HARVESTING VEHICLE AND CORRESPONDING USE

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a harvesting vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1 and a corresponding use.

[0002] German patent DE 102009010438 discloses a method that involves chopping root crops from a plot into essentially equal-sized pieces. These pieces are then conveyed by a transport device and irradiated with near-infrared light. The reflected radiation is captured and converted into a spectral signal. This spectral signal is then processed to determine the constituents. A corresponding apparatus is also disclosed.

[0003] The method is designed to analyze the fruits of a plot and is intended to ensure a representativeness of the sample from root crops that does justice to the biological variability of the crop and the heterogeneous distribution of ingredients in the plant body.

[0004] However, the known device and method are expensive and essentially limited to plots for breeding purposes (see DE'438

[0003] ).

[0005] Furthermore, harvesting vehicles are known to be used for harvesting root crops, such as sugar beets. These harvesting vehicles have a very high throughput compared to devices used for breeding purposes.

[0006] WO2022223729A1 describes a sugar beet harvesting system. BE1013194A6 discloses a sugar beet harvesting machine. EP3785516A1 discloses a device for determining a date during sugar beet harvesting.

[0007] One object of the invention is to provide a device that allows the harvesting process of root vegetables to be improved using simple and cost-effective means. In particular, it should enable farmers to be provided with timely information about the quality of the harvested root vegetables.

[0008] To solve this problem, a harvesting vehicle is designed according to claim 1. A corresponding use according to the invention is specified in claim 10.

[0009] The advantage of the device according to the invention and its use is, among other things, that a timely assessment of the quality of the harvested crop is obtained, particularly during harvesting.

[0010] Insofar as they fall within the scope of the subject matter defined in claim 1, the remaining individual disclosed features of the invention and the exemplary embodiments can each be used individually or jointly in the disclosed combination or in any other technically possible sub-combination and are thus to be regarded as disclosed.

[0011] Further developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0012] If a functional feature is disclosed in the following, then the corresponding procedural feature is also to be considered explicitly disclosed.

[0013] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the figures, using an exemplary embodiment. The figures show: Fig. 1 : in side view a harvesting or harvesting vehicle according to the invention for harvesting or harvesting root crops, in particular sugar beets; Fig. 2 : in side view a transport route of the vehicle of Figure 1 as well as a schematic view of various components of the determining device of the invention; and Fig. 3 : supervision of the transport route of the Figure 2 .

[0014] The harvesting or digging vehicle, generally designated 2 in the figures, is used for harvesting or digging sugar beets 4 and includes a frame 6 on which vehicle axles with corresponding wheels 8 are provided. At least the wheels 8 are driven by a drive 12 of the vehicle 2. Instead of sugar beets 4, the harvesting or digging vehicle can also be designed to harvest other suitable tubers, beets, or root crops, e.g., potatoes.

[0015] A lifting and lowering harvesting unit 16 is provided at the front of the frame 6. The harvesting unit has a head unit 18 through which the sugar beets can be topped. The harvesting unit 16 can be raised and lowered for harvesting or lifting in a known manner via actuating elements, which in the illustrated embodiment are hydraulic cylinders 20. A driver's cab 24 is provided at the front of the frame 6. Towards the rear of the frame 6, on its upper side, is a storage unit 26, e.g., in the form of an open bunker, for receiving the harvested root crops, here sugar beets 4. The storage unit 26 can alternatively be arranged at another location on the harvesting vehicle 2.

[0016] Sugar beets 4 have a skin and pulp. The in Figure 1The sugar beets shown (4) have already been topped, so that they have a cut surface at the top where the pulp is exposed. The rest of the sugar beet (4) is covered with skin.

[0017] The harvesting unit 16 may further include a flail unit (not shown) designed to flail the leaves off the beet body before the sugar beets are topped.

[0018] The sugar beets 4 are harvested by the harvesting unit 16, preferably simultaneously in several rows. The harvested sugar beets 4 are conveyed from the harvesting unit 16 via a first transport unit 28, and then via a subsequent cleaning unit 30, which in the illustrated embodiment is formed by several successive and rotating sieve stars 32, to a second transport unit 34. The first transport unit 28 preferably comprises transport rollers. The second transport unit 34 comprises a feed belt 36. The feed belt 36 conveys the harvested sugar beets 4 to the loading position of a third transport unit, in this case an upward conveyor 38.

[0019] The upward conveyor 38 comprises at least one continuously circulating, driven belt 40. At regular intervals, carriers 42 are provided on the belt 40, projecting beyond the side of the belt 40 and forming supports for the sugar beets 4. Alternatively, the upward conveyor 38 can be configured differently. The upward conveyor 38 is designed to convey the sugar beets 4, for example, into the storage unit 26.

[0020] The harvesting or picking vehicle 2 comprises a fruit flow device 50, which includes the picking unit 16 for picking the fruit, one or more transport units for transporting the picked fruit, for example the transport units 28 and 34, the cleaning unit 30 for cleaning the picked fruit, the upward conveyor and / or the storage unit 26 of the picked fruit.

[0021] The fruit flow device 50 is designed to handle a stream 52 of harvested fruits 4.

[0022] Depending on the configuration of the harvesting or digging vehicle 2, individual units of the fruit flow device 50 mentioned above can be omitted, rearranged, exchanged, or replaced by other units. The fruit flow device 50 can comprise the digging unit 16 for digging the fruit, the transport unit 36 ​​for transporting the digged fruit, the cleaning unit 30 for cleaning the digged fruit, and / or the upward conveyor 38 for conveying the root crops upwards, and / or the storage unit 26 for the digged fruit in any technically feasible combination. One or more of these units can also be omitted or replaced by other or similar devices, as appropriate.

[0023] The harvesting or raking vehicle 2 also includes an on-board computer 60, which is designed to control the individual units of the vehicle. For this purpose, vehicle 2 includes the corresponding sensors, input / output devices such as screens and keyboards, as well as actuators that are connected to the on-board computer.

[0024] The harvesting or raking vehicle 2 further includes a determining device 62 for determining a date of the stream 52 of the harvested fruit.

[0025] The determining device 62 comprises a sensor device 64 for recording a raw date of the stream 52, a determination device 66 connected to the sensor device 64 for determining a content of an ingredient, preferably the sugar content, of the root vegetables of the stream based on the raw date.

[0026] Alternatively, the content of an ingredient to be determined can also be the content of another quality-relevant chemical ingredient, e.g. the starch content.

[0027] The determining device 62 is designed to output a signal, e.g. via a signal line 68, that corresponds to the content of a substance or sugar content of the root fruits. The signal can be displayed, e.g., on a display unit 74.

[0028] The sensor device 64 includes a sensor unit 70, which includes a near-infrared spectroscopy sensor (NIRS sensor - Near-infrared spectroscopy) and / or a hyperspectral spectroradiometric sensor system.

[0029] The near-infrared spectroscopy sensor, for example, has a working range in the wavelength range of 760nm or 780nm - 2500nm or 3000nm.

[0030] The raw data is, for example, the signal output by the sensor or sensor system.

[0031] In the present case, the sensor(s) generate a sequence of signals corresponding to the rays reflected, e.g., in the near-infrared, by the pulp of the sugar beets conveyed from the harvesting unit 16 to the storage unit 26. The detection device 66 or the sensor device 64 is advantageously configured to detect the pulp or to distinguish between pulp and other objects. For this purpose, the sensor unit 70 advantageously comprises a near-infrared spectroscopy sensor and a hyperspectral spectroradiometric sensor system. The detection device 66 distinguishes between pulp and other objects, e.g., by comparing the signals of the near-infrared spectroscopy sensor and the hyperspectral spectroradiometric sensor system.

[0032] According to the invention, the sensor device 64 or the sensor unit 70 is arranged on the harvesting or harvesting vehicle 2 such that it detects the root vegetables or sugar beets 4 conveyed on the upward conveyor 38. This is advantageous because the beets hardly move relative to each other or relative to the belt 40 in this area.

[0033] Advantageously, the sensor device 64 or the sensor unit 70 is arranged on the harvesting or harvesting vehicle in such a way that it detects the root fruits not only on the up conveyor but also on the harvesting unit 16 and / or on the transport unit 34 and / or on the cleaning unit 30 and / or in the storage unit 26 and / or on the unloading unit.

[0034] In the present case, the sensor device 64 or the sensor unit 70 is arranged such that it detects the fruit flow on the upward conveyor 38. The sensor device 64 or the sensor unit 70 is further arranged such that it detects the fruit flow on the second transport unit 34 (or the feed belt 36), which is located between the cleaning unit 30 (or the sieve stars 32) and the third transport unit (or the upward conveyor 38). A schematic representation is shown in the figure below. Figure 1It is evident that the sensor device 64 or the sensor unit 70 is further arranged to detect the sugar beets 4 located in the ground. For this purpose, sensor unit 70 is positioned on the harvesting unit 16 such that the sugar beets are detected before harvesting. This allows for particularly precise detection of the pulp area exposed by topping. The aforementioned arrangements of the sensor device 64 or sensor unit(s) 70 can each be provided alternatively or in any combination.

[0035] The determining device 66 comprises a computing unit 72 for determining the content of the ingredient, preferably the sugar content. The determining device 66, or the computing unit 72, is configured to determine the content of the ingredient, preferably the sugar content, depending on the amount of detected fruit pulp.

[0036] According to the illustrated embodiment, the computer unit 72 is located away from the sensor unit 70 and connected to the sensor unit via communication means 76. However, both units 70 and 72 are arranged on the harvesting and harvesting vehicle 2.

[0037] The computer unit 72 can be a separate on-board computer of the vehicle, or a part of the on-board computer 60.

[0038] The communication means 76 include, for example, wired communication means such as cables or data buses. Alternatively, the communication means 76 include wireless communication means such as Bluetooth or WiFi communication links.

[0039] Alternatively, and in a manner not shown, the computer unit 72 is mechanically connected to the sensor unit 70 and together they form a single, manageable module.

[0040] Alternatively, the communication means 76 comprise wireless communication means and the computer unit 72, or part of the computer unit, is not mounted on the vehicle and is not mechanically connected to the sensor unit 70. In this case, the computer unit 72 is a computer connected to the internet, and the wireless communication means allow the computer unit to receive the signals from the sensor unit 70 and process them in a distributed manner (cloud computing / internet).

[0041] The detection device 62 further comprises at least one detection aid 84, which increases or supports the detection quality of the sensor unit 70. In this case, the detection aid 84 comprises an additional illumination means 86, which illuminates the image field of the sensor unit 70 with a spectrum corresponding to the sensor unit, such as near-field IR.

[0042] The fruit flow device can include a bypass device, or crop flow bypass, configured to generate a stream of harvested root fruits and an additional stream of harvested root fruits from the total volume of root fruits conveyed along the fruit flow device 50. The sensor device 64 can be configured to detect raw data exclusively from the stream, but not from the additional stream. The bypass device can include a driven conveying element, such as a conveyor belt, or a manual removal device, such as a closable removal opening.

[0043] The bypass device, or crop flow bypass, is, for example, a device along which a first portion of the root vegetables is guided, so that this portion is detected by the sensor unit 70, while a second portion of the root vegetables passes by the sensor unit and is not detected. This improves the detection accuracy of at least the detected flow. In particular, it reduces the computational effort required to determine the nutrient content, preferably the sugar content, and improves the detection conditions for the sensors (e.g., good contrast).

[0044] Furthermore, the fruit flow device can include a treatment device designed to treat the stream or the root vegetables before they are detected by the sensor device 64, i.e., upstream of the sensor device 64, and to increase the free surface area of ​​the fruit pulp. Such a treatment device can, for example, include a peeling device for partially or completely peeling the root vegetables and / or a shredding device for shredding the root vegetables. The shredding device can be designed to process the root vegetables into root vegetable pulp.

[0045] Advantageously, however, the fruit flow device does not include a treatment device designed to increase the free surface area of ​​the fruit pulp.

[0046] The treatment device can optionally be attached to the harvesting unit 16, and / or to the transport unit 34, and / or to the cleaning unit 30, and / or to the upward conveyor 38, and / or to the storage unit 26 for storing the root crops, and / or to the unloading unit.

[0047] The sensor unit 70 can, alternatively or additionally to the NIR sensors or hyperspectral sensors, include a tactile sensor or an ultrasonic sensor. In the latter case, the identification aids 84 can include an ultrasonic transducer that introduces ultrasonic waves into the fruit. In these cases, the identification device 66 determines the content of the constituents or the sugar content from the raw data of the tactile sensor or the ultrasonic sensor.

[0048] Alternatively or additionally, the sensor unit 70 can include a steam sensor that analyzes steam obtained from the evaporation of parts of the root vegetables and calculates the raw date from this. The determination aid 84 can include an evaporator of parts of the root vegetables.

[0049] Alternatively or additionally, the harvesting or harvesting vehicle 2 has a measuring probe (not shown) comprising sensor unit 70. This measuring probe can be inserted into the interior of the root crops or sugar beets and is designed to generate the raw signal based on the pulp inside the root crops or sugar beets. The measuring probe is, for example, a plug-in probe.

[0050] Alternatively or additionally, the harvesting or harvesting vehicle 2 has a sampling probe (not shown) designed to extract a sample of the pulp from the interior of the root vegetables or sugar beets. The sensor unit 70 is then designed to generate the raw signal based on the extracted sample. In this case, the sampling probe is, for example, part of the treatment device.

[0051] The sensor unit 70 is advantageously designed and arranged on the harvesting vehicle such that, when detecting the root vegetables or sugar beets, the root vegetables or sugar beets only have a free cut surface at the top where the pulp is exposed, while the rest of the root vegetable or sugar beet 4 is covered with skin. This increases the usable harvest quantity, as the root vegetables or sugar beets 4 are detected non-destructively. Advantageously, the root vegetables or sugar beets 4 have a maximum dimension greater than 10 cm when detected by the sensor unit 70.

[0052] Advantageously, the sensor unit 70 is arranged downstream of a cleaning unit for root vegetables or sugar beets, e.g. downstream of the cleaning unit 30 or at least at the most downstream of the sieve stars 32. This increases the detection quality.

[0053] The harvesting vehicle can be a beet harvester, as in the preceding example, or a beet cleaner loader (not shown). In the case of a beet cleaner loader, the loader includes a receiving device, e.g., a receiving table, and an unloading unit for unloading and transferring the root crops to a transport vehicle. The unloading unit can be, for example, a transfer unit. In this case, the sensor device is advantageously arranged on the unloading unit so that it detects the root crops on the unloading unit.

[0054] In general, the harvesting vehicle is designed, for example, to pick up root crops, e.g. sugar beets, during a pickup run, and the determination device 66 is designed to determine the content of the ingredients, preferably the sugar content, of the picked-up root crops during the pickup run.

[0055] The harvesting vehicle revealed above is advantageously used in the following steps: The raw date of stream 52 is recorded by the sensor device 64. The content of the root vegetables, preferably their sugar content, is determined by the assay device based on the raw date.

[0056] Advantageously, the above steps are carried out during a recording run, or during the harvesting of the root crops. For this purpose, stream 52 is formed from the harvested root crops.

Claims

1. Harvesting vehicle (2) for harvesting root crops, for example sugar beet, with a crop flow device (50) for handling a flow (52) of harvested root crops, wherein the harvesting vehicle comprises - a sensor device (64) for detecting raw data of the flow, and - a determining device (66) connected to the sensor device for determining a constituent content, preferably the sugar content, of the root crops of the flow based on the raw data, characterised in that the crop flow device comprises an upward conveyor (38) for conveying the root crops upwards, and wherein the sensor device (64) is arranged on the harvesting vehicle such that it detects the root crops on the upward conveyor (38).

2. Harvesting vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device (64) comprises a near-infrared spectroscopy sensor and / or a hyperspectral spectroradiometer sensor system.

3. Harvesting vehicle according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the crop flow device comprises a lifting unit (16) for lifting the root crops, and / or a transport unit (34) for transporting the root crops, and / or a cleaning unit (30) for cleaning the root crops, and / or a storage unit (26) for storing root crops, and / or an unloading unit for unloading and transferring the root crops to a transport vehicle, and wherein the sensor device (64) is further designed and arranged on the harvesting vehicle in such a way that it detects the root crops on the lifting unit (16) and / or on the transport unit (34) and / or on the cleaning unit (30), and / or in the storage unit (26) and / or on the unloading unit.

4. Harvesting vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the crop flow device comprises a bypass device designed to generate the flow (52) and an additional flow of harvested root crops, and the sensor device (64) is designed only to detect raw data of the flow, but not to detect raw data of the additional flow.

5. Harvesting vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the root crops have pulp, wherein the sensor device (64) is designed to detect the pulp, and wherein the determining device (66) is designed to determine the content of constituents, preferably the sugar content, depending on the detected pulp.

6. Harvesting vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the crop flow device comprises a treatment device which is designed to handle the flow (52) before it is detected by the sensor device (64) and to increase the free surface area of the crop pulp, in particular a peeling device or a shredding device for the harvested root crops.

7. Harvesting vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the determining device comprises a computer unit (72) for determining the content of constituents, preferably the sugar content.

8. A harvesting vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the harvesting vehicle is either a beet harvester or a beet cleaner loader.

9. Harvesting vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the harvesting vehicle (2) is designed to pick up root crops during a pick-up run, and wherein the determining device (66) is designed to determine the content of constituents, preferably the sugar content, of the root crops picked up during the pick-up run.

10. Use of a harvesting vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising the following steps: - Recording of the raw data of the flow by the sensor device (64), - Determining the content of constituents, preferably the sugar content, of root crops by the determining device (66) based on the raw data.