Active Terrain Compensation for Harvester Height Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural harvesting vehicles face challenges in adapting to varying terrain elevations, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage due to inconsistent component heights, especially when transitioning across headlands.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for proactive adjustment of agricultural machine components using sensors, actuators, and processors to predict terrain elevations and adjust component heights based on terrain maps, ensuring accurate positioning and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the agricultural machine uses traditional height adjustment methods, then the system is simple to operate, but the component heights become inconsistent when transitioning across headlands, leading to potential damage and inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system proactively adjusts component heights before the agricultural machine reaches problematic terrain areas by using terrain maps and lookahead distance to predict upcoming elevation changes. The processor determines the current sink and proactively commands actuators to adjust heights in advance, preventing height inconsistency before it occurs during headland transitions
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the actual sink of the agricultural machine using sensors and compares it with the expected sink derived from terrain maps. This feedback loop allows the processor to determine real-time height adjustments and command actuators to maintain optimal component heights, ensuring consistency across varying terrain
2Productivity
If the agricultural machine maintains fixed component heights, then the system is easy to control, but mechanical stress increases and harvesting efficiency decreases when terrain elevation varies
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses pre-acquired terrain maps and lookahead distance to predict upcoming terrain variations before the machine reaches them. This allows proactive height adjustment commands to be issued in advance, optimizing component positioning for upcoming headland transitions and maintaining harvesting efficiency without reactive delays
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts component heights in real-time based on actual terrain conditions and machine sink measurements. The processor continuously calculates required height adjustments and commands actuators to modify component positions, enabling the system to adapt to varying terrain elevations and maintain optimal harvesting performance
3Reliability
If the agricultural machine uses reactive height adjustment, then the system responds to terrain changes, but the adjustment occurs after damage has already occurred
Solution Approach 1:
The system proactively commands height adjustments before the agricultural machine reaches problematic terrain areas by using terrain maps and lookahead distance to predict upcoming elevation changes. This preventive approach ensures component heights are optimized in advance, preventing damage before it occurs during headland transitions
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors actual machine sink and compares it with expected sink from terrain maps, providing real-time feedback to the processor. This feedback enables the system to detect deviations from expected terrain and immediately command corrective height adjustments, preventing damage while maintaining responsive control
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are provided for proactively adjusting a height of an agricultural machine, or components thereof, using at least terrain elevation information provided by, or incorporated into, a terrain map. Moreover, the system can be configured for proactively determining a setpoint for the height(s) of the agricultural machine, or associated components, based a determination that involves at least one or more of a machine sink of the agricultural machine, a tilt offset of the agricultural machine, and elevation differences between a field and an adjacent headland, among other considerations. The system can further evaluate the time for the agricultural machine to reach a location, such as, for example, a location at which terrain elevation changes, an agricultural operation at least temporary stops or resumes, an end of a crop row, or a headland boundary such that such height adjustment(s) occur proactively, including in view of inherent system latencies.