RU2784488C2 - Device for harvesting agricultural crop (options) - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: agriculture.

SUBSTANCE: device for harvesting an agricultural crop contains harvesting vehicle (10) mounted on running wheels (11) for movement on the ground supporting the agricultural crop on a root for harvesting; harvester (20) containing cutting device (23) for cutting of the agricultural crop on the root, and a webbed system for transportation of the agricultural crop on the root inside from ends of harvester (20) to harvesting section (26) of harvesting vehicle (10), including two side webbed conveyors (24, 25) and central feeding web conveyor moving backwards; a reel mounted above cutting device (23) with the possibility of rotation around an axis parallel to cutting device (23) for movement of the agricultural crop above cutting device (23) to the transportation device, and containing a set of transversely separated reel sections mounted on a set of transversely spaced reel mounting levers; an installation unit for maintenance of harvester (20) on harvesting vehicle (10). The device for harvesting an agricultural crop contains a detection tool designed to: detect the winding of the reel, when the cut mass passes at least partially around the reel and remains in place for more than one turn of the reel, and to generate a signal in response to it, wherein the detection tool generates a laser beam on the reel and detects the winding of the reel by detection of material blocking the laser beam; or to detect the presence of a strip of the uncut or poorly cut agricultural crop behind cutting device (23) and/or a strip of loosened soil behind cutting device (23); or to detect changes in the movement of the agricultural crop on web conveyors (24, 25), using a series of images; or to detect a condition of the agricultural crop in front of cutting device (23) and to provide, in response to the signal, the output of control information to a machine, where the output of control information to machine (10) causes independent adjustment of setting levers of the reel for independent lifting and lowering of one of sections relatively to at least one another section in order to differently place down section of the agricultural crop on harvester (23); or to detect or predict a jam in the movement of the agricultural crop into harvesting machine (10) and issuing an output signal indicating it, where the detection tool uses a series of images of the agricultural crop on one of side web conveyors (24, 25) or the central feed web conveyor to detect or predict the occurrence of a jam. The device for harvesting an agricultural crop contains control system (40) made with the possibility of generation of an output signal in response to it and providing, in response to the signal, the output of control information to machine (10), for example, by slowing down or stopping the operation of two side web conveyors (24, 25) in response to the output signal.

EFFECT: autonomy of the harvester operation control is provided.

27 cl, 4 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to a header for a combine harvester or row header, said header including elements for recognizing one or more header operating conditions to provide at least partial header control autonomy or assist the header operator to reduce operator involvement.

State of the art

Operating a combine harvester by the operator is in many situations a complex task with many functions that must be controlled in order for the harvester to mow efficiently and efficiently, by preventing low cutting parameters or even stalling due to a jam. The main goal, of course, is to make such machines more autonomous to reduce operator involvement. The level of autonomy may be high to allow such machines to operate completely autonomously, or may be lower so that one operator can operate one or more of the same machines in a group, or simply reduce the level of skill or attention of one operator.

Many areas of the harvester are complex and require very close attention to the working conditions. Much attention is paid to monitoring the operation of the combine threshing system in order to autonomously control this system. In parallel, attention is being paid to calculating combine productivity by monitoring the height and density of the crop in front of the combine and the crop being processed in the combine, in particular in the threshing chamber, in order to optimize the efficiency of the threshing system.

The essence of the invention

The embodiments herein provide for the monitoring of many different conditions of the harvesting process, and they can be used independently or in combination to support potentially autonomous control of the harvesting process.

In one embodiment, for use in particular in monitoring the winding of the reel, a combine harvester is provided, comprising:

a harvesting vehicle mounted on running wheels for moving over ground supporting the standing crop for harvesting;

a harvester containing a cutting device for cutting crops on the vine and a device for transporting crops for

conveying the standing crop inwardly from the ends of the header to the harvesting vehicle collection area and a reel rotatably mounted above the cutter bar about an axis parallel to the cutter bar to move the crop over the cutter bar to the transport device;

a mounting unit for holding the header on the harvesting vehicle;

detection means for detecting a coil wrap when the cut mass passes at least partially around the reel and remains in place for more than one revolution of the reel, and generating a signal in response thereto;

and a control system configured to generate an output signal in response thereto and output control information to the machine in response to the signal.

In one embodiment, for use in particular in monitoring the operation of a threshing chamber feed system, said system monitors differential speed changes and a combine harvester is provided, comprising:

a harvesting vehicle mounted on running wheels for moving over ground supporting the standing crop for harvesting;

a harvester containing a cutting device for cutting crops on the vine and a device for transporting crops for

conveying the standing crop inwardly from the ends of the header to the harvesting vehicle collection area, and a reel rotatably mounted above the cutterbar about an axis parallel to the cutterbar to move the crop over the cutterbar to the transport device;

a mounting unit for holding the header on the harvesting vehicle;

detection means for detecting different crop flow rates on the header in different areas, so that detection is performed when the intensity in one area is different from the intensity in another area;

and a control system configured to generate an output signal in response thereto and output control information to the machine in response to the signal.

In one embodiment, for use in particular in monitoring a downed crop, a grain harvester is provided, comprising:

a harvesting vehicle mounted on running wheels for moving over ground supporting the standing crop for harvesting;

a harvester containing a cutting device for cutting crops on the vine and a device for transporting crops for

conveying the standing crop inwardly from the ends of the header to the harvesting vehicle collection area, and a reel rotatably mounted above the cutterbar about an axis parallel to the cutterbar to move the crop over the cutterbar to the transport device;

a mounting unit for holding the header on the harvesting vehicle;

detection means for detecting where the crop to be cut is at least partially lodged such that the crop stems are not vertical;

and a control system configured to generate an output signal in response thereto and output control information to the machine in response to the signal.

In one embodiment, for use in particular in monitoring the operation of a cutting system, a combine harvester is provided, comprising:

a harvesting vehicle mounted on running wheels for moving over ground supporting the standing crop for harvesting;

a harvester containing a cutting device for cutting crops on the vine and a device for transporting crops for

conveying the standing crop inwardly from the ends of the header to the harvesting vehicle collection area, and a reel rotatably mounted above the cutterbar about an axis parallel to the cutterbar to move the crop over the cutterbar to the transport device;

a mounting unit for holding the header on the harvesting vehicle;

detection means for detecting the presence of a strip of uncut or poorly cut crop behind the cutter and/or a strip of loosened soil behind the cutter;

and a control system configured to generate an output signal in response thereto and output control information to the machine in response to the signal.

In one embodiment, for use in particular in monitoring the operation of a threshing chamber feed system, said system continuously monitoring the transition zone of the belt feed system, and a combine harvester is provided, comprising:

a harvesting vehicle mounted on running wheels for moving over ground supporting the standing crop for harvesting;

a harvester containing a cutting device for cutting crops on the vine;

canvas conveyor system for transporting crops for transport

a standing crop inward from the ends of the header to a harvesting vehicle collection area, comprising two side drapers and a rearward moving center infeed draper;

and a reel rotatably mounted above the cutter bar about an axis parallel to the cutter bar to move the crop over the cutter bar to the transport device;

a mounting unit for holding the header on the harvesting vehicle;

detection means for detecting changes in crop movement on the drapers;

and a control system configured to generate an output signal in response thereto and output control information to the machine in response to the signal.

In one embodiment, for use particularly in crop flow control, a harvester or harvesting method is provided that specifically uses a reel structure comprising:

a harvesting vehicle mounted on running wheels for moving over ground supporting the standing crop for harvesting;

a harvester containing a cutting device for cutting crops on the vine and a device for transporting crops for

conveying the standing crop inwardly from the ends of the header to the collection area of the harvesting vehicle;

and a reel rotatably mounted about an axis parallel to the cutter bar above the cutter bar to move the crop over the cutter bar to the transport device;

wherein the reel comprises a plurality of transversely spaced reel sections mounted on a plurality of transversely spaced reel mounting arms;

a mounting unit for holding the header on the harvesting vehicle;

detection means for detecting a state of the crop in front of the cutting unit and outputting control information to the machine in response to the signal;

wherein the output of control information to the machine causes independent adjustment of the reel setting arms to independently raise and lower one of the sections relative to at least one other section in order to differently position the lodged areas of the crop on the wide header.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a grain harvester is provided, comprising:

a harvesting vehicle mounted on running wheels for moving over ground supporting the standing crop for harvesting;

a harvester containing a cutting device for cutting crops on the vine;

canvas conveyor system for transporting crops for transport

a standing crop inward from the ends of the header to a harvesting vehicle collection area, comprising two side drapers and a rearward moving center infeed draper;

and a reel rotatably mounted above the cutter bar about an axis parallel to the cutter bar to move the crop over the cutter bar to the transport device;

a mounting unit for holding the header on the harvesting vehicle;

a detection system for detecting or predicting the occurrence of a jam in moving the crop to said harvester and providing an output signal indicative of it;

and a control system configured to slow down and stop the operation of the two side drapers in response to the output signal.

Any of the above features may be used in combination with any other one or more of the above features, either independently or in combination.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which the detection means monitors the movement of the crop on the infeed canvas.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which the detection means monitors the movement of the crop at the rear end of the infeed draper.

In either embodiment, an improvement is provided that provides a feed roller over the rear end of the infeed draper and in which the detection means monitors the movement of the crop just ahead of the feed roller to detect changes in speed in the transition area before entering the threshing chamber.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which the vehicle comprises a tractor with a monitor header.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which the autonomously detectable condition is any interruption in the thread

crop header behind the cutterbar.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided wherein the autonomously detectable condition is the height of the crop in front of the cutterbar.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which the autonomously detected state is the height of the crop, which is recorded by the ultrasonic height sensor.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which detection is carried out by analyzing a series of consecutive images to determine changes in them, and said images are obtained by means of a camera, radar or lidar.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which the discovery includes a condition match table.

In either embodiment, an improvement is provided in which the output of control information to the machine causes the reel to move forward or backward.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which the output of control information to the machine causes changes in the angle of the reel teeth.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which the output of the control information comprises displaying information on the operator's screen warning of a detected condition.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which the output of the control information provides for an action to stop the forward movement of the machine.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which lodging detection

crop is at least partially carried out by analyzing the difference in the angles of deviation of the stems from the vertical.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which lodging detection

crop is at least partially carried out by analyzing the difference in the angles of deviation of the stems from the vertical, obtained through image analysis.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which lodging detection

crop is performed by a combination of analysis of the difference in the angle of deviation of the stems from the vertical and the detection of the upper part of the crop in front of the cutter bar.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which the output signal depends on the categorization of the degree of lodging.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided that provides a method for distinguishing between a short crop and a crop having a low lodging height.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided wherein the autonomously detectable condition is a streak of uncut or poorly cut crop behind the cutter bar that is detected by crop height monitoring.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which the autonomously detectable condition is a strip of loosened soil behind the cutterbar.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is provided in which the soil behind the cutterbar is detected by the difference in color between the strip and the soil.

In any of the embodiments, an improvement is contemplated in which outputting control information to the machine causes ground travel to stop and the cutter bar to be raised to clear soil and/or cut material from the cutter bar.

In one embodiment, the output of the control information may simply comprise displaying information on the operator's screen warning of the detected condition. However, in a more autonomous system, preferably the output of the control information provides an effect on one or more controlled elements of the header, as described in more detail below.

In some embodiments, the vehicle includes a harvester in which the central support includes a threshing chamber. However, many of the features in this document can also be applied to a header on a monitor header tractor. The header may include a cutterbar, and in many cases this invention can be applied to a rotary header.

The system in this document may be used to continuously monitor a single header operating condition as described below, but to maximize system autonomy, most or all of the conditions described may be continuously monitored. The choice of conditions to be continuously monitored depends on whether the system is intended for completely autonomous monitoring of header operation, or whether it is used only as an aid to the operator in the machine, who is primarily responsible. It should be understood that a higher level of monitoring may allow the operator to be in a different location, such as another identical vehicle operating in conjunction with the monitored vehicle, or even in a remote central location controlling a group of vehicles.

In one embodiment, the detectable condition is reel entanglement where the cut mass passes at least partially around the reel and remains in place for more than one reel revolution. In this case, if the wrapping becomes too large, it is usually necessary to stop the header and manually remove the wrapping. Said detection system may use a variety of different systems, including a camera that monitors the reel along its length. On the other hand, a laser beam along the header in one corner portion is capable of detecting entanglement at any longitudinal position, as long as the entanglement is sufficient to achieve that angular position and sufficient to obstruct the laser beam.

In another additional feature, the autonomously detectable condition is the crop flow rate on the header in one or more areas.

In another additional feature, the autonomously detectable condition is different intensities of crop flow on the header in different areas, such that detection occurs when the intensity in one area differs from the intensity in another area. This may be a sign of a malfunction in the system, and not just a change in the amount of incoming crop.

In another additional feature, the autonomously detectable condition is any interruption in crop flow on the header behind the cutterbar. This can be used to continuously monitor the operation of a cutting system, typically a cutterbar, where individual blades may be damaged or clogged. In other words, in order to guarantee an even and continuous flow, the flow of the cut crop over the cutter bar and onto the table or header belt to be carried out by the transport system can be continuously controlled. If any discrepancies are found, this will be an indication of a malfunction of the cutting system, either due to clogging or due to breakage. The long cutter bar can be monitored in zones, allowing comparison between zones to detect discrepancies.

In addition to, or as an alternative to, monitoring behind the cutterbar, the condition being detected may be the crop flow rate on the conveyor, the conveyor may be an auger system, however more effective monitoring may be done on the draper header where the flow rate can be detected as speed or as the weight of the volume.

One important area where monitoring can detect problems is the rate of crop flow at the inlet of the harvester. In a draper header, this is the infeed draper that moves the crop into the threshing inlet. If the cut mass slows down in this area, this is a sign of a blockage caused by excessive overflow of the threshing chamber and can lead to inappropriate feed to the combine or clogging, stopping work before cleaning.

Breakage of knives and cutterbar guards on combine headers is a common problem. Crop, soil, or crop residue also causes blades to clog regularly in some conditions. This can be seen as an interruption in the header's crop flow. The material slows down or builds up and exits the cutterbar in lumps.

Draper header or auger problems are caused by a crop mass on one or both sides of the header as a result of the crop mass being held up or completely stopped on the conveyor. If the conveyor is the problem, it may slow down or stop altogether, but it is possible that the conveyor is working mechanically and the crop simply is not moving as intended.

In the transition just ahead of the thresher inlet, the crop typically slows or stops just in front of the threshing inlet as the crop mass changes direction from moving sideways to moving back towards the threshing inlet. In addition, the crop must be subjected to high compression in order to fit in the header plenum and this can cause flow problems.

Thus, the embodiment herein uses at least one camera to capture video of crop flow through the header at the above problematic key areas. Said video information is passed to a processor which uses motion-based object/particle tracking to calculate crop flow rates in the visible areas. In order to determine if there is a problem with crop flow, the software can perform various comparisons. It is advisable (but not necessary) to divide said video information into zones and calculate the flow rates in each zone in terms of speed and direction for the image of this zone. It is useful for the analysis to also enter a key operating variable such as ground speed, draper speed, reel speed, and crop type, thereby optimizing expected crop speeds in each zone for each condition. Using all the information, the software can compare the speed and direction of each controlled zone relative to each other. If the speed or direction of one zone is not within the expected range, then an alarm is generated indicating that there is a problem and what caused the problem. The software can also compare the output of each zone to lookup tables that are determined by existing operating conditions such as ground speed, reel speed, and more.

Another area that can be monitored or detected is the efficiency of the cutting system. This applies both to the cutterbar header and to other cutting systems such as rotary headers. This inefficient shearing action results in material remaining in the field directly behind the cutterbar as it moves forward.

In some cases, an ineffective cutting action can be identified by the presence of a strip of uncut or poorly cut crop behind the cutter bar. Typically, such a streak several inches wide is the result of a localized failure, such as a broken cutting blade, or cutting stock or soil stuck on the cutter bar in a localized position. A given standing crop streak can be detected by height sensors such as ultrasonic sensors or by image analysis. Other methods may also be used.

If improper cutting has a pushing effect on the soil, this condition can be detected by detecting a strip of loosened soil behind the cutterbar. Preferably, this is detected by the difference in color or uniformity of color between the strip and the adjacent soil. In other words, the loosened soil resulting from the buoyancy action of the plugging in the cutterbar contains less crop residue and is more uniform in color, and this difference can be easily determined by image analysis.

The uncut strip of crop remains left behind the cutterbar as a gap, the gap can be narrow or wide, but is a sudden change in stubble height that indicates something is wrong with the cutterbar.

In applications where the header is cutting on the ground, the cutting system of the header can become clogged with soil or crop residue and begin to push material in front of the cutterbar. A visual indicator of this problem is a strip of soil that immediately becomes open. This exposed soil usually differs in color and density from the soil around it, making it easy for the operator to spot.

Thus, it is desirable to determine any or all of the conditions that automatically indicate a shearing problem when using an electronic system. First, there are ultrasonic sensors (one or more) behind/under the header that continuously read the stubble height. The controller monitors real-time data from the sensors looking for height anomalies that essentially indicate a cutterbar problem that results in high stubble height. If such a situation occurs, a signal is transmitted that indicates the presence of a problem and, possibly, the localization of this problem on the cutting unit. A further use of this signal may be to signal an alert to the operator, or may be to initiate an automatic response by the machine to attempt to fix the problem autonomously.

Secondly, other sensors are used, such as radar, lidar, optical sensor, in cases where a camera (one or more) is installed behind the cutterbar, which continuously monitors the ground across the entire width of the header. The controller analyzes the image stream and looks for soil loosenings that correspond to the cutter bar opening up the soil as a result of cutter bar clogging. The main indicator for analysis is soil that is darker in color or more uniform in color (containing less crop material on it). If such a condition is detected, the controller will alert the operator or initiate an engine function to attempt to clear the blockage by briefly raising the header.

In another embodiment, the detected condition is associated with the presence of a downed crop area in front of the cutterbar, which can be combined with crop height detection in front of the cutterbar. In this case, the detection can also be carried out by analyzing a series of consecutive images to determine changes in them. This may use ultrasonic height detection or may use contact sensors that come into contact with the crop heads. The output from these sensors can be used to determine a crop height indication and to discriminate between a short crop and a downed or lodged crop, which should be treated quite differently during combine harvester operation.

Thus, crop lodging detection is at least partially accomplished by analyzing stem angle deviations from vertical, and this deviation can be obtained through image analysis looking for stems tilted at different angles in different images as the crop may lie longitudinally in the direction of travel. or across.

Thus, crop lodging detection can be accomplished by a combination of stem angle deviation analysis and detection of the top of the crop in front of the cutter bar. The output from this analysis may also depend on the lodging degree categorization to provide information to the harvester to tailor the impact to the lodging degree and direction.

When cutting a crop with a monitor header or combine, the crop is usually visible at different heights in different parts of the field. It is also usually seen that certain sections of the field have fallen. If the crop is down, it is wise to modify the header to better straighten the crop. These changes include lowering the cutterbar if the cut is higher than the ground, moving the reel forward, and increasing the angle of the reel tine to more effectively “pick up” the crop.

Wherein, the embodiment herein uses at least one camera to capture images or video in front of the header and analyze them to detect a laid crop. The main sign of a downed crop is usually a reduced height (similar to a short crop), but it is also important that the plant is not already upright. The imaging software searches for the stems/leaves to determine the angle at which they are located and compares it to the known values of a standing or laid down crop. This is usually not a simple yes-no analysis, as the crop may have only a slight slope, or it may be completely horizontal or somewhere in between. It is advisable to evaluate the degree of lodging in accordance with the categories, each of which requires a different response from the operator or automatic control system. It's also a good idea to determine the tilt direction as crop tilting towards or away from the header will require different header settings.

In another feature to be monitored, a system may also be provided to detect coil wrap when the cut mass passes at least partially around the reel and remains in place for more than one revolution of the reel. Based on this detection, the output causes control information to be output to the machine, which may be an indication to the operator, or may autonomously cause a response from the machine, typically when the reel is temporarily lifted from the crop and allowed to be unwrapped.

In other words, the header reel is prone to wrapping or even "grabbing". Generally, if the reel comes into contact with the crop too low, it is more likely to pick up some plant material. This grip results in grain loss and may start wrapping around a reel that will not clean itself. If the system detects excessive grabbing or wrapping, it will lift the reel off the crop for a short period of time.

In response to much of what is detected, the output of control information to the machine causes a decrease in ground speed. However, in some cases, outputting control information to the machine causes ground travel to stop and the cutter bar to be raised to clear soil and/or cut material from clogging the cutter bar. In other cases, outputting control information to the machine causes the reel to move either down for a more active harvest or up to eliminate wrapping problems. In other embodiments, said system seeks to bring the reel into the most efficient operating position for crop conditions and ground speed such that the system causes the reel to move to change the reel height. Said system may also cause control information to be output to the machine which causes the reel to move forward or backward and changes the angle of the fingers about the axis of the reel.

Where the reel is formed from separate sections placed on separate arms across the header, another possibility is to provide control information to the machine to cause the reel setting arms to be independently adjusted to adapt differently to the laid down areas of the crop.

Thus, the draper header disclosed herein basically consists of a left and right crop conveyor belt, as well as a center feed conveyor that moves the crop onto the feed drum, which then feeds the cut crop onto the tilt conveyor into the receiving chamber. combine threshers.

The unevenly distributed crop usually forms a large ball or clod of crop, which is then transferred to a central feed conveyor or feed drum. This conveyor is usually a roller mounted over the outlet opening into the threshing chamber which contains auger helical sections to move material within the ends of the header towards the opening. This ridge is often slightly longer than the outlet, and in some cases the ridge extends across the width of the header.

When a large ball or clump of cut material moves onto the feed drum, the feed drum is usually overloaded and stops rotating or stops. This reloading is also possible further downstream in the combine's slant conveyor, or even later in the combine's crop handler. In any case, said overload can in some cases be detected by actually stopping or slowing down a feed element such as a feed drum.

In other cases, said congestion is predicted using the motion sensors described herein so that the presence of factors that lead to a congestion or stall is predicted in advance before the actual stall occurs.

When overload occurs, or factors are detected that indicate that it may occur, header drives normally continue to operate normally, which continues to mow the crop, and move it inward to the center feed conveyor. This adds more cut mass to the original crop ball or coma, further complicating the process of clearing the plug. This may result in the combine harvester operator having to climb out of the combine cab to manually remove the ball or clod of cut material. All this reduces the overall performance of the harvester.

In this embodiment, a system is provided that stops or slows down the right or left conveyors, which stops the internal movement of the cut mass towards the center feed conveyor upon detecting a stop on the center feed reel or upon detecting factors that indicate or predict that such a stop is about to occur. It can also occur when a stop is detected in the combine feeder or the combine's crop handler.

In other words, as soon as said stop is detected or predicted, the movement of the side drapers is momentarily stopped, so that crop supply to the central infeed draper is stopped. It must be understood that in today's very wide headers, a significant amount of crop is placed on the side drapers and will be fed to the infeed draper if this movement is not immediately stopped. Thus, even if a jam is detected before it occurs, the jam can actually be caused by additional movement of the crop on the side drapers if they are not stopped. In addition, if the jam is not predicted but detected after it occurs by stopping the feed member, the jam is exacerbated by feeding additional material into the jam.

The forward control of the harvester is usually carried out by the driver, so that the stop of the machine is carried out by the driver as soon as he is informed that a blockage has been detected. In this case, the machine may be provided with controls that actually stop forward movement of the machine when a jam is reported or the side drapers stop in response to a jam being detected.

Said system is also configured to delay the restart of the side drapers after the blockage has been cleared and the system restarted. In other words, upon detecting a restart of a stalled feed member, the drive for the side drapers is held stationary for a period of time to allow a certain amount of crop in the feed system to pass into the combine thresher before more material is fed from the side drapers. The delay time is calculated from the known normal feed rate relative to the calculation of the amount of excess material in the system. This amount may be averaged from previous information, or may be discovered by measuring various parameters in the mash itself, such as the height of the piled material in the mash. In other words, the left and right conveyors do not continue moving for some time after the initial blockage has been successfully cleared.

In addition, when a jam is predicted rather than actually detected, the speed of the side drapers is slowed down, optionally as the forward speed of the machine is slowed down, to enable the system to prevent a potential jam rather than allow it to occur.

Thus, the above-described embodiment may operate to stop the side drapers in the event of a blockage in the supply system being detected or predicted.

Thus, the above-described embodiment may operate to slow down the side drapers in the event of a feed system congestion being predicted.

Thus, the above-described embodiment can be operated to stop the forward movement of the machine.

Brief description of the drawings

One embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a combine harvester incorporating a header assembly in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the threshing chamber of the combine harvester according to FIG. one.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of only the header of the combine harvester according to FIG. one.

Fig. 4 is a front view of only the header of the combine harvester according to FIG. one.

In the various drawings, like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts.

Detailed description

A vehicle such as a harvester is shown schematically at 10 and includes running wheels 11, a main body 12 containing crop processing devices, an operator's cab 13, and a thresher receiving chamber 14 for receiving the cut mass and feeding it into the processing body. . The details of harvesters are well known to the person skilled in the art, so more detailed information is not required to understand the present invention.

The threshing chamber is mounted on the housing with the ability to raise and lower to raise the header supported on the front side of the combine. For example, the threshing chamber includes cylinders 15, 16 which raise and lower the front end 17 of the threshing chamber to raise and lower the header as needed.

The header assembly 20 includes a header 21 and an adapter 22 that attaches the header to the threshing chamber 14. The adapter is configured to control the supply of material to the threshing chamber and apply a lifting force to the header 21 to move it forward at the front end 17 of the threshing chamber 14. The adapter incorporates floating suspension using springs or a cylinder system to allow the header to float up and down relative to the threshing chamber.

The header as a whole is of a conventional design well known to one skilled in the art, and the main elements include a cutterbar 23 for cutting the standing crop and a crop transport device formed by a pair of drapers 24 and 25 for transporting the standing crop inward from ends of the harvester to the collection section 26 for feeding into the combine. The reel 19 is mounted above the cutterbar 23 on arms 18 whereby the height of the reel can be changed to change the distance between the reel bars and the cutterbar 23. The reel can be slid back and forth on the arms 18 to change the position of the reel relative to the cutterbar. The movement of the reel fingers is known to be controlled by an eccentric system to provide a selected pattern of movement of the fingers when the reel rotates about its axis. It is possible to adjust the position of the eccentric through the angle of rotation around the axis in order to change the angular position in which some fingers are located. Both of these movements are carried out by means of control cylinders or by other means that allow them to be regulated by the control system 301. In addition, the reel is formed from two sections 191 and 192, located next to the supported on the levers 181, 182, 183 and 184, allowing independent adjustment of the two sections of the reel. independent adjustment can be made to one or more of height, front-to-back position, and finger angle as needed. Thus, independent adjustment can be used when the crop is in different height and/or lodging conditions across the header width. To provide such independent control, additional sensors may be provided in the area between the reels to provide an independent evaluation of the crop.

The header may be in contact with the ground so that some of the weight is transferred to the floating system and some of it exerts force on the ground. Alternatively, the header may include two ground engaging wheels, one on each side of adapter 22. support the header on each side of the support provided by the adapter 22.

The connection between the adapter and the header may include a suspension system 30 with a central upper link 32 and two side suspension arms 33 and 34 to support the header on the adapter. As is well known, the suspension system provides lateral oscillation of the header relative to the adapter, as well as vertical floating movement of the header. Thus, the suspension arms 33 and 34 include adjustable force springs to vary the lifting force applied to the header from the adapter. Or the suspension system may use a floating cylinder system configured to control and vary the lift force to vary the ground force.

The control system includes a control unit 300 that responds to input from multiple sensor systems that monitor certain header actions.

Thus, said sensor systems include a first sensor system 50 that includes sensors 501 and 502 mounted on supports 503 on the header end plates and protruding forward from the cutterbar crossline to monitor the crop in front of the header as the crop approaches the cutterbar. Sensors 501, 502 may include devices such as a camera or lidar to generate a stream of images of an approaching crop. Or, said sensors may comprise an imaging system and an ultrasonic height sensor 505 that detects the top of an approaching crop. Height and image sensors can be placed in the same position on the header or in different positions to maximize the detection of approaching crops. In another alternative, the height sensors may be provided in the form of contact sensors 504 for physical contact with the crop heads.

Said sensor system includes a second sensor system 60 which monitors the flow of material on the header. This system includes a plurality of sensors 601 arranged in a row above and behind the cutterbar in a corresponding fixed area on the header frame or on a mounting member attached to the header frame. These sensors provide a line of sight to the header just behind the cutterbar to track the crop moving back over the cutterbar to the drapers. Each sensor 601 includes a camera that generates a series of sequential images of one section of the header, so that the entire cutterbar is tracked through the series of sequential images sent to the control unit 300.

The second sensor system 60 further comprises another set of cameras 603, 604 and 605 mounted on a support 602 attached to the frame. Cameras 603 and 604 are located above the drapers 24 and 25, respectively, in order to track the cut stock thereon. The camera 605 is located above the canvas conveyor 26, which feeds back into the harvester's threshing chamber. The camera data also generates a series of images that are compared to determine the intensity of the cut mass flow.

Said sensor system includes a third sensor system 70 which monitors the condition of the crop in the field behind the cutting system. This sensor system includes a number of sensors or cameras 701 supported on a suitable support, such as a fixed section of frame behind the header. In the field of view of these cameras is the soil behind the cutterbar and in front of the road wheels of the combine in order to control the cutting efficiency. Said sensors may be cameras or may include ultrasonic height sensors.

Said sensor system includes a fourth sensor system 80 which monitors any wrapping of the crop around the reel. This sensor system includes at least one sensor 801, mounted in a stationary position relative to the reel at one end of the reel, which generates a laser beam along the reel at one angular position around the reel so that the reel rotates behind the beam, the beam is positioned so that it detects the presence sheared mass that blocks the beam. The tracking system is able to distinguish between the presence of material that is completely wrapped, and the cut mass, which only temporarily moves back over the reel, by analyzing the period of time during which the beam is obstructed. Thus, said system is capable of detecting when the cut mass has passed at least partially around the reel and has remained in place for more than one revolution of the reel.

The control system 300 further includes terminals 90. These terminals include a display 901 for an operator in the cab or at a remote location. These leads include leads 902, 903, 904 to the combine control system 40 to provide leads 401, 402, and 403 for controlling ground speed, header height, and reel position.

The sensor system 50 is configured to provide information about the presence of a downed crop lying on or parallel to the ground. This information can be generated through image analysis looking for the angles of the crop stems detected by the cameras 501, 502. Other detection methods including head sensors and ground sensors can also be used because the head sensors are capable of detecting the position of the top of the crop in position well below the position of the expected crop heads. This is a sign of a downed crop in front of the header. Ground sensors can also detect a downed crop because they are able to detect reflections from a height well above the ground surface when the cutterbar passes over the downed crop. This information can be used in the processor algorithm to issue information to the operator or to the combine control system, which instructs the combine to urgently lower the cutterbar to the ground in order to pick up the fallen crop. In addition, the combine may be commanded to lower the reel, either directly to the combine control systems or to the operator, so that the reel bars are positioned right next to the cutterbar to raise the planted crop above the cutterbar. The controller can also use the reel height based on the canopy height output from the system to properly position the reel relative to the cutterbar for effective cutting.

The control unit also receives a speed signal which allows control of the height of the cutter bar to be carried out at the required rate of change depending on the forward speed of the vehicle.

In accordance with one improvement, the above-described embodiment provides a system for autonomously detecting one or more header operating conditions to generate an output signal in response to it and provide control information to the machine in response to the signal.

The control information output may simply be a display 901 for the operator to alert the detected condition. More preferably, however, said system provides outputs 902, 903, and 904 for control information that affects one or more controllable elements of the header, and in particular ground speed, header height, and reel.

The system 60 can be used to detect different rates of crop flow on the header in different areas, so that detection occurs when the intensity in one area differs from the intensity in another area. This may indicate a problem in the system and not just a temporary decrease in overall crop flow. As described above, the system is capable of detecting any disruption in the crop flow of the header just behind the cutterbar that is indicative of a local problem in the cutterbar, as indicated by a stop in crop flow in one area. Comparison between different areas of the cutterbar can also provide an indication of additional problems and allow differentiation from anomalies not related to cutting problems, such as areas without vegetation in a field. monitoring can use time as a factor to distinguish temporary anomalies from congestion or breakdowns requiring special action.

As described above, the system 60 may also provide information about the crop flow rate on the conveyors 24, 25 and also the crop flow rate on the conveyor 26 at the entrance to the harvester. Said system can use the comparison of rates between different sites to identify problems of malfunctions in the transportation system. In addition, the flow rate at the threshing chamber inlet in particular reveals a problem in that a slowdown in the flow rate indicates crop blockage, which is usually caused by overfeeding the threshing chamber, which can result in clumps being fed into the combine or, more importantly, important, to potential congestion.

Behind the cutterbar, the condition detected by the system 70 is the presence of a strip of uncut or poorly cut crop behind the cutterbar or a strip of loosened soil behind the cutterbar.

As described above, the detection is advantageously carried out by analyzing a series of consecutive images to determine changes in the images. They can be used to detect changes in intensity or changes in crop position and condition, such as height or angle. Said images can be acquired by various imaging systems including camera, radar or lidar. Said sensors may also include an ultrasonic height sensor.

The output to the combine may include the following:

a. the output of control information to the machine causes a decrease in the speed of movement relative to the ground;

b. stopping movement relative to the ground and raising the cutter bar to clear the clogging of the cutter bar from soil and / or cut mass,

c. moving the reel to change the height of the reel,

d. moving the reel forward or backward,

e. changes in the angle of inclination of the fingers of the reel,

f. independent adjustment of the reel setting levers 181, 182, 183 and 184 for placement of laid crop areas on a wide header,

d. stopping the drive system for the side drapers 24, 25 in the event of a blockage in the supply system being detected or predicted,

h. stopping the side belts 24 and 25 in case of detection or prediction of a blockage in the supply system,

j. providing a delay in the restart of the side drapers after the blockage has been cleared and the system restarted. In other words, upon detecting a restart of a stalled feed element, the side belt drive is held stationary for a period of time to allow the amount of crop in the feed system to pass into the combine thresher before more material is fed from the side drapers,

k. In the event that a jam is predicted and not actually detected, the speed of the side drapers should be slowed down, optionally when decelerating the forward speed of the machine, in order to enable the system to prevent a potential jam rather than allow it to occur.

Crop lodging is detected by a combination of stem angle deviation analysis and crop top detection in front of the cutter bar, and the output depends on the lodging degree categorization determination. The most efficient control can be achieved by generating an output signal depending on different values from the lookup table.

Claims (59)

1. Device for harvesting crops, containing: a harvesting vehicle mounted on running wheels for moving over soil supporting a standing crop for assembly; a header comprising a cutting unit for cutting the standing crop and a crop transport device for transporting the standing crop inwardly from the ends of the header to the assembly section of the harvesting vehicle, and a reel mounted above the cutting unit with the possibility of rotation about an axis parallel to the cutting unit, for moving the crop over the cutting device to the transport device; a mounting unit for holding the header on the harvesting vehicle; detection means for detecting coil wrap when the cut mass passes at least partially around the reel and stays in place for more than one revolution of the reel, and for generating a signal in response thereto, wherein the detection means generates a laser beam at the reel and detects the wrap of the reel by detecting material blocking the laser beam; and a control system configured to generate an output signal in response thereto and output control information to the machine in response to the signal. 2. Device for harvesting crops, containing: a harvesting vehicle mounted on running wheels for moving over ground supporting the standing crop for harvesting; a header comprising a cutting unit for cutting the standing crop and a crop transport device for transporting the standing crop inwardly from the ends of the header to the assembly section of the harvesting vehicle, and a reel mounted above the cutting unit with the possibility of rotation about an axis parallel to the cutting unit, for moving the crop over the cutting device to the transport device; a mounting unit for holding the header on the harvesting vehicle; detection means for detecting the presence of a strip of uncut or poorly cut crop behind the cutter and/or a strip of loosened soil behind the cutter; and control system capable of generating an output signal in response to it and providing, in response to the signal, the output of control information to the machine. 3. Device for harvesting crops, containing: a harvesting vehicle mounted on running wheels for moving over ground supporting the standing crop for harvesting; a harvester containing a cutting device for cutting crops on the vine; a crop transport draper system for transporting the standing crop inwardly from the ends of the header to the collection area of the harvesting vehicle, including two side drapers and a rearwardly moving center infeed draper; and a reel rotatably mounted above the cutter bar about an axis parallel to the cutter bar to move the crop over the cutter bar to the transport device; a mounting unit for holding the header on the harvesting vehicle; detection means for detecting changes in crop movement on the drapers using a series of images; and a control system configured to generate an output signal in response thereto and output control information to the machine in response to the signal. 4. Device for harvesting crops, containing: a harvesting vehicle mounted on running wheels for moving over ground supporting the standing crop for harvesting; a header comprising a cutting device for cutting the standing crop and a crop transport device for transporting the standing crop inwardly from the ends of the header to the collection area of the harvesting vehicle; and a reel rotatably mounted above the cutter bar about an axis parallel to the cutter bar to move the crop over the cutter bar to the transport device; wherein the reel comprises a plurality of transversely spaced reel sections mounted on a plurality of transversely spaced reel mounting arms; a mounting unit for holding the header on the harvesting vehicle; detection means for detecting a state of the crop in front of the cutting unit and providing, in response to the signal, outputting control information to the machine; wherein outputting the control information to the machine causes independent adjustment of the reel setting arms to independently raise and lower one of the sections relative to at least one other section to differently position the downed areas of the crop on the header. 5. Device for harvesting crops, containing: a harvesting vehicle mounted on running wheels for moving over ground supporting the standing crop for harvesting; a harvester containing a cutting device for cutting crops on the vine; a crop transport draper system for transporting the standing crop inwardly from the ends of the header to the collection area of the harvesting vehicle, including two side drapers and a rearward moving center infeed draper; and a reel rotatably mounted above the cutter bar about an axis parallel to the cutter bar to move the crop over the cutter bar to the transport device; a mounting unit for holding the header on the harvesting vehicle; detection means for detecting or predicting a jam in moving the crop to the harvester and providing an output indicating it, the detection means using a series of images of the crop on one of the side drapers or the center infeed draper to detect or predict the occurrence of the jam; and a control system configured to slow down or stop the operation of the two side drapers in response to the output signal. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the detection means monitors the movement of the crop on the infeed draper. 7. An apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the detection means monitors the movement of the crop at the rear end of the infeed draper. 8. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-7, wherein a feed roller is provided above the rear end of the infeed draper, wherein the detection means monitors the movement of the crop just ahead of the infeed roller to detect changes in speed in the transition region before entering the threshing chamber. 9. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-8, in which the vehicle contains a tractor with a monitor header. 10. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-9, wherein the autonomously detected or predicted condition is a disruption in the crop flow of the header behind the cutterbar. 11. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-10, wherein the autonomously detected or predicted condition is crop height in front of the cutter bar. 12. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-11, wherein the autonomously detected or predicted condition is a crop height that is detected by an ultrasonic height sensor. 13. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-12, in which the detection is performed by analyzing a series of consecutive images to determine changes in them, and the images are obtained by a camera, radar or lidar. 14. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-13, in which the detection includes a condition match table. 15. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-14, in which the output of control information to the machine causes the reel to move forward or backward. 16. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-15, in which the output of control information to the machine causes changes in the angle of the fingers of the reel. 17. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-16, in which the control information output comprises a display for the operator to warn of the detected condition. 18. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-17, in which the output of the control information provides for an action to stop the forward movement of the machine. 19. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-18, in which the detection of crop lodging is at least partially performed by analyzing the deviation of the angles of the stems from the vertical. 20. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-19, in which the detection of crop lodging is at least partially carried out by analyzing the deviation of the angles of the stems from the vertical obtained through image analysis. 21. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-20, in which crop lodging detection is performed by a combination of stem angle deviation analysis and crop top detection in front of the cutter bar. 22. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-21, in which the output signal depends on the lodging degree categorization. 23. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-22, which includes distinguishing between a short crop and a crop having a low height due to lodging. 24. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-23, wherein the autonomously detectable or predictive condition is a streak of uncut or poorly cut crop behind the cutter bar that is detected by crop height monitoring. 25. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-24 in which the autonomously detectable condition is a strip of loosened soil behind the cutter bar. 26. The device according to claim 25, wherein detection of the strip of loosened soil behind the cutterbar is carried out by means of a color difference between the strip and the soil. 27. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5-26, wherein outputting control information to the machine causes ground travel to stop and the cutter bar to be raised to clear soil and/or cut material from the cutter bar jam.

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