Universal Crop Load Sensing via Drive Torque and Flex Roller
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mowing machine architectures vary widely, making it challenging to obtain universal crop yield information across different types of commercial mowers and mower-conditioners, as crop type influences the components and arrangements, necessitating a system to measure crop quantity regardless of machine configuration.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural machine with a flexible drive assembly including a drive roller, a flex roller, and an endless loop, along with a retractable linear device and crop load sensor, measures characteristics such as tension, pressure, or rotation to determine the quantity of harvested crop, allowing for universal crop load sensing across various mower configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If different mower architectures are used for different crop types, then crop processing effectiveness is improved, but obtaining universal crop yield information becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a crop load sensing system that can universally measure crop quantity across different mower architectures (cut-only mowers, mower-conditioners, etc.) and various crop types (alfalfa, grassy crops, canola). The sensing system uses standardized measurements (torque, power, speed) that are independent of the specific mower configuration, enabling one system to serve multiple functions across diverse harvesting scenarios.
2Productivity
If crop type influences machine components and arrangement, then crop-specific processing is improved, but measurement system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the crop load sensing function from the specific mower components and creates an independent measurement system. Instead of designing different measurement systems for different mower types, the invention extracts the essential measurement parameters (torque, power, speed) that can be universally applied. The sensing system is separated from the mechanical variations, allowing simple standardized measurements regardless of the specific mower architecture or crop type being processed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible drive assembly is used to accommodate crop variations, then adaptability is improved, but measuring crop quantity becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using sensors to continuously monitor drive torque, power, and speed of the flexible drive assembly. The system measures the actual load conditions and feeds this information back to determine crop quantity. The feedback mechanism allows the system to account for variations in crop density, moisture, and flow rate by continuously monitoring the mechanical load on the drive assembly, thereby simplifying the measurement process despite the flexibility needed to handle different crop conditions.
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
Enables accurate measurement of crop quantity processed by the machine, independent of its components and arrangements, by detecting changes in drive torque and flex roller movement, facilitating efficient crop harvesting and processing.
Implementation Method 1
measuring a change in location of the flex roller induced by the increase in drive torque required to rotate the drive roller at a constant rotational speed
Implementation Method 2
the retractable linear device is a spring; and the crop load sensor is configured to measure the tension of the spring
Data Source
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AI summary
An agricultural machine capable of sensing a harvested crop load includes a mower or mower conditioner implement, which may be referred to as a crop cutting implement, and a retractable linear device such as a spring or linear actuator. The crop cutting implement includes a flexible drive assembly with an endless loop, such as a belt, that is driven and supported by rollers. The retractable linear device resists movement of a first roller relative to a second roller. With this arrangement various characteristics of the agricultural machine, all of which are proxies for the position of the first roller relative to the second roller, may be measured by a crop load sensor to determine the quantity or load of harvested crop being processed by the flexible drive assembly of the agricultural machine.