Grain-Bin Monitoring with Sieving and Mono-Layer Breakage Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current machine vision technologies for monitoring grain impurity and breakage rates in combine harvesters struggle with occlusion and color similarity issues, leading to inaccurate detection and low cleanliness of grains due to simultaneous detection of impurities and grains, and inability to separate them effectively.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring apparatus with a sieving mechanism to separate grains from impurities, followed by weighing and image acquisition, utilizing a Geneva conveying mechanism for mono-layer distribution and an industrial camera for breakage detection, along with a combing mechanism to enhance separation and cleanliness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If machine vision technology is used to monitor impurity rate and breakage rate simultaneously, then detection coverage is improved, but detection accuracy deteriorates due to occlusion and color similarity
Solution Approach 1:
The detection system is segmented into two independent subsystems: one for detecting impurity rate and another for detecting breakage rate. This segmentation allows each subsystem to focus on a specific detection task, thereby improving detection accuracy while maintaining comprehensive detection coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The impurity detection function is extracted from the simultaneous detection process. By separating impurity detection from breakage rate detection, the system eliminates the interference caused by occlusion and color similarity between grains and impurities, thus improving the accuracy of both detection tasks.
2Productivity
If grains and impurities are detected simultaneously, then detection efficiency is improved, but grain cleanliness deteriorates due to inability to separate and remove impurities
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the grain processing flow into separate paths for clean grains and impurities. After detection, grains are directed to one path while impurities are directed to another, enabling both efficient detection and effective separation to maintain grain cleanliness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary separation of grains and impurities before final processing. By identifying and separating impurities early in the process, the system ensures grain cleanliness is maintained throughout subsequent operations while keeping the overall process efficient.
3Device complexity
If visual monitoring is used on grain surface only, then system complexity is reduced, but detection accuracy deteriorates due to inability to detect deep-layer impurities
Solution Approach 1:
A vibration mechanism is introduced as an intermediary to facilitate the movement of grains from deep layers to the surface. This intermediary device enables deep-layer impurities to be brought to the surface for detection by the visual monitoring system, improving detection accuracy without significantly increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs mechanical vibration to agitate and move grains within the detection area. This vibration causes deep-layer grains and impurities to rise to the surface, making them visible to the monitoring camera and improving detection accuracy while maintaining relatively simple system architecture.
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
Improves detection accuracy and cleanliness of grains by separating impurities, allowing for precise measurement of impurity and breakage rates, and avoiding grain occlusion during image processing.
Implementation Method 1
a weighing sensor and a fixing plate being capable of rotating are both provided in the grain-weighing box and the impurity box, the impurity rate may be calculated by detecting masses of the grains and impurities
Implementation Method 2
an industrial camera is arranged at a tail end of the conveying belt; a spread scraper is arranged above a portion of the conveying belt between the industrial camera and the Geneva conveying mechanism, so that the industrial camera can carry out mono-layer breakage detection on the grains
Implementation Method 3
a Geneva conveying mechanism is arranged at a bottom of the collecting box; a conveying belt, being arranged below the Geneva conveying mechanism
Implementation Method 4
a spread scraper is arranged above a portion of the conveying belt between the industrial camera and the Geneva conveying mechanism, so that the industrial camera can carry out mono-layer breakage detection on the grains
Implementation Method 5
a sieving mechanism, comprising an arc-shaped impurity-removing sieve arranged above the grain-weighing box
Implementation Method 6
a combing mechanism is arranged above an end of the impurity-removing sieve for spreading a grain mixture on the impurity-removing sieve and discharging the impurities on the impurity-removing sieve into the impurity box
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to the technical field of agricultural machinery, and discloses an apparatus and a method for monitoring impurity rate and breakage rate of grains in a grain-bin of a harvester, wherein the apparatus cannot only detect the impurity and breakage rates, but also collect impurities in grains, improving the cleanliness of grains in the grain bin through the arrangements of an impurity box, a grain-weighing box and a sieving mechanism; the apparatus stores respectively the grains and the impurities into the grain-weighing box and the impurity box through the sieving mechanism, realizes the separation detection of grain impurity and breakage rates, improves the detection accuracy; and, when detecting the breakage rate, the grains are distributed in mono-layer and sparsely by setting Geneva conveying mechanism and spread scraper, avoiding the obstruction between grains and further improving the visual detection accuracy of breakage rate.