Yield monitor calibration method and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016345485-A1
Application number	US-201615081087-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 25, 2016
Priority date	Sep 27, 2013
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a methods and systems for calibrating a yield monitor. The method includes delivering a first harvested crop load from a first harvester to a cart, the first harvester including a harvester yield monitor and the cart including a cart sensor. A harvested crop characteristic of the first harvested crop load is measured with the yield monitor. The method includes calibrating the harvester yield monitor based on the harvested crop characteristic and a true crop characteristic and repeating the calibrating with on-going delivering of at least one subsequent harvested crop load from the first harvester to the cart and measuring of a subsequent harvested crop characteristic.

First claim

1 . A method for calibrating a yield monitor, comprising:
delivering a first harvested crop load of a field from a first harvester to a cart, the first harvester including a harvester yield monitor and the cart including a cart sensor; measuring a harvested crop characteristic of the first harvested crop load with the harvester yield monitor; calibrating the harvester yield monitor based on the harvested crop characteristic and a true crop characteristic, the calibration including:
measuring the true crop characteristic of the first harvested crop load with the cart sensor,
comparing the true crop characteristic to the harvested crop characteristic measured with the yield monitor of the first harvester,
calibrating the yield monitor of the first harvester based on the comparison; and
repeating calibrating with on-going delivering of at least one subsequent harvested crop load from the first harvester to the cart and measuring of a subsequent harvested crop characteristic; and providing a harvested crop yield map of the field based on the calibrating.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
measuring a true crop characteristic of each of a plurality of harvested crop loads from a plurality of harvesters in addition to the first harvester; comparing the true crop characteristics of each of the plurality of harvested crop loads in addition to the first harvested crop load to respective yield monitor crop characteristics of each of the plurality of harvesters including the first harvester; and calibrating the yield monitor of each of the plurality of harvesters based on the respective comparison of each the plurality of yield monitor crop characteristics and true crop characteristics.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
measuring a true crop characteristic with the cart sensor of each of a plurality of harvested crop loads from a plurality of harvesters other than the first harvester; comparing the true crop characteristics of each of the plurality of harvested crop loads other than that of the first harvester to respective yield monitor crop characteristics of each of the plurality of harvesters to provide a plurality of comparisons; and determining a normalized comparison from the plurality of comparisons and the comparison associated with the first harvester; calibrating the yield monitor of each of the plurality of harvesters and the first harvester based on the normalized comparison.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising calibrating a yield monitor of each of a plurality of harvesters including than the first harvester based on the comparison associated with the first harvester.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein measuring the yield monitor crop characteristic and the true crop characteristic includes measuring at least one of a crop weight, a crop moisture content, a crop temperature, and a crop volume.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the true crop characteristic to the first harvester, such that the yield monitor performs the comparing.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further transmitting the comparison from the first harvester to a database.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
logging a plurality of comparisons to provide a comparison log; analyzing the comparison log to determine a historical comparison; and providing the historical comparison to the first harvester.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting a calibration instruction based on the comparison to the first harvester, such that the cart performs the comparing.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
storing a plurality of calibration instructions as a calibration instruction log, the plurality of calibration instructions based on comparisons between harvested crop characteristics and corresponding true crop characteristics; generating a historical calibration value based on the calibration instruction log; and wherein calibrating the yield monitor of the first harvester based on the comparison includes calibrating the yield monitor with the historical calibration value.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting the measured yield monitor crop characteristics of respective previously harvested crop loads based on the calibrating.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting a harvested crop yield map based on the calibrating.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein delivering the first harvested crop load includes delivering at least one of grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, cotton, and tobacco.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein delivering the first harvested crop to the cart includes delivering to one of a truck, a crop cart, a tractor, a semi-trailer, or an elevator.

15 . A system, comprising:
a harvester yield monitor configured for installation with a first harvester, the harvester yield monitor configured to measure a harvested crop characteristic, including a position, of a first harvested crop load of a field as the field is harvested; a cart sensor configured for installation with a cart, the cart sensor measures a true crop characteristic of the first harvested crop load; a calibration module in communication with the harvester yield monitor and the cart sensor, the calibration module includes:
a comparator, the comparator compares the measured harvested crop characteristic with the measured true crop characteristic to provide a series of comparisons, and
a calibration instruction module, the calibration instruction module generates a calibration instruction for the harvester yield monitor based on the comparison; and

a computer configured to receive the series of comparisons and to adjust a yield map of the first harvested crop to reflect the actual crop characteristic of the field by position within the field.

16 . The system of claim 15 , the calibration module further comprised to compare the true crop characteristic to the yield monitor crop characteristic and determine a calibration instruction.

17 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising a plurality of harvesters other than the first harvester, each of the plurality of harvesters includes a respective yield monitor, wherein the first harvester transmits at least one of the comparison and the calibration instruction to each of the plurality of harvesters.

18 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising:
a historical comparison module, the historical comparison module stores a plurality of comparisons as a comparison log and the historical comparison module generates a historical comparison value based on the comparison log; and a historical calibration instruction module, the historical calibration instruction module stores a plurality of calibration instructions as a calibration instruction log, the plurality of calibration instructions based on the comparison and the historical calibration instruction module generates a historical calibration value based on the calibration instruction log, wherein the calibration module is in communication with the historical comparison module and the historical calibration instruction module.

19 - 20 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Raven Ind Inc

Inventors

• Acheson John Earl
• Kocer Jared Ernest

Classifications

• G01D18/00

  Testing or calibrating apparatus or arrangements provided for in groups G01D1/00 - G01D15/00 · CPC title

• A01D41/127 Primary

  Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines · CPC title

• A01B79/005 Primary

  Precision agriculture · CPC title