Drone Harvest Readiness Sensing for Harvester Control Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Growers face challenges in determining crop and worksite readiness for harvesting, as current systems are time-consuming and inaccurate, leading to potential crop damage, machine inefficiencies, and reduced profits due to improper harvesting timing.
Innovation Solution
A drone-based system with harvest readiness sensors remotely detects crop and worksite attributes, enabling precise control of agricultural harvesters to optimize harvesting operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional harvest readiness assessment methods are used, then operational simplicity is maintained, but measurement precision and reliability deteriorate due to time-consuming and inaccurate determination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a drone as an intermediary carrier that transports harvest readiness sensors to the worksite. This intermediary approach enables remote sensing capabilities without requiring complex sensor integration in the harvester itself, thereby improving measurement precision while managing system complexity through modular deployment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical or manual harvest readiness assessment methods with optical and electromagnetic sensing technologies. Sensors detect crop attributes, moisture content, and worksite conditions remotely, substituting physical inspection with advanced detection methods to achieve higher precision without proportional increases in mechanical complexity
2Productivity
If harvest readiness is determined using current methods, then time consumption is acceptable for simple operations, but productivity deteriorates due to delayed and inaccurate harvesting decisions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs harvest readiness assessment before the actual harvesting operation begins. The drone and sensors evaluate crop readiness and worksite conditions in advance, allowing harvesting decisions to be made proactively rather than reactively, thereby improving productivity by eliminating delays during the harvesting process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables continuous monitoring of harvest readiness attributes through repeated drone flights and sensor measurements. This continuous data collection allows for real-time assessment of crop maturity and worksite conditions, ensuring harvesting operations can proceed without interruption when readiness conditions are met, thereby maximizing productivity
3Measurement precision
If remote sensing is implemented for harvest readiness determination, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and processing systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the harvest readiness assessment system into separate functional modules: the drone platform, the sensor suite, the communication system, and the harvester control system. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and deployed flexibly, managing overall system complexity while maintaining high measurement precision through specialized sensor configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The drone-based sensor system is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting crop moisture content, assessing crop maturity, evaluating worksite accessibility, and monitoring environmental conditions. This multi-functionality consolidates what could be multiple separate systems into a single integrated platform, improving measurement precision across multiple parameters without proportionally increasing device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural system includes one or more processors and memory storing instructions, executable by the one or more processors. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: obtain harvest readiness sensor data, indicative of one or more harvest readiness attributes corresponding to a worksite, from one or more harvest readiness sensors remote from a harvester; determine one or more harvest readiness values corresponding to the worksite, indicative of a readiness for harvesting, based on the harvest readiness sensor data; and control one or more controllable subsystems of the harvester based on the one or more harvest readiness values.