Forage Crop Sensing for High-Resolution Field Condition Mapping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current crop harvesting machines lack the necessary resolution in crop data and field mapping, making it difficult to manage crops effectively with the increasing sophistication of agricultural practices.
Innovation Solution
A crop sensing system that includes sensors to detect crop attributes on a per-row or per-plant basis, processing this data to provide enhanced resolution crop data and field maps, allowing for more advanced and sophisticated crop management by adjusting operational parameters in real-time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional crop sensors are used to detect crop yield, then basic harvesting information is obtained, but the data resolution is inadequate for sophisticated crop management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the crop sensing system into multiple independent sensor units distributed across the harvesting machine. Each sensor detects crop attributes for specific portions of the swath, and the system processes these segmented data streams separately to generate high-resolution per-row or per-plant crop data. This segmentation enables sophisticated crop management without requiring a single overly complex sensor system.
2Loss of information
If per-plant crop sensing is implemented, then detailed crop attribute data is obtained, but the quantity of data processed increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential crop attribute information needed for management decisions from the full set of sensor data. The system identifies and extracts key parameters such as yield, moisture content, and plant health indicators from per-plant measurements, then aggregates this extracted information at the row or field level. This extraction approach maintains information completeness while reducing the total data volume for storage and analysis.
3Measurement precision
If high-resolution field maps are generated, then detailed field condition information is obtained, but the processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary processing of crop sensor data during the harvesting operation itself. The system continuously aggregates and processes per-plant measurements into per-row and per-field statistics in real-time as the harvester moves across the field. This preliminary action creates high-resolution field maps concurrently with harvesting, eliminating the need for separate post-processing operations and reducing total time loss.
Data Source
AI summary
At least one sensor carried by a mobile machine senses a sensed forage crop attribute value independent of plant population for an individual forage plant. A processing unit derives a derived forage crop attribute value based on the sensed forage crop attribute value. The derived forage crop attribute value is used to determine a field condition.