RU2786925C1 - Method for modernizing equipment that collects and transports grain - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: agriculture.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to agriculture. The method for modernizing the equipment (1) that collects and transports grain provides that in the grain elevator (5) the technicians (1) place a device (9) for measuring the volume of the grain mixture so that the elevator blades (5) fall into the frame of the digital camera of the device , and the laser module of the device as part of the device (9) imposes a laser grid on the hill of the grain mixture placed on the blades of the elevator (5), and calibrates the specified device (9) taking into account the analysis of images received from the digital camera.

EFFECT: invention provides the possibility to upgrade any type of grain harvesting equipment, which provides continuous measurement of the volume of the grain mixture without slowing down the speed of the grain mixture passing through the elevator.

3 cl, 3 dwg

Description

The invention relates to agricultural engineering, in particular to methods for upgrading grain harvesting equipment to enable monitoring of the quantitative characteristics of the harvested grain mixture when mapping yields.

In the prior art, a method for upgrading grain harvesting equipment and a device for implementing the method are known (patent RU2693600, published on 07/03/2019, IPC A01D 41/127). According to this method of modernization of a combine harvester, at least two holes are made in the grain elevator of the combine harvester, a device for monitoring the quantity and quality of the grain mixture is placed in a single housing and connected to the grain elevator, and one hole of the grain elevator is connected to the entrance to the grain channel of the device for monitoring the amount and the quality of the grain mixture for receiving the grain mixture from the elevator, and the other opening of the elevator is connected to the exit from the grain channel of the monitoring device to return the grain mixture to the grain elevator. The disadvantage in the implementation of this invention is the change in the process of passing grain through the grain elevator, to achieve a technical result, the grain mixture must pass through the holes in the grain elevator into the measuring device. Also, this method of modernization in order to measure the volume of the grain mixture may have errors in terms of measurement, since not all of the grain mixture passes through the measuring device, some may remain on the elevator blades, which reduces the measurement accuracy.

Also known is a device for recording and determining the composition of bulk material (patent RU2566989, published 27.10.2015, IPC A01D 41/127). The device for recording and determining the composition of bulk material contains an image recording device, at least one control device, at least one memory unit and a selection unit. The image recording device comprises at least two image detectors capable of capturing images or a series of images of the harvested crop flow at regular intervals or continuously and installed in a specially made window in the elevator. The image detectors are placed in the direction of the circumferential perimeter, preferably with an angular displacement of 180˚ relative to each other. One image detector is located approximately perpendicular to the upper side of the outer surface of the harvested mass. The other image detector is placed approximately perpendicular to the underside of the outer surface of the crop stream. The device for recording and determining the composition of bulk material improves the determination of the quality of the harvested material. In this case, the lower image detector is located on the head of the elevator or on the discharge pipe so that using the image evaluation method, the filling height at the head of the elevator or discharge pipe can be determined, which can be displayed on the display device of the operator device. The modernization method described in this patent does not allow to estimate the volumes of the collected grain mixture with high accuracy, since this method includes the installation of two cameras, while the calculation is carried out by comparing the images of the blade during the passage of grain in different parts of the elevator, while not allowing to measure all the necessary to calculate parameters such as the relief of the surface of the grain mixture hill and the height of the hill.

The task set during the development of this invention was to create a method for upgrading grain harvesting equipment to enable continuous measurement of the quantitative characteristics of the grain mixture passing through the elevator.

The technical result achieved by the implementation of this invention is the possibility of upgrading any type of grain harvesting equipment that provides continuous measurement of the volume of the grain mixture without slowing down the speed of the grain mixture passing through the elevator.

The specified technical result is achieved by the method of modernization of grain harvesting equipment for measuring the volume of the grain mixture, according to which a hole is made in the grain elevator of the grain harvesting equipment, a device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture, made in a single housing, is placed inside the elevator so that the elevator blades fall into the frame of the digital camera of the device and the walls of the grain elevator did not interfere with the laser module and the light source as part of the device to illuminate the relief of the hill, the power supply of the grain harvesting equipment is supplied to the input of the device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture, after which the data processing unit as part of the device calibrates by developing control actions on the movement of the drive that sets in motion a turntable with a digital camera, and the calibration is carried out by forming images with a digital camera, which, by measuring the illumination parameter, are analyzed by a data processing unit on the subject There is no illumination of images due to the reflection of light generated by the light source in the composition of the device from the surface of the elevator blade.

These technical features allow for the modernization of any type of grain harvesting equipment. The device used as part of this method makes it possible to measure the entire volume of the grain mixture passing through the elevator of grain harvesting equipment, without the need to introduce the device into the process of passing the grain mixture through the elevator, and the technical solutions included in the device provide the ability to calibrate for installation on various types of combines, as well as measuring all the parameters necessary for calculating the volume of the collected grain mixture.

To describe this invention, an example of the application of the developed technical solutions as part of a grain harvester elevator will be given, however, these technical features can be applied to any type of equipment that collects and transports a grain crop.

Also, to understand the principles of implementation of technical solutions as part of this invention, it is necessary to disclose a device for measuring the volume of a grain mixture.

The device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture in grain harvesting equipment can be installed on any type of combine, for this it is necessary to calibrate the position of the turntable, which carries a digital camera and a laser module. The angle of the turntable position is unique for each type of combine and depends on the design features of the grain elevator of each model of combine harvester. The device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture is made in a single housing and consists of a housing, a digital camera installed on a turntable inside the housing, a light source, a laser module and a data processing unit.

The data processing unit is a computing device with a storage device for storing the received images, as well as frequency characteristics sufficient for real-time image processing. The data processing unit performs the calibration, using software and a drive that drives the turntable until it reaches the desired angle for the given combine.

The light source is responsible for illuminating the scene (grain elevator blades and grain piles) inside the grain elevator of a combine harvester.

The laser module is a light emitting diode device operating on the basis of collimated beams of light rays. The laser module superimposes a laser checkered grid on a hill of grain, the grid pitch is constant and does not change. Thus, the relief of the hill is highlighted, containing information about the configuration of the surface of the grain mixture.

A digital camera is a digital video camera that performs at least 30 frames per second (30 FPS) and captures an image and transmits it to a data processing unit for further processing.

The device for measuring the volume of grain mixture in grain harvesting equipment is a system with visual feedback, equipped with a laser module and backlight. The inner surface of the casing of the grain elevator of a grain harvester (combine) is polished by constant friction of the blades, as a result of which the reflectivity of the surface and the likelihood of illuminating the digital camera with reflected light increase (when the image is illuminated, part of the information in the frame is lost, because the illuminated pixels reach the maximum accumulation value) . In the process of calibrating the angle of the turntable, the device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture in the elevator of the combine harvester takes images, which are then analyzed by the data processing unit for the presence of illumination by measuring the illumination parameter. The illumination parameter is the ratio of luminous flux per unit area. As soon as the value of the illumination parameter falls below the limit value (at which the image is considered illuminated), the calibration is considered completed, the drive fixes the position of the turntable.

The data processing unit analyzes the received image to estimate the volume of the grain mixture in the grain elevator of the combine harvester. The data processing unit finds a grain elevator blade on the image, the upper boundary of which it considers to be the base of the grain hill. Having data on the geometry of the blades of the grain elevator, as well as on the relief of the hill thanks to the grid superimposed by the laser module, the data processing unit calculates the volume of the grain mixture on the blade with high accuracy.

The grain mix volume measuring device in combine harvesters calculates the volume of grain mix on each paddle that passes it, thus ensuring a continuous volume calculation throughout the entire operation of the combine harvester.

The technical essence of the invention is illustrated by drawings. Figure 1 shows the location of the device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture in the elevator of the combine harvester, figure 2 shows the location of the main components of the device in the grain elevator of the combine harvester, figure 3 shows the profile of the hole in the elevator for installing the device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture in the elevator.

Devices as part of the method of modernization of grain harvesting equipment for measuring the volume of the grain mixture contain:

1. Combine harvester;

2. Digital camera;

3. Laser module;

4. Light source;

5. Elevator of a combine harvester;

6. Blade of the grain harvester elevator;

7. The body of the device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture in the elevator of the combine harvester;

8. Grain;

9. Device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture;

10. Hole for installing a device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture.

In a preferred embodiment, the invention is carried out as follows.

In the elevator (5) of the combine harvester (1), a hole (10) is made to install a device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture (9). The body of the device (7) is fixed on the elevator (5), providing access to the digital camera (2) to capture images at the moment the grain mixture (8) passes on the elevator blades of the combine harvester (6). The shooting speed of the camera (2) allows you to shoot each blade of the elevator in the process of its operation. If necessary, the data processing unit calibrates the digital camera (2) and the laser module (3) by analyzing the received images for the presence of illumination from the light source (4) by measuring the illumination parameter and generating control actions on the turntable drive, while changing the position of the digital camera (2) and laser module (3).

The device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture works as follows. When grain (8) passes on the blade (6) along the grain elevator (5), the digital camera (2) captures images and transfers it to the data processing unit. At the same time, the laser module (3) superimposes a laser checkered grid on the grain hill, highlighting the relief of the hill, containing information about the configuration of the surface of the grain mixture, where the top point of the grid corresponds to the peak of the grain hill.

The data processing unit finds a grain elevator blade (6) on the image, the upper limit of which it considers to be the base of the grain hill (8). Having data on the geometry of the grain elevator blade (6), stored in advance in the memory of the device, as well as on the relief of the hill thanks to the laser module (3), the data processing unit, using the obtained parameters and internal algorithms, calculates with high accuracy the volume of the grain mixture on the blade, while the device measuring the volume of the grain mixture in the elevator (9) of the combine harvester (1) at the time of harvesting calculates the volume of the grain mixture on each blade passing by it, thus ensuring a continuous calculation of the volume during the entire operation of the combine harvester without slowing down its work.

The proposed method for the modernization of grain harvesting equipment allows for continuous monitoring of the amount of the harvested crop and mapping the yield, without the need to change the processes of moving grain in the grain elevator with high accuracy.

The implementation of the described modernization method does not require significant changes in the design of grain harvesting equipment, which simplifies the modernization process, reduces material and labor costs.

Claims (3)

1. A method for modernizing equipment that collects and transports grain, characterized in that a device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture is placed in the grain elevator of the equipment in such a way that the elevator blades fall into the frame of the digital camera of the device, and the laser module of the device as part of the device imposes grain on the hill mixture placed on the blades of the elevator, a laser grid, and calibrate the specified device, taking into account the analysis of images received from a digital camera. 2. The modernization method according to claim 1, characterized in that a hole is made in the grain elevator of the grain harvesting equipment in order to accommodate a device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture with a camera and a laser module. 3. The modernization method according to claim 1, characterized in that power supply from grain harvesting equipment is supplied to the input of the device for measuring the volume of the grain mixture.

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