Harvester Crop Height Mapping for High-Resolution Yield Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current crop yield maps lack resolution and fail to identify the underlying causes of yield variability, leading to inefficient resource allocation and potential overuse of inputs like water and fertilizers.
Innovation Solution
Integrate crop height sensors with agricultural machines to generate geo-located crop height maps, which are superimposed with yield maps, allowing for the prediction and display of yield variation causes such as soil issues or planting irregularities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If satellite imagery or drone data is used to create yield maps, then coverage area is increased, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the field monitoring task into multiple measurement zones corresponding to different sensor positions on the harvester. Each sensor (yield, moisture, crop height) measures a specific portion of the crop stream, and these segmented measurements are integrated to create a complete high-resolution yield map of the entire field area.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional satellite/aerial imaging to three-dimensional physical sampling by mounting sensors directly on the harvesting machinery. This adds the dimension of direct crop interaction, allowing precise measurement of yield, moisture, and height parameters at the point of harvest, thereby achieving high resolution across large areas.
2Productivity
If harvester size is increased to cover larger areas, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements local quality measurement by positioning multiple sensors at specific locations on the harvester (e.g., front, center, rear positions) to capture spatial variations in crop yield and characteristics. Each sensor provides high-precision local measurements that are then integrated to represent the entire harvesting area, maintaining measurement precision while enabling large-scale coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The harvester itself serves as an intermediary carrier that brings precision measurement sensors directly to the crop. By mounting sensors on the harvesting machinery, the system uses the harvester as a mobile platform to achieve both high productivity (through efficient harvesting) and high measurement precision (through direct crop sampling at multiple points).
3Quantity of substance
If traditional yield monitoring is used, then basic yield data is obtained, but information completeness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple measurement functions into a single integrated monitoring system. Yield sensors, moisture sensors, and crop height sensors are combined and co-located on the harvester, capturing correlated data from the same crop stream. This combination provides comprehensive information about both yield quantity and the physical characteristics (height, moisture) that influence yield, enabling identification of underlying causes for yield variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated sensor system performs multiple functions simultaneously: it measures yield quantity, crop height, and moisture content all during the harvesting operation. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate measurement campaigns and provides complete information about yield performance and its potential causes without adding significant operational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for augmenting crop yield information with crop height information includes receiving in a processing unit crop height signals from a sensor that senses a height of a crop to be harvested by an agricultural machine and generates the crop height signals; determining with the processing unit a height of the crop based on the crop height signals; receiving in the processing unit location information of the agricultural machine; and generating with the processing unit geo-located crop height information that represents the height of the crop and the location information.