Harvester Light Signaling for Grain Tank Fill and Machine Pairing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural harvesters lack a visual indication of grain tank fill levels, leading to delays in unloading operations and increased costs due to inefficient positioning of receiving vehicles, and difficulty in distinguishing multiple machines in the field.
Innovation Solution
A light system on agricultural machines that uses sensors to determine fill levels and operates light sources with varying parameters (color, sequence, duration) to indicate fill levels, machine identity, and pairing status, enabling clear visual identification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If no visual indication system is installed on agricultural machines, then the machine structure remains simple and costs are reduced, but unloading operations are delayed and machine identification becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses different light colors to indicate different grain tank fill levels (e.g., green for low, yellow for medium, red for high). This visual color-coding system enables operators to quickly identify machine status and make timely unloading decisions, directly improving productivity without requiring complex electronic displays or communication systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system varies light parameters including color, intensity, and flash patterns to convey different information about machine status. By changing these optical parameters based on fill level sensors and machine state, the system provides rich information communication using simple light sources, resolving the contradiction between information richness and system simplicity.
2Productivity
If multiple agricultural machines operate in the field simultaneously, then harvesting capacity increases, but machine identification and pairing coordination become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses asymmetric light patterns and unique light sequences for different machines to create distinctive visual signatures. Each machine can be identified by its specific light code, enabling operators to distinguish between multiple machines in the field and coordinate unloading operations efficiently, thus maintaining high productivity while preventing information loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic light flashing patterns with different frequencies and sequences to encode machine identity and status information. These periodic signals can be detected and distinguished even when multiple machines operate simultaneously, allowing for effective machine identification and coordination without reducing harvesting capacity.
3Reliability
If light sources are operated continuously to ensure visibility, then machine identification is always clear, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous operation, the light sources flash periodically with specific patterns that encode status information. This periodic operation maintains reliability by drawing attention through motion and pattern recognition while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous illumination. The human visual system's sensitivity to changing light patterns ensures reliable detection even with intermittent illumination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous monitoring of grain tank fill levels through sensors, but only activates light indication when status changes occur or when unloading is approaching. This keeps the useful information-gathering action continuous while the energy-consuming light output is activated only when necessary, resolving the contradiction between reliability and energy use.
Data Source
AI summary
A light system associated with an agricultural machine may include a sensor configured to sense a fill level in a storage container, a first light source configured to be selectively operated, one or more processors, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the one or more processors and storing programming instructions for execution by the one or more processors. The programming instructions may instruct the one or more processors to determine the fill level of the storage container based on a sensor output of the sensor and operate the first light source according to a light parameter program based on the determined fill level. The first light source may be operated according to different light parameter programs for different fill levels.