Combine Harvester Unified Control for Autonomous Harvest Settings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing combine harvesters with driver assistance systems have complex designs and require significant operator input for adjusting various working components, which can affect other setting parameters and process quality, leading to inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A combine harvester with a driver assistance system featuring a memory and processing unit that autonomously determines setting parameters using a comprehensive model to optimize the operation of multiple working units, allowing for semi- or fully autonomous control and integration of internal and external influencing factors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a process supervisor is assigned to control individual automatic setting devices and manage data exchange, then the overall processing can be optimized, but the design becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple automatic setting devices (threshing unit, separating unit, cleaning unit) into a single integrated automatic setting device. This consolidation eliminates the need for a separate process supervisor while maintaining the ability to optimize overall processing through unified control of all working units.
Solution Approach 2:
The single automatic setting device is designed with multi-functionality, capable of controlling different working units (threshing, separating, cleaning) through a universal control architecture. This allows one device to perform multiple functions that previously required separate controlled devices, reducing system complexity while preserving optimization capabilities.
2Productivity
If the speed of a threshing drum is increased to increase throughput, then the throughput of harvested crop increases, but the proportion of broken kernels increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of the threshing drum speed based on real-time conditions. The automatic setting device can vary the drum speed during operation to optimize the balance between throughput and kernel integrity, rather than maintaining a fixed high speed that would consistently increase broken kernels.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where sensors monitor the threshing process and provide data to the automatic setting device. This feedback loop enables the system to detect when high drum speed causes excessive broken kernels and automatically adjust the speed to maintain optimal kernel integrity while preserving throughput.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple automatic setting devices are used to control different working units, then each unit can be optimized independently, but the system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple independent automatic setting devices into a single integrated control unit that can manage threshing, separating, and cleaning operations. This unified device maintains the ability to optimize each working unit independently through its control algorithms while eliminating the complexity of coordinating multiple separate control devices.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a combine harvester with several working elements (16) and a driver assistance system (18) for controlling the working elements, wherein the driver assistance system (18) comprises a memory (26) for storing data and a computing device (27) for processing the data stored in the memory (26), wherein the working elements together with the driver assistance system (18) form an automatic setting unit (20) in that a plurality of selectable harvesting process strategies (26a) are stored in the memory (26) and wherein the computing device (27) is configured to autonomously determine at least one setting parameter for implementing the respective selected harvesting process strategy (26a) and to specify it to the working elements as a whole, wherein an overall model (M1, M2) for each target variable is stored in the memory (26), wherein the overall model (M1, M2) forms functional relationships between the target variable and several influencing variables.wherein the influencing factors include internal influencing factors and external influencing factors, and wherein the computing device (27) is configured to perform the autonomous determination of the at least one setting parameter based on the overall model (M1, M2).