Tillage Implement Controller for Crop Row Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Farmers face difficulties in accurately positioning tillage implements relative to crop rows during tillage operations, leading to inefficient soil preparation and seedbed formation.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize sensors and a controller to determine the location of crop rows and adjust the direction of travel for the tillage implement, ensuring precise alignment and orientation of tillage tools with crop material, such as stubble and root balls, by receiving input data from crop material sensors and using steering devices to adjust the implement's path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual control of tillage implement is used, then operator flexibility is maintained, but positioning accuracy relative to crop rows deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A controller acts as an intermediary between the operator and the tillage implement. The controller receives input from crop material sensors, determines crop row locations, and automatically adjusts steering to maintain proper positioning relative to crop rows, eliminating the need for manual positioning while preserving operator oversight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical steering control with an automated electronic control system. The controller uses sensor data and algorithms to determine crop row locations and automatically adjusts the implement's direction of travel, substituting human-operated mechanical steering with an electronic control loop.
2Measurement precision
If automated positioning system is implemented, then positioning accuracy improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller serves multiple functions: it processes sensor input data, determines crop row locations, calculates optimal positioning, and controls steering adjustments. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional controller, the system achieves high positioning accuracy without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-positioning by automatically detecting crop rows and adjusting its own trajectory. The tillage implement autonomously maintains proper alignment with crop rows without requiring continuous manual intervention, enabling the system to service its own positioning needs.
3Manufacturing precision
If precise alignment with crop rows is achieved, then seedbed quality improves, but control difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors crop material sensor input to detect crop row locations and uses this feedback to automatically adjust positioning. The controller compares actual position with desired position relative to crop rows and makes real-time steering corrections, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains precision while reducing operator burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller determines crop row locations and plans the optimal path in advance based on sensor data, before the implement reaches the positioning point. This preliminary calculation of the desired trajectory allows the system to proactively adjust positioning rather than reactively correcting errors, simplifying the control process.
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a system for controlling an operation of a tillage implement being towed across a field by a work vehicle may include a tillage tool configured to engage soil and crop material present within a field as the tillage implement is being towed across the field by the work vehicle. Furthermore, the system may include a controller configured to receive an input associated with crop material present within the field and determine a location of a crop row relative to the tillage tool based on the received input. Additionally, the controller may be configured to control a direction of travel of the tillage implement based on the determined location of the crop row.