DE102021113838A1 - Forage harvester with predictive control of the processing level of a grain processor - Google Patents

Abstract

A forage harvester (10) is provided with a header (20) for harvesting crops containing grains, a chopping device (22) for chopping harvested crops, a grain processor (34) for post-processing the chopped crops and a control device (52) which an actuator (44) for adjusting the degree of processing of the kernel processor (34). The control device (52) is configured to receive the signals from a sensor (38, 52) that interacts with the harvested crop upstream of the grain processor (34) and/or to take them from a stored map in a location-specific manner and to command the actuator (44) to Adapt the degree of processing of the grain processor (34) in advance based on the signals to the crop being processed.

Description

The invention relates to a forage harvester with a header for harvesting crops containing grains, a chopping device for chopping harvested crops, a grain processor for post-processing the chopped crops and a control device which is connected and configured with an actuator for adjusting the degree of processing of the grain processor Actuator based on the control device supplied signals regarding a property of the harvested crop and a stored relationship between the signal and an associated setting value of the actuator to control in terms of an adjustment of the degree of processing to the property of the harvested crop.

State of the art

Forage harvesters are used in agriculture to pick up stalk-like harvested crops from a field, to chop them up and load them onto a transport vehicle. The chopped crop is usually used as fodder for livestock or for biogas production.

A typical type of crop harvested with a forage harvester is corn. Either the whole plants are harvested using a corn header or only the infructescences are harvested using a picker. However, the corn grains in the intact state, i.e. with the surrounding yellow or orange shell, are almost indigestible for animals or bacteria in the biogas plants. So-called kernel processors are therefore used, which comprise two or more rollers between which the chopped crop flow is passed in order to open up or crush the kernels and thus expose the inside of the kernels (endosperm) for better digestibility.

The degree of processing of the grain processor, i.e. the pressure with which the rollers are pretensioned against each other and/or the distance between the rollers and/or their speed difference and/or their absolute speed, determines on the one hand the proportion of broken down or crushed grains and on the other hand also the energy requirement of the grain processor . However, since both variables are in opposite directions, the aim is to find a favorable operating point for the kernel processor, in which, on the one hand, an appropriate proportion of the kernels is broken down and, on the other hand, the energy requirement is not too great.

A (feedback-based, "closed loop") approach to determining the degree of processing of the grain processor provides for sensory recording of the proportion of the broken-down grain in order to offer the operator of the forage harvester and/or an automatic system for automatic adjustment of the degree of processing of the grain processor, whether the current degree of processing is too small, too large or appropriate. For this purpose, the prior art has proposed the use of cameras, which interact with the crop flow processed by the grain processor, and image processing systems, which determine the proportion of whole and/or broken grains ( EP 2 232 978 A1 , EP 2 452 550 A1 , EP 2 982 232 A2 , EP 3 646 703 A1 ), or a near-infrared spectrometer is used to detect starch in the crop, which indicates the proportion of broken grains ( DE 10 2018 213 215 A1 , EP 3 366 101 A1 ).

Another approach (working without feedback, "open loop") to determine the degree of processing of the kernel processor provides for recording a property of the crop and determining a suitable degree of processing based on known relationships between property and degree of processing. In the prior art, a detection of the grain content of the chopped material based on the nutrient content by means of a near-infrared spectrometer and a measurement of the length of cut and/or the moisture content of the harvested material or the throughput quantity ( DE 100 30 505 A1 , DE 10 2007 018 885 A1 , EP 2 361 495 A1 , EP 3 542 610 A1 ).

When measuring the broken down kernels, there is the disadvantage that this is only recorded after the harvested crop has been processed in the kernel processor, with the result that any changes in the properties of the harvested crop are only detected with a delay, namely after they have passed through the kernel processor and this Changes can therefore only be taken into account with a delay, with the result that certain harvested crop quantities leave the forage harvester with a degree of processing that does not match the harvested crop properties. This disadvantage also occurs when the crop properties are measured, which in the prior art is carried out on board the harvesting machine, which in view of the relatively high conveying speed of the crop in the forage harvester and the reaction times of the sensors, control and actuators for adjusting the degree of processing also leads to the aforementioned Problem results even if the measurement is done upstream of the kernel processor in some cases.

Although control devices for adjusting working parameters of harvesting machines and forage harvesters have already been described in the prior art, which are acted upon with forward-looking data with regard to harvested crop properties, which, for example, come from an electronic map, in which the properties are entered site-specifically, or generated using the signals of a camera attached to the harvesting machine or a drone looking at the field, but these have so far only been used for other purposes ( DE 10 2018 213 215 A1 with pre-detection of homogeneous crops to vary the degree of processing with the aim of recognizing the effect on the signal of the sensor for detecting broken grains; DE 10 2018 104 288 A1 to adjust the distance of the chopping floor from the chopping drum to match the throughput; DE 10 2014 010 211 A1 and DE 10 2010 038 661 A1 to adapt the chop length to the throughput; DE 10 2004 039 462 A1 , DE 10 2004 056 233 A1 , DE 10 2009 028 175 A1 and DE 10 2016 111 665 A1 to adapt engine power to throughput; EP 2 517 549 A1 and U.S. 2019/0261560 A1 to adapt the advance speed and the conveying and processing processes in the harvesting machine to the expected throughput).

task

The object on which the invention is based is then seen to provide a forage harvester which is improved over the prior art and which does not have the disadvantages mentioned or has them to a reduced extent.

solution

According to the invention, this object is achieved by the teaching of patent claim 1, with the further patent claims listing features which further develop the solution in an advantageous manner.

A forage harvester is equipped with a header for harvesting crops containing grains, a chopping device for chopping harvested crops, a grain processor for post-processing the chopped crops and a control device which is connected and configured with an actuator for adjusting the degree of processing of the grain processor, the actuator based on signals supplied to the control device with regard to a property of the harvested crop and a stored relationship between the signal and an associated setting value of the actuator in the sense of adapting the degree of processing to the property of the harvested crop by the signals from an upstream of the grain processor interacting with the harvested crop Sensor receives and/or removes location-specifically from a stored map and commands the actuator, anticipating the degree of processing of the grain processor based on the signals to the respective processing te crop to adjust.

An important parameter when harvesting fodder maize with a forage harvester is the proportion of broken or open maize kernels in the chopping process in relation to the total number of kernels conveyed through the machine per unit of time. The grains must be broken open in order to make the starch contained in the grain accessible to the livestock's digestion process. Intact grains usually leave the digestive tract undigested and are not utilized. The grains are broken up in the grain processor in the forage harvester, in which all the chopped material is guided through a process gap with an adjustable width (typically a few millimeters). The gap width or the differential speed of the two processing rollers is the parameter to be optimized in order to produce a desired degree of processing of the harvested crop. If the width of the gap is too large compared to the ideal setting or the speed difference of the rollers is too small, the proportion of broken grains in the chopped material decreases. On the other hand, if the gap width is very narrow, the proportion of broken grain increases, but so does the fuel consumption of the forage harvester. The approach discussed here for the optimal setting of the degree of processing is based on a prediction of the properties of the biomass entering the forage harvester, so that even at high conveying and driving speeds there is sufficient time to set the setting parameters in such a way that e.g. Machine throughput and machine efficiency can be optimized. Different sensors and procedures can be used for this prediction.

With the proposed procedure, the machine parameters are not set and optimized based on the crop currently being processed in the forage harvester or even based on the crop already processed in the grain processor, and thus in some cases too late, but are adjusted and optimized with suitable sensors and procedures in a foresighted manner. For this purpose, camera systems can be used, for example on the forage harvester, which can, among other things, record the stock level and stock gaps. The biomass before entering the forage harvester can then be determined based on the driving speed and header width. In addition to the camera systems on the forage harvester for anticipatory stocktaking and/or in addition to this, yield maps of past harvests can be used to determine the biomass and the degree of ripeness of the harvested fruit. They are also drone-guided or attached to satellites or aircraft Attached camera systems are conceivable, which not only provide image data and information on the population density in the visible wavelength range, but also provide current vegetation data in the near-infrared range. From this vegetation data (e.g. an NDV index), information on the degree of ripeness (moisture, nutrient content) can be derived, which together with the forward-looking inventory information from the machine-guided cameras (or alternatively) and/or with any available yield maps, form the data basis for an optimal Supply adjustment of the conditioning rollers.

In this way one avoids the disadvantages of the prior art mentioned at the outset.

The actuator can be set up to vary the degree of processing of the kernel processor by changing the pressure with which two rollers of the kernel processor are prestressed against one another and/or the distance between the rollers and/or their speed difference and/or their absolute speed.

The sensor can work optically and comprise a camera (monocular or stereoscopic or time-of-flight) and/or a scanning or imaging radar sensor or a scanning or imaging laser in any wavelength range. The sensor can be attached to the forage harvester or to a separate vehicle, in particular a drone or a robot moving on the ground.

In the stored map, data recorded by sensors regarding the crop to be harvested and/or crop harvested in a previous harvesting process can be entered.

The signals can relate to one or more of the following properties of the crop: crop density, moisture, degree of ripeness, grain content, mechanical properties.

An operator interface can be provided, by means of which a processing dimension of the kernel processor can be specified, the control device being configured to additionally control the actuator based on the specified processing dimension.

The control device can be operable, based on the signals, to additionally automatically control the propulsion speed of the forage harvester and/or the cutting length of the crop and/or the height of a header above the ground and/or a device for adding silage additives. The sensor or the card thus also serves a further purpose in order to adapt other working parameters of the forage harvester than the degree of processing of the grain processor (in a look-ahead manner) to one or more properties of the harvested crop. The propulsion speed can be adjusted to the expected throughput, the cutting length to the properties of the harvested material that are important for the further use of the harvested material (such as compressibility in the silo or the digestibility of the forage by animals), the height of the header can be adjusted in such a way that a desired protein - or energy content of the feed, and the addition of ensiling agents to the throughput.

The control device can be connected to a local sensor of the forage harvester, which is configured to detect signals relating to a property of the crop in the forage harvester and the control device uses the signals from the local sensor to convert the signals from the anticipatory sensor) and/or the map into absolute values or calibrate or learn a relationship between the two signals and control the actuator based on the learned relationship.

example

In the drawings, an embodiment of the invention described in more detail below is shown.

The only 1 shows a forage harvester with a grain processor and a forward-looking control of the degree of processing of the grain processor according to the invention.

In the 1 a self-propelled forage harvester 10 is shown in a schematic side view. The forage harvester 10 is built on a supporting chassis 12 which is supported by front driven wheels 14 and steerable rear wheels 16 . The forage harvester 10 is operated from a driver's cab 18 from which a header 20 in the form of a header for the corn harvest, which is detachably fastened to a feeder housing 36, can be seen. By means of the harvesting attachment 20 cut off grain-containing crop, e.g. B. corn or the like, is fed to the front side of the forage harvester 10 via a feed conveyor arranged in the feed housing 36 with feed rollers 30, 32 to a chopper drum 22, which chops it into small pieces in cooperation with a shearbar 46 and sends it to a grain processor 34 with cooperating rollers 28, 28', from which it reaches a post-accelerator 24. The rollers can be made as cylindrical rollers which are toothed in the circumferential direction, or they can be undulated in the axial direction or shaped in any other way. The good leaves the forage harvester 10 in the harvest operation to a transport vehicle traveling alongside via an ejection chute 26 which can be rotated about an approximately vertical axis and whose inclination can be adjusted. In the following, directional information such as sideways, down and up, refer to the forward movement direction V of the forage harvester 10, which is shown in FIG 1 runs to the left.

A control device 52 is connected to an electric or hydraulic actuator 44 for adjusting the degree of processing of the grain processor 28 . The actuator 44 can adjust the size of the gap between the rollers 28, 28' (refer to the disclosure of EP 2 098 110 A2 and the EP 1 600 049 A1 referenced) and/or their contact pressure (cf. DE 100 30 505 A1 ) and/or a speed difference between the rollers 28, 28' and/or the absolute speed of the rollers 28, 28' (for both cf. DE 10 2018 205 221 A1 , WO 2001/047342 A1 , DE 10 2013 110 636 A1 , DE 10 2016 211 570 A1 , DE 10 2019 123 947 A1 ) of the kernel processor 34 may vary.

The control device 52 is also provided with an operator interface 98 with a display and an input device and with a position determination device 40 for receiving signals from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS, such as GPS, Galileo, Glonass or the like), a memory 42 and a first forward-looking sensor 38 and a second anticipatory sensor 54, which is attached to an aircraft or a drone 50 (cf. DE 10 2010 038 661 A1 ) is mounted.

The sensors 38, 54 are designed here as a camera with an image processing system. The cameras are on the field in front of the forage harvester 10 (or to the side, s. DE 10 2014 208 068 A1 ) aligned and determine certain properties of the crop during harvesting using the recorded images. For this purpose, the drone 50 can fly in a suitable position in front of the forage harvester 10 . These properties can be, for example, the density of the harvested crop (mass or volume per unit area), the moisture of the harvested crop, its grain content, its degree of ripeness and/or mechanical properties, such as the diameter or strength of the stalk. In a possible alternative embodiment, the camera could be replaced or supplemented by a laser or radar sensor.

Properties of the harvested crop standing on the field that are determined before the harvesting process are entered in the memory 42 in a location-specifically referenced manner on a map. This can be one or more of the properties mentioned in the previous paragraph, which were determined in a previous harvesting process or were determined by sensors in a measurement process carried out before the harvest, e.g. by flying over the field with the aircraft 50, as in FIG DE 10 2010 038 661 A1 described. Vegetation data collected from a satellite during the growth of the plants, e.g. the NDVI, could also be entered in the map (see Fig. DE 10 2020 204 363 A1 ). Data recorded before the harvesting process can possibly be converted into the data applicable during the harvesting process using a growth model.

After all, the control device 52 is configured to automatically control the actuator 44 in order to optimally adapt the degree of processing of the kernel processor 34 to the crop being processed there. Sensors 38 and/or 54 and/or the map in memory 42 provide control device 52 with signals relating to the properties of the harvested crop, which can be determined using known relationships (which can be determined empirically, for example) and optionally based on an operator interface 98 entered processing dimension of the harvested crop (e.g. a desired so-called “processing score”), which can indicate, for example, which proportion of the grains should be struck, for calculating setting values of the actuator 44. Since said signals are already available in good time before the harvested crop that can be assigned to a specific signal reaches grain processor 34, if the signal present to control device 52 changes, actuator 34 is activated in such a timely manner that grain processor 34 makes a changed setting for the degree of processing at precisely that time performed when the crop having the altered characteristics reaches the kernel processor 34. This avoids, on the one hand, the harvested crop being processed to an insufficient degree, e.g. when the throughput falls, and, on the other hand, excessive processing, e.g. when the throughput increases, or even a blockage of the kernel processor 34.

In a manner known per se, the signals taken from sensors 38 and/or 54 and/or from memory 42 can serve to automatically and predictively control other operating parameters of forage harvester 10, e.g and/or a silage additive addition device 56.

Finally, it should be noted that in some cases the relative accuracy of the signals of the sensors 38, 54 and/or the map in memory 42 may be greater than their absolute accuracy. In other words, these signals respond relatively well to changes, while their absolute values are less accurate. In order to avoid this problem, local sensors 58, 60 on the forage harvester 10 can be used, which interact with the crop flow present there and supply relatively precise, absolute values. For example, a throughput sensor 58 can detect the position of the upper feed rollers 30 and can be used to convert relative signals from the sensors 38, 54 and/or the map into absolute throughput values, which are used for throughput-based control of the actuator 44 (cf., for example, the DE 10 2013 209 197 A1 ). Alternatively or additionally, a conventional grain processing sensor 60 (cf. the prior art mentioned at the beginning of the "closed-loop" variant) can interact with the harvested crop downstream of the grain processor 34 to detect the proportion of the broken-up grain and the control device 52 can control it in a self-learning manner (e.g as a neural network) learn the relationships between the signals of the sensor 38 and/or 54 and/or the card on the other hand in a learning phase based on the measured processing of the grains on the one hand and the associated signals and on the other hand apply them in an application phase based on this.

As a result, the forward-looking adjustment of the actuator 44 achieves a setting of the degree of processing of the kernel processor that is optimally adapted to the crop running through the kernel processor 34 at the time. Finally, it should also be noted that the disclosures of all cited patent documents are incorporated by reference into the present documents.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

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Claims (10)

Forage harvester (10) with a harvesting attachment (20) for harvesting crops containing grains, a chopping device (22) for chopping harvested crops, a grain processor (34) for post-processing the chopped crops and a control device (52) which is equipped with an actuator ( 44) for adjusting the degree of processing of the kernel processor (34) and configured to send the actuator (44) based on signals supplied to the control device (52) with regard to a property of the harvested crop and a stored relationship between the signal and an associated setting value of the actuator (44 ) in terms of adapting the degree of processing to the property of the harvested crop, characterized in that the control device (52) is configured to receive the signals from a sensor (38, 52) that interacts with the harvested crop upstream of the grain processor (34) and/ or taken location-specifically from a stored map and the actuator (44) to command the degree of processing of the kernel processor (34) to be adjusted in advance based on the signals to the crop being processed at the time. forage harvester (10) after claim 1 , wherein the actuator (44) is set up to change the degree of processing of the kernel processor (34) by changing the pressure with which two rollers (28, 28') of the kernel processor (34) are prestressed against one another and/or the distance between the rollers (28, 28') and/or to vary their speed difference and/or their absolute speed. forage harvester (10) after claim 1 or 2 , wherein the sensor (38, 54) works optically. forage harvester (10) after claim 3 , wherein the sensor (38, 54) comprises a camera and/or a radar sensor or a laser sensor. Forage harvester (10) according to one of Claims 1 until 4 , The sensor (38, 54) being attached to the forage harvester (10) or to a separate vehicle, in particular a drone (50). Forage harvester (10) according to one of Claims 1 until 5 , Wherein sensor-acquired data relating to the crop to be harvested and/or crop harvested in a previous harvesting process are entered in a georeferenced manner in the stored map. Forage harvester (10) according to one of Claims 1 until 6 , whereby the signals relate to one or more of the following properties of the crop: crop density, moisture, degree of ripeness, grain content, mechanical properties. Forage harvester (10) according to one of the preceding claims, with an operator interface (98) by means of which a processing dimension of the kernel processor (34) can be specified, the control device (52) being configured to control the actuator (44) additionally based on the specified processing dimension check. Forage harvester (10) according to one of Claims 1 until 8th , wherein the control device (52) is operable based on the signals additionally the forward speed of the forage harvester (10) and / or the cutting length of the harvested crop and / or the height of a header (20) above the ground and / or a device (56) to automatically control the addition of silage additives. Forage harvester (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control device (52) is connected to a local sensor (58, 60) of the forage harvester (10), which is configured to detect signals relating to a property of the crop in the forage harvester (10). and the control device (52) is configured to use the signals from the local sensor (58, 60) to convert or calibrate the signals from the forward-looking sensor (38, 54) and/or the map into absolute values or to establish a relationship between the two signals learn and to control the actuator (44) based on the learned context..

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