Harvester Crop Mapping with Dynamic Cutting Height Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current crop harvesting technologies face challenges in efficiently cutting and separating crop stalks with varying heights and orientations, leading to suboptimal cutting and reduced harvesting efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A control system for a harvester equipped with sensors and a processor that determines average stalk heights and distances, adjusting the cutting heights of a topper and base cutter to optimize cutting based on real-time data, ensuring precise cutting and efficient harvesting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If fixed cutting heights are used for topper and base cutter, then device structure is simple, but harvesting precision is reduced due to varying stalk heights
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of cutting heights by enabling the topper and base cutter to move vertically along guide rails. The cutting heights are no longer fixed but can be dynamically adjusted based on real-time sensor feedback about stalk height variations, thereby maintaining cutting precision across diverse crop conditions without requiring complex manual intervention for each adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system incorporates sensors that continuously measure stalk height and provide feedback to the controller. The controller processes this feedback information and automatically adjusts the cutting heights of the topper and base cutter accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables precise cutting adaptation to varying stalk heights while maintaining relatively simple device structure.
2Productivity
If manual adjustment of cutting heights is used, then device structure is simple, but harvesting efficiency is reduced due to time-consuming adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automatic adjustment where the harvester autonomously measures stalk heights using integrated sensors and automatically positions the topper and base cutter at optimal cutting heights without requiring manual intervention. This self-service capability significantly improves harvesting efficiency by eliminating time-consuming manual adjustments while maintaining relatively simple device structure through automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical adjustment operations with an automated control system that uses sensors, processors, and actuators. Instead of operators manually measuring and adjusting cutting heights, the system uses electronic sensing and automated control to determine and implement optimal cutting positions, thereby improving harvesting efficiency while keeping the mechanical structure relatively simple.
3Manufacturing precision
If average cutting height is used for all stalks, then device operation is simple, but cutting quality deteriorates for individual stalks with varying heights
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by enabling independent height adjustment for different cutting sections. Rather than applying a single average cutting height to all stalks, the system can adjust the topper and base cutter heights independently based on local variations in stalk height detected by sensors. This ensures each stalk is cut at its optimal height, improving individual stalk cutting precision while managing device complexity through targeted local adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting system is segmented into multiple independently adjustable components (topper and base cutter), each capable of being positioned at different heights. This segmentation allows the system to address individual stalk height variations by adjusting specific cutting sections independently, thereby improving cutting precision for varying stalk heights while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular adjustment capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A control system for a harvester that harvests crop stalks each having a bottom portion and a top portion. The harvester includes a topper that cuts the stalks between the top and bottom portions and a base cutter that cuts the stalks near a ground surface. The control system includes a sensor that senses a first height between the top of the bottom portion and the ground surface, and senses a second height between the bottom of the bottom portion and the ground surface. The controller receives signals representing the sensed first and second heights from the sensor, determines average first and second heights for the stalks over a set time, sends a first signal to the topper to cause movement of the topper to the average first height, and sends a second signal to the base cutter to cause movement of the base cutter to the average second height.