Agricultural Implement Height Control via GPS Topography

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems for controlling the position of agricultural implements, such as headers on harvesting machines, struggle to avoid ground incidents at rapidly changing ground contours, often resulting in damage due to delayed reaction times and reliance on manual input or expensive sensors.

Innovation Solution

A system that uses a control unit connected to a field topography database with three-dimensional data, a location signal generation arrangement, and an implement position sensor to provide position control signals for an electro-hydraulic valve structure, allowing the implement to adjust its height and tilt based on actual and predictive position data, ensuring a consistent vertical distance from the ground and avoiding collisions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If ground height sensors are mounted on the header to measure ground contact, then automatic header height control is achieved, but the reaction time is insufficient to avoid collisions with sharp ground rises at high speeds

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheader height control reliabilityVSAvoidreaction time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary measurement of ground topography ahead of the header using GPS location data and stored field elevation data, allowing the control system to anticipate ground rises before they occur and adjust header height in advance, thereby eliminating the reaction time delay inherent in contact-based sensors

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention introduces GPS location data and field topography database as an intermediary between the header and ground, allowing indirect measurement of ground elevation ahead of the header without requiring physical contact sensors on the header itself, thus enabling advance warning of ground contours

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If contact-less sensors are used on the header to measure distance to ground, then ground contact damage is avoided, but the response time remains insufficient for rapidly changing ground contours

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveground contact avoidanceVSAvoidresponse speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The system calculates expected header height by measuring ground elevation ahead of the header using GPS and topography data, allowing the header to be positioned correctly before reaching problematic ground areas, thus achieving both contact avoidance and fast response

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention replaces mechanical contact sensors and electromagnetic/ultrasonic distance sensors on the header with a GPS-based topography mapping system that uses location data and digital elevation models to determine header position, eliminating the speed limitations of sensor-based detection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Loss of time

If optical sensors are mounted on the harvesting machine to measure ground elevation ahead, then header response time is improved, but the system cost increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheader response timeVSAvoidsensor cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a digital copy of the field topography through GPS-based location tracking and elevation data storage, allowing repeated use of this information for header control without requiring expensive optical sensors for each harvesting operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses inexpensive GPS location data and standard computer hardware to perform calculations that would otherwise require expensive optical sensing equipment, achieving the same functional result at much lower cost

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

4Loss of information

If manual header height input is used during field recording, then geo-referenced header height data is obtained, but operator supervision is required especially when ground contours change rapidly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheader height data accuracyVSAvoidoperator supervision requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically determines header height by combining GPS location data with stored field topography information, eliminating the need for manual operator input and supervision while maintaining accurate geo-referenced height data through automated calculations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS9615501B2Controlling the position of an agricultural implement coupled to an agricultural vehicle based upon three-dimensional topography data

Publication Date: 2017.04.11 DEERE & CO

AI summary

A system for controlling the position of an agricultural implement coupled to an agricultural vehicle comprises a control unit connected to a field topography database containing three-dimensional data of the topography of a field, a location signal generation arrangement providing location data of the position of the vehicle and/or the implement in the field, an implement position sensor arranged to sense the position of the implement with respect to the ground and to a positioning arrangement configured to move the implement in response to position control signals from the control unit. The control unit is operable to provide the control signals based upon a combination of actual position data received from the implement position sensor and expected required position change data that are derived from elevation data recalled from the field topography database based upon the location data.