METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE WEAR STATE OF A SELF-PROPELLED AGRICULTURAL HARVESTING MACHINE

Description

[0001] The present application relates to a method for determining a wear state of at least one working unit of a self-propelled agricultural harvesting machine, in particular a forage harvester, according to the preamble of independent claim 1, and to such a self-propelled agricultural harvesting machine, in particular a forage harvester, according to independent claim 15.

[0002] During a very short harvest season, it is essential to carry out harvesting processes with high efficiency to achieve sufficient profitability. In addition to the limited timeframe, farmers and contractors face further pressure from constantly and often rapidly changing ecological and economic conditions. Crucial for the efficient execution of work orders is monitoring the condition of the harvesting machine's components, such as drive motors, gearboxes, threshing, separating, cleaning, chopping units, and the like, to ensure that wear-related defects in these components or the harvesting machine itself are prevented or at least detected in a timely manner during the short harvest season.

[0003] For example, DE 10 2017 103 537 A1 discloses a detection arrangement with a magnet arrangement for detecting the wear condition of a chopping unit of a field chopper designed to process a stream of material. EP 3 970 467 A1 discloses a method for determining the wear condition of at least one working unit of a self-propelled agricultural harvesting machine according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0004] It is therefore generally known to determine the wear condition of working components of a harvesting machine using a suitable sensor device. Based on this, for example, in the case of a forage harvester, the cutting edge geometry of a worn chopping knife on a cutter drum of a chopping unit can be restored by resharpening the chopping knife.

[0005] To achieve high efficiency, it is necessary not only to execute work orders efficiently, but also to carry out upstream and downstream tasks associated with the work or harvesting order. Wear and tear on working components can result not only in a defect or failure of the working component or harvesting machine, but can also be relevant for work order invoicing, the planning of a cultivation and / or harvesting strategy, and / or the maintenance of the working components or the harvesting machine. Furthermore, wear and tear on working components has a significant impact on the harvesting machine's operation. Worn working components or components result in the harvesting machine's output not meeting the target values.

[0006] While it is possible to determine a state of wear using conventional sensor equipment, there is no way to relate the determined state of wear or wear pattern over time to an agricultural area and / or a work order carried out on the agricultural area.

[0007] Based on this, the object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method that correlates wear states of working units of a self-propelled agricultural harvesting machine with an agricultural area worked by the harvesting machine and / or a work order carried out on this agricultural area by the harvesting machine in order to ensure a more efficient execution of a harvesting process including any work steps upstream and / or downstream of the actual work order on the agricultural area.

[0008] This problem is solved according to the invention by the features of independent claim 1, wherein advantageous further developments of the method according to the invention are the subject of the corresponding dependent claims 2 to 14.

[0009] The present invention relates to a method for determining the wear condition of at least one working unit of a self-propelled agricultural harvesting machine, in particular a forage harvester. Operating data of the at least one working unit are determined by means of at least one sensor device of the harvesting machine at a multitude of times before, during, and / or after the harvesting machine has carried out a work order on an agricultural area. Position data of the harvesting machine on the agricultural area are determined by means of a position determination device of the harvesting machine at the multitude of times before, during, and / or after the harvesting machine has carried out the work order.The method is characterized by the transmission of operating and position data to a database, where the operating and position data are stored in the database and linked to each other. The sensor device and the positioning device each communicate with the database for data transmission. A processing unit determines the spatially referenced wear state of at least one working unit at each of the multiple time points by processing the operating and position data stored in the database within an analysis routine. The processing unit communicates with the database for data transmission.

[0010] The method according to the invention thus allows, on the one hand, an extremely precise and reliable determination of the wear states of a working unit of a harvesting machine at different times, and on the other hand, the assignment of these wear states to a location or position of the harvesting machine where it was situated on the agricultural land at the various times. In other words, wear states of the working unit are obtained at different times with a clear reference to a position of the harvesting machine on the agricultural land at these different times. This makes it possible to design the harvesting process, which includes the work order on the agricultural land as well as upstream and downstream work orders, the operation of the harvesting machine itself, and the planning of future harvesting processes more efficiently and transparently.

[0011] The process steps required for determining the location-referenced wear condition of the working unit preferably run automatically and without human intervention. The positioning device automatically determines when the harvester is on the agricultural area where the work is to be carried out, thereby initiating the process according to the invention. Alternatively, it would also be possible for an operator of the harvester to initiate the process as soon as the harvester is on the agricultural area to be worked.

[0012] Using the sensor system, operating parameters of the harvesting unit are determined at numerous points in time before, during, and / or after the execution of the work order. Simultaneously, the positioning system determines the position of the harvester on the agricultural area where the work order is being carried out at these numerous points in time. Based on this data, which is transmitted to the database, the processing unit determines the wear condition of the harvesting unit for each of these points in time, with a unique reference to the harvester's position on the agricultural area at that specific time. The data obtained is then processed by the processing unit in an analysis routine.

[0013] The analysis routine used to determine the wear state of the working unit employs an analysis algorithm that uses the collected data to determine the exact wear state of the working unit at the time the data was collected and assigns this state a location reference of the harvester on the agricultural field. In addition to classical analysis algorithms, such as a Fast Fourier Transform, the analysis routine can also employ a machine learning algorithm, i.e., an analysis algorithm based on artificial intelligence, preferably an artificial neural network.The adaptive analysis algorithm is trained before the first determination of a spatially referenced wear state is carried out using an initial data set that defines mappings of various operating parameters of working units and corresponding wear states of the working units, made by means of manual annotations. The data and determined wear states obtained during the execution of the method according to the invention can be used for further training of the analysis algorithm.

[0014] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that, by means of the processing device, depending on the location-referenced wear condition of the at least one working unit during the execution of the work order, wear-related costs, a cause of wear, a future cultivation strategy on the agricultural area, a future harvesting strategy for the agricultural area and / or a maintenance interval of the at least one working unit are determined.

[0015] This generates data that is highly relevant for the upstream and downstream steps of a harvesting process, influences future processes on the agricultural land, is directly dependent on the wear and tear of the harvesting unit, and cannot otherwise be adequately or even at all determined by a person. This enables the efficient and transparent execution of the actual work order carried out by the harvesting machine on the agricultural land, as well as the upstream and downstream work steps.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that, by means of the processing device, a spatially referenced wear index for the at least one working unit is determined based on a spatially referenced wear state of the at least one working unit determined at a time immediately before the execution of the work order and a spatially referenced wear state of the at least one working unit determined at a time immediately after the execution of the work order.

[0017] Preferably, the costs caused by wear during the execution of the work order are determined using the location-referenced wear indicator.

[0018] In addition or alternatively, the maintenance interval for at least one working unit is determined using the location-referenced wear indicator.

[0019] Determining a location-referenced wear indicator, which represents the wear and tear on the harvester's working unit during a completed work order, offers numerous advantages. Firstly, it provides immediate insight for anyone—such as a farmer or contractor—who owns the harvester and / or the agricultural land where the work order was performed, directly visualizing the wear and tear on the working unit. This makes it immediately clear what costs were incurred due to wear and tear on the working unit during the work order and where these costs occurred on the agricultural land. These costs can then be factored into the calculation of overall operating costs.

[0020] Determining a wear indicator is also advantageous for determining maintenance intervals, ensuring that the working units, or the components, are always in a sufficiently maintained condition before the execution of a subsequent work order. This significantly reduces downtime of the harvesting machine, as maintenance of working units can be carried out when the harvesting machine is not in operation.

[0021] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that, by means of a display device communicating with the processing device for data transmission, the location-referenced wear state of the at least one working unit, the costs caused by wear during the execution of the work order, the cause of the wear, the future cultivation strategy on the agricultural area, the future harvesting strategy for the agricultural area and / or the maintenance interval of the at least one working unit are displayed.

[0022] Preferably, the display device maps and displays a progression of the spatially referenced wear state of the at least one working unit and / or the spatially referenced wear state of the at least one working unit.

[0023] This makes the information directly resulting from the wear and tear of the machine accessible to a person, enabling them to take appropriate actions regarding the harvesting machine itself or the harvesting process, based on the information presented. The presentation can be either text-based and / or graphical.

[0024] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that, by means of several sensor devices, operating data of a plurality of working units of the harvesting machine are simultaneously determined at the plurality of times before, during and / or after the execution of the work order, wherein, by means of the processing device, the spatially referenced wear state of the plurality of working units is simultaneously determined.

[0025] Preferably, the wear condition of the harvesting machine is determined based on the location-referenced wear condition of the multitude of working units.

[0026] Accordingly, the inventive method can be used not only to reliably determine the wear state of a single working unit at different times. Rather, operating data for a large number of working units can be simultaneously determined. Based on this data, together with the position data, a spatially referenced wear state of each of these working units can then be determined at the various times using the processing device. From the totality of the individual spatially referenced wear states of the individual working units, the wear state of the harvesting machine can then be reliably determined.

[0027] All known non-contact and contact sensors arranged on a harvesting machine that serve to determine operating parameters are eligible as sensor devices.

[0028] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the determination of the location-referenced wear condition of the at least one working unit, the costs caused by wear during the execution of the work order, the cause of the wear, the future cultivation strategy on the agricultural area, the future harvesting strategy for the agricultural area and / or the maintenance interval of the at least one working unit is carried out taking into account reference data.

[0029] Preferably, the reference data stored in the database includes characteristic map data of the at least one working unit and / or the harvesting machine, historical data on wear conditions of the at least one working unit, geometry data of the at least one working unit and / or the harvesting machine, load collectives of the at least one working unit and / or the harvesting machine, weather data and / or agronomic data of the agricultural area, in particular soil data, inventory data, yield data and / or area data.

[0030] The use of reference data as an additional input variable in the analysis routine ensures a significant increase in accuracy when determining the location-referenced wear condition of the at least one working unit, the wear-related costs incurred during the execution of the work order, the cause of the wear, the future cultivation strategy on the agricultural area, the future harvesting strategy for the agricultural area and / or the maintenance interval of the at least one working unit.

[0031] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the database, the processing device and / or the display device is each designed as an external device or as a device assigned to the harvesting machine.

[0032] Preferably, the database and the processing facility are designed as external facilities, with the database and the processing facility together forming a management system.

[0033] Preferably, the management system is assigned to an entity that is independent of any person to whom the harvesting machine and / or the agricultural area on which the work order is carried out is assigned, with the entity enabling the use of the management system to carry out the procedural steps upon presentation of authorization.

[0034] Alternatively, the management system can be assigned to the person, for example the farmer or the contractor, who owns the harvesting machine and / or the agricultural land on which the work order is carried out, or to a service provider (entity). The person, for example the farmer or contractor, can have the use of the management system for carrying out the method according to the invention activated by paying a fee to the service provider (i.e., as an "as-a-service" functionality).

[0035] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the at least one sensor device is an inductively operating sensor device and the at least one working unit is a knife drum of a chopping unit of a field chopper provided with a plurality of chopping knives, wherein the local wear condition of one or more chopping knives of the knife drum is determined by means of the processing device.

[0036] The problem according to the invention is further solved by a self-propelled agricultural harvesting machine, in particular a forage harvester, according to independent claim 15.

[0037] The present invention is described in more detail below with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the figures.

[0038] They show: FIG. 1 a schematic and exemplary representation of a self-propelled agricultural harvesting machine according to the invention in the form of a forage harvester; FIG. 2 a schematic and exemplary representation of devices for carrying out the method according to the invention; and FIG. 3 a schematic and exemplary representation of a display device according to the invention for displaying information obtained during the execution of the method according to the invention.

[0039] FIG. 1Figure 1 shows a schematic and exemplary representation of a self-propelled agricultural harvesting machine 1 according to the invention in the form of a forage harvester 2, which carries out a work order or harvesting order on an agricultural area 3. The body of the forage harvester 2 is shown cut open in its front part, below a driver's cab, in order to show internal working units 4 of the forage harvester 2 that process the harvested crop, which are connected to a similarly designed FIG. 1The working unit 5, in the form of a drive motor 6, is connected to the drive unit 5 shown in the illustration. One of these crop-processing working units 4 is a so-called chopping unit 7 with a knife drum 8, which in turn is provided with a plurality of chopping knives 9 arranged distributed along its circumference. The present invention is not limited to a forage harvester 2, but is equally suitable for other self-propelled harvesting machines 1, for example, a combine harvester. Here, however, and preferably, it concerns a forage harvester 2.

[0040] The harvesting machine 1 according to the invention further comprises at least one sensor device 10 and a position determination device 11, as shown in FIG. 2The sensor device 10 and the positioning device 11 are each connected to or communicate with a database 12 for data transfer, so that the data determined by the sensor device 10 and the positioning device 11 can be transmitted to and stored in the database 12. The database 12 can be a cloud-based database. Furthermore, it is possible for the database 12 to be centralized or decentralized, for example, as a blockchain database. In addition to the data from the sensor device 10 and the positioning device 11, so-called reference data 13 can also be stored in the database 12. The database 12 is also connected to or communicates with a processing device 14 for data transfer. A display device 15 can, in turn, be connected to the processing device 14.The processing unit 14 can communicate with the display unit 15 for data transmission. Communication between the various units 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 for data transmission can be either wired and / or wireless.

[0041] Referring to the previously described devices 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, the inventive method for determining a wear condition of at least one working unit 4, 5 of the harvesting machine 1 is described in detail below.

[0042] As already described at the beginning, the wear and tear of a working unit 4, 5 of a harvesting machine 1 can not only result in a defect or failure of the working unit 4, 5 or the harvesting machine 1, but can also be relevant for the invoicing of work orders, the planning of a cultivation and / or harvesting strategy, the maintenance of the working unit or the harvesting machine and / or for a duty to provide proof.

[0043] The inventive method provides that, firstly, by means of the at least one sensor device 10 of the harvesting machine 1, operating data of the at least one working unit 4, 5 are determined by the harvesting machine 1 at a plurality of times t 1,...,n before, during and / or after the execution of a work order on the agricultural area 3. This operating data is transmitted by the sensor device 10 to the database 12, with transmission preferably taking place at each time t of the plurality of times t 1,...,n at which the operating data were determined by the sensor device 10. Alternatively, the operating data can also be transmitted to the database 12 in aggregate after completion of the work order.

[0044] Simultaneously, the position tracking device 11 of the harvesting machine 1 determines position data of the harvesting machine 1 at a plurality of times t 1,...,n before, during and / or after the execution of the work order on the agricultural area 3 by the harvesting machine 1. This position data is transmitted by the position tracking device 11 to the database 12, preferably at each time t of the plurality of times t 1,...,n at which the position data was determined by the position tracking device 11. Alternatively, the position data can also be transmitted to the database 12 in a collected form after completion of the work order.

[0045] Both the operating data and the position data at each time point t of the plurality of time points t1,...,n are stored in database 12 after their transmission. The operating data and position data are then linked to each other in database 12. This linking is achieved by assigning each data value a timestamp representing time point t of the plurality of time points t1,...,n. Using processing unit 14, the operating data and position data stored in database 12 are processed in an analysis routine such that a location-referenced wear state of the working unit 4, 5 is determined at each time point t of the plurality of time points t1,...,n. In other words, processing unit 14 determines the wear state of the working unit 4, 5 at each time point t of the plurality of time points t1,...,n determined, wherein the determined wear state at a time t includes a unique reference to a place or position of the harvesting machine 1 on the agricultural area 3 at that time t, i.e. a unique location reference.

[0046] The processing unit 14 determines the wear condition by processing the acquired data in an analysis routine. To determine the spatially referenced wear condition of the working unit 4, 5, the analysis routine applies an analysis algorithm. This algorithm processes the operating data of the working unit 4, 5, acquired by the sensor unit 10, and the position data of the harvester 1, acquired by the position determination unit 11, in such a way as to determine the wear condition of the working unit 4, 5. The processing unit 14 can, for example, determine the wear condition of the working unit 4, 5 as a percentage of wear, where 0% wear represents no wear of the working unit 4, 5 and 100% wear represents the achievement of the maximum service life of the working unit 4, 5.The processing unit 14 is further designed to detect a critical wear condition of the working unit 4, 5, which could be present, for example, from a wear value greater than 60%, by comparing the specific location-referenced wear condition with a limit value stored in the database 12, which defines a critical wear condition.

[0047] Preferably, in addition to the operating data determined by the sensor device 10 and the position data determined by the positioning device 11, the aforementioned reference data 13 stored in the database 12 are used as input for the analysis algorithm. Reference data 13 can include characteristic curve data of the working unit 4, 5 and / or the harvesting machine 1, historical data on wear conditions of the working unit 4, 5, geometric data of the working unit 4, 5 and / or the harvesting machine 1, load collectives of the working unit 4, 5 and / or the harvesting machine 1, weather data and / or agronomic data of the agricultural area 3, in particular soil slabs, inventory data, yield data and / or area data.

[0048] The analysis algorithm used in the analysis routine by the processing unit 14 can be a self-learning analysis algorithm, i.e., an analysis algorithm based on artificial intelligence, preferably an artificial neural network. The self-learning analysis algorithm is trained before the first determination of a spatially referenced wear state using an initial data set that defines manually annotated assignments of various operating parameters of working units 4, 5 and corresponding wear states of the working units 4, 5. The data and determined wear states obtained during the execution of the method according to the invention can be used for further training of the analysis algorithm.

[0049] Using the processing unit 14, it is also possible to determine, depending on the location-referenced wear condition of the working unit 4, 5, the costs caused by wear during the execution of the work order, a cause for the wear, a future cultivation strategy on the agricultural area 3, a future harvesting strategy for the agricultural area 3 and / or a maintenance interval of the working unit 4, 5.

[0050] The specific location-referenced wear states of the working unit 4, 5 at the multitude of time points t 1,...,n before, during and / or after the execution of the work order by the harvesting machine 1, a possible critical wear state of the working unit 4, 5, the costs caused by wear during the execution of the work order, a cause of the wear, a future cultivation strategy on the agricultural area 3, a future harvesting strategy for the agricultural area 3 and / or a maintenance interval of the working unit 4, 5 can be displayed or shown by means of the display device 15. The display or show of this information on the display device 15 can optionally be text-based and / or graphical, in particular by means of graphic elements and / or by color highlighting. In addition to the display or showThe specific location-referenced wear states of the working unit 4, 5 can also be represented by a progression of these location-referenced wear states of the working unit 4, 5, preferably graphically. Furthermore, it is possible that the specific location-referenced wear states of the at least one working unit 4, 5 are mapped and displayed using the display device 15. In other words, a map of the agricultural area 3 is displayed using the display device 15, on which the specific wear states of the working unit 4, 5 are each assigned to a specific area of ​​the agricultural area 3. FIG. 3 The figure shows such a mapping of the specific wear conditions displayed by means of the display device 15. The in FIG. 3The map displayed by the display device 15 shows two agricultural areas 3, each of which is divided into several zones whose boundaries are defined by fine lines on the map. The hatching or coloring of each zone indicates the wear or change in the wear condition caused by the work unit 4, 5 during the processing of that zone. Based on this, the person viewing the map by the display device 15, for example, a farmer or contractor, can directly assess the work performed on the corresponding agricultural area 3.In display areas adjacent to the map display area, further information can be shown, such as the costs caused by wear during the execution of the work order, a cause of the wear, a future cultivation strategy on the corresponding agricultural area 3, a future harvesting strategy for the corresponding agricultural area 3, a maintenance interval of the working unit 4, 5 and / or information on the working unit 4, 5 of the harvesting machine 1 whose wear condition is being considered.

[0051] Furthermore, based on the determination of a spatially referenced wear state of the working unit 4, 5 at the multitude of time points t 1,...,n by the processing unit 14, a spatially referenced wear index can be determined by the processing unit 14. For this purpose, a spatially referenced wear state of the working unit 4, 5 determined by the processing unit 14 at time point t 1 immediately before the harvesting machine 1 carries out the work order is compared with a spatially referenced wear state of the working unit 4, 5 determined by the processing unit 14 at time point tn immediately after the harvesting machine 1 carries out the work order, and based on this comparison, the spatially referenced wear index for the working unit 4, 5 is determined by the processing unit 14.The location-referenced wear index represents the wear of the working unit 4, 5 that occurred during the execution of the work order by the harvesting machine 1 on the agricultural area 3. The location-referenced wear index determined by the processing unit 14 is stored in the database 12.

[0052] The location-referenced wear indicator for the working unit 4, 5, determined by the processing unit 14, can be used to determine the wear-related costs incurred by the harvesting machine 1 during the execution of the work order. For example, the location-referenced wear indicator can be used to determine which costs were incurred when and where on the agricultural area 3 by the harvesting machine 1 during the execution of the work order. These costs can then be used as the basis for calculating the operating costs incurred by the harvesting machine 1 in carrying out the work order.

[0053] In addition or alternatively, the location-referenced wear indicator for the working unit 4, 5 determined by the processing unit 14 can be used or processed to determine a maintenance interval for the working unit 4, 5, thereby enabling efficient planning of the maintenance of the working unit 4, 5 or the harvesting machine 1.

[0054] The processing unit 14 can determine not only the spatially referenced wear condition of a working unit 4, 5 of the harvesting machine 1, but also the wear condition of a multitude of working units 4, 5 of the harvesting machine 1 simultaneously. For this purpose, operating data of a multitude of working units 4, 5 of the harvesting machine 1 are determined by means of a multitude of sensor devices 10 of the harvesting machine 1 at a multitude of times t 1,...,n before, during and / or after the execution of the work order by the harvesting machine 1. Based on this multitude of operating data and the position data, which are determined by means of the position determination device 11 at the multitude of times t 1,...The processing unit 14 determines the wear state of each working unit 4, 5 of the plurality of working units 4, 5 at the corresponding time t, based on the wear states determined before, during, and / or after the execution of the work order by the harvesting machine 1. Using the processing unit 14, the overall wear state of the harvesting machine 1 can also be determined based on the wear states of each working unit 4, 5 of the plurality of working units 4, 5.

[0055] The processing unit 14, the database 12, and / or the display unit 15 can each be configured as an external unit or as a unit assigned to the harvesting machine 1. If the processing unit 14 and the database 12 are configured as external units, they can jointly form a management system 16. Such a management system 16 can be assigned to an entity, for example, a service provider, that is independent of a person, such as a farmer or a contractor, to whom the harvesting machine 1 or the agricultural area 3 on which the work order is carried out is assigned. The entity, i.e., the service provider, can activate the management system 16 for carrying out the procedure, provided it has the necessary authorization.In particular, the person can have the use of the management system 16 for carrying out the method according to the invention activated by paying a fee to the service provider. The execution of the method according to the invention is then offered as a paid external service, i.e., as an "as-a-service" functionality.

[0056] It is also possible that, based on the specific location-dependent wear condition at times t1, ..., n, the harvester 1 automatically generates an instruction concerning its operation by means of the processing unit 14. For example, it would be possible for the processing unit 14 to automatically stop or switch off the working unit 4, 5 and / or switch off certain functions of the harvester 1 required for the execution of the work order when a critical wear condition of the working unit 4, 5 is determined during the execution of the work order. Furthermore, it is possible for the harvester 1 to automatically initiate maintenance of the working unit 4, 5 by means of the processing unit 14 when a critical wear condition of the working unit 4, 5 is determined.

[0057] Preferably, the method is carried out on the forage harvester 2 shown in the FIGS. The sensor device 10 is an inductively operating sensor device 10, which is arranged in the area of ​​a cutter drum 8 of a chopping unit 7 of the forage harvester 2, which is equipped with a plurality of chopping knives 9. By means of the processing device 14, a location-specific wear condition of one or more chopping knives 9 of the cutter drum 8 is determined at each time t of the plurality of times t 1,...,n based on the operating data recorded by the inductively operating sensor device 10 and the position data of the forage harvester 2.

[0058] Finally, it should be noted that the embodiments described above serve only to describe the claimed teaching, but are by no means to be regarded as limiting or exhaustive. Reference symbol list

[0059] 1 Harvester 2 Forage harvester 3 Agricultural area 4 Working unit 5 Working unit 6 Drive motor 7 Chopping unit 8 Knife drum 9 Chopping knife 10 Sensor device 11 Positioning device 12 Database 13 Reference data 14 Processing device 15 Display device 16 Management system

Claims

1. Method for determining a wear state of at least one working assembly (4, 5) of a self-propelled agricultural harvester (1), in particular a forage harvester (2), comprising the following method steps: - ascertaining, by means of at least one sensor device (10) of the harvester (1), operating data of the at least one working assembly (4, 5) at a multiplicity of times (t1,...,n) before, during and / or after carrying out of a work assignment on an agricultural surface (3) by the harvester (1); - ascertaining, by means of a position-determining device (11) of the harvester (1), position data of the harvester (1) on the agricultural surface (3) at the multiplicity of times (t1,...,n) before, during and / or after the carrying out of the work assignment by the harvester (1); characterized by the method steps of: - transmitting the operating data and position data to a database (12), wherein the operating data and the position data are stored in the database (12) in a manner assigned to one another, wherein the sensor device (10) and the position-determining device (11) each communicate with the database (12) for transfer of data; - determining, by means of a processing device (14), a location-referenced wear state of the at least one working assembly (4, 5) at each time (t) of the multiplicity of times (t1,...,n) by processing the operating data and position data stored in the database (12) in an analysis routine, wherein the processing device (14) communicates with the database (12) for transfer of data.

2. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that, by means of the processing device (14), costs incurred due to wear during the carrying out of the work assignment, a cause of wear, a future cultivation strategy on the agricultural surface (3), a future harvesting strategy for the agricultural surface (3) and / or a maintenance interval for the at least one working assembly (4, 5) are / is determined according to the location-referenced wear state of the at least one working assembly (4, 5).

3. Method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, by means of the processing device (14), a location-referenced wear characteristic number for the at least one working assembly (4, 5) is determined on the basis of a location-referenced wear state of the at least one working assembly (4, 5) determined at a time (t1) immediately before the working assignment is carried out and a location-referenced wear state of the at least one working assembly (4, 5) determined at a time (tn) immediately after the work assignment has been carried out.

4. Method according to Claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the costs incurred due to wear during the carrying out of the work assignment are determined on the basis of the location-referenced wear characteristic number.

5. Method according to Claims 2 and 3 or Claim 4, characterized in that the maintenance interval for the at least one working assembly (4, 5) is determined on the basis of the location-referenced wear characteristic number.

6. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, by means of a display device (15) that communicates with the processing device (14) for transfer of data, the location-referenced wear state of the at least one working assembly (4, 5), the costs incurred due to wear during the carrying out of the work assignment, the cause of wear, the future cultivation strategy on the agricultural surface (3), the future harvesting strategy for the agricultural surface (3) and / or the maintenance interval for the at least one working assembly (4, 5) are / is indicated.

7. Method according to Claim 6, characterized in that, by means of the display device (15), progression of the location-referenced wear state of the at least one working assembly (4, 5) and / or the location-referenced wear state of the at least one working assembly (4, 5) are / is indicated in mapped form.

8. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, by means of multiple sensor devices (10), operating data of a multiplicity of working assemblies (4, 5) of the harvester (1) are determined simultaneously at the multiplicity of times (t1,..,n) before, during and / or after the carrying out of the work assignment, wherein, by means of the processing device (14), the location-referenced wear states of the multiplicity of working assemblies (4, 5) are determined simultaneously, wherein preferably a wear state of the harvester (1) is determined on the basis of the location-referenced wear states of the multiplicity of working assemblies (4, 5).

9. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the determination of the location-referenced wear state of the at least one working assembly (4, 5), of the costs incurred due to wear during the carrying out of the work assignment, of the cause of wear, of the future cultivation strategy on the agricultural surface (3), of the future harvesting strategy for the agricultural surface (3) and / or of the maintenance interval for the at least one working assembly (4, 5) is realized with reference data (13) taken into account.

10. Method according to Claim 9, characterized in that the reference data (13) comprise database-stored characteristic-map data of the at least one working assembly (4, 5) and / or of the harvester (1), historical data concerning wear states of the at least one working assembly (4, 5), geometry data of the at least one working assembly (4, 5) and / or of the harvester (1), load collectives of the at least one working assembly (4, 5) and / or of the harvester (1), weather data and / or agronomic data of the agricultural surface (3), in particular soil data, crop data, yield data and / or surface data.

11. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the database (12), the processing device (14) and / or the display device (15) are each / is configured as an external device or as a device assigned to the harvester (1).

12. Method according to Claim 11, characterized in that the database (12) and the processing device (14) are configured as external devices and together form a management system (16).

13. Method according to Claim 12, characterized in that the management system (16) is assigned to an entity that is independent of a person to whom the harvester (1) and / or the agricultural surface (3) on which the work assignment is carried out is assigned, wherein a use of the management system (16) for carrying out the method steps is enabled by the entity where authorization exists.

14. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the at least one sensor device (10) is an inductively operating sensor device (10) and the at least one working assembly (4) is a blade drum (8) of a chopper mechanism (7) of a forage harvester (2) that is equipped with a multiplicity of chopper blades (9), wherein, by means of the processing device (14), the location-related wear state of one or more chopper blades (9) of the blade drum (8) is determined.

15. Self-propelled agricultural harvester (1), in particular forage harvester (2), comprising at least one working assembly (4, 5), at least one sensor device (10), a position-determining device (11), a database (12), a processing device (14), and a display device (15), which are adapted in such a way as to carry out the steps of the method according to one of Claims 1 to 14.