AU2010101429A4 - Baler Yield Mapping System - Google Patents

Description

Editorial Note for 2010101429 There are two description pages BALER YIELD MAPPING SYSTEM DESCRIPTION This innovation relates to agricultural balers of the parallelepiped design, where baled material begins to accumulate in the front of the bale chamber and moves rearward within the bale chamber towards the ejection stage. The innovation facilitates the generation of yield maps by recording material accumulation rates in the final stages of bale construction within the bale chamber. The innovation may be better understood with reference to the accompanying figures. Figure 1 is a flow chart depicting the events for this innovation. Figure 2 is a diagram comprising components of a parallelepiped baler and yield monitoring system. Figure 1 Events: 1. The system continuously monitors material movement towards the discharge area of the bale chamber. This movement is detected by electronic sensors. In most cases rotary encoders, attached to circular discs or wheels which contact the bale, would be used which allow for cost effective monitoring of movement in a single direction. Other mechanical, optical or RF sensors could also be used. 2. An electronic controller receives the bale movement signal from the sensor, and records a total value of movement per unit of time. For greater accuracy, rotary encoders allow for both fore and aft movements to be individually logged for the same given time segment, allowing a net material accumulation movement to be calculated. 3. A time segment including the value of movement of material is assigned GPS co ordinates such that the value can be illustrated on a geographical map. 4. Post processing of the data involves obtaining total weights of material baled for a particular area and relating the weight back to the volumetric data recorded. Correction factors can be applied accordingly for variables which may influence weight according to volume of material, such as moisture content and compression of material. A delay factor is also applied to the data sets to allow for the time delay from point of material collection to point of volume recorded. 5. Once corrected the weight of material baled can be depicted according to yield map. Figure 2: 1. Drawbar pivot location for attachment to tractor 2. Drawbar frame 3. Main frame 4. Wheels 5. Crop Pickup 6. Feed duct (and pre-chamber to the rear of feed duct) 7. Front of bale chamber 8. Rear of bale chamber 9. Discharge platform 10. Knotter housing 11. Electronic controller 12. GPS system 13. Material motion sensors 14. Operator interface Unlike methods which focus on flake transfer events, this innovative method constantly records linear material movement within the rear of the bale chamber 8. Typically, the movement of material within the rear of the bale chamber, for different designs of parallelepiped balers, is similar. Differing pre-chamber designs and differing methods of flake transfer, have little effect on the linear movement of material within the rear of the bale chamber, immediately prior to the bale ejection stage 9. The linear movement is recorded by the Electronic Control Unit 11. This data is segmented by equal units of time, thus creating data points comprising a value of movement. Each data point is assigned a geographic location, determined by a GPS system 12. These data sets, comprising linear movement and GPS location, are recorded and processed to create volumetric yield maps of the material baled within a given area. For yield maps depicting material weight, the volumetric data is post processed by applying correction factors which can be calculated by obtaining volumetric and weight totals for selected areas. The yield data obtained is paramount in determining the variability in production, gross margins and ultimately net profit for a given crop over an area of land.

Claims (6)

1. A method to determine crop yield for a location where an agricultural baler of parallelepiped design, together with a GPS receiver and electronic controller, is used to bale crop material, comprising the steps: continuously sensing linear material movement within the rear of the bale chamber, segmenting the material movement into a value per unit time, assigning GPS co-ordinates of the baler to each value, recording each value and associated GPS location, obtaining actual material weights by totals obtained from areas of crop baled, applying corrections to the recorded datasets to represent yield in terms of material weight, representing the weight datasets in yield map form.

2. A method to determine crop yield as claimed in claim 1, wherein rotary electronic sensors attached to bale contact wheels continuously sense rearward linear movement of material.

3. A method to determine crop yield as claimed in claim 1, wherein optical or radio frequency sensors continuously sense rearward linear movement of material.

4. A method to determine crop yield according to any of the claims 1 ??? 3, wherein the difference between fore and aft material motion is used to calculate net material accumulation movement.

5. A method to determine crop yield according any of the claims 1 ??? 3, wherein rate of movement at a set time interval is recorded.

6. A method as herein before described with reference to the accompanying illustration.