Optical Crop Component Sensing for Harvester Auto-Calibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural harvesters require manual operator intervention for crop processing component calibration and lack effective monitoring of abnormal statuses, leading to inefficiencies and potential operational issues.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural harvester equipped with an optical sensor and controller system that monitors and controls crop processing components, enabling automatic calibration and detection of abnormal statuses, such as wear, damage, or plugging, through image analysis and actuator control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual operator intervention is used for crop processing component calibration, then the system structure remains simple, but operational efficiency decreases and operator workload increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic calibration of crop processing components through optical sensing and image analysis, allowing the harvester to self-adjust component positions without manual operator intervention. The controller automatically processes images from optical sensors and commands actuators to achieve desired component positions, eliminating the need for operators to manually calibrate components during harvesting operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical calibration operations with an automated optical sensing and control system. Optical sensors capture images of crop processing components, the controller analyzes these images to determine component positions, and actuators automatically adjust positions based on control algorithms, substituting the mechanical manual adjustment process with an automated electro-optical-mechanical system.
2Reliability
If no monitoring system is implemented for crop processing components, then the device complexity remains low, but abnormal statuses such as wear, damage, or plugging cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous monitoring of crop processing components through optical sensors that capture images of component conditions. The controller analyzes these images to detect abnormal statuses such as wear, damage, or plugging, and provides feedback information about component health and operational status, enabling timely maintenance decisions and preventing operational failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces optical sensors as intermediaries to detect component conditions without direct physical contact. The sensors capture visual information about component status, and the controller acts as an intermediary to analyze this visual data and interpret component health, enabling non-intrusive monitoring that does not interfere with the harvesting operation.
3Ease of operation
If optical sensors and control systems are added to enable automatic calibration, then operator intervention is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is designed to perform multiple functions: capturing component positions through optical sensors, analyzing images to determine actual positions, comparing with desired positions, commanding actuators for adjustment, and monitoring component conditions for abnormal statuses. This multi-functional integration reduces the need for separate systems and minimizes overall complexity while achieving automatic calibration and monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the calibration function and monitoring function into a single integrated control system. The same optical sensors used for position detection during calibration are also used for condition monitoring, and the controller handles both calibration algorithms and status detection, combining multiple functions into unified hardware and software systems to reduce overall system 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
Facilitates automatic calibration and real-time monitoring of crop processing components, reducing operator intervention and enhancing operational efficiency by addressing abnormal conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The optical sensor is configured to capture an image of the crop processing component and to generate a signal indicative of the image of the crop processing component
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural harvester has a crop processing component status monitor and control system including an optical sensor and a controller. The optical sensor is used to capture an image of the crop processing component or an element coupled to or included by the actuator and to generate a signal indicative of the image of the crop processing component or the element. The controller includes a processor and a memory having a status monitor and control algorithm stored therein. The processor is operable to execute the status monitor and control algorithm to receive the signal indicative of the image of the crop processing component or the element from the optical sensor, analyze the image of the crop processing component or the element to obtain a value, and determine, based on the value, the status of the crop processing component.