Swath Sensor Placement for Early Foreign Object and Yield Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional swath sensor systems on agricultural machines fail to detect swath properties early enough to prevent wasteful operations or avoid damage from foreign objects, and they do not accurately estimate material quantity until processing has begun.
Innovation Solution
A swath sensor system installed on the swath-generating device detects properties during or after swath formation, using various sensors to measure moisture, foreign objects, and material quantity, enabling early decision-making and precise control of harvesting operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If a radar sensor is mounted on the front of the tractor to detect swath properties before pickup, then moisture content and foreign objects can be detected, but the detection occurs too late to prevent wasteful operations or avoid damage
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is moved from the tractor to the swather (swath-generating device) to perform detection during swath formation, enabling preliminary identification of moisture content, foreign objects, and material quantity before the swath is complete and before pickup operations begin
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection system integrated into the swather structure that bridges the gap between swath formation and pickup, providing real-time data about swath properties during the formation process itself rather than before or after
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the tractor stops promptly when a foreign object is detected to avoid injuries, then safety is improved, but abrupt braking damages the soil and creates unevenness
Solution Approach 1:
Foreign objects are detected during swath formation at the swather, allowing sufficient advance notice to plan a gradual stop sequence that first halts the swather, then gradually stops the tractor, eliminating abrupt braking and soil damage while still preventing foreign objects from entering the baler
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time feedback about foreign object location and swath properties during formation, enabling dynamic adjustment of the stopping sequence to balance safety requirements with soil protection
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the tractor is positioned directly over a foreign object during gradual braking to avoid soil damage, then soil integrity is maintained, but removing the foreign object becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The swather stops first at the detected foreign object location, positioning the swath formation point directly over the object before the tractor arrives, so the object remains exposed and accessible on the ground rather than being buried under the tractor weight
Solution Approach 2:
The swather acts as an intermediary that can independently position and stop at the foreign object location, separating the stopping action from the tractor's braking and allowing optimal positioning for object removal
4Quantity of substance
If material quantity is estimated based on geometric properties after processing begins, then transport capacity can be assessed, but the information is obtained too late for optimal resource allocation
Solution Approach 1:
Sensors on the swather measure swath geometry, moisture content, and material density during formation, enabling preliminary estimation of total material quantity and transport requirements before the swath is complete and before pickup operations begin
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors swath properties during formation and provides real-time feedback on material quantity accumulation, allowing dynamic adjustment of transport resource allocation based on actual swath characteristics rather than estimates made after processing begins
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
An agricultural machine (1) comprises a swath sensor system (9-12) for detecting one or more properties of a swath (8) on an agricultural area (4) traversed by the agricultural machine (1). The agricultural machine (1) further comprises a device for swath generation (3, 16), and at least one sensor (10, 11, 12) of the swath sensor system (9-12) is arranged to detect properties of a stream of swath-forming material during or after its processing into a swath (8) by the device (3, 16).