Monitoring device for monitoring crop yield

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10820503-B2
Application number	US-201815967598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2018
Priority date	Sep 15, 2017
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A monitoring device for monitoring crop yield is disclosed. The monitoring device is mounted to a housing of a grain elevator of an agricultural work machine proximate a crop conveyor assembly arranged in the housing and has at least one aperture formed therein. A material engagement member is arranged on the mounting structure and is pivotal with respect to the mounting structure about a pivot point. The material engagement member can comprise first end and a second end opposite of the first end. At least one rotational sensor is arranged in the monitoring device and is configured to detect spatial movement or position of the material engagement member. A processing device is coupled to the at least one rotational sensor and is configured to determine an aggregate crop yield based on the detected rotational magnitude of the displacement of the first end or second end.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A monitoring device for monitoring crop yield, the monitoring device comprising:
a mounting structure configured to be mounted to a housing of a grain elevator of an agricultural work machine proximate a crop conveyor assembly arranged in the housing, the mounting structure comprising at an aperture formed therein;
a material engagement member at least partially disposed within the aperture, the material engagement member being pivotal with respect to the mounting structure about a pivot point, the material engagement member having a first end and a second end opposite of the first end;
a rotational sensor configured to detect spatial movement or position of the material engagement member and output a signal corresponding to a rotational magnitude of displacement of the first end or second end of the material engagement member relative to the pivot point, wherein the displacement is induced by an exertion of a force generated by an agricultural material engaged with a surface of at least one of the first end or the second end of the material engagement member, and wherein the displacement of the first end or second end is proportional to a degree of pivotal movement of the material engagement member about a pivot point axis; and
a processing device coupled to the rotational sensor and configured to determine a mass flow rate of the agricultural material based on the detected rotational magnitude of the displacement of the first end or second end, and wherein an aggregate crop yield is determined based on the mass flow rate.

2. The monitoring device of claim 1 , wherein the material engagement member comprises a first engagement member coupled to a second engagement member.

3. The monitoring device of claim 2 , wherein the first engagement element is arranged to extend longitudinally in a cantilever-like manner between the first end and the second end, and wherein the second engagement element is arranged for movable insertion into the at least one aperture formed in the mounting structure.

4. The monitoring device of claim 2 , wherein the first engagement member is coupled to the second engagement member at either the first end or second end.

5. The monitoring device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first end or second end is fixedly coupled to the mounting structure such that pivotal movement of the material engagement member is induced by movement of a non-attached free end.

6. The monitoring device of claim 2 , wherein the first engagement is centrally coupled to the pivot point, and wherein the second engagement member is coupled to the first engagement member at the first end and second end such that pivotal movement is induced by either the first or second end in a seesaw-like manner.

7. The monitoring device of claim 1 , further comprising an elastic member coupled to a first engagement member and arranged to apply a restorative force to the first engagement member in a first position or second position.

8. The monitoring device of claim 1 , wherein estimating a rotational magnitude of displacement of the material engagement member comprises at least one of the following:
measuring an angular change of the material engagement member;
measuring a change in position of the material engagement member
relative to the at least one rotational sensor in a non-differential mode; or
measuring a change in position of the material engagement member relative to the at least one rotational sensor in a differential mode.

9. The monitoring device of claim 1 , wherein the rotational magnitude of displacement of the first end is disproportionate to the rotational magnitude of displacement of the second end when the agricultural material is engaged with the material engagement member.

10. The monitoring device of claim 1 , wherein the rotational sensor comprises at least one of the following: potentiometers, encoders, magneto-resistive sensors, magnetic proximity sensors, optical sensors, acoustic sensors, Hall-effect sensors, inductive sensors, or combinations thereof.

11. The monitoring device of claim 1 , wherein the mounting structure comprises a semi-rigid material, and wherein the rotational sensor comprises a plurality of sensor elements uniformly disposed along a surface the material engagement member and configured to generate a distribution profile of the agricultural material flow transverse to a direction of the agricultural material flow.

12. The monitoring device of claim 1 further comprising an adjustment mechanism, wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust a null position of the material engagement member based on a second mass flow rate of the agricultural material.

13. A monitoring device for monitoring crop yield, the monitoring device comprising:
a mounting structure configured to be mounted to a housing of a grain elevator of an agricultural work machine proximate a crop conveyor assembly arranged in the housing, the mounting structure comprising an aperture formed therein;
a material engagement member disposed at least partially within the aperture, the material engagement member being pivotal with respect to the mounting structure about a pivot point, the material engagement member having a first end and a second end opposite of the first end;
an adjustment mechanism coupled to a second engagement element, wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust a null position of the second engagement element;
a rotational sensor configured to detect spatial movement or position of the material engagement member and output a signal corresponding to a rotational magnitude of displacement of the first end or second end of the material engagement member relative to the pivot point, wherein the displacement is induced by the exertion of an angular force generated by an agricultural material engaged with a surface of at least one member of the material engagement member, and wherein the displacement of the first end or second end is proportional to a degree of pivotal movement of the material engagement member about a pivot point axis; and
a processing device coupled to the rotational sensor and configured to determine an aggregate crop yield based on the detected rotational magnitude of the displacement of the first end or second end, wherein the rotational magnitude corresponds to a flow rate of the agricultural material.

14. The monitoring device for monitoring crop yield of claim 13 , wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises at least one of the following: an actuation device, adjustable damping mechanism, a dashpot, or combinations thereof.

15. The monitoring device for monitoring crop yield of claim 13 , wherein a first engagement element is arranged to extend longitudinally in a cantilever-like manner between the first end and second end, and wherein the second engagement element is arranged for movable insertion into the at least one aperture.

16. A method for monitoring crop yield, the method comprising: estimating, with a rotational sensor, a rotational magnitude of displacement of a first end or second end of a material engagement member relative to a pivot point;
correlating the rotational magnitude of displacement of the first end or second end to a force acting on the material engagement member, wherein the force is indicative of a mass flow rate of an agricultural material; and
determining a crop yield based on the mass flow rate.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein detecting the rotational magnitude of displacement of the first end or second end comprises measuring an angular change of the material eng

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Advani Gurmukh H
• Anderson Noel W
• Cowles Kevin P
• Rhodes Michael L

Classifications

• A01D41/1272 Primary

  for measuring grain flow · CPC title

• G01F1/80

  operating by measuring pressure, force, momentum, or frequency of a fluid flow to which a rotational movement has been imparted · CPC title

• A01D61/002

  transversal conveying devices · CPC title

• A01D41/1271 Primary

  for measuring crop flow · CPC title

• A01D41/1274

  for drives · CPC title