Control system for a disc cutterbar using stubble cut quality feedback

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9241440-B2
Application number	US-201313782718-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2013
Priority date	Mar 1, 2013
Publication date	Jan 26, 2016
Grant date	Jan 26, 2016

Abstract

A control system for monitoring and managing operation of a rotary disc cutterbar used in an agricultural machine. A controller in the system receives inputs on cutterbar drive power, machine travel speed, and crop cut quality. An operator interface allows suitable operational tolerances to be established. The controller examines crop cut quality, a determination of cut uniformity across the transverse width of the cutting swath, and determines changes in cutterbar drive speed and/or vehicle travel speed, if needed, to maintain crop cut quality within specified tolerances. Controller output may be directed to a display for instructing a machine operator to make necessary adjustments or it may initiate changes in machine subsystems to effect the necessary adjustments automatically.

First claim

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A control system for managing operation of a cutterbar on an agricultural machine, the cutterbar defining a swath having a width transverse to a direction of travel, said control system comprising:
an operator terminal for receiving a machine user input and communicating an input signal representative thereof via a communications bus to a control module;
the control module configured to determine at least one parameter operating range from the input signal;
at least one cut quality sensor positioned rearwardly of the cutterbar and beneath crop discharge flow from the cutterbar for detecting variations in cut crop stubble cut by the cutterbar by scanning the cut crop stubble across the entire transverse cutting width of the swath and initiating a cut quality signal having a signal value representative thereof;
wherein the control module is configured for receiving said cut quality signal and comparing a value of said cut quality signal to a cut quality range of said at least one parameter operating range, and transmitting a control output signal to an actuator, wherein said actuator is configured to cause a change in an operating parameter of at least one of the machine and cutterbar in response to said control output signal to bring said cut quality signal value within said cut quality range.

2. The control system of claim 1 , further comprising a cutterbar power sensor for detecting drive power to the cutterbar, initiating a cutterbar power signal having a power signal value representative thereof and communicating said power signal to said control module, said control module receiving said power signal and comparing said power signal value and said cut quality signal value to a power signal range and a cut quality range that comprise said at least one parameter operating range, initiating said at least one control output signal and transmitting said at least one control output signal to said actuator to cause a change in machine operation to bring said cut quality signal value and said power signal value within respective said power signal and cut quality operating ranges.

3. The control system of claim 2 , wherein said actuator includes a visual display on said operator terminal and said at least one control output signal directs the machine user to manually change machine operation to alter said at least one operating parameter.

4. The control system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one operating parameter includes rotary disc rotational speed.

5. The control system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one operating parameter includes machine travel speed.

6. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the cutterbar is angularly adjustable about a transverse axis to the direction of travel and said at least one operating parameter includes cutterbar angle.

7. The control system of claim 2 , wherein said actuator alters rotary disc rotational speed.

8. The control system of claim 2 , wherein said actuator alters machine travel speed.

9. The control system of claim 8 , wherein the cutterbar is angularly adjustable about a transverse axis to the direction of travel and said actuator alters said cutterbar angle.

10. The control system of claim 2 , wherein said cut quality sensor is an optical sensor.

11. A method for managing operation of a rotary disc cutterbar on an agricultural crop harvesting machine comprising the steps of:
entering a user input at an operator terminal connected to a communications bus, initiating by the operator terminal an operator input signal, and communicating the operator input signal via the communications bus to a control module;
determining by the control module at least one parameter operating range based on the operator input signal, the at least one parameter operating range comprising a cut quality range;
operating the cutterbar to harvest a standing crop and receiving by the control module a cut quality signal detected by at least one cut quality sensor positioned rearwardly of the cutterbar for detecting variations in cut crop stubble cut by the cutterbar crop cutting quality by scanning the cut crop stubble across the entire transverse cutting width of the swath and initiating a cut quality signal having a signal value representative thereof;
comparing by the control module, the signal value of the cut quality signal to a cut quality range and determining at least one control output signal in response thereto to bring the cut quality signal value within the cut quality range; and
transmitting said at least one control output signal to said actuator to cause a change in machine operation.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising the steps of:
providing a cutterbar power sensor for detecting drive power to the cutterbar,
initiating a cutterbar power signal having a power signal value representative thereof and communicating said power signal to the control module and wherein the at least one parameter operating range further comprises a power signal range;
comparing by the control module the power signal value to the power signal range;
wherein determining by the control module the at least one control output signal calculated to bring the cut quality signal value within the cut quality range is in response to the power signal value and the cut quality signal value comparison to the cut quality range and the power signal range.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the actuator includes a visual display on the operator terminal and the at least one output signal visually directs the machine user to manually change machine operation to alter the at least one operating parameter.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one operating parameter includes rotary disc rotational speed.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one operating parameter includes machine travel speed.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the cutterbar is angularly adjustable about a transverse axis to the direction of travel and the at least one operating parameter includes cutterbar angle.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the actuator, upon receiving the at least one output signal causes a change in the at least one operating parameter without machine user action.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said at least one operating parameter includes rotary disc rotational speed, machine travel speed, or cutterbar angle.

19. A control system for managing operation of a header mounted directly to or pulled behind an agricultural machine, the header having a crop cutting mechanism comprising a plurality of connected knives and defining a swath having a width transverse to the direction of travel, said control system comprising:
a control module connected to a communication network for receiving at least one input signal from said network, calculating a response to said input signal, and initiating a respective at least one output signal therefrom;
at least one cut quality sensor positioned rearwardly of the cutting mechanism and beneath crop discharge flow from knives for detecting variations in cut crop stubble cut by the plurality of knives by scanning the cut crop stubble and initiating a cut quality signal having a signal value representative thereof; and
the control module configured to receive said cut quality signal and compare said signal value to at least one cut quality input target and transmit at least one output signal to an actuator, wherein the actuator in response to the at least one output signal is configured to cause a change i

Assignees

• Cnh Ind Canada Ltd
• Cnh Ind Canada Ltd

Inventors

• Roberge Martin J

Classifications

• Y10S56/15

  Condition responsive · CPC title

• A01D34/664

  Disc cutter bars · CPC title

• A01D41/141

  Automatic header control · CPC title

• A01D34/008 Primary

  for automated or remotely controlled operation · CPC title