Round Baler Yield Mapping Using Bale Growth and Final Weight
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural balers lack the capability to accurately determine crop yield in smaller increments than per bale, as they rely on weight sensors that do not account for crop properties like moisture and stalk thickness, which affect the force required for feeding.
Innovation Solution
A system for a round baler that includes a bale chamber with size sensors measuring bale diameters, a force sensor for the completed bale's weight, and a location determining device, correlating diameter changes with weight to generate a yield map, and calculating yields by multiplying incremental volumetric changes by average density and dividing by the area harvested.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If load sensors are used to sense the load on feeding elements, then yield calculation is enabled, but measurement precision deteriorates because crop properties like moisture and stalk thickness influence the force required for driving the feeding elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the weight measurement function from the feeding mechanism and relocates it to the completed bale. By measuring the weight of the finished bale instead of the force required to feed crop material, the system eliminates the interference of crop properties (moisture, stalk thickness) on the measurement, thereby achieving both precision and reliability in yield determination
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the completed bale as an intermediary carrier that accumulates all crop material from a specific field area. This intermediary allows the weight measurement to represent the total yield of the harvested area without being affected by the variable properties of individual crop materials during the feeding process
2Measurement precision
If yield is calculated based on finished bale weight and flake events, then incremental yield determination is enabled, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and event tracking systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the yield measurement process into discrete increments corresponding to each bale produced. By associating each bale with a specific GPS location and measuring its weight individually, the system achieves incremental yield determination without requiring complex continuous monitoring systems, simplifying the overall device architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The completed bale itself serves as the measurement object, eliminating the need for additional sensors during the feeding and compression process. The bale's own weight, measured once at completion, provides all necessary information for yield calculation, reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement precision
3Device complexity
If only finished bale weight is measured, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates because incremental yield information is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions of recording GPS location and bale weight at the moment each bale is completed and discharged. By capturing this data immediately when the bale is formed, the system preserves incremental yield information without requiring complex continuous monitoring, achieving both simplicity and precision
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A round baler (100) is disclosed. The baler (100) comprising: a bale chamber (122) having one or more bale forming apparatus (118) which form a bale (B) in the bale chamber (122); a size sensor (134, 146) which measures a plurality of dimensions of the bale (B) as the bale (B) increases in size from a partial bale (B) to a completed bale (B); a force sensor (140) which measures a ending weight of the bale (B) upon completion; a location determining device (142) which establishes a plurality of locations of the round baler (100) corresponding to the plurality of dimensions of the bale (B); a controller (180) configured to determine a plurality of yields for the bale (B) by correlating changes in the plurality of dimensions of the bale (B) with the ending weight of the bale (B) and generate a map (150) by correlating the plurality of yields with the plurality of locations. Further, a method of creating a yield map (150) for such a round baler (100) is disclosed.