Systems for monitoring and using mat thickness and bale growth rate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12490681-B2
Application number	US-202217659961-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2022
Priority date	Apr 20, 2021
Publication date	Dec 9, 2025
Grant date	Dec 9, 2025

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring bale growth rate and mat thickness and controlling baler operations according to the monitoring of bale growth rate and mat thickness. A baler includes sensors and a control system that uses sensor output as input for its processes. The controller is configured to determine a value of a physical attribute in an operation of a baler based on data received from a sensor. Also, the controller is configured to estimate a mat thickness or a bale growth rate based on the determined value of the physical attribute. The controller is also configured to control an operation of the baler or an operation of a tow vehicle, configured to tow the baler, based on the estimated mat thickness or bale growth rate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
sensing, by a sensor of a round baler, a physical attribute associated with a moving part of the round baler while the round baler is operating in a crop field; receiving from the sensor, by a controller of the round baler, data corresponding to the sensed physical attribute; determining, by the controller, a value of the physical attribute based on the received data; estimating, by the controller, a mat thickness generated by the round baler based on the determined value of the physical attribute; and controlling, by the controller, an operation of the round baler or an operation of a tow vehicle, configured to tow the round baler, based on the estimated mat thickness, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor, and wherein the sensed physical attribute is a sensed pressure associated with the moving part.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the moving part is a tension arm of the round baler, wherein the tension arm is operable to expand or contract a perimeter comprising compression belts of the round baler, and wherein the perimeter is a structure and mechanism for holding and forming the bale by exerting tension on outer portions of the bale.

3 . A method, comprising:
sensing, by a sensor of a round baler, a physical attribute associated with a moving part of the round baler while the round baler is operating in a crop field; receiving from the sensor, by a controller of the round baler, data corresponding to the sensed physical attribute; determining, by the controller, a value of the physical attribute based on the received data; estimating, by the controller, a mat thickness generated by the round baler based on the determined value of the physical attribute; and controlling, by the controller, an operation of the round baler or an operation of a tow vehicle, configured to tow the round baler, based on the estimated mat thickness, wherein the moving part is a movable floor of a crop pickup portion of the round baler, and wherein the movable floor is a flex pivot floor or a fixed pivot floor.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the controlling of the operation comprises changing ground speed of the round baler automatically without input from an operator.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying, by a display device, information to an operator of the round baler or the tow vehicle such that the information directs the operator to change a ground speed of the round baler, based on the estimated mat thickness.

6 . A method, comprising:
sensing, by a sensor of a round baler, a physical attribute associated with a moving part of the round baler while the round baler is operating in a crop field; receiving from the sensor, by a controller of the round baler, data corresponding to the sensed physical attribute; determining, by the controller, a value of the physical attribute based on the received data; estimating, by the controller, a mat thickness generated by the round baler based on the determined value of the physical attribute; controlling, by the controller, an operation of the round baler or an operation of a tow vehicle, configured to tow the round baler, based on the estimated mat thickness; discharging, by the round baler, multiple bales; and displaying, by a display device, a yield map based on tracking of the discharged multiple bales and the estimated mat thickness.

7 . A method, comprising:
sensing, by a sensor of a round baler, a physical attribute associated with a moving part of the round baler while the round baler is operating in a crop field; receiving from the sensor, by a controller of the round baler, data corresponding to the sensed physical attribute: determining, by the controller, a value of the physical attribute based on the received data; estimating, by the controller, a mat thickness generated by the round baler based on the determined value of the physical attribute; controlling, by the controller, an operation of the round baler or an operation of a tow vehicle, configured to tow the round baler, based on the estimated mat thickness; repeating the sensing of the physical attribute while the round baler is operating in the crop field to obtain a set of data points of the physical attribute; receiving, by the controller, the set of data points; determining, by the controller, a set of values representative of the physical attribute based on the set of data points; estimating, by the controller, a change or a rate of change in the mat thickness based on the determined set of values; and controlling, by the controller, the operation of the round baler or the operation of the tow vehicle based on the estimated change or rate of change in the mat thickness.

8 . A system, comprising a computing device, comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for tangibly storing thereon computer program code for execution by the processor, the computer program code comprising:
executable logic executable to receive, from a sensor, data corresponding to a sensed physical attribute associated with a moving part of a round baler while the round baler is operating in a crop field, wherein the sensor is a part of the round baler, and wherein the sensor senses the physical attribute; executable logic executable to determine a value of the physical attribute based on the received data; executable logic executable to estimate a mat thickness generated by the round baler based on the determined value of the physical attribute; and executable logic executable to control an operation of the round baler or an operation of a tow vehicle, configured to tow the round baler, based on the estimated mat thickness, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor, and wherein the sensed physical attribute is a sensed pressure associated with the moving part.

9 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly encoded with computer-executable instructions, that when executed by a processor of a computing device the processor performs a method comprising the following operations:
receiving, from a sensor, data corresponding to a sensed physical attribute associated with a moving part of a round baler while the round baler is operating in a crop field, wherein the sensor is a part of the round baler, and wherein the sensor senses the physical attribute; determining a value of the physical attribute based on the received data; estimating mat thickness generated by the round baler based on the determined value of the physical attribute; and controlling an operation of the round baler or an operation of a tow vehicle, configured to tow the round baler, based on the estimated mat thickness, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor, and wherein the sensed physical attribute is a sensed pressure associated with the moving part.

Assignees

• Agco Corp

Inventors

• Weller Lucas Andrew

Classifications

• A01F2015/078

  Pressing chamber formed exclusively by flexible elements, e.g. belts · CPC title

• A01F15/07

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

• A01D89/002

  Rotors · CPC title

• A01F15/0833 Primary

  for round balers · CPC title