Agricultural Harvester Crop Flow Phase Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural harvesting machines face challenges in reliably and cost-effectively differentiating between 'crop flow' and 'no crop flow' working phases, particularly with low crop throughput, requiring complex sensor systems or additional vibration-measuring sensors.
Innovation Solution
The use of a crop flow sensor with an evaluation unit that analyzes the signal curve over time to differentiate between working phases, employing a digital filter to generate an indicator characterizing the signal curve, allowing the driver assistance system to set machine parameters based on the determined phase without additional sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex sensor system with additional vibration-measuring sensors is used, then the reliability of differentiating between working phases is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and utilizes only the necessary information from the crop flow sensor signal - specifically the temporal characteristics of the signal curve - to differentiate between working phases. By focusing on the essential temporal pattern rather than adding more sensors, the system achieves reliable differentiation without increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The evaluation unit acts as an intermediary that processes the crop flow sensor signal and extracts temporal characteristics. This intermediary component enables reliable work phase differentiation by analyzing signal patterns over time, eliminating the need for additional vibration-measuring sensors while maintaining operational reliability
2Ease of manufacture
If only the absolute value of the crop flow signal is used, then the measurement is simple, but the ability to differentiate between low crop throughput and no crop throughput is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from analyzing only the absolute value (one dimension) of the crop flow signal to analyzing the temporal characteristics of the signal curve over time (adding a time dimension). This dimensional expansion enables the system to distinguish between low crop throughput and no crop throughput by examining how the signal changes over time, not just its magnitude
Solution Approach 2:
The evaluation unit changes the parameter being analyzed from static absolute value to dynamic temporal characteristics. By examining the time-based behavior of the signal curve - such as the pattern, duration, and evolution of signal values - the system achieves precise differentiation between working phases while maintaining simple processing architecture
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to an agricultural harvesting machine for processing a crop flow with a driver assistance system (9) for setting machine parameters of the harvesting machine (1), wherein a working phase "crop flow" is defined in which a crop flow enters the harvesting machine (1), and a working phase "no crop flow" is defined in which no crop flow enters the harvesting machine (1), wherein the driver assistance system (9) sets at least one machine parameter of the harvesting machine (1) depending on the working phase.It is proposed that a crop flow sensor (11) with an evaluation unit (12) is provided for recording the incoming crop flow, and that the crop flow sensor (11) outputs a crop flow signal (S) with a temporal signal profile, that the temporal signal profile of the crop flow signal (S) differs depending on the respective work phase, and that the evaluation unit (12) provides a filter (14), in particular a digital filter, according to a filter rule (15-17), which generates an indicator (I) characterizing the temporal signal profile from the digitized crop flow signal (S), and that the evaluation unit (12) determines the current work phase from the indicator (I).