Control system and method for advanced diagnostics for an automated harvesting machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021195836-A1
Application number	US-202017138532-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 30, 2020
Priority date	Dec 30, 2019
Publication date	Jul 1, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A combine harvester and method of detecting and notifying an operator of operational inefficiencies of the combine harvester are provided. The combine harvester may include a user interface, a plurality of sensors, and a control system having a processing element configured to perform certain steps. The steps may include receiving, via the user interface or a database, data representative of a performance target; receiving, via the user interface or the database, data representative of a mechanical configuration of the combine harvester; detecting, via a sensor, data representative of an operational metric; determining, via the processing element, whether the operational metric satisfies the performance target; determining, via the processing element, a suggested adjustment to the mechanical configuration associated with the operational metric; and displaying, via the user interface, the suggested adjustment to the mechanical configuration associated with the operational metric.

First claim

Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:

1 . A computer-implemented method of detecting and notifying an operator of operational inefficiencies of a combine harvester, the computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, via a user interface or a database, data representative of a performance target; receiving, via the user interface or the database, data representative of a mechanical configuration of the combine harvester; detecting, via a sensor, data representative of an operational metric; determining, via a processing element, whether the operational metric satisfies the performance target; determining, via the processing element, a suggested adjustment to the mechanical configuration associated with the operational metric; and displaying, via the user interface, the suggested adjustment to the mechanical configuration associated with the operational metric.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising calculating, via the processing element, a performance metric based at least in part on the operational metric.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the step of displaying the suggested adjustment includes displaying the performance metric.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising receiving, via the user interface or the database, data representative of an agricultural parameter, wherein the step of calculating the performance metric is based at least in part on the agricultural parameter.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the agricultural parameter is a size of a field, further comprising—
determining, via the processing element, whether the combine harvester has reached a control limit; and
determining, via the processing element, a percentage of the field remaining to be harvested.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the step of detecting the operational metric includes receiving, via the processing element, data representative of a harvest rate, a header loss, and a location of the combine.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein the step of calculating the performance metric includes—
calculating, via the processing element, a distance traveled based at least in part on the location of the combine; and
calculating, via the processing element, a loss of bushels of the grain per acre based at least in part on the harvest, the header loss, and the distance traveled.

8 . The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the agricultural parameter includes a grain type and a commodity price for the grain type, and wherein the step of calculating the performance metric includes calculating, via the processing element, a monetary loss based at least in part on the commodity price for the grain type.

9 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising—
determining, via the processing element, an improvement in the operational metric associated with the suggested adjustment; and
calculating, via the processing element, a monetary amount saved based at least in part on the monetary loss and the improvement in the operational metric,
wherein the step of displaying the suggested adjustment includes displaying the monetary amount saved.

10 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein—
the mechanical configuration includes at least one of a concave type, a sieve setup, a sieve type, a finger grate setup, a separator grate type, a separator grate cover setup, or a duct setting; and
the adjustment includes at least one of removing a sieve from the sieve setup, adding a sieve to the sieve setup, changing the concave type, changing the separator grate type, changing the duct setting, or adding a spread kit.

11 . A computer-implemented method of detecting and notifying an operator of operational inefficiencies of a combine harvester, the computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, via a user interface or a database, data representative of an agricultural parameter, a performance target, and a mechanical configuration of the combine harvester; detecting, via a plurality of sensors, data representative of a plurality of operational metrics; calculating, via a processing element, a performance metric corresponding to the performance target based at least in part on the operational metrics; determining, via the processing element, whether the performance metric satisfies the performance target; determining, via the processing element, a suggested adjustment to the mechanical configuration associated with improving one of the operational metrics; calculating, via the processing element, an improvement estimate associated with the suggested adjustment to the mechanical configuration; and displaying, via the user interface, the suggested adjustment to the mechanical configuration associated with the operational metric and the improvement estimate associated with the suggested adjustment to the mechanical configuration.

12 . The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the agricultural parameter includes at least one of a grain type, a size of a field, a commodity price of the grain, a germination rate of the grain, or a nutrient absorption rate of the grain.

13 . The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the mechanical configuration includes at least one of a concave type, a sieve setup, a sieve type, a finger grate setup, a separator grate type, a separator grate cover setup, or a duct setting; and the suggested adjustment to the mechanical configuration includes at least one of removing a sieve from the sieve setup, adding a sieve to the sieve setup, changing the concave type, changing the separator grate type, changing the duct setting, or adding a spread kit.

14 . The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least one of a yield sensor, a harvest rate sensor, a sensor for detecting grain loss at a header of the combine harvester, a sensor for detecting material other than grain (MOG) amount in an elevator of the combine harvester, a grain moisture sensor, a grain quality sensor, a grain cleanliness sensor, a detector for determining where grain exits a processing stage in the combine harvester, a spread detector, a fuel consumption sensor, a sensor for detecting speed of the combine harvester, or a sensor for determining a location of the combine harvester.

15 . The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the operational metrics include at least one of a yield, a harvest rate, a header loss, an amount of MOG in an elevator of the combine harvester, a grain moisture, a grain quality, a grain cleanliness, a location where grain exits a processing stage, a spread, an amount of fuel, a speed of the combine harvester, or a location of the combine harvester.

16 . The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the performance target includes at least one of a yield target, a harvest rate, a maximum grain loss, a maximum fuel consumption rate, or a minimum ground speed.

17 . The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the performance metric includes at least one of an estimated loss in bushels per acre, an estimated monetary loss, a harvest rate in acres per hour, an operating cost per hour, a spread efficiency percentage, or an amount of nutrients consumed due to loss regrowth; and wherein the improvement estimate includes an increased capacity percentage, an improvement yiel

Assignees

• Agco Corp

Inventors

• Koch Jared
• Schleder Caleb
• Kirk Kevin

Classifications

• A01D41/127 Primary

  Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines · CPC title

• G06Q10/06393

  Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis · CPC title

• G05B19/0428 Primary

  Safety, monitoring (G05B19/0423 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06Q10/20

  Administration of product repair or maintenance · CPC title

• A01F12/44

  Grain cleaners; Grain separators · CPC title