Method and apparatus for operating a combine harvester

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10448569-B2
Application number	US-201615376045-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2016
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a combine harvester having one or more work elements for harvesting a crop, comprising:
determining, by an electronic driver assistance system of the combine harvester, a harvest setting for the crop and a machine configuration of the combine harvester;
preselecting, by the electronic driver assistance system, a process control strategy from among a plurality of process control strategies stored in a memory of the electronic driver assistance system of the combine harvester, wherein the memory of the electronic driver assistance system further includes conditions associated with each of the plurality of process control strategies comprising at least one condition concerning the harvest setting and at least one condition concerning the machine configuration, wherein preselecting is based on the harvest setting and the machine configuration, wherein the preselection of the process control strategy comprises querying the conditions and preselecting the process control strategy only when the process control strategy fulfills at least both of the at least one condition concerning the harvest setting and the at least one condition concerning the machine configuration, and 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, by the electronic driver assistance system, at least one machine parameter for the one or more work elements of the combine harvester according to the preselected process control strategy and controlling the one or more work elements corresponding to the at least one machine parameter,
wherein the harvest settings comprise at least a first grain type and a second grain type;
wherein the machine configurations comprises at least a first machine configuration and a second machine configuration;
wherein the plurality of process control strategies comprise at least four process control strategies each having a respective grain type condition selected from at least the first grain type and the second grain type and a respective machine configuration condition selected from at least the first machine configuration and the second machine configuration; and
wherein the preselected process control strategy is preselected from the at least the four process control strategies, the preselected process control strategy fulfilling at least predefined requirements of the respective grain type condition and the respective machine configuration condition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preselected process control strategy comprises control strategy or regulation aimed at fulfillment of the at least one harvesting quality criterion;
wherein the control strategy or regulation is based on at least one characteristic diagram; and
wherein the at least one characteristic diagram depends on the at least one condition concerning the harvest setting and on the at least one condition concerning the machine configuration.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more work elements of the combine harvester comprise a cutting system, a threshing unit, a separator assembly, and a cleaning assembly, and that at least one of the one or more work elements comprises multiple configurations corresponding to multiple possible machine configurations for the combine harvester.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the cleaning assembly comprises a cleaning fan, a top sieve and a bottom sieve and wherein a flow rate of the cleaning assembly, a top sieve width, or a bottom sieve width is adjustable for controlling the cleaning assembly.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the harvest setting indicates that the crop is “corn”;
wherein the machine configuration indicates that the cleaning assembly comprises a cleaning fan and a bottom sieve; and
wherein the preselected process control strategy comprises an automatic control of the cleaning assembly by the electronic driver assistance system.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the automatic control of the cleaning assembly is performed based on feedback of return parameters comprising at least one of a return volume or a grain proportion in the return volume.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the automatic control of the cleaning assembly increases a width of the bottom sieve when an increase of the grain proportion in the return volume above a predetermined threshold is determined by the electronic driver assistance system; and
wherein the automatic control of the cleaning assembly increases a width of the bottom sieve and increases a flow of the cleaning fan when an increase of return volume over a predetermined threshold is determined by the electronic driver assistance system.

8. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein each of a first process control strategy, a second process control strategy, a third process control strategy, and a fourth process control strategy include the respective grain type condition and the respective machine configuration condition;
wherein the first process control strategy comprises the first grain type as the respective grain type condition and the first machine configuration as the respective machine configuration condition;
wherein the second process control strategy comprises the first grain type as the respective grain type condition and the second machine configuration as the respective machine configuration condition;
wherein the third process control strategy comprises the second grain type as the respective grain type condition and the first machine configuration as the respective machine configuration condition;
wherein the fourth process control strategy comprises the second grain type as the respective grain type condition and the second machine configuration as the respective machine configuration condition;
wherein preselecting the process control strategy from among the plurality of process control strategies comprises:
preselecting the first process control strategy only if both the grain type is the first grain type and the machine configuration is the first machine configuration;
preselecting the second process control strategy only if both the grain type is the first grain type and the machine configuration is the second machine configuration;
preselecting the third process control strategy only if both the grain type is the second grain type and the machine configuration is the first machine configuration; and
preselecting the fourth process control strategy only both if the grain type is the second grain type and the machine configuration is the second machine configuration.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the combine harvester includes a first work element and a second work element;
wherein the first machine configuration comprises a configuration of the first work element; and
wherein the second machine configuration comprises a configuration of the second work element.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the combine harvester includes a work element;
wherein the first machine configuration comprises a first configuration of the work element; and
wherein the second machine configuration comprises a second configuration of the work element.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the work element in the first configuration includes a part;
wherein the work element in the second configuration does not include the part;
wherein the first process control strategy and the third process control strategy are automatic control strategies; and
wherein the second process control strategy and the fourth process control strategy are user-guide control strategies.

12. The meth

Assignees

• Claas Selbstfahrende Emtemaschinen Gmbh
• Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen Gmbh

Inventors

• Baumgarten Joachim
• Bussmann Christoph
• Heitmann Christoph
• Neu Sebastian
• Terörde Stefan
• Vöcking Henner
• Wellensiek Scott
• Wilken Andreas

Classifications

• C12C7/24

  Clarifying beerwort between hop boiling and cooling · CPC title

• C12C7/205

  Boiling with hops · CPC title

• C12C7/17

  in lautertuns {, e.g. in a tub with perforated false bottom} · CPC title

• C12C7/165

  in mash filters · CPC title

• C12C7/01 Primary

  Pretreatment of malt, e.g. malt grinding · CPC title