Harvester Illumination Pattern Adjustment Controller
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural harvesters face challenges in illuminating the header and path during low-light conditions, leading to reduced harvesting efficiency and increased operator workload due to insufficient lighting and the need for manual selection of illuminated lights.
Innovation Solution
An automated illumination system for agricultural harvesters, featuring a controller that adjusts the illumination pattern based on the harvester's operating state, using a plurality of lighting devices to provide pre-set patterns for harvesting, transportation, and turning states, reducing the need for manual input and enhancing visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If work lights are provided on the harvester to illuminate areas during nighttime operation, then visibility is improved, but the illumination may not sufficiently cover the header and path during harvesting operation
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination system is divided into multiple independently controllable lighting devices positioned at different locations on the header. Each lighting device can be individually controlled to illuminate specific areas, allowing the system to adapt to different operating states such as harvesting, turning, and transportation by activating only the necessary lights for each condition.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the operator manually selects which working lights receive power, then illumination can be customized, but operator workload increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines the appropriate illumination pattern based on the harvester's operating state and activates the corresponding lighting devices without operator intervention. The controller monitors operating conditions and autonomously adjusts the illumination configuration, eliminating the need for manual light selection while maintaining optimal visibility for each operational mode.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple lighting devices are controlled individually, then illumination precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses pre-configured illumination patterns associated with different operating states (harvesting, turning, transportation). When the operating state changes, the controller switches between these predefined patterns, simplifying the control logic while maintaining the ability to precisely control multiple lighting devices for different operational requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
An illumination system for a harvesting implement including two or more lighting devices, each lighting device coupled to the harvesting implement and configured to illuminate an area of crop engagement, a path of the harvesting implement, or both. The illumination system additionally includes a controller coupled to the harvesting implement and communicatively coupled to the lighting devices. The controller is configured to control an operation of the illumination system to provide a first pre-set illumination pattern based on a first operating state of the harvesting implement. The controller is further configured to receive an input indicative of a change in the operating state of the harvesting implement. Further, the controller is configured to, in response to receipt of the input, control the operation of the illumination array to provide a second pre-set illumination pattern based on the change in the operating state.