Crop yield determining apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11744182-B2
Application number	US-202117338957-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2021
Priority date	Jun 4, 2021
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A cotton harvester estimates the mass of cotton as it is harvested using sensor devices and compares the mass of each module against the estimated mass of the module as determined by the sensors so that a calibration factor may be determined and actively updated for more accurate crop yield determination. The mass flow for a specific module is accumulated and processed during harvesting using a base calibration factor and the module is weighed and compared against the expected mass using the base calibration factor to develop a candidate updated calibration factor. The base calibration factor is selectively replaced by the candidate updated calibration factor for processing a subsequent module based on machine feedback information relating to the operation of the harvester. Harvested crop data determined using the calibration factor is used to generate highly accurate yield maps.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cotton harvester comprising:
a chassis supported for movement relative to ground beneath the cotton harvester by ground engaging members operatively coupled with the chassis;
a cotton harvesting head operatively coupled with the chassis and comprising a plurality of cotton picking row units operable to harvest cotton from plants entering into the cotton harvesting head as the cotton harvester is moved forward relative to the ground by the ground engaging members;
a crop receptacle operatively coupled with the chassis, the crop receptacle comprising a module builder configured to form the harvested cotton into a cotton module;
an air duct system comprising a plurality of separate air ducts, wherein each of the separate air ducts is associated with one of the cotton picking row units for communicating the cotton harvested from the cotton picking row units to the crop receptacle; and
an apparatus for determining a yield of the cotton harvested comprising:
a harvesting sensor operative to generate a production signal representative of a production rate of the cotton being harvested;
an accumulated crop sensor operative to generate a bulk crop signal representative of a measured parameter of the cotton harvested during a selected time period; and
a crop sensing control system comprising:
a processor;
a memory device operably coupled with the processor;
operational data stored in the memory device, the operational data comprising harvester data representative of an operational characteristic of the cotton harvester;
base calibration factor data stored in the memory device, the base calibration data being representative of a base calibration factor; and
control logic stored in the memory device and executable by the processor to determine the yield of the cotton harvested,

wherein the control logic is executable by the processor to:
receive the production signal;
receive the bulk crop signal;
determine in response to applying the base calibration factor to the production signal an estimated mass of the cotton harvested during a first time period;
determine in response to the bulk crop signal a measured mass of the cotton harvested during the first time period;
determine an updated calibration factor candidate in response to a ratio between the estimated mass and the measured module mass; and
determine a yield of the cotton harvested during a second time period after the first time period by selectively applying, in response to the operational data, one of either the base calibration factor or the updated calibration factor candidate to the production signal generated by the harvesting sensor during the second time period representative of the production rate of the cotton harvested during the second time period,

wherein the accumulated crop sensor comprises a module diameter feedback device operative to generate a cotton module diameter signal representative of a measured diameter of the cotton module formed by the module builder using the cotton harvested during the first time period and bundled into the cotton module,
wherein the control logic is executable by the processor to determine in response to the cotton module diameter signal a cotton module diameter of the cotton module,
wherein the operational data comprises harvester data comprising cotton bundle required diameter data representative of a minimum required diameter of the cotton module,
wherein the control logic comprises calibration management logic executable by the processor to determine the yield of cotton harvested during the second time period by:
applying the updated calibration factor candidate to the production signal generated by the harvesting sensor during the second time period in response to the determined cotton module diameter being greater than the minimum required diameter, or
applying the base calibration factor to the production signal generated by the harvesting sensor during the second time period in response to the determined cotton module diameter being less than the minimum required diameter.

2. A cotton harvester comprising:
a chassis supported for movement relative to ground beneath the cotton harvester by ground engaging members operatively coupled with the chassis;
a cotton harvesting head operatively coupled with the chassis and comprising a plurality of cotton picking row units operable to harvest cotton from plants entering into the cotton harvesting head as the cotton harvester is moved forward relative to the ground by the ground engaging members;
a crop receptacle operatively coupled with the chassis, the crop receptacle comprising a module builder configured to form the harvested cotton into a cotton module;
an air duct system comprising a plurality of separate air ducts, wherein each of the separate air ducts is associated with one of the cotton picking row units for communicating the cotton harvested from the cotton picking row units to the crop receptacle; and
an apparatus for determining a yield of the cotton harvested comprising:
a harvesting sensor operative to generate a production signal representative of a production rate of the cotton being harvested;
an accumulated crop sensor operative to generate a bulk crop signal representative of a measured parameter of the cotton harvested during a selected time period; and
a crop sensing control system comprising:
a processor;
a memory device operably coupled with the processor;
operational data stored in the memory device, the operational data comprising harvester data representative of an operational characteristic of the cotton harvester;
base calibration factor data stored in the memory device, the base calibration data being representative of a base calibration factor; and
control logic stored in the memory device and executable by the processor to determine the yield of the cotton harvested,

wherein the control logic is executable by the processor to:
receive the production signal;
receive the bulk crop signal;
determine in response to applying the base calibration factor to the production signal an estimated mass of the cotton harvested during a first time period;
determine in response to the bulk crop signal a measured mass of the cotton harvested during the first time period;
determine an updated calibration factor candidate in response to a ratio between the estimated mass and the measured module mass; and
determine a yield of the cotton harvested during a second time period after the first time period by selectively applying, in response to the operational data, one of either the base calibration factor or the updated calibration factor candidate to the production signal generated by the harvesting sensor during the second time period representative of the production rate of the cotton harvested during the second time period,

wherein the crop receptacle comprises an accumulator operatively coupled with the chassis and disposed between the air duct system and the module builder, the accumulator being operable to receive the cotton harvested by the cotton harvesting head and to selectively deliver the received cotton to the module builder,
wherein each of the separate air ducts of the air duct system communicates the cotton harvested from the cotton picking row units to the crop receptacle via the accumulator,
wherein the accumulated crop sensor comprises an accumulator level feedback device operative to generate an accumulator level signal representative of a measured level of the cotton harvested during the first time period and received in the accumulator,
wherein the control logic is executable by the processor to determine in response to the accumulator level signal a cotton fill level of the of the cotton harvested during the first time period and received in the accumulator,
wherein the operational data comprises harves

Assignees

• Deere & Co
• Univ Iowa State Res Found Inc
• Iowa State Univ Research Foundation

Inventors

• Carlson Brandon C
• Wigdahl Jeffrey S
• Vanlaningham Nicholas W
• Gustafson Kurt D
• Askey Jeffrey C

Classifications

• A01D46/085 Primary

  Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for cotton harvesters · CPC title

• A01D41/1271

  for measuring crop flow · CPC title

• A01D41/1272

  for measuring grain flow · CPC title

• A01F15/07

  Rotobalers, i.e. machines for forming cylindrical bales by winding and pressing · CPC title

• A01D41/127 Primary

  Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines · CPC title