Agricultural Vehicle Combination Sensor Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural vehicle combinations for mowing and swathing forage crops do not adequately account for the complex interrelationships of the forage harvesting process, leading to suboptimal cutting height adjustments and reduced harvest quality, particularly in terms of energy content, dry matter, and crude fiber content.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural vehicle combination equipped with an adjustment device that uses sensor-based data to control the tractor, mower, and cross conveyor devices to optimize the energy content, dry matter content, and crude fiber content of the mown crop, featuring a computing device, data memory, and display for the driver, which can adjust driving speed, steering, and components of the mower and conveyor devices to ensure optimal forage harvesting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cutting height is adjusted based only on local incline sensor data, then the cutting height can be easily and reliably adjusted for uphill or downhill slopes, but the harvest quality is compromised because the complex interrelationships of the complete forage harvesting process are not considered
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously receiving sensor data from multiple sources (incline sensors, crop condition sensors, moisture sensors) and using this information to dynamically adjust cutting height and other parameters. The control unit processes this feedback loop to optimize harvest quality while accounting for local terrain conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit serves multiple functions: it processes incline sensor data for basic cutting height adjustment, integrates crop condition sensor data for quality optimization, coordinates multiple agricultural vehicles, and manages various sensors throughout the harvesting process. This multi-functionality allows the system to address both ease of operation and harvest quality simultaneously.
2Productivity
If multiple agricultural vehicles are coordinated without integrated control, then each vehicle can operate independently, but the complex interrelationships of the forage harvesting process are not considered leading to suboptimal results
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple agricultural vehicles (tractors, mowers, swathers, combines) into a coordinated network under centralized control. The control units of different vehicles communicate with each other, allowing the system to optimize the complete forage harvesting process while maintaining high productivity through synchronized operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Sensor data from throughout the harvesting process is fed back to control units that adjust operations in real-time. This feedback mechanism ensures that the complex interrelationships between different harvesting stages are considered, optimizing energy content and harvest quality while maintaining efficient productivity.
3Device complexity
If manual monitoring and adjustment of harvesting parameters is performed, then the system is simpler, but the driver cannot actively optimize energy content, dry matter, and crude fiber content throughout the complex harvesting process
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically monitoring and adjusting harvesting parameters through integrated sensors and control units. The system independently optimizes cutting height, vehicle coordination, and processing parameters to maximize energy content, dry matter, and crude fiber content without requiring constant manual intervention, while keeping the interface simple for the driver.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical adjustment and monitoring by the driver is replaced with automated electronic sensing and control systems. Sensors continuously monitor crop conditions, moisture levels, and vehicle parameters, while control units automatically adjust operations to optimize crop quality, substituting manual operations with automated electronic control.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an agricultural vehicle combination (1) for mowing and windrowing forage crops (7) during a forage harvesting process. The present invention is based on the general concept that the agricultural vehicle combination (1) has at least one adjustment device (15) which is designed and configured to adjust the tractor (2) and the mower unit (3) based on sensor-based data from the agricultural vehicle combination (1) for mowing and windrowing the forage crops (7) and forage harvesting process data from another agricultural vehicle combination (50, 53, 54) of the forage harvesting process, in order to optimize the energy content, in particular the crude ash content and/or the dry matter content and/or the crude fiber content, of the mowed crops (6) for the forage harvesting process.