Agricultural harvesting machine for processing and conveying harvested crops with a sensor array for detecting undesirable hazardous substances and ingredients in the harvested crop.

Abstract

A forage harvester (10) comprising a feed conveyor (22), a chopping unit (26) arranged downstream of the feed conveyor (22), an adjustable discharge spout (30) with an adjustable discharge flap (64), a foreign object detector (72, 108) for detecting a foreign object in the crop (76) taken up or to be taken up by the forage harvester (10), and a control unit (70) connected to the foreign object detector (72, 108) which is coupled to an actuator (58, 60, 62) for adjusting a crop-guiding element in order to prevent the detected foreign object from being overloaded onto a crop transport vehicle (56) in the event of a foreign object detection, wherein the actuator (58, 60, 62) is coupled to the discharge spout (30) and / or the discharge flap (64), and the foreign object detector (72, 108) is set up,to supply signals to the control unit (70) regarding the potential danger to the forage harvester (10) emanating from a detected foreign object, and the control unit is coupled to and operational with the feed conveyor (22), to stop the feed conveyor (22) in the event of detection of a foreign object that poses a danger to the forage harvester (10), and to adjust the discharge spout (30) and / or the discharge flap (64) in the event of detection of a foreign object that does not pose a danger to the forage harvester (10).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a forage harvester with a feed conveyor, a chopping unit arranged downstream of the feed conveyor, an adjustable discharge spout with an adjustable discharge flap, a foreign object detector for detecting a foreign object in the crop taken up or to be taken up by the forage harvester, and a control unit connected to the foreign object detector, which is coupled to an actuator for adjusting a crop-guiding element in order to avoid overloading a detected foreign object onto a crop transport vehicle. State of the art

[0002] Forage harvesters are used to pick up plants or their seed heads from a field and cut them into small pieces. The plants standing in the field are usually cut from their roots remaining in the ground using a suitable harvesting head and fed into the forage harvester's intake chute. Alternatively, the plants can be cut and windrowed in previous operations and picked up using a pickup, or only the seed heads can be separated from the plants and conveyed into the intake chute. In the intake chute, the crop mat picked up by the harvesting head is pre-compacted by pairs of counter-tensioned pre-compression rollers, which feed the crop mat into a chopping drum. A number of chopping knives are distributed around the circumference (and possibly across the width) of the chopping drum. The chopping knives, in conjunction with a counter blade, cut the crop into small pieces.The shredded crop (and especially the corn kernels it contains) is optionally further shredded using a post-processing unit, conveyed into a discharge chute by means of a post-accelerator, and transferred to a transport vehicle. The chopped crop is used primarily as animal feed or for biogas production.

[0003] To prevent damage to the forage harvester from metal parts, so-called metal detectors are usually installed in the intake channel to detect ferromagnetic parts in the crop flow (DE 199 12 407 A1). Stones can also be detected by noise and / or a rapidly changing position of the pre-compression roller (DE 10 2012 223 768 A1) or by a photon detector that interacts with a photon source (DE 10 2010 028 343 A1). It has also been proposed to use a near-infrared sensor to detect hazardous substances contained in the crop, such as animal carcasses, and, if a hazardous substance is detected, to automatically stop the intake units or to initiate the addition of (chemical) agents to reduce the hazard (DE 10 2011 053 214 A1).

[0004] In the current state of the art, if an unwanted foreign object is detected, the feed conveyor is stopped and a warning is issued to the operator. In response, the feed conveyor can be reversed manually or automatically so that the operator can remove the foreign object from the crop flow and then resume harvesting. In many cases, locating the foreign object is quite difficult, sometimes requiring several attempts in which the crop is fed in again and the feed channel is reversed once the foreign object detector is triggered.To avoid this disadvantage, the patent application DE 30 23 688 A1, considered to be generic, proposed coupling the metal detector with an actuator for adjusting a flap located on the underside of the feed conveyor. This flap would eject the foreign object onto the field or into a collection container, thus avoiding the need to reverse and manually sort the object. However, since the flap cannot subsequently close against the pressure of the oncoming crop, an interruption of the harvesting operation after the detection of a foreign object is unavoidable. Furthermore, the distance between the metal detector and the flap is so small that the required reaction time of the actuator is hardly achievable.

[0005] DE 10 2012 211 001 A1 describes a forage harvester with a discharge flap arranged at the end of a discharge spout, which is automatically moved into a horizontal rest position by means of an actuator, provided no unloading process takes place, in order to prevent an approaching transport vehicle from being contaminated with harvested material when pieces of harvested material break off from the stationary forage harvester and are ejected through the discharge spout, and DE 10 2010 004 648 A1 proposes changing the direction of the discharge flap to switch the unloading process to another transport vehicle. Task

[0006] The object underlying the invention is seen as being to provide a forage harvester with a foreign body detector and an adjustable element in response to the detection of a foreign body in the harvested crop, which does not have the aforementioned disadvantages or has them to a lesser extent. Solution

[0007] This problem is solved according to the invention by the teaching of claim 1, wherein further claims list features which advantageously develop the solution further.

[0008] A forage harvester is equipped with a feed conveyor, a chopping unit arranged downstream of the feed conveyor, an adjustable discharge spout with an adjustable discharge flap, a foreign object detector for detecting a foreign object in the crop being picked up or to be picked up by the forage harvester, and a control system connected to the foreign object detector, which is coupled with an actuator for adjusting the discharge spout and / or the discharge flap in order to prevent the detected foreign object from being overloaded onto a crop transport vehicle.

[0009] In other words, a foreign object detector checks whether the crop flow being picked up or about to be picked up by the forage harvester is contaminated with an unwanted foreign object. During normal harvesting operations, the forage harvester picks up the crop from a field, usually using a header, by cutting it (e.g., with a corn header), collecting it (e.g., with a pickup header), or separating the crop heads (e.g., with a picker). The crop is pre-compacted in a feed conveyor and fed to a chopping unit, which cuts it and (usually using a kernel processor and / or a post-accelerator) discharges it into a discharge chute with an end-mounted discharge flap for transfer to a harvesting vehicle during normal harvesting operations.The position of the discharge spout around the vertical axis and / or a horizontal axis and the rotation angle of the discharge flap relative to the discharge spout can be specified in a manner known per se by the operator of the forage harvester or a suitable automatic system so that it hits a desired point in the harvested crop transport vehicle.If the foreign object detector detects a foreign object within the crop being conveyed by the forage harvester or header, or in the crop standing or lying in the field, the control system connected to the foreign object detector will cause an actuator to adjust the rotational position of the discharge spout around the vertical axis and / or a horizontal axis and / or the position of the discharge flap in such a way that the crop containing the foreign object and the foreign object itself do not reach the crop transport vehicle, but are discharged onto the field (or another transport vehicle).

[0010] In this way, foreign objects are prevented from contaminating the harvested crop on the transport vehicle using simple means. Since the discharge spout and discharge flap are located relatively far from the position where a foreign object detector can be mounted—namely, near the inlet of the feed conveyor—sufficient reaction time is available to activate the actuator and achieve the desired result. After the foreign object has passed, the discharge spout and / or discharge flap can be easily returned to their previous position without interrupting harvesting operations. Therefore, there is virtually no interruption to harvesting, apart from the redirection of the foreign object onto the field (or another transport vehicle).

[0011] The foreign object detector can be located upstream of or within the feed housing containing the feed conveyor, or it can be spatially separated from the forage harvester. For example, it can be mounted on a telescopic bracket at the front of the forage harvester and view the field from above, e.g., using a camera. Alternatively, it can be mounted on a vehicle or aircraft, such as a drone, that is connected to the forage harvester via a cable or that independently travels or flies over the field. In this configuration, the position of a detected foreign object is stored and transmitted to the forage harvester's control system. Based on the recorded position of the forage harvester, the control system then prompts the actuator to adjust the discharge spout and / or discharge flap from its normal unloading position precisely when the foreign object passes through the forage harvester.Alternatively, affected areas of the crop could be excluded from harvesting by lifting the harvesting head there or by driving around the area during harvesting.

[0012] The foreign object detector is configured to send signals to the control system regarding the potential hazard to the forage harvester posed by a detected foreign object. While the control system is coupled to and operational with the feed conveyor, it will stop the feed conveyor if a foreign object posing a hazard to the forage harvester is detected, and adjust the discharge spout and / or the discharge flap if a foreign object not posing a hazard is detected. Similarly, the control system will not stop the feed conveyor if a foreign object not posing a hazard to the forage harvester is detected, nor will it adjust the discharge spout and / or the discharge flap if a foreign object not posing a hazard to the forage harvester is detected.

[0013] The foreign object detector can be configured to detect stones, ferromagnetic parts, and / or toxic substances. If a toxic substance is detected, the control unit will instruct the actuator to adjust the discharge flap. Example of implementation

[0014] The drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention, which is described in more detail below. It shows: Fig. 1 a side view of a self-propelled forage harvester, Fig. 2 a rear view of the forage harvester of the Fig. 1. when transferring the harvested crop onto a harvested crop transport vehicle, and Fig. 3 A schematic representation of the control of the discharge spout of the forage harvester.

[0015] In the Fig. Figure 1 shows a self-propelled forage harvester 10 in a schematic side view. The forage harvester 10 is built on a frame 12, which is supported by front driven wheels 14 and steerable rear wheels 16. The forage harvester 10 is operated from a driver's cab 18, from which a harvesting head 20 in the form of a pickup is visible. Crop material, e.g., grass or the like, picked up from the ground by the harvesting head 20 is fed via a feed conveyor 22 with pre-compression rollers, which are arranged within a feed housing 24 at the front of the forage harvester 10, to a chopping drum 26 located below the driver's cab 18. The chopping drum, in conjunction with a counter blade 102, chops the material into small pieces and delivers it to a conveying device 28.The crop leaves the harvesting machine 10 and is conveyed to a crop transport vehicle 56 traveling alongside it via a discharge spout 30. The discharge spout is rotatable about an approximately vertical axis by a first actuator 58 and its inclination is adjustable about a horizontal axis by a second actuator 60. A discharge flap 64, adjustable by a third actuator 62, is hinged to the outer end of the discharge spout. Fig. 1. The discharge manifold 30 is in a road driving position, while in the Fig. 2 is in an operating position for unloading the harvested crop 80.

[0016] In the following, directional terms such as lateral, downward, and upward refer to the forward direction V of the harvesting machine 10, which is located in the Fig. 1 runs to the right. If the forage harvester 10 is to be used for harvesting maize, a picker or maize header would be used as the harvesting header 20 instead of the pickup, and the kernel processor 78 would be brought into an effective position.

[0017] The chopping drum 26 is driven by a pulley 48, which is connected via a bevel gear to an internal combustion engine (not shown), via a drive belt 50. This belt drives a pulley 54 for driving the chopping drum 26 and a pulley 52 for driving the conveying device 28. A grinding device 100 is used to sharpen the chopping knives of the chopping drum 26. A first foreign object detector 108 is provided in the lower, front pre-compression roller, and an operator interface 98, coupled to a control unit 70, is located in the driver's cab 18. This interface allows the position of the actuators 58, 60, and 62 to be set. The operator interface 98 can include, in a manner known per se, a drive lever for setting the forward speed of the forage harvester 10, at the upper end of which a number of buttons are located for setting the position of the actuators 58, 60, and 62.The first foreign body detector 108 can comprise a metal detector known per se (DE 199 12 407 A1) or stone detector (DE 10 2012 223 768 A1) or a photon detector that interacts with a photon source (DE 10 2010 028 343 A1).

[0018] To identify any potentially toxic substances in the harvested crop, the forage harvester 10 is coupled to a drone 66 flying ahead. The drone has several rotors 70 attached to a frame 68, on the underside of which a second foreign object detector 72 is mounted. The electronic components of the drone 66 are connected to the control unit 70 of the forage harvester 10 by a cable 74, although a wireless signal transmission connection and battery power supply for the drone 66 would also be possible (see DE 10 2014 201 203 A1), allowing it to fly the field in advance and check for possible foreign objects.

[0019] The second foreign body detector 72 can be a camera operating in the visible and / or near-infrared wavelength range and capable of detecting organic foreign bodies, such as fungi (e.g., mycotoxins) or animal carcasses, in the harvested crop 76 upstream of the harvesting header 20. Reference is made to the disclosure in DE 10 2011 053 214 A1, which is incorporated into these documents by reference. In another embodiment, the second foreign body detector 72 could be mounted on a boom at the front of the forage harvester 10 or the harvesting header 20 to inspect the harvested crop 76 in the field upstream of the harvesting header 20, or it could interact with the harvested crop conveyed by the harvesting header 20 or in the intake conveyor 22.

[0020] The Fig. Figure 2 shows how the crop flow 80 is transferred from the forage harvester 10 to a crop transport vehicle 56, which can be a trailer pulled by a tractor or other towing vehicle, or a self-propelled vehicle (e.g., a truck) with a suitable container 82. The discharge direction of the crop flow 80 from the discharge spout 30 is determined by the actuators 58, 60, and 62, based on a manual input by the operator of the forage harvester 10 using the operator interface 98, or a suitable automatic system.

[0021] The Fig. Figure 3 shows the control unit 70 with the operator interface 98, the foreign object detectors 72 and 108, the actuators 58, 60, and 62, and the drive 84 of the feed conveyor 22. If the first foreign object detector 108 indicates a foreign object (e.g., a stone or an iron part, such as a tine of a pickup), the control unit 70 only stops the drive 84 of the feed conveyor 22 if the signal from the first foreign object detector 108 indicates that the foreign object is larger or heavier than a limit value. In this case, the operator is notified of the detected foreign object via the operator interface 98, and the operator (or an automated system) can initiate a reversing process of the feed conveyor 22 and, if applicable, the harvesting header 20.Smaller or lighter foreign objects that do not damage the chopping drum 26, the grain processor 78, and the conveying device 28 are therefore allowed to pass through and do not cause the infeed conveyor 22 to stop. In this case, however, at least the actuator 62 is controlled such that it opens the discharge flap 64 into a position in the . Fig. 2 brings the position marked 64', in which it directs the harvested crop flow 80' not onto the container 82 of the harvested crop transport vehicle 56, but rather discharges it onto the field. In this case as well, the operator is notified of the detected foreign object via the operator interface 98.

[0022] It would also be conceivable to discharge the crop flow 80' not onto the field when adjusting the discharge flap 64 as described in the previous paragraph, but instead to unload it onto another transport vehicle (not shown in the figures) that travels on the side of the crop transport vehicle 56 opposite the forage harvester 10. If it is known, for example, from sensor measurements provided by a drone flying over the field or from a previous field inspection, that (and at which points in the field) foreign bodies such as mushrooms or similar are to be expected in the crop, the additional transport vehicle can be positioned at the described location as a precaution.

[0023] When adjusting the discharge flap 64, care must be taken by appropriately controlling the actuator 62 to ensure that no swaths adjacent to the forage harvester 10 are contaminated with crop 76, but rather that the foreign matter is distributed across the open or harvested area of ​​the field. For this purpose, a camera (not shown) can be attached, for example, to the actual forage harvester 10 or the outer end of the discharge spout 30. This camera is connected to an image processing unit and detects adjacent swaths, controlling the actuator 62 as described. The areas of the field covered with swaths can also be georeferenced and stored in a map, which is accessed by the control unit 70. Alternatively or additionally, the image processing unit can detect people, vehicles, and the like that standing in an area that may be contaminated with crop material and foreign matter when the discharge flap 64 is adjusted.If there is a risk that persons, vehicles, etc. may be affected by harvested crops and foreign objects, the control unit 70 can prevent the actuator 62 from adjusting the discharge flap 64, but can issue a warning to the operator via the operator interface 98 and / or, in this case, stop the feed conveyor 22 if one of the foreign object detectors 72 or 108 is triggered.

[0024] The one in Fig. The raised position of the discharge flap 64' shown in point 2 also prompts the control unit 70 to act when the second foreign object detector 72 is triggered and the crop flow 80' contaminated with toxic substances is currently passing through the forage harvester 10. Simultaneously, the control unit 70 can also initiate an adjustment of the actuator 58 to distribute multiple collected foreign objects across the field.

[0025] After the foreign object(s) have passed through the chopper 10 and the discharge spout 30, the control unit 70 will cause the actuator 62 to return the discharge flap 64 to its previous position.

Claims

A forage harvester (10) comprising a feed conveyor (22), a chopping unit (26) arranged downstream of the feed conveyor (22), an adjustable discharge spout (30) with an adjustable discharge flap (64), a foreign object detector (72, 108) for detecting a foreign object in the crop (76) taken up or to be taken up by the forage harvester (10), and a control unit (70) connected to the foreign object detector (72, 108) which is coupled to an actuator (58, 60, 62) for adjusting a crop-guiding element in order to prevent the detected foreign object from being overloaded onto a crop transport vehicle (56) in the event of a foreign object detection, wherein the actuator (58, 60, 62) is coupled to the discharge spout (30) and / or the discharge flap (64), and the foreign object detector (72, 108) is set up,to supply signals to the control unit (70) regarding the potential danger to the forage harvester (10) emanating from a detected foreign object, and the control unit is coupled to and operable with the feed conveyor (22), to stop the feed conveyor (22) in the event of detection of a foreign object endangering the forage harvester (10) and to adjust the discharge spout (30) and / or the discharge flap (64) in the event of detection of a foreign object not endangering the forage harvester (10). Field chopper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the foreign body detector (72, 108) is arranged upstream of a feeder housing (24) containing the feed conveyor (22) or in the feeder housing (24) or is spatially separated from the field chopper (10). Field chopper (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the foreign body detector (108, 72) is configured for stone detection and / or for the detection of ferromagnetic parts and / or for the detection of toxic substances. Forage harvester according to claim 3, wherein the control (70) is configured to adjust the discharge flap (64) in the event of a detection of a toxic substance.

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