilken, Christoph Pein, Lars-Peter Meyer Zu Helligen, Tommy Madsen, Kristian Kirk, Rufus Blas