Combine Harvester Pass Planning for Unloading-Free Field Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural harvesters face inefficiencies and increased soil compaction due to the need for frequent unloading and maneuvering when the clean grain tank is full, especially when navigating field openings and breakthrough passes, as there is often insufficient space for material transfer vehicles to unload and follow the harvester.
Innovation Solution
A system that estimates and controls field opening and breakthrough passes by analyzing machine, field, and crop characteristics to determine if the harvester can complete a pass without unloading, using algorithms or models to suggest alternative paths and control navigation systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the combine harvester performs frequent unloading operations when the clean grain tank is full, then the harvester can continue harvesting, but soil compaction increases and harvesting efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of field characteristics, crop density, and harvester capacity before harvesting to pre-determine optimal breakthrough pass locations and unloading points, allowing the harvester to complete passes without unnecessary stops and reduce soil compaction from frequent maneuvering
2Ease of operation
If the material transfer vehicle follows the harvester to unload at field openings, then unloading can be performed, but insufficient space prevents the vehicle from positioning and increases operation time
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-identifies suitable breakthrough pass locations and predetermined unloading points within the field based on field geometry, crop distribution, and vehicle access routes, allowing the material transfer vehicle to position itself in advance at optimal locations rather than following the harvester to field openings
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from unloading operations confined to field opening boundaries to multi-dimensional positioning within the field interior, utilizing GPS coordinates and spatial analysis to identify unloading points that provide adequate access space for the material transfer vehicle
3Area of stationary object
If the harvester performs breakthrough passes on large fields, then more area can be harvested, but the likelihood of needing to unload increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments large fields into multiple harvesting zones with predetermined breakthrough pass routes, calculating optimal segment boundaries that allow the harvester to complete each segment without unloading while maximizing the area covered in each continuous pass
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts harvesting parameters including header width, pass spacing, and breakthrough point selection based on real-time field conditions, crop density variations, and harvester capacity to optimize the balance between area covered and pass completion reliability
Data Source
AI summary
An estimation and control system generates a metric indicative of whether a combine harvester can perform a headland pass to open a field, without needing to be unloaded. If the metric indicated that the combine harvester will likely need to be unloaded, the estimation and control system determines whether the field can be partitioned into smaller tracts so that the combine harvester can perform a breakthrough pass on a smaller tract without needing to be unloaded. A control signal is generated based upon whether the combine harvester can perform a pass without needing to be unloaded.