Mower Conditioner Control System Using Image Sensor Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mower conditioner implements face challenges in optimizing cutting height and crop conditioning to minimize ash content and maximize nutritional value and dry-down time, as improper settings can lead to either excessive ash or uncut material, affecting the quality of crop material.
Innovation Solution
The mower conditioner implement incorporates an image sensor and computing device to analyze the color spectrum of crop material, adjusting cutting and conditioning systems based on determined ash content and stem conditioning levels, using calibrated color measurements and light sources to optimize cutting height and conditioning speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cutting height is set low to maximize harvest, then crop material is fully harvested, but ash content increases and nutritional value decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an image sensor to continuously monitor the color spectrum of cut crop material and provides feedback to the control system. The control system adjusts cutting height and conditioning parameters in real-time based on this feedback, creating a closed-loop control that optimizes harvest while minimizing ash content.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection and mechanical adjustment with an optical detection system (image sensor) and automated control system. The image sensor detects color spectrum characteristics to determine ash content and conditioning degree, substituting human judgment with optical measurement.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the cutting height is set high to reduce ash content, then ash content decreases, but portions of crop material remain uncut and are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting height and conditioning parameters are made dynamic rather than fixed. The control system continuously adjusts these parameters based on real-time image analysis of crop material characteristics, allowing the system to adapt to varying crop conditions and optimize both harvest amount and ash content reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (cutting height, conditioning intensity) based on detected crop material properties. By monitoring color spectrum and determining ash content and conditioning degree, the system adjusts parameters to maintain optimal harvest quality and quantity.
3Loss of time
If the crop conditioning is increased to reduce dry-down time, then dry-down time decreases, but nutritional content of crop material decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The image sensor provides continuous feedback on the color spectrum of conditioned crop material, allowing the control system to monitor the degree of conditioning. This feedback enables precise control of conditioning intensity to achieve optimal dry-down time while preserving nutritional content.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces subjective assessment of conditioning degree with objective optical measurement. The image sensor detects color spectrum changes that correlate with conditioning intensity, providing quantitative measurement to optimize the conditioning process.
4Device complexity
If manual monitoring and adjustment of cutting and conditioning parameters is used, then system complexity is low, but precision of optimization is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes manual monitoring and adjustment with an automated optical detection and control system. The image sensor captures color spectrum data, the control system processes this information to determine ash content and conditioning degree, and automatically adjusts operational parameters, replacing human judgment with precise optical measurement and automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-monitoring and self-adjustment of cutting and conditioning parameters. The image sensor continuously monitors crop material characteristics, and the control system automatically adjusts operational parameters without requiring manual intervention, enabling precise optimization while reducing operational complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables precise control over cutting and conditioning processes, reducing ash content and optimizing dry-down time while maintaining nutritional value, by automatically adjusting settings based on real-time analysis of crop material characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
The color spectrum of the image includes reflected light emitted from the light source
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A mower conditioner implement (20) includes a cutting system (24) for cutting crop material, and a crop conditioning system (26) for receiving the cut crop material from the cutting system (24) and conditioning the cut crop material to facilitate drying. An image sensor (44) senses an image of the cut crop material. The image includes a color spectrum of the cut crop material from reflected light emitted from a light source (48). A computing device (54) compares the color spectrum of the image to a calibrated color measurement (62) to determine an ash content in the cut crop material, and/or a degree of stem conditioning of the cut crop material. The computing device (54) may then communicate the results to an operator, and/or adjust the cutting system (24) or the crop conditioning system (26) based on the ash content or the degree of stem conditioning.