Method and arrangement for control of the speed of a baler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10694670-B2
Application number	US-201815955137-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2018
Priority date	May 2, 2017
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A method and an arrangement for control of the speed of a baler includes detection and mapping of one or more of a crop property and data derived therefrom during the harvesting of a field by a combine harvester. Crop residues are deposited in a windrow in the field. The method and arrangement control the speed of the baler in the pickup of the windrow while taking into account one or more of the mapped crop property and the data derived from the crop property.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for control of a speed of a baler, the method comprising:
detecting and mapping at least one of a crop property and data derived therefrom during a harvesting of a field by a combine harvester in which crop residues are deposited in a windrow; and
controlling the speed of the baler during a pickup of the windrow while taking into account the mapped at least one of the crop property and the data derived therefrom,
wherein the mapped crop property comprises at least one of a geometric measurement, a mass of a crop residue deposited in the windrow, a moisture level of the crop residue, an average straw length, a length distribution of individual straws, the type of crop, an indication of wet clumps, an indication of a windrow buildup, a grain yield, a grain moisture, and the speed of the baler.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising taking into account, during mapping, at least one of 1.) a delay time between a sensing of the crop property and a deposition of the crop residue on the field and 2.) an offset between a position determining device and a point of sensing the crop property.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the delay time is determined by at least one of a transport speed of an auger system, a rotary speed of an inclined grain conveyor, a rotor speed of a threshing rotor, a rotor speed of a separating rotor, and a rotary speed of a drive of a straw walker.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the crop property is determined by at least one of at least one sensor and an operating parameter of the combine harvester.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the operating parameter of the combine harvester is a drive power of a conveyor element for a crop.

6. The method of claim 4 , where the at least one sensor is an optical sensor interacting with a crop one of upstream from the combine harvester, in the combine harvester, and downstream from the combine harvester.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the baler comprises at least one sensor to detect the crop property and the speed of the baler is calibrated by at least one signal of the at least one sensor.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a calculation of set speed values takes place via at least one of a control device of the combine harvester, a control unit of the baler, a control of a utility vehicle pulling the baler, and a computer separate from the combine harvester, the baler, and the utility vehicle.

9. An arrangement for control of a speed of a baler, the arrangement comprising at least one of a control of a towing vehicle pulling the baler and a control unit of the baler, the control unit of the baler being configured to control the speed of the baler in a pickup of a windrow while taking into account at least one of 1.) a crop property mapped during harvesting of a field by a combine harvester, crop residues being deposited by the combine harvester in the windrow, and 2.) data derived from the crop property,
wherein the mapped crop property comprises at least one of a geometric measurement, a mass of a crop residue deposited in the windrow, a moisture level of the crop residue, an average straw length, a length distribution of individual straws, the type of crop, an indication of wet clumps, an indication of a windrow buildup, a grain yield, a grain moisture, and the speed of the baler.

10. A method for control of a speed of a baler, the method comprising:
creating an application map based on data derived from a crop property during a harvesting of a field in which crop residues are deposited in a windrow; and
predictively controlling a throughput of the baler using the application map by controlling the speed of the baler during a pickup of the windrow using the application map based on the data derived from the crop property;
wherein the crop property comprises at least one of a geometric measurement, a mass of a crop residue deposited in the windrow, a moisture level of the crop residue, an average straw length, a length distribution of individual straws, the type of crop, an indication of wet clumps, an indication of a windrow buildup, a grain yield, a grain moisture, and the speed of the baler.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein creating the application map takes into account at least one of 1.) a delay time between a sensing of the crop property and a deposition of the crop residue on the field and 2.) an offset between a position determining device and a point of sensing the crop property.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the delay time is determined by at least one of a transport speed of an auger system, a rotary speed of an inclined grain conveyor, a rotor speed of a threshing rotor, a rotor speed of a separating rotor, and a rotary speed of a drive of a straw walker.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the crop property is determined by at least one of at least one sensor and an operating parameter of a combine harvester harvesting the field.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the operating parameter of the combine harvester is a drive power of a conveyor element for a crop.

15. The method of claim 13 , where the at least one sensor is an optical sensor interacting with a crop one of upstream from the combine harvester, in the combine harvester, and downstream from the combine harvester.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the baler comprises at least one sensor to detect the crop property, and the speed of the baler is calibrated by at least one signal of the at least one sensor.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising calculating set speed values via at least one of a control device of a combine harvester harvesting the field, a control unit of the baler, a control of a utility vehicle pulling the baler, and a computer separate from the combine harvester, the baler, and the utility vehicle.

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Gresch Valentin
• Jung Benedikt

Classifications

• A01F15/0825 Primary

  Regulating or controlling density or shape of the bale · CPC title

• A01D41/127

  Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines · CPC title

• A01B69/001

  Steering by means of optical assistance, e.g. television cameras (steering devices for road marking vehicles E01C23/163) · CPC title

• A01B69/008

  automatic · CPC title

• A01B79/005

  Precision agriculture · CPC title