Harvester Unloading Control During Turns and Obstacle Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural harvesters face challenges in maintaining uninterrupted operation while avoiding obstacles and navigating turns, leading to increased operator fatigue and potential grain loss due to manual adjustments in unloading functionality.
Innovation Solution
A system that receives obstacle and turn data to automatically control the unloading auger, spout position, and flap position on the harvester, ensuring continuous unloading functionality during obstacle avoidance and turn navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the operator manually controls the unloading auger during obstacle avoidance and turns, then the unloading operation can be adjusted to match vehicle position changes, but this increases operator fatigue and may result in improper execution leading to grain loss or downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables the unloading auger to automatically adjust itself based on detected vehicle positions and orientations. The control system monitors the harvester and receiving vehicle positions, calculates required auger adjustments, and executes them without operator intervention, allowing the system to serve itself during dynamic maneuvers
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback by detecting the relative positions and orientations of the harvester and receiving vehicle using positioning systems. This feedback loop allows the control system to real-time monitor vehicle dynamics during turns and obstacle avoidance, and automatically adjust the unloading auger to maintain proper alignment and prevent grain loss
2Loss of substance
If the unloading auger is turned off during obstacle avoidance and turns, then grain loss is prevented, but harvesting efficiency decreases due to interruptions and downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous unloading operation by automatically adjusting the auger's operational parameters during turns and obstacle avoidance maneuvers. Rather than shutting off the auger, the control system modulates its speed and orientation to accommodate vehicle position changes, ensuring the useful action of unloading continues uninterrupted throughout the harvesting operation
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual adjustments are made to unloading functionality during turns and obstacle avoidance, then the operator can respond to position changes, but this increases the time needed to perform harvesting operations and decreases harvesting efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical control of the unloading auger with an automated electronic control system. Positioning sensors and control algorithms substitute for the operator's manual adjustments, enabling faster and more precise responses to vehicle position changes during turns and obstacle avoidance without the time delay associated with manual intervention
Data Source
AI summary
A harvester receives obstacle and turn information indicative of positions of obstacles and the locations of turns. A relative position of the harvester and a receiving vehicle is detected and control signals are generated to control unloading functionality, which may include an unloading auger, a spout position and/or a flap position during unloading, while the obstacle is being avoided and/or while a turn is being navigated. An indication of some or all of the relative position, obstacle and turn information, and control signals can be uploaded to a remote server computing system for use in performing future machine control and analytics.