Methods of measuring harvested crop material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023358707-A1
Application number	US-202117906769-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 25, 2021
Priority date	Apr 24, 2020
Publication date	Nov 9, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of measuring a harvested crop includes measuring a first attribute of a first electric field in a first volume containing crop material, measuring a second attribute of a second electric field in a second volume containing crop material, and determining at least two different properties of the crop material based at least in part on the first attribute and the second attribute.

First claim

1 . A method of measuring a harvested crop, the method comprising:
measuring a first attribute of a first electric field in a first volume containing crop material; measuring a second attribute of a second electric field in a second volume containing crop material; and determining at least two different properties of the crop material based at least in part on the first attribute and the second attribute.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining at least two different properties of the crop material comprises measuring at least two properties selected from the group consisting of total moisture content, total mass, location, density, and percentage moisture.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining at least two different properties of the crop material comprises measuring mass flow and total moisture flow.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein measuring the first attribute and measuring the second attribute each comprise measuring an apparent load on a transmitter generating the first electric field and the second electric field.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein measuring the first attribute and measuring the second attribute each comprise measuring a permittivity of the crop material.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining at least two different properties of the crop material comprises determining at least two different properties as the crop material is harvested by an agricultural machine.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting an operating parameter of a crop-harvesting machine based at least in part on one of the at least two different properties.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising reporting at least one of the at least two different properties to a controller configured to change an operating parameter of a crop-harvesting machine.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining at least two different properties of the crop material comprises measuring a resonant frequency of crop material within the first electric field and the second electric field.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein measuring a resonant frequency of a transmitter generating the first electric field and the second electric field comprises measuring a change in the resonant frequency of the crop material.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second volume is coextensive with the first volume.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second volume partially overlaps the first volume.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second volume comprises a sum of the first volume and another volume.

14 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium including instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Agco Corp

Inventors

• Honeyman Friedrich Robert
• Hamilton Kevin J
• Busenitz Brian

Classifications

• G01N27/605 Primary

  for determining moisture content, e.g. humidity · CPC title

• A01D34/006

  Control or measuring arrangements · CPC title

• A01D41/1271 Primary

  for measuring crop flow · CPC title

• A01D43/085

  Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• G01N27/223

  for determining moisture content, e.g. humidity (rain detectors on vehicle windows B60S1/0825) · CPC title