Harvester Stability Control Using Conveyor Position Feedback
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Harvesters face instability issues on steep slopes or uneven terrain due to shifting center of gravity, leading to potential capsizing or other operational hazards, especially when turning between harvesting rows, which requires tedious visual monitoring by operators.
Innovation Solution
A control system for harvesters that includes sensors for speed, pitch, yaw, and conveyor position, along with an actuator and controller, which calculates the center of gravity and adjusts the conveyor's position or alerts the user to reduce speed or move the conveyor to maintain stability, thereby automating the turning operation and enhancing operator safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the operator visually monitors stability during turning operations on steep slopes, then operational safety can be maintained, but operator workload increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The harvester system performs self-monitoring of stability parameters through onboard sensors that continuously track pitch, roll, and conveyor position. The system automatically detects instability conditions and triggers protective actions without requiring operator intervention, allowing the machine to monitor and protect itself during turning operations on steep slopes
Solution Approach 2:
The control system receives continuous feedback from sensors monitoring vehicle pitch, roll, conveyor position, and speed. This feedback loop enables the controller to calculate real-time stability metrics and center of gravity position, automatically adjusting operations or alerting the operator when instability thresholds are approached, thereby maintaining safety without constant operator attention
2Adaptability or versatility
If the conveyor is manually positioned during harvesting operations, then harvesting flexibility is maintained, but operator attention is diverted from stability monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor positioning system operates autonomously based on real-time stability calculations. The control system automatically adjusts conveyor position to maintain optimal center of gravity location during turning operations, freeing the operator from manual positioning tasks while preserving harvesting flexibility through automated adaptability to changing terrain conditions
3Productivity
If the harvester operates at high speed on uneven terrain, then productivity increases, but stability control becomes difficult and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control system continuously receives feedback from speed sensors, pitch sensors, roll sensors, and conveyor position sensors. This real-time data enables the controller to calculate current stability margins and automatically adjust operational parameters or reduce speed when instability is detected, allowing high-speed operation when safe and automatic speed reduction when stability risks arise
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts operational parameters including conveyor position, harvesting speed, and turning radius based on real-time stability calculations. The control system modifies these parameters on-the-fly according to terrain conditions, vehicle load distribution, and maneuver characteristics, enabling flexible high-speed operation on suitable terrain while automatically adapting to maintain safety on challenging terrain
Data Source
AI summary
A controller for a harvester receives a speed of the harvester, the pitch, the yaw and the roll of the vehicle body, compares the sensed yaw, pitch and roll of the vehicle body to respective acceptable yaw, pitch and roll ranges. The controller also receives a conveyor position respect to the vehicle body, compares the conveyor position to an acceptable range of conveyor positions, calculates a center of gravity of the harvester based upon the yaw, pitch, roll and conveyor position, and compares the speed of the harvester to an acceptable range of speeds based upon the calculated center of gravity of the harvester. The controller also sends a signal to move the conveyor with respect to the vehicle body, alert the user to move the conveyor with respect to the vehicle body, reduce the speed of the harvester, or alert the user to reduce the speed of the harvester.