Agricultural Harvester Crop Flow Sensor Calibration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural harvesting machines face inaccuracies in determining crop volume flow due to infrequent sensor calibration, which affects the precision of continuous grain tank fill level monitoring, and lacks the ability to calibrate during operation.
Innovation Solution
Calibration of crop flow sensors is achieved by detecting two different filling levels in the grain tank, with the volume difference between these levels allowing for the relation of volume flow measurements to time, enabling continuous and accurate fill level monitoring during operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensors are calibrated frequently to maintain accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity and operational burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-calibration automatically during normal operation by detecting fill levels at two different times and using the known grain tank volume to calculate the actual crop volume flow rate, eliminating the need for external calibration interventions
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration data (grain tank volume, fill level sensor positions) is pre-configured in the control unit before operation, enabling automatic calibration calculations to be performed immediately when fill level changes are detected during harvesting
2Device complexity
If discrete fill level marks are used for monitoring, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision of continuous fill level deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex continuous physical measurement mechanisms with a simpler discrete sensor system that detects fill levels at specific marks, then uses computational methods (integrating flow rate over time) to derive continuous fill level information
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary that processes discrete sensor signals and calculated flow rates to generate continuous fill level readings, bridging the gap between simple discrete sensors and the need for continuous monitoring data
3Measurement precision
If calibration is performed offline only, then calibration accuracy improves, but productivity during operation deteriorates due to停机 calibration
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration process transitions from a static offline procedure to a dynamic online process that adapts to changing operating conditions, using real-time fill level detections during harvesting to continuously update calibration parameters
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration function is integrated into the continuous harvesting operation, allowing calibration calculations to be performed continuously during normal harvesting without interruption, maintaining both productivity and measurement accuracy
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for calibrating an agricultural harvesting machine (1), wherein the harvesting machine has a container (3) for receiving crop (4), a level sensor arrangement (5) for detecting an upper fill level (6a) and a lower fill level (6b) in the container (3), a transport arrangement (7) for guiding a crop flow associated with the container (3), and a crop flow sensor arrangement (8) for measuring a volume of the crop flow. The method is characterized in that the crop flow sensor arrangement (8) is calibrated based on the detection of the upper fill level (6a) and the lower fill level (6b).