The invention relates to control systems for vehicles, and especially to systems for controlling implements attached to agricultural vehicles.

In recent years there has been a great increase in the complexity and functionality of implements that are designed to be attached to agricultural vehicles. Agricultural vehicles such as farm tractors are designed to use implements ranging from simple ploughs to more complex devices such as balers and seeders. In these latter cases, the implement is not simply towed, but instead comprises a variety of controllable processes (adjusting bale density, feed rates, implement depth etc) driven by hydraulic, mechanical and/or electrical actuators on the implement which the operator of the vehicle will need to control for optimum performance. Some of these process settings for the implement may be set up at the start of an operation (e.g. on entering a field), but others will need adjusting from time to time within the field.

To further optimise performance, the settings of implement actuators should be adjustable from the cab or operator station of the driving vehicle, such that the operator need not stop operation and leave the vehicle. In support of this aim, efforts have been made to standardise electrical communications over a data bus between vehicle and implement, culminating in the ISOBUS standard (ISO1 1783), derived from the CANBUS system from the automotive field, specialised for the connection of agricultural vehicles and implements.

With the wide range of implements available to a user of an agricultural vehicle, and the varying range of capabilities and functionalities of such implements, it is clearly impossible for a vehicle manufacturer to provide (within the control space of the cab or work station) dedicated controls for all individual implements that may be connected with the vehicle. This has lead to the development of programmable controls, whereby a number of control devices/actuators within the control space (such as switches, joystick controls, thumbwheel actuators etc), along with

monitoring devices such as numerical and/or graphical displays, may be assigned different functions depending on the implement attached to the vehicle. For ease of description, the term "control device" will be used below to cover both physically operable devices (including without limitation switches, push-buttons, thumbwheels, joysticks, potentiometers, optical or magnetic sensors) and display devices providing information on the basis of which the vehicle operator is guided in the operation of an attached implement, either through direct feedback from the implement, or through feedback obtained from the vehicle from which implement performance or characteristics may be derived. The development of programmable control devices has undoubtedly increased the functionality of modern agricultural vehicles, but it has a price in terms of the increased complexity for the user. With any given programmable control device, the function will vary from implement to implement so it is not possible to mark each control device with a legend identifying its function. Instead, the user will have to remember each pattern of control device allocations for each implement used - an arrangement which can easily lead to errors.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a means for reducing the likelihood of operator errors whilst simultaneously simplifying the layout in the operator workspace of an agricultural vehicle.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an agricultural vehicle having an operator space within which are provided user operable control devices for operation of the vehicle, the vehicle being operably connectable to two or more agricultural implements and having connection means connectable to each such implement, with the operator space comprising one or more control devices for control of a connected implement, wherein said one or more control devices for control of a connected implement are provided in a detachable control module having first functional connection means, and said operator space includes a second functional connection means configured to receive said control module and operationally connect the same to an attached implement.

With a dedicated control module for an implement, which suitably has its own dedicated and itemised (labelled) controls, within the operator (control) space it is much clearer to a user which controls pertain to which implement. This is enhanced by the fact that only those controls specific to a fitted implement are located in a known location within the operator space, and that redundant controls for non-fitted implements are not there to cause confusion.

Within the operator space the first and second functional connector means may comprise a two-part mating multipath connector arrangement, such as a multipin plug. In such an arrangement the operator space suitably includes a receptacle to receive the control module - i.e. there is a plug-in space in the cab or elsewhere to receive a control unit associated with the specific implement being employed. In the alternative, it will be readily understood that other mechanisms such as short range wireless connection may be used to connect the control module to the control system of the vehicle and thence to the implement. Where the vehicle is simultaneously operably connectable to two or more implements (such as a front loader and a baler), the vehicle may have separate respective functional connector means capable of connecting to a respective control module for each implement. Suitably, the respective control modules are provided adjacent to one another so that all the control devices for "extra" devices (implements) of the vehicle are clustered together.

The vehicle, suitably in proximity to a recess in the operator space to receive the control module, preferably includes detection means arranged to cooperate with identification means of a control module to identify the implement to which the control module pertains. With such detection means, the user need simply plug in the appropriate control module and assume the control system of the vehicle has identified the implement attached.

The detection means may be configured to identify an implement by determining a physical characteristic of the respective module, for example a particular shaping or pin arrangement of a plug in module may determine the functionality. Alternately or additionally, the detection means may be configured to identify an implement by receiving an identification signal from the module (e.g. via a wireless tag). The above-mentioned connection means between vehicle and implement preferably includes a data transfer channel on which channel communications follow the

ISOBUS or another agreed data communications standard. In such an arrangement, communications between the vehicle and an attached implement suitably follow the same communications standard as communications between the vehicle and an installed control module for that implement: with such an arrangement, the control module and implement have the same (or similar) interface to the data channel.

In an agricultural vehicle as described above, where the operator space includes a recess to receive the control module, there is preferably also provided a cover plate installable to close that recess when the control module is not present (or to close at least one recess when several are provided and only one implement is used), in order to keep dust out of any mechanical connectors provided. The present invention also provides a control module for use with an agricultural vehicle as outlined above. Such a control module will suitably include (through the first functional connector means) means configured to send and receive signals via a databus connection provided by the second functional connector means. The present invention further provides, in combination, an agricultural vehicle as recited above, being connectable to two or more agricultural implements, and two or more control modules as further recited, with each control module providing within the operator space control devices for the control of a respective and separate agricultural implement.

Further features and advantages of the present invention are recited in the attached claims to which reference should now be made.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 schematically represents an agricultural vehicle connectable to either of a pair of implements, with each implement having a respective control module; Figures 2 to 5 show the replacement of one control module by another within the operator space of a vehicle;

Figure 6 shows the replacement of a control module by a dummy module within the operator space of a vehicle; and

Figure 7 is a schematic representation of the connection of a control module to the control cabling of a vehicle.

Referring initially to Figure 1 , an agricultural vehicle 10 is shown having a cab 12 (operator space) within which are provided user operable control devices 14 for operation of the vehicle. The vehicle 10 is operably connectable to two or more agricultural implements, such as a baler 16 and seeder 18. Between the vehicle and implement a connection means 20, such as a multi-pin electrical plug, is provided to enable control systems of the implement to be interfaced to those of the vehicle, with the cab 12 including one or more control devices specifically for control of a connected implement.

Each implement 16, 18 is provided with a respective detachable control module 16M, 18M which carries the specific control devices for that implement. As will be described in further detail below, each detachable control module has first functional connection means, and the vehicle cab 12 includes a second functional connection means configured to receive the control module and operationally connect the same to the attached implement. Suitably the module and functional connection

arrangements are standardised to allow one module to be simply substituted for another as a different implement is attached to the vehicle 10.

Figures 2 to 6 show the interior of the cab 12 in greater detail, with the control devices 14 for operating the vehicle being provided in a console arrangement to the right of the driving position. Within that console, a recess 22 is provided to receive a control module 16M, 18M with a multi-way connector on the bottom of the module mating with a corresponding connector 24 in the base of the recess 22 as the module is inserted.

The sequence of Figures 2 to 5 illustrates the removal of a first module 16M and its replacement by another 18M as would be required when the vehicle is uncoupled from a first implement and coupled to another. As will be understood, not all implements will require control by dedicated control devices in the vehicle cab and, as shown in Figure 6, an inoperative dummy module 26 or blanking plate may be provided to close the recess 22. In this way, the ingress of dust to the multi-way connector 24 may be minimised.

Figure 7 is a schematic representation of the connection arrangement for installed control modules. The arrangement of Figure 7 differs from that of Figures 2 to 6 in that there are two recesses 30, 32 provided in a control fascia 34 with each recess being configured to receive a respective module 36 or blanking plate 38. Such an arrangement may be desirable where the vehicle is attached to two implements simultaneously, for example a front loader and a baler.

Each of the recesses features a multi-way connector 24 (as above) which mates with a corresponding connector 40 of a module 36 as the module is inserted into the recess 30, 32. The connector 40 is connected within the module 36 to the dedicated control devices 42 for an implement with which that module is associated. The module is connected via control cabling of the vehicle to the external connection 20 to the implement. Whilst the control cabling may be a simple multi-way cable, it may also advantageously comprise a dedicated databus 44 (suitably configured to support the ISOBUS ISO1 1783 communications standard) providing a common protocol for communications between the module and vehicle, and between the vehicle and implement. In such an arrangement, the multi-way connector 24 is connected to the databus 44 via a bus interface circuit 46 in conventional manner.

In some circumstances it may be preferable for the vehicle control systems to be able to identify an installed module, for example to enable to setting of control parameters of the vehicle based on the requirements of the implement to which the module relates. To support this, the recess may include detection means arranged to cooperate with identification means of a control module to identify the implement to which the control module pertains. The detection means may be configured to identify an implement by determining a physical characteristic of the respective module (such as the presence or absence of projections from particular points on the module outer casing), or it may identify an implement by receiving an identification signal from the module via wired or wireless connection.

From reading the present disclosure, it will be understood that additions or modifications are possible. For example, the connection to a module received within a recess may be achieved by short range wireless connection rather than using multi-way physical connectors. The scope of the present invention is defined by the attached claims.