Fruit Harvest Sensor System for Net Yield Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing harvesting vehicles fail to accurately differentiate between usable and unusable components of harvested root crops, leading to inaccurate yield estimation.
Innovation Solution
A determining device equipped with various sensors and a computer unit to analyze the quality and yield of harvested crops in real-time, providing a net yield estimation by detecting surface injuries, breaks, soil attachments, and impurities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If only the gross quantity of harvested crops is recorded, then the recording process is simple, but the accuracy of yield assessment is poor because unusable components are included
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/conventional recording methods with optical sensing systems (cameras, sensors) to detect and differentiate between usable and unusable crop components. This substitution enables precise quality-based sorting and recording without complex mechanical separation mechanisms, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the harvested crops into different categories (usable vs. unusable components) based on their properties and directs them through separate processing paths. This segmentation allows independent recording and assessment of each component type, improving yield assessment accuracy while maintaining system manageability through modular design.
2Productivity
If continuous quality monitoring is implemented, then harvesting process optimization is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where sensors and cameras continuously monitor crop quality, and this information is fed back to control systems that can adjust harvesting operations in real-time. This feedback loop enables continuous optimization of harvesting processes by adapting to changing conditions, improving productivity while managing complexity through automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system is designed to autonomously detect, classify, and record crop quality without requiring constant human intervention. The system self-regulates by using its own sensor data to make real-time decisions about harvesting operations, reducing operational complexity while maintaining continuous quality monitoring capabilities.
Data Source
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AI summary
This determination device (62) for determining a date when harvesting fruit (4), for example sugar beets, comprises a fruit flow device (50) for processing a stream (52) of harvested fruit, a sensor device (64) for detecting a raw date of the stream, and a determination device (66) connected to the sensor device for determining a date of the stream based on the raw date. The date is a quality date or a yield date of the stream. The determination device is configured to output a signal corresponding to the quality date or the yield date. The quality date or the yield date reflects information about a net yield of the harvested fruit.