Monitoring system for an agricultural harvester and agricultural harvester

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020008352-A1
Application number	US-201916577611-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 20, 2019
Priority date	Nov 24, 2015
Publication date	Jan 9, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A combine harvester including an aft portion, a spreader assembly, a monitoring system, and a processing unit. The monitoring system including sensors coupled to the aft portion. The sensors: receiving a plurality of response waves reflected from a portion of the crop residue that is discharged from the spreader assembly toward a discharge area before the portion of crop residue arrives at the discharge area; and sending a response signal representative of the plurality of response waves reflected from the portion of the crop residue, the reflected waves comprising a sequence of multiple reflections distributed over time. The processing unit receiving the response signal from the plurality of sensors; and processing the response signal to determine a reflected energy distribution from the portion of the crop residue representative of a distribution of the crop residue over the discharge area substantially perpendicular to a travel direction of the combine harvester.

First claim

1 . A combine harvester comprising:
an aft portion; a threshing and chopping system for separating a crop residue from the harvested crop; a spreader assembly for discharging onto the field the crop residue received from the threshing and chopping system; and a monitoring system comprising:
a plurality of sensors coupled to the aft portion of the combine harvester, the plurality of sensors:
receiving a plurality of response waves reflected from a portion of the crop residue that is discharged from the spreader assembly toward a discharge area before the portion of crop residue arrives at the discharge area, the discharge area being aft of the aft portion; and
sending a response signal representative of the plurality of response waves reflected from the portion of the crop residue, the reflected waves comprising a sequence of multiple reflections distributed over time; and

a processing unit in communication with the plurality of sensors, the processing unit executing steps of:
receiving the response signal from the plurality of sensors; and
processing the response signal to determine a reflected energy distribution from the portion of the crop residue representative of a distribution of the crop residue over the discharge area in a direction substantially perpendicular to a travel direction of the combine harvester.

2 . The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit further executes a step of adjusting an element of the spreader assembly to thereby change the distribution of the crop residue in the discharge area dependent upon the reflected energy distribution.

3 . The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the sensors provide a plurality of measurement waves toward the portion of the crop residue that is discharged from the spreader assembly, at least a portion of the measurement waves being reflected from the portion of the crop residue as the response waves.

4 . The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged along a substantially straight line along the aft portion.

5 . The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors are directed toward subareas of the discharge area.

6 . The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprise a first sensor to monitor a left-hand side of the discharge area and a second sensor to monitor a right-hand side of the discharge area.

7 . The combine harvester of claim 6 , wherein the first and second sensors rotate during operation, to cover the respective left-hand side and the right-hand side of the discharge area.

8 . The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit further executes a step of determining, based on the response signal, a density of a flow of the crop residue at a location in the discharge area.

9 . The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit further executes steps of:
determining, based on the response signal, a total reflected energy of one or more of the response waves; and determining, based on the total reflected energy, the distribution of the crop residue over the discharge area.

10 . The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit further executes a step of assessing a uniformity of the distribution of the crop residue over the discharge area.

11 . The combine harvester of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of sensors are radar sensors, each including:
a transmitter configured to transmit a respective one of the plurality of measurement waves toward the crop residue that is discharged from the spreader assembly; and a receiver configured to receive a respective one of the plurality of response waves from the portion of the crop residue.

12 . A combine harvester comprising:
an aft portion; a threshing and chopping system for separating a crop residue from the harvested crop; a spreader assembly for discharging onto the field the crop residue received from the threshing and chopping system; and a monitoring system having a plurality of sensors coupled to the aft portion of the combine harvester, the monitoring system configured to execute steps of:
receiving a plurality of response waves reflected from a portion of the crop residue that is discharged from the spreader assembly toward a discharge area before the portion of crop residue arrives at the discharge area, the discharge area being aft of the aft portion;
sending a response signal representative of the plurality of response waves reflected from the portion of the crop residue, the reflected waves comprising a sequence of multiple reflections distributed over time;
receiving the response signal from the plurality of sensors; and
processing the response signal to determine a reflected energy distribution from the portion of the crop residue representative of the distribution of the crop residue over the discharge area in a direction substantially perpendicular to a travel direction of the combine.

13 . The combine harvester of claim 12 , wherein the monitoring system further executes a step of adjusting an element of the spreader assembly to thereby change the distribution of the crop residue in the discharge area dependent upon the reflected energy distribution.

14 . The combine harvester of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of sensors provide a plurality of measurement waves toward the portion of the crop residue that is discharged from the spreader assembly, at least a portion of the measurement waves being reflected from the portion of the crop residue as the response waves.

15 . The combine harvester of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged along a substantially straight line along the aft portion.

16 . The combine harvester of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprise a first sensor to monitor a left-hand side of the discharge area and a second sensor to monitor a right-hand side of the discharge area.

17 . The combine harvester of claim 16 , wherein the first and second sensors rotate during operation, to cover the respective left-hand side and the right-hand side of the discharge area.

18 . The combine harvester of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of sensors are radar sensors, each including:
a transmitter configured to transmit a respective one of the plurality of measurement waves toward the crop residue that is discharged from the spreader assembly; and a receiver configured to receive a respective one of the plurality of response waves from the portion of the crop residue.

19 . The monitoring system of claim 18 , wherein the radar sensors are a CW or a FMCW radar.

20 . A combine harvester comprising:
an aft portion; a header for harvesting a crop of a field, the header having a header width; a threshing and chopping system for separating a crop residue from the harvested crop received from the header; a spreader assembly for discharging onto the field the crop residue received from the threshing and chopping system; and a monitoring system comprising:
a plurality of sensors coupled to the aft portion, the plurality of sensors:
providing a plurality of measurement waves toward the crop residue discharged by the spreader assembly toward a discharge area for the crop residue, the discharge area being an area of ground aft of the spreader having a width approximately the same as the header width;
receiving a plurality of response waves reflected from a portion of the crop residue that is discharged toward the discharge area before the portion of crop residue arrives at the

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Mahieu Thomas
• Missotten Bart M A
• Lenaerts Bart
• Tallir Frederik
• Lowie Jeroen

Classifications

• A01D41/1271

  for measuring crop flow · CPC title

• A01D41/06

  Combines with headers · CPC title

• G01S13/88

  Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications (electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00) · CPC title

• A01D41/1243 Primary

  Devices for laying-out or distributing the straw · CPC title

• G01S7/02

  of systems according to group G01S13/00 · CPC title