HARVEST HEAD MONITORING SYSTEM

Abstract

An attachment for an agricultural harvesting machine having first and second ends includes at least one sensor configured to provide information, such as an image, to a control system. Such an image may include information about a harvesting zone of the attachment and / or a rear zone behind the attachment. In some embodiments, sensors may be located at the first and / or second ends and provide a view toward the opposite end. Some embodiments may include one or more intermediate sensors located at a location between the first and second ends and configured to provide a view toward one end. The sensors may be substantially in line with the harvesting zone of the attachment.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates generally to crop vehicles for agricultural harvesting operations. In particular, it is an invention for monitoring a front portion of the combine harvester, such as the combine header, also called an attachment or a harvesting header, and / or a zone behind the attachment.BACKGROUNDCombine harvesters, sometimes called full-harvesters or combiers, are used for harvesting crop at the end of an agricultural season. Combine harvesters are so called because they combine several tasks required for processing a crop, e.g. a grain. For example, a combine harvester may cut, threshing, and cleaning the crop. A combine harvester includes a plurality of subsystems including, but not limited to, a header or attachment, a threshing section, a separating section, a sieve box, a sweeping section, a clean grain tank, and a residue processing section. Each of these subsystems may in turn comprise a plurality of components. A combine operator may operate the combine from an operator location, e.g., a cab or cab. From the cabin, the driver generally cannot see the operation of several components of the combine harvester from their perspective, in particular of certain parts of the attachment. Other harvesters include, but are not limited to, cotton harvesters such as cotton pickers and cotton scraper, hay and forage machines such as shredders and rakes, and sugarcane harvesters.SUMMARYAccording to one aspect of the present disclosure, an attachment for an agricultural harvester is provided. The attachment includes first and second ends. Further, at least one collection portion, a control system, and one or more first-side sensors are included. The one or more sensors are located at the first end and are configured to provide information about a crop zone and / or a rear zone to the control system. In some embodiments, the attachment may further comprise at least one cut-off portionIn some embodiments, the information acquired includes gathering section information and / or cut section information and / or crop information and / or field information. In some embodiments, the sensors provide a first image to the control system. The image may include a gaze toward the second end. The device may also include one or more second-end sensors configured to provide information to the control system. The information of the second-side sensor or sensors may be an image that includes a view in the direction of the first end. The first and second end sensors may be in line with the harvesting zone.Some embodiments of the present invention may also include one or more intermediate sensors that provide information such as an image sensed to the control system. The image may include a view toward the first and / or second ends. In some embodiments, the first-side sensors may be located on a first-side sensor carrier. In some embodiments, intermediate sensors may be located on an intermediate sensor carrier. In some embodiments, the sensor or sensors may be selected from the group consisting of a long range terahertz radar, an FMCW radar, a micro radar, a narrowband radar, a UWB radar, a ground penetrating radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a thermal camera, a visible light camera, a stereo camera, a structured light, a LiDAR, a laser vibrometer, an infrared NMR camera, an infrared SWIR camera, an infrared terahertz sensor, a far infrared sensor, a sonar sensor, and combinations thereof.In some embodiments, an agricultural harvester implement is provided, the implement having first and second ends, a harvesting zone between the first and second ends, and at least one intermediate location extending between the first and second ends. The attachment may further comprise at least one collection section and at least one separation section located in the harvesting zone, a control system and at least one sensor. The at least one sensor may be selected from the group consisting of at least one first end sensor configured to provide a first image toward the second end, at least one second end sensor configured to provide a second image toward the first end, and at least one intermediate sensor configured to provide a third image toward the first and / or second ends. The at least one sensor is configured to provide an image including a view of at least a portion of the agricultural zone and / or the rear zone. Some embodiments may include sensors at the first end, the second end, and at least one interface. In some embodiments, the agricultural harvester may be a combine harvester.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe detailed description of the drawings refers to the accompanying figures. FIG. 1 is a side view of an example combine harvester with a traper header. FIG. 2 is a view showing the front of an example combine harvester with a corn picker. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an agricultural harvester attachment according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a collector portion and a separator portion of the first embodiment of an agricultural harvester implement of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an agricultural harvester attachment according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a collector portion and a separator portion of the second embodiment of an agricultural harvester implement of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a top plan view of an embodiment of an agricultural harvester according to the present invention as viewed from above. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example control system that may be used in embodiments of the present invention.Corresponding reference numerals are used throughout the various figures to indicate corresponding elements.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONOne or more embodiments of technologies, including systems, methods, and apparatus, for providing information about a collection portion and / or a separation portion of an agricultural harvester implement are described in detail below.The phrase "e.g." is used herein to be non-exhaustive of examples and has the same meaning as alternative illustrative formulations such as "including", "including, but not limited to", and "including without limitation.". Enumerations with items separated by keywords (e.g., "and"), and further preceded by the phrase "one or more of" or "at least one of", unless otherwise limited or modified, indicate configurations or arrangements that may include individual items of the enumeration, or any combination thereof. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" or "one or more of A, B, and C" respectively indicate the possibilities of only A, only B, only C, or any combination of two or more of A, B, and C (e.g., A and B; B and C; A and C; or A, B, and C).It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that terms such as "above," "below," "up," "down," "upper / r / s," "lower / r / s," etc. are used descriptively for the figures and do not represent limitations on the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, terms such as "over," "under," "up," "down," "upper / r / s," "lower / r / s," etc. are often used in the context of describing the combine as it is oriented when in its usual mode of operation on the ground. However, these terms are used for description purposes only and do not limit the scope of the disclosure unless the claims require it. Furthermore, the teachings may be described herein with respect to functional and / or logical block components and / or various processing steps. It should be appreciated that such block components may include any number of hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to perform the specified functions.Terms of degree, such as "generally," "substantially," or "about," as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, refer to appropriate ranges outside of a specified value or orientation, e.g., general tolerances or positional relationships associated with the manufacture, assembly, and use of the described embodiments.An example of an agricultural harvester 100 (sometimes also "harvester") is shown in FIG. 1. The crop vehicle 100 shown serves for the extraction and processing of crop products, in particular cereals, from a field. In some embodiments, the agricultural harvester 100 is configured to move in a forward travel direction F through a crop field to crop plants, such as crop planted in rows. The illustrated agricultural harvester 100 is a combine harvester. As mentioned previously, combine harvesters are so called because they combine two or more tasks associated with crop harvesting. The illustrated crop vehicle has components associated with at least the following tasks: collecting crop, separating or cutting crop, threshing, separating crop products and crop residue, cleaning crop products, processing overturn, and processing crop residue. However, agricultural harvesters having fewer, more and / or different functions also fall within the scope of the present invention.With respect to the collecting and separating functions, the crop vehicle 100 may include an attachment 104 (sometimes also referred to as a header or header) for collecting and / or cutting crop material and transporting the cut crop material to be processed to an feeder house 112 for transport to the fuselage 102 of the crop vehicle 100. Figure 1 shows a crop vehicle 100 having a draper header 106 typically suitable for harvesting crop material such as small grain (e.g., wheat, barley), coarse grain (e.g., soybeans, peas, beans), grasses, and legumes (e.g., lentils). Other types of attachments include, but are not limited to, a corn picker (described below), a auger, a row attachment, a belt receiver, a row unit, and a cutter drum. The draper attachment comprises a header 108 and a reel 110 which serve for separating or collecting the crop material. The reel 110, which is provided with a plurality of prongs 111, grasps the crop to be cut and collects it in the direction of the cutter 108. In the draper attachment of Fig. 1, the header 108 may include one or more knives or blades (as shown in Fig. 4). The cut portions of the crop may be transported to an feeder house 112 that may be located near the center of the implement 104 (viewed from the front). The movement towards the feeder house 112 may be via one or more conveyor belts, screws or other means. The cut portions of the crop material may be conveyed from the feeder house 112 to a feed accelerator 114 and into the hull 102 of the combine harvester 100. In the hull 102 of the combine 100, the cut portions of the crop are first introduced into a threshing section or threshing unit 116. Threshing section 116 separates the grain (or other crop) from the portion of the plant to which it is attached (e.g., the threshing section may separate one or more corn grains from a flask or one or more soybeans from a hull). The remaining part of the plant can be referred to as residue or crop residue. Threshing section 116 typically includes a rotor 118 having a plurality of threshing sections (not shown) extending therefrom. The rotor may be at least partially surrounded by one or more concaves (not shown). In some embodiments, the concave or concaves may be generally below the rotor and include a grid through which crop products, such as cereals, may fall into the cleaning section 124, while larger pieces of cut crop material are retained for processing by the residue processing section 142. A separating section 122 also separates cereals from comparatively large crop residues.The cleaning section 124, sometimes referred to as a screen box, may include a cleaning blower 126, a shredder 128, and a screen 130, which operate in combination to separate cereals from relatively similar sized crop residue that has not been separated from cereals in the separating section 122. After the clean section 124, the grain (or other crop products) may be either clean, in which case it follows the path intended for clean grain, or it may require further cleaning. When clean, the grain is transported to a clean grain conveyor 132, which is often in the form of a belt conveyor, a screw, or a paddle conveyor, but may be of any type. The clean grain conveyor 132 conveys clean grain into the clean grain tank 134. The clean grain can be conveyed from the clean grain tank 134 via an unloading worm 136 and an ejection 138. On the other hand, the grain may be incompletely threshed after passing through the cleaning section 124. Such grains are commonly referred to as a "overflow". The transit may be transported to transit conveyor 140, which often is in the form of a belt conveyor, a screw conveyor, or a paddle conveyor, but may be of any type. The transit conveyor 140 may transport the transit back into the threshing section 116 for further processing. Alternatively, in some crop vehicles 100, a separate sweeping section (not shown) may continue to threshing and process the sweepings. Crop residue may pass through residue processing section 142, which may include shredder 144 and spreader 146. Residue processing section 142 finally discharges crop residue from crop vehicle 100 back to the field via spreader 146.The components of the harvester 100 associated with collecting and separating crop and crop products are typically carried out by the implement 104 and the components thereon. The remaining functions are generally accommodated in the fuselage 102 of the harvesting vehicle. The crop vehicle fuselage 102 may also include an operator station 148, an engine (not shown), and a travel mechanism such as one or more wheels 149 or one or more track undercarriages (not shown). The crop vehicle 100 may also include a control system that may be located at one or more locations and will be discussed in greater detail below. Often, access to the control system may be via an operator at operator location 148. The attachment 104 may be selectively removable from the crop vehicle fuselage 102 by any method known in the art. The attachment may be pivotable with respect to the body of the combine harvester 102, e.g., at a pivot point 150. The pivotal movement may be supported by at least one implement support 152, which in the embodiment shown is a hydraulic support, but which may be of any type. Thus, attachments, sometimes also referred to as attachments, may be interchangeable. Therefore, one and the same crop vehicle 100 can be used for harvesting a plurality of crops and crop products. In FIG. 1, the crop vehicle 100 comprises, for example, a traper header 106. In other embodiments, such as that shown in FIG. 2, crop vehicle 100 is equipped with a corn picker 156.Referring to FIG. 2, the depicted attachment 104 includes a first end 160 and a second end 162. First and second end dividers 164, 166 may be located at the first and second ends. The end dividers 164, 166 separate the crop to be harvested from crop that is not to be harvested by the crop vehicle 100 at the respective point in time. Similar to the Draper attachment, corn picker 156 also performs the functions of collecting and separating crop material, but is particularly suitable for planting in-line crops such as corn plants. The corn picker 156 may include one or more conically shaped dividers 158. The conically shaped dividers 158 cooperate with each other and / or with the end dividers 164, 166 to direct or collect corn plants to the header 168. Although conical in the figure, such dividers may be of any shape, size and / or configuration. Additionally, the corn picker 156 may include gathering chains (not shown) between the conically shaped dividers 158 to collect or guide the corn stalks to the header. In a corn picker 156, the header 108 may take the form of two rollers that operate in combination to crush and / or cut corn stalks, but any type of header may be used. The header 108 may also include deck plates (not shown). The rollers can pull the plant down, while the cover plates can detach ears from the stems. The cut portions of the crop (e.g., ears) may then be moved toward the feeder house 112, e.g., by one or more conveyor belts, augers, or other means, such as the auger 169 shown in FIG. 2. When arriving at the feeder house 112, the cut parts of the crop material pass through the feed accelerator 114 into the fuselage 102 of the crop vehicle 100. The cut portions of the crop are processed as described above in connection with FIG. 1, resulting in clean grain (or other crop products) and crop residue being discharged from the crop vehicle 100 back to the field.Referring now to Fig. 3, there is shown an embodiment of an attachment 104 in accordance with the present invention. The attachment is a trapper attachment 106 having a reel 110, a cutter 108, and a conveyor. The illustrated conveyor includes one or more belts 170 that convey cut crop away from the header 108 and to the feeder house 112. There may also be a central conveyor 171 which conveys material from one or more belts to the feeder house 112. The attachment 104 further includes a first end 160 and a second end 162. At the first and second ends 160, 162, there are a first-side divider 164 and a second-side divider 166, respectively. The attachment 104 may include a crop length 172 extending between the first end 160 and the second end 162. The crop length 172 may be approximately the same length as the reel 110 and the header 108. As mentioned above, the reel 100 collects the crop during the harvesting operation, while the header 108 separates the crop during the harvesting operation. The implement 104 may include at least one intermediate location 174 between the first and second ends 160, 162. The one or more intermediate locations 174 may be any locations between the first and second ends 160, 162. In some embodiments, an intermediate location 174 may be near the center of the crop length 172. In some embodiments, there may be intermediate locations on one or more bobbin arms. The reel arms are structures on the attachment which support the reel 110. In some embodiments, one or more reel arms may be located near the center of crop length 172.The attachment 104 may also include one or more sensors 178. The sensors 178 may be located at the first end 160 and / or the second end 162 and / or at one or more intermediate locations 174. The sensors 178 may be configured to provide information to the control system, as described in more detail below. The information may relate to the gathering and / or the separating section of the implement 104, e.g. the reel and / or the header in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, and / or crop information about the crop being subjected to the harvesting operation and / or field information about the field on which the crop vehicle 100 is travelling. The sensor or sensors 178 may be any type known presently or in the future. In some embodiments, the sensor or sensors 178 may be radar, including, but not limited to, long range terahertz radar, FMCW radar, micro radar, narrowband radar, UWB radar, ground penetrating radar, an ultrasonic sensor; a thermal camera; a visible light camera; a stereo camera; a structured light; LiDAR; a laser viscometer; an infrared NMR camera; an infrared SWIR camera; an infrared terahertz / FIR sensor; a sonar sensor; or combinations thereof. Such sensors 178 may provide an image to the control system.The sensors 178 may be configured to provide information about a crop zone 173 and / or a rear zone 175 detected by the control system 180. Referring to Figure 7, the crop zone 173 is the zone defined by the first end 160 and the second end 162 on each side and the crop length 172 on the front and rear of the implement. The rear zone 175 is a zone that extends rearward of the rear side of the attachment 104 with respect to the forward traveling direction F. Embodiments of a harvesting zone 173 and a rear zone 175 are shown in FIG. 7.In some embodiments, the sensors 178 are configured to view at least a portion of the crop zone 173 of the implement 104. In some embodiments, the sensors 178 are configured to view at least a portion of the rear zone 175 behind the attachment 104. In some embodiments, the sensors 178 are in line or approximately in line with the crop zone 173 and / or provide a gaze directed toward an end 160, 162 of the implement 104. For example, one or more sensors 178 may be mounted on or near the first end 160 as viewed toward the second end 162. The view may include the entire harvesting zone 173 and / or the rear zone 175 or portions thereof. In another example, one or more sensors 178 may be disposed at the second end 162 as viewed toward the first end 160. The view may include the entire harvesting zone 173 and / or the rear zone 175 or portions thereof. In another example, one or more sensors 178 may be located at an intermediate position 174 and oriented as viewed toward the first end 160 and / or the second end 162. Such a view may include all or a portion of the harvesting zone 173 and / or all or a portion of the rear zone 175. In some embodiments, the sensors 178 may be located at both the first end 160 and the second end 162 and directed toward the opposite end and / or the rear zone 175. Moreover, in some embodiments, the sensors 178 may be located at the first end 160, the second end 162, and one or more intermediate positions 174. Referring to FIG. 3, the depicted embodiment includes an intermediate sensor carrier 176. The intermediate sensor support 176 may be a structure that supports only one or more sensors, or may be a structure having other functions, such as a reel arm. Moreover, in the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of sensors 178 are located at the interface 174, with at least one sensor providing a gaze toward the first end 160 and / or the rear zone 175 and at least one sensor providing a gaze toward the second end 162 and / or the rear zone 175.As shown in FIG. 3, the sensors 178 may be located at one or more positions at the ends 160, 162. In some embodiments, sensors may be located on the end dividers 164, 166 and may oversee at least a portion of the harvesting zone 173. In some embodiments, the sensors 178 may be located on a first-side sensor carrier 194 and / or a second-side sensor carrier 196. The first and second sensor supports 194, 196 may be supports that are provided for the purpose of supporting the sensors 178 only, or may be another structure at the first and second ends 160, 162 that, in addition to supporting the sensors 178, serves one or more other purposes. In some embodiments, a plurality of sensors may be disposed at one or both ends 160, 162, located at end dividers 164, 166, at end supports 194, 196, and / or any other structure generally proximate the ends 160, 162. Sensors 178 located on the end supports 194,196 may be directed to both the opposite end and the header 108 and reel 110.FIG. 4 is another view of a portion of the attachment 104 of FIG. 3. Also depicted are conveyors 170, e.g., conveyor belts, that move cut material toward the feeder house 112 (not shown). As mentioned above, the reel 110 collects crop toward the crop vehicle 100, including the header 108, while the header 108 cuts the crop. Cut crop is transported to conveyor 170. FIG. 4 also shows a plurality of sensors 178. The sensors 178 are shown at the first end 160, including the first-side divider 164 and a first-side sensor carrier 194. These sensors may be looking towards the second end (shown in FIG. 3 ) and / or the rear zone (shown in FIG. 7 ). In some embodiments, the sensor may also have a gaze that includes the header 108 and / or the reel 110. Also shown in FIG. 4 is an intermediate support 176 that supports sensors 178 on a first side facing the first end 160 and / or the rear zone and on a second side facing the second end 162 and / or the rear zone. In some embodiments, it may be desirable for these sensors to be looking toward the header 108 and the reel 110. The sensors 178 may also be located at the second end 162 in a similar manner as the first end 160, including, but not limited to, the second end divider 166, a second end sensor carrier 196, or elsewhere at the second end 162.Referring now to Fig. 5, there is shown a second embodiment of an attachment 104 in accordance with the present invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the implement 104 is a corn picker 156 having a first end 160 and a second end 162 between which a crop length 172 extends. Also included are a collection section and a separation section. The collection portion may include a plurality of conically shaped dividers 158. The separating section may comprise a plurality of roller pairs for separating corn stalks as described above. The corn picker 156 may also include a auger 169 or other conveyor to transport cut crop towards the feeder house 112 (not shown in FIG. 5). At the first and second ends 160, 162, there may be a first-side divider 164 and a second-side divider 166, respectively. The attachment 104 configured as a corn picker 156 may include at least one intermediate point 174 between the first and second ends 160, 162. In some embodiments, at least one intermediate location 174 may be proximate the center of the crop length 172, however, any location between the first and second ends 160, 162 may be an intermediate location.The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 may include one or more sensors 178. The sensors may be located at the first end 160 and / or the second end 162 and / or at one or more intermediate locations 174. The sensors may be configured to provide information to the control system as described in more detail below. The information may relate to the collection and / or separation portion of the implement, e.g., the conically shaped dividers 158 and / or the stalk rollers, and / or crop information about a crop being subjected to the harvesting operation and / or field information about a field over which the crop vehicle 100 is moving. The sensor or sensors 178 may be any type known presently or in the future. In some embodiments, the sensor or sensors 178 may be radar, including, but not limited to, long range terahertz radar, FMCW radar, micro radar, narrowband radar, UWB radar, ground penetrating radar, an ultrasonic sensor; a thermal camera; a visible light camera; a stereo camera; a structured light; LiDAR; a laser viscometer; an infrared NMR camera; an infrared SWIR camera; an infrared terahertz / FIR sensor; a sonar sensor; or combinations thereof. The sensor 178 may provide an image.In some embodiments, the sensors 178 are positioned so as to be able to view at least a portion of the crop zone 173 of the implement 104 and / or a rear zone 175 behind the implement 104 with respect to the forward travel direction F (shown in FIG. 1 ). In some embodiments, the sensors 178 are in line or approximately in line with the crop zone 173 and / or provide a gaze directed toward an end 160, 162 of the implement 104. For example, one or more sensors 178 may be mounted on or near the first end 160 as viewed toward the second end 162. The view may include the entire harvesting zone 173, the rear zone 175, or portions thereof. In another example, one or more sensors 178 may be disposed at the second end 162 as viewed toward the first end 160. The view may include the entire harvesting zone 173, the rear zone 175, or portions thereof. In another example, one or more sensors 178 may be located at an intermediate position 174 and oriented as viewed toward the first end 160 and / or the second end 162. Such a view may include all or a portion of the harvesting zone 173 and / or the rear zone 175. In some embodiments, the sensors 178 may be located at both the first end 160 and the second end 162 and directed toward the opposite end. Moreover, in some embodiments, the sensors 178 may be located at the first end 160, the second end 162, and at least one intermediate position 174. The depicted embodiment includes an intermediate support 176. Moreover, in the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of sensors 178 are located at the interface 174, with at least one sensor providing a gaze toward the first end 160 and at least one sensor providing a gaze toward the second end 162. An intermediate point 174 may also be conically shaped dividers 158. In some embodiments, the sensor may also face toward the collection section and / or the separation section, e.g., the conically shaped dividers 158 and stalk rolls. These may include, but are not limited to, sensors 178 on the first deadside sensor support 194 or at positions on the first deadside divider 164, with the conically shaped dividers 158 and / or stalk rolls best seen in a rearward view. In some embodiments, the inter-location sensors 178 may be configured to provide a gaze that includes all or a portion of the rear zone 175. Also shown in FIG. 5 is an intermediate support 176 which supports sensors 178 on a first side facing the first end 160 and on a second side facing the second end 162. In some embodiments, these sensors 178 may also be looking toward the conically shaped dividers 158 and the stalk rolls (or other cutters) and / or the rear zone 175.Figure 6 is another view of the corn picker 156 of Figure 6. In Figure 6, the first end 160, a plurality of conically shaped dividers 158, the first-side divider 164 and the header 108 are shown. Also shown is a conveyor in the form of a auger 169 which conveys cut crop material to the feeder house 112 (not shown). The corn picker of Figure 6 includes a plurality of sensors for reviewing the collection and separation sections, e.g., the conically shaped dividers 158 and the header 108, which may be in the form of stalk rolls. The embodiment of FIG. 6 includes one or more sensors 178 on the first-side divider 164. Also included is a first-end sensor carrier 194 that includes one or more sensors. Additionally, an intermediate carrier 176 includes one or more sensors 178. The sensor or sensors 178 on the first-end divider may face the second end 162 (not shown in FIG. 6 ) and / or the rear zone 175 (not shown in FIG. 6 ). In some embodiments, the sensors 178 on the first-side divider 164 are configured to provide a view of the cut and cut portions depending on the desired view. In some embodiments, the sensor or sensors 178 are configured to face the rear zone 175. In some embodiments, the sensor or sensors 178 on the first-side sensor carrier 194 are configured to face toward the second end 162. The sensor or sensors 178 on the intermediate support 176 may face towards the first end 160 and / or the second end 162 (not shown in FIG. 6 ) and / or the rear zone 175 (not shown in FIG. 6 ). In some embodiments, the sensor or sensors 178 on the interposer 176 may provide views of severing and cutting. In some embodiments not shown, one or more sensors may be located on one or more conically shaped dividers and / or another structure that provides a view of at least a portion of the agricultural zone 173. Sensors 178 may also be located at the second end 162 in a similar arrangement as the first end 160, including, but not limited to, the second-end divider 166, a second-end sensor carrier 196, or both.The sensor or sensors 178 may provide information to a control system 180. FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of an example control system 180 to which one or more sensors 178 may provide information. The control system may include a computer 182. Such a computer 182 may be of any type including, but not limited to, a server, a desktop computer, a laptop / notebook computer, a wireless data port, a smartphone, a personal data assistant (PDA), a tablet computing device, or one or more processors within these devices, including physical instances, virtual instances, or both. Accordingly, the computer 182 may be an electronic computing device capable of receiving, transmitting, processing, storing, and managing data and information related to the described subject matter, including, but not limited to, receiving, transmitting, processing, and managing the information from the sensor or sensors 178. The control system 180 may include input devices such as keypads, keyboards, and touch screens that can receive user information (not shown). The control system 180 may also include output devices that communicate information related to the operation of the control system 182 to an operator. The transmitted information may include, but is not limited to, digital data, visual data, audio information, or a combination thereof. In addition, the transmitted information can be displayed in a graphical user interface on a monitor 184. The computer 182 may be coupled to a network (not shown). The computer 182 may include one or more processors 186. Basically, the one or more processors 186 may execute instructions and process data to perform the operations of the computer 182. The computer 182 may also include at least one memory 188. The memory may include data for the computer 182, including, but not limited to, instructions for the processor or processors 186 and / or information from the sensor or sensors 178.The sensor or sensors 178 may be configured to provide information to the control system 180. The information may relate to the field and / or the crop material and / or a power of the combine 100 and / or the settings of the combine 100. With respect to the field, the sensor or sensors may provide information including, but not limited to, the status of one or more portions of the field. Such status indications may include, but are not limited to, whether a portion of the field has been planted, harvested, and / or not harvested. With respect to the crop, the sensor or sensors may provide information including, but not limited to, one or more of plant height, plant condition (e.g., overturned plant(s), standing, partially overturned, skew, pinched, broken), plant health, plant inventory (e.g., number of plants, distance of plants, uniformity of the crop), plant type (e.g., species, variety, hybrids), biomass yield (which may include the yield of non-cereal constituents (NGB)), plant mechanics (NGB toughness), plant moisture (e.g., grain moisture, stalk moisture, leaf moisture, etc.), grain yield, Grain constituents (e.g. protein, starch), plant diameters (e.g. stem, straw, total), ECH (ear, bulb, shell) height, ECH size, ECH mechanics (e.g. bending / breaking strength, firmness), pest infestation, fungal infestation, disease infestation, presence of weeds, intensity of weed occurrence (e.g. size, pressure, amount), weed species, whether the crop has been harvested or not harvested, and crop losses.With respect to the performance of the combine 100, the sensors may provide information including, but not limited to, one or more of introduction speed, stubble height, stubble uniformity (e.g., variance, flattening), uniformity and consistency of material flow (e.g., consistency of material flow of combine and front end devices (FEG), clogs), material flow in the collection section, and / or at delivery (e.g., winding, entrainment, casting, pushing, impacting), material flow at convergence, loss from missing crop (e.g., crop that was not collected or the system was not under control, such as crop that was pushed over, lower than the cut height of the header, or due to flattening), grain detection, lost crop shedding (e.g., non-threshed crop that contacted the system but then lost), lost crop break-up (e.g., grain lost from the plant before it came under control of front end devices (FEG)), lost grain leaked (e.g., lost grain that was previously under control of the system but then lost), material distribution (e.g., internal material distribution including, but not limited to, grain, MOG, chaff), The resulting length of crop being processed (e.g., plant height minus stubble height), field condition quality (e.g., track grooves, field work damage, material accumulations, etc.), crop vehicle cover quality (e.g., how well the operation has covered the surface, the operation was straight, there were intersections) and operational capacity (e.g., the actual capacity of the crop vehicle operation function, such as machine throughput and crop header limits).With respect to the settings of the combine 100, the sensors may provide information including, but not limited to, one or more of the following information: crop head position (e.g., beak angle), crop head height, crop head orientation (e.g., lateral tilt, forward / rearward tilt), auger / belt speed, reel height, reel forward / rearward position, reel speed, reel finger timing, upper auger position, upper auger position, end fender speed, center feeder section height, feeder drum / feeder auger height, feeder drum / feeder auger timing, top plate position, cutter bar forward / rearward position.While various representative embodiments of this invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, those skilled in the art could make numerous changes to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter set forth in the specification and claims. Joining-directed indicia (e.g., "attached", "adhered", "joined", "connected", and the like) are to be broadly construed and may include intermediate elements present between a connection of elements as well as relative movement between elements. Thus, it is not necessarily to be concluded from insertions that two elements are directly connected and fixed with respect to each other. In some instances, the methods set forth directly or indirectly herein describe various steps and operations in a possible order, but those skilled in the art will recognize that steps and operations may be rearranged, replaced, or eliminated without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is intended that any subject matter contained in the foregoing description or the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative only and not restrictive. Details or structures may be changed without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

An implement for an agricultural harvester, the implement having first and second ends and a harvesting zone between the first and second ends, the implement being configured to move in a forward direction to harvest crop material, comprising: at least one collection section located in the harvesting zone; a control system; and one or more sensors located at the first end and configured to provide information to the control system about at least one zone selected from the group consisting of the harvesting zone and a rear zone opposite the forward direction.The attachment of claim 1, further comprising: at least one cut-off portion located in the harvesting zone.The implement of claim 2, wherein the acquired information comprises gathering section information and / or cut section information and / or crop information and / or field information about a field over which the agricultural harvester travels.The attachment of claim 3, wherein the acquired information is collection section information and / or separation section information.The attachment of claim 3, wherein the one or more sensors provide a first image to the control system.The attachment of claim 5, wherein the first image comprises a view toward the second end.The attachment of claim 3, further comprising: one or more second-end sensors configured to provide information detected to the control system.The attachment of claim 7, wherein the second-side sensors provide a second image to the control system.The attachment of claim 8, wherein the second image comprises a view toward the first end.The attachment of claim 7, wherein the first-side sensors and the second-side sensors are in line with the harvesting zone.The attachment of claim 1, further comprising: one or more intermediate sensors configured to provide information detected to the control system.The attachment of claim 11, wherein the one or more intermediate sensors provide a third image to the control system, the third image comprising a gaze toward the first and / or second ends.The attachment of claim 11, further comprising: an intermediate sensor support, wherein the intermediate sensor is located on the intermediate sensor support.The attachment of claim 1, wherein the attachment comprises a first-side sensor support and wherein the first-side sensor is located on the first-side support.The attachment of claim 1, wherein the one or more first-side sensors are selected from the group consisting of a long-range terahertz radar, an FMCW radar, a micro radar, a narrowband radar, a UWB radar, a ground penetrating radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a thermal camera, a visible light camera, a stereo camera, a structured light, a LiDAR, a laser viscometer, an infrared NMR camera, an infrared SWIR camera, an infrared terahertz sensor, a far infrared sensor, a sonar sensor, and combinations thereof.

Images