Combine harvesters are provided for use in harvesting seed corn from corn plants in fields. In connection therewith, a method for producing such seed corn from the corn plants, for use in growing subsequent corn plants, includes measuring a moisture content of corn kernels on ears of the corn plants in the field and removing, by one of the combine harvesters, the ears of corn from the corn plants when the moisture content satisfies a threshold moisture content. The method then includes separating the corn kernels from cobs of the ears of corn onboard the combine harvester and collecting the separated corn kernels for use as seed corn, whereby one or more subsequent corn plants can be grown from the collected corn kernels.

A management and control system is provided for a user to interface with an inspecting apparatus having at least one digital optical instrument. The management and control system comprises a processor configured to receive images from the at least one digital optical instrument, analyze the images, and transmit instructions to the inspecting apparatus, and a display configured to display analysis of the images wherein the user is capable of interfacing and providing instructions to the inspecting apparatus based on the analysis of the images, wherein the display simultaneously displays histograms and thumbnail-image generated in the processor based on the images. A method for controlling and managing the inspecting apparatus for items as well as an UI are disclosed.

An agricultural harvester includes: a chassis; a threshing and separation system including at least one concave carried by the chassis, the threshing and separation system being configured to thresh and separate a flow of crop material; and a controller carried by the chassis. The controller is configured to: operably couple to a moisture sensor disposed upstream of the threshing and separation system, relative to the flow of crop material; determine a moisture level of crop material headed for the threshing and separation system; and output an adjustment signal to at least one component of the agricultural harvester to adjust performance of the threshing and separation system based at least partially on the determined moisture level.

A spectrometric measuring head for forestry, agricultural and food industry applications comprises a housing having a window and a spectrometer that is arranged inside the housing and comprises a dispersive element and a sensor, a first light source for exposing a sample to light, which reaches the spectrometer through the window after having been transmitted and/or reflected by the sample, and a standard that can be exposed to light to provide a reference for the spectrometer, which standard can be exposed to light by a light source arranged in the housing.

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for detecting impurities of harvested plants in a receptacle of a harvester. In an embodiment, a harvester controller receives, from a camera facing the contents of the receptacle, an image of the contents. The harvester controller applies the image as input to a machine learning model. The harvester controller receives, as output from the machine learning model, an identification of an impurity of the harvested plants. The harvester controller transmits a control signal based on the impurity.

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for optimizing harvester yield. In an embodiment, a controller receives a pre-harvest image from a front-facing camera of a harvester. The controller inputs the pre-harvest image into a model, and receives as output from the model a predicted harvest yield. The controller receives, from an interior camera of the harvester, a post-harvest image including the plants as harvested. The controller inputs the post-harvest image into a second model and receives, as output, an actual harvest yield of the plants as-harvested. The controller determines that the predicted harvest yield does not match the actual harvest yield, and outputs a control signal.

A radio frequency (RF) grain mass and constituent measurement system utilized onboard a combine harvester includes an RF sensor subsystem for capturing RF sensor readings of a harvested grain within an area of the combine harvester. A memory stores an RF characteristic database, which contains RF characteristic testing data collected for tested grain samples over one or more tested frequency ranges. A controller, operably coupled to the RF sensor subsystem and to the memory, is configured to: (i) receive the RF sensor readings from the RF sensor subsystem; (ii) determine grain mass and a first constituent content of the currently-harvested grain based, at least in part, on an analytical comparison between the RF sensor readings and the RF characteristic testing data; and (iii) perform at least one action in response to determining the grain mass and the first constituent content of the harvested grain.

One or more information maps are obtained by an agricultural work machine. The one or more information maps map one or more agricultural characteristic values at different geographic locations of a field. An in-situ sensor on the agricultural work machine senses an agricultural characteristic as the agricultural work machine moves through the field. A predictive map generator generates a predictive map that predicts a predictive agricultural characteristic at different locations in the field based on a relationship between the values in the one or more information maps and the agricultural characteristic sensed by the in-situ sensor. The predictive map can be output and used in automated machine control.

A combine including a grain tank that retains grain conveyed from a threshing device; a discharge auger; a temporary retention unit within the grain tank that temporarily retains part of the grain and has a discharge port; a quality measurement unit that detects quality of the grain retained in the temporary retention unit; a shutter transitionable between a position where the discharge port is open and a position where the discharge port is closed; a control unit that opens the shutter when the measurement by the quality measurement unit is completed and closes the shutter when all of the grain in the temporary retention unit is discharged; a volume measurement unit that detects the retention volume of the grain retained in the grain tank; and a determination unit that determines whether the retention volume exceeds a predetermined value, and if so, the control unit stops the opening/closing control.

A method and an apparatus for separating a crop flow on at least one conveying and cleaning unit, particularly a top sieve, of a combine harvester, wherein the conveying and cleaning unit is excited to a longitudinal oscillation and a transverse oscillation. The transverse oscillation is controlled depending on at least one state, wherein least one state for controlling the transverse oscillation is the inclination of the combine harvester, wherein at least one further state for controlling the transverse oscillation is the grain purity, particularly the grain purity of a main crop flow. The transverse oscillation is pre-controlled depending on the inclination of the combine harvester and fine-tuned depending on the grain purity.