Acoustic Material Flow Sensor for Harvesting Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current combine automation systems lack effective sensors to accurately monitor and adjust for optimal material flow and quality, leading to inefficiencies and reduced crop yield due to inadequate detection of load and crop cleanliness.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a system with advanced sensors, including material flow sensors, grain quality sensors, and crop mass predictive sensors, which use acoustic and optical technologies to detect and analyze crop material in real-time, enabling automatic adjustments or operator recommendations for optimal combine performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If advanced acoustic sensors are implemented to accurately detect crop material flow and quality, then measurement precision and reliability improve, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical sensing systems with acoustic field-based detection. Acoustic sensors detect crop material flow and quality parameters through sound wave analysis, eliminating the need for complex mechanical contact sensors while achieving high measurement precision in material flow rate and crop cleanliness detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces acoustic waves as an intermediary medium to detect crop material properties. Instead of direct mechanical contact, acoustic sensors use sound wave propagation through and around crop materials to infer flow rate, density, and cleanliness, simplifying the sensing mechanism while maintaining high detection accuracy.
2Productivity
If real-time acoustic monitoring of crop material is implemented, then productivity and harvesting efficiency improve, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic acoustic monitoring rather than continuous monitoring, where sensors take measurements at regular intervals during the harvesting process. This approach maintains real-time monitoring capability for productivity optimization while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The acoustic monitoring system is integrated into the existing harvesting machine structure, utilizing the machine's own operational movements and acoustic environment. The system leverages the natural acoustic signals generated during harvesting operations, requiring minimal additional energy input while achieving effective real-time monitoring.
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are deployed to monitor both load and crop cleanliness, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs acoustic sensors with multi-functional capability, where a single acoustic sensing system can simultaneously detect multiple parameters including material flow rate, crop cleanliness, and load conditions. This universal approach achieves high measurement precision for multiple parameters while avoiding the complexity of deploying separate specialized sensors for each measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple sensing functions into a unified acoustic monitoring system. By merging load detection, flow rate measurement, and cleanliness assessment into a single integrated acoustic sensor array, the system achieves comprehensive monitoring accuracy while reducing overall system complexity compared to using separate mechanical sensors for each parameter.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances the accuracy of crop material detection and adjustment, improving the efficiency and quality of the harvesting process by minimizing cracked grain and material other than grain, thereby increasing crop yield and reducing operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
the microphone detects the sound waves and converts them into an electrical signal
Implementation Method 2
the housing is shaped so as to direct sound waves created by at least one object striking the impact plate into the pneumatic impulse line
Data Source
AI summary
A material flow sensor for a harvesting machine comprising an acoustic chamber comprising an impact plate and a housing, microphone, a pneumatic impulse line connecting the housing and the microphone, and an electronics module, wherein the housing is shaped so as to direct sound waves created by crop matter striking the impact plate into the pneumatic impulse line, wherein the sound waves move through the pneumatic impulse line into the microphone, which detects the sound waves and converts them into an electrical signal that is a representation of the sound power derived from the sound waves, which in turn is a representation of the mass of the crop matter striking the material flow sensor.