Forward-Looking Harvester Control With Adaptive Biomass Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural harvester systems struggle to maintain optimal crop throughput by reacting to changes in crop density and biomass, leading to inefficiencies in adjusting ground speed and machine settings.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural harvester equipped with a forward-looking sensor and component sensors that continuously adapt a conversion factor to estimate biomass, allowing proactive adjustments to ground speed and machine settings based on real-time crop conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the harvester uses a fixed conversion factor to estimate biomass from forward-looking sensor data, then the system complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of biomass estimation deteriorates due to varying crop conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic conversion factor that adapts in real-time based on actual crop conditions detected by sensors. The conversion factor is continuously updated during harvesting operations to reflect varying crop density, moisture content, and other environmental factors, thereby maintaining high measurement precision without requiring excessive system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback mechanisms where actual biomass measurements from component sensors are compared with estimated biomass from forward-looking sensors. The conversion factor is adjusted based on this feedback loop, allowing the system to self-correct and maintain precision while keeping the control architecture manageable
2Device complexity
If the harvester reacts to changes in crop density after detection, then the control system remains simple, but the productivity decreases due to delayed response to changing conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions forward-looking sensors to detect crop density and biomass characteristics before the harvester reaches that section of crop. This preliminary detection allows the control system to anticipate changing conditions and adjust ground speed and machine settings in advance, maintaining optimal throughput without requiring complex real-time reactive control
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts ground speed and machine settings based on predicted crop conditions. By continuously updating the conversion factor and using forward-looking sensor data, the system adapts proactively to varying crop density, maintaining high productivity while keeping the control logic relatively simple
3Measurement precision
If the harvester uses multiple sensors and adaptive conversion factors, then the measurement precision improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the sensor system and conversion factor adaptation mechanism to serve multiple functions. The forward-looking sensors detect various crop characteristics (density, height, moisture), the conversion factor serves as a universal parameter for biomass estimation across different crop types and conditions, and the control system integrates multiple functions into a unified management architecture, reducing overall system complexity despite using multiple sensors
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural harvester includes a plurality of controllable subsystems and a forward-looking sensor that detects a characteristic in front of the harvester. The forward-looking sensor generates a first sensor signal indicative of the detected characteristic. The harvester further includes a component sensor that detects a characteristic of a component of the agricultural harvesting machine and generates a second sensor signal indicative of the detected characteristic. Adaptation logic receives the first and second sensor signals and determines a sensor conversion factor intermittently during operation of the agricultural harvester. Recommendation logic receives the conversion factor and generates a recommendation to change operation of a controllable subsystem, based in part on the calculated conversion factor and a value received from the forward-looking sensor. A control system controls the controllable subsystem based on the generated recommendation.