Windrower Merger Load Sensor for Real-Time Crop Yield
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current windrowers face challenges in accurately estimating crop yield in real-time due to reliance on algorithms that make assumptions based on vehicle parameters, such as ground speed and header width, which do not account for crop density variations, leading to inaccurate measurements that are typically obtained only after all crop is cut and weighed.
Innovation Solution
A self-propelled windrower equipped with a merger system that includes a movable merger frame, conveyor, load sensors, and a controller to determine the mass of crop material conveyed, allowing for accurate and real-time crop yield calculation without interfering with crop flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If algorithms based on vehicle parameters (ground speed, header width) are used to estimate crop yield, then real-time estimation is possible, but measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to account for crop density variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces algorithmic estimation based on vehicle parameters with a direct mechanical measurement system. Load sensors mounted on the merger frame physically measure the mass of crop material being conveyed, providing accurate real-time yield data without relying on computational models that cannot account for crop density variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces load sensors as an intermediary measurement device between the conveyor and the control system. These sensors directly measure the mass of crop material on the conveyor, serving as a mediator that provides accurate yield information without interfering with crop flow or requiring complex algorithms.
2Measurement precision
If load sensors are mounted on the merger frame to measure crop material mass, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases due to additional sensing and control components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the merger frame serve multiple functions: it structurally supports the conveyor system, provides mounting points for load sensors, and acts as the measurement platform for yield determination. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by consolidating structural and measurement functions into a single component.
Solution Approach 2:
The merger frame, which already exists as a structural component of the windrower, is equipped with load sensors that allow it to self-measure the mass of crop material it is conveying. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate external measurement systems, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high measurement precision.
3Measurement precision
If the conveyor is used to convey crop material for yield measurement, then accurate mass measurement is achieved, but productivity may be affected if crop flow is interfered with
Solution Approach 1:
The load sensors serve as an intermediary measurement device that obtains crop material mass data without physically interfering with the crop flow. The sensors measure the mass of material already on the conveyor belt, allowing accurate measurement while the conveyor continues to transport crop material uninterrupted.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces any potential mechanical interference methods with a non-contact mass measurement system. By using load sensors to measure the mass of crop material on the conveyor, the system achieves accurate measurement without mechanical interference with crop flow, maintaining full productivity.
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
The system provides easy and accurate measurement of crop material collection, enabling real-time monitoring of crop yield without the limitations of existing methods, ensuring precise data during harvesting operations.
Implementation Method 1
at least one load sensor associated with the at least one frame mount and configured to output load signals corresponding to a mass of the merger frame
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural windrower system includes one or more processing circuits. The one or more processing circuits are configured to acquire load signals from a load sensor at a certain frequency regarding a load at a frame mount of a merger system for an agricultural windrower as crop material is deposited by an endless conveyor of the merger system in a strip on a ground surface, determine a mass of the crop material conveyed by the merger system based at least partially on the load signals, determine a crop yield based at least partially on the mass of crop material, and provide a yield signal corresponding to the crop yield of the crop material deposited in the strip. The certain frequency is based on a period of time for half a rotation of the endless conveyor.