Harvester Conveyance Clog Detection by Rotational Speed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing harvesters face challenges in accurately determining clogs in conveyance devices and augers, leading to inefficient operations and potential damage, especially for inexperienced operators in noisy or complex environments, and struggle with balancing loads and setting optimal torque limits.
Innovation Solution
A harvester system that uses rotational speed information to determine clogs in conveyance devices and augers, implementing speed reduction commands and vehicle speed control to clear clogs, while allowing manual operation to handle abnormal states, and includes a clog determining unit to accurately identify clogs based on rotational speed thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a detection sensor is used to detect load on the conveyance device, then the conveyance device can be protected from damage, but false detections may occur due to unbalanced loads from long culm, causing unnecessary stops
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical load detection sensor with an electrical current detection system. The control unit monitors the current consumed by the conveyance device motor, and a clog is detected when the current exceeds a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period. This electrical measurement approach avoids false detections from unbalanced loads while maintaining protection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces current as an intermediary parameter to indirectly detect clogs. Instead of directly measuring mechanical load which can be affected by unbalanced culm distribution, the system measures electrical current which reflects the actual motor load and clog conditions more reliably.
2Reliability
If a torque limiter is used to protect the auger shaft, then damage from excessive load can be avoided, but it is difficult to set the optimal limit torque that balances protection and operational efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical torque limiter with an electrical current-based detection and control system. The control unit monitors motor current and can detect clogs when current exceeds thresholds. This allows for more precise and adjustable protection without the need to physically set torque limits, enabling better balance between protection and efficiency through software-controlled parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the protection system dynamic and adaptive rather than static. Instead of a fixed torque limit that must be manually set, the system dynamically monitors current and can adjust responses based on operating conditions, allowing optimal performance across varying harvest conditions without sacrificing protection.
3Productivity
If the conveyance device conveys whole culm continuously, then harvesting operations can proceed without interruption, but unbalanced loads from long culm may cause false clog detections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical load sensing with electrical current measurement to improve detection accuracy. Current measurement provides a more precise indicator of actual motor load and clog conditions, avoiding false detections from unbalanced culm loads while maintaining continuous operation capability.
4Device complexity
If operators rely on sounds and vibrations to detect clogs, then no additional sensors are needed, but inexperienced operators or those in noisy environments cannot reliably detect clogs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces subjective sensory detection (sound and vibration perception) with objective electrical current measurement. The control unit automatically monitors current and detects clogs based on predetermined thresholds, providing reliable detection independent of operator experience or environmental noise while maintaining relatively simple system architecture.
Data Source
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AI summary
A harvester capable of autonomous travel in a field includes: a harvesting unit that harvests a crop from the field; a conveyance device 12 that conveys, toward the rear of a harvester body, a whole culm of the harvested crop harvested by the harvesting unit; a detection sensor 37 that detects a drive speed of the conveyance device 12; and a clog determining unit 73 that determines a clog of the harvested crop in the conveyance device 12 on the basis of the drive speed. The clog determining unit 73 outputs a vehicle stop command that stops the harvester body when the drive speed becomes lower than a pre-set first threshold during the autonomous travel.