GRAIN LOSS SENSING

Abstract

A spreader tool for an agricultural machine, which includes an inlet into which material is passed from one or more further components of the agricultural machine and an outlet through which the material may be deposited from the machine. A sensing unit is positioned within the flow path of material deposited through the outlet and configured, in use, to measure an impact parameter indicative of a force and/or frequency of material deposited from the spreader tool and incident on a detection surface of the sensing unit, which may be used to determine the grain loss associated with the machine.

Claims

1. A spreader tool for an agricultural machine, comprising: an inlet into which material is passed from one or more further components of the agricultural machine; an outlet through which the material may be deposited from the machine; and a sensing unit positioned within the flowpath of material deposited through the outlet and configured, in use, to measure an impact parameter indicative of a force and/or frequency of material deposited from the spreader tool and incident on a detection surface of the sensing unit.

2. The spreader tool of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is positioned adjacent to and downstream of the outlet of the spreader tool.

3. The spreader tool of claim 2, wherein the sensing unit is positioned such that the detection surface is positioned within the flow path of material deposited through the outlet such that at least a portion of the deposited material contacts the detection surface as it is deposited from the machine.

4. The spreader tool of claim 1, comprising a rotor or fan unit for providing a propulsive force for propelling the material from the spreader tool and out of the agricultural machine.

5. The spreader tool of claim 4, configured such that the detection surface of the sensing unit is positioned in the flow path of material propelled by the rotor or fan unit.

6. The spreader tool of claim 4, wherein the sensing unit is operable to measure the impact parameter in dependence on the operational speed of the rotor or fan unit.

7. The spreader tool of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit comprises an acoustic-electric sensing means configured to output an electrical signal which is proportional to the force of material incident on the detection surface of the sensing unit.

8. A control system for controlling operation of one or more systems of an agricultural machine, the control system comprising one or more controllers configured to: receive an impact signal from a sensing unit of the spreader tool of claim 1, the impact signal comprising a measurement of an impact parameter indicative of a force and/or frequency of material incident on a detection surface of the sensing unit; determine, in dependence on the received impact signal, a measurement of grain loss associated with the agricultural machine; and generate and output one or more control signals for controlling operation of one or more systems of the agricultural machine in dependence on the determined grain loss.

9. The control system of claim 8, operable to control operation of a user interface associated with the machine to provide an indication to the operator of the machine of the determined grain loss associated with the measured impact parameter.

10. The control system of claim 8, operable to control an operational speed of the machine or one or more components thereof.

11. The control system of claim 10, wherein the operational speed comprises a forward speed of the machine.

12. The control system of claim 8, operable to adjust one or more operational parameters of components associated with threshing, separating and/or cleaning of the material in order to reduce grain loss.

13. The control system of claim 8, operable to receive a spreader operation signal indicative of one or more operational parameters of the spreader tool; and determine a measurement of grain loss in dependence on spreader operation signal.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein the spreader operation signal is indicative of an operational speed of the spreader tool.

15. A method of controlling operation of one or more systems of an agricultural machine, the method comprising: receiving an impact signal from a sensing unit of a spreader tool of the agricultural machine, the impact signal comprising a measurement of an impact parameter indicative of a force and/or frequency of material incident on a detection surface of the sensing unit; determining, in dependence on the received impact signal, a measurement of grain loss associated with the agricultural machine; and controlling operation of one or more systems of the agricultural machine in dependence on the determined grain loss.

16. An agricultural machine comprising the spreader tool of claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0029] FIG. 1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a combine harvester embodying aspects of the invention;

[0030] FIG. 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a chopper and spreader tool embodying aspects of the invention;

[0031] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a control system of the invention;

[0032] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method of the invention;

[0033] FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating observed grain loss associated with different material throughputs;

[0034] FIG. 6 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of part of a combine embodying aspects of the invention; and

[0035] FIG. 7 is a photograph of a spreader tool of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an agricultural machine, and specifically a combine 10, embodying aspects of the present invention.

[0037] The combine 10 is coupled to a header 12 which is operable, in use, to cut and gather a strip of crop material as the combine 10 is driven across a field or region to be harvested during a harvesting operation. A conveyor section 14 conveys the cut crop material from the header 12 into a crop processing apparatus 16 operable to separate grain and non-grain (i.e. material other than grain (MOG), typically straw and chaff) as will be appreciated. It is noted here that apparatus for separating grain and non-grain material are well-known in the art and the present invention is not limited in this sense. The skilled person will appreciate that numerous different configurations for the crop processing apparatus may be used as appropriate. Clean grain separated from the cut crop material is collected in a grain bin 18, which may be periodically emptied, e.g. into a collection vehicle, storage container, etc. utilising unloading auger 20.

[0038] The remaining material, made up largely of non-grain material or MOG, is separately moved to a spreader tool 22 which is operable in use to eject the material from the rear of the combine 10 and onto the ground. In FIG. 1, arrow 24 illustrates the direction of the material being ejected rearwards from the combine 10.

[0039] The spreader tool 22 includes an inlet (not shown) into which material is passed from one or more further components of the combine 10. In this embodiment, this includes material from a chopper tool 30 (see below). The spreader tool 22 additionally includes an outlet 29 through which the material is deposited from the combine 10 and onto the field/region being harvested by the combine 10. A pair of rotor units 34 are provided as part of the spreader tool 22 for providing a propulsive force for propelling the material from the spreader tool 22 and out of the combine 10. The rotor units 34 each include a plurality of blades (not shown) which interact with the material to propel the material through outlet 29, and the speed of rotation of the rotor units 34 may be controlled (or may be set at a predetermined level) for controlling the propulsive force provided to the material — i.e. the speed at which the material is propelled from the combine 10. Deflector plates (not shown) are also provided for controlling a direction at which the material is deposited from the combine 10.

[0040] In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, a chopper tool 30 is also provided and is positioned between the crop processing apparatus 16 and the spreader tool 22 and operable, in use, to cut material before it is spread by the spreader tool 22. The chopper tool 30 includes an inlet 38 into which material may enter an operational enclosure of the chopper tool 30, and a series of blades 32 positioned within the enclosure and each comprising a cutting edge thereon, with the blades being rotatable to provide a cutting action as the material is passed through the chopper tool 30.

[0041] It will be appreciated that the efficiency of the separating and cleaning steps performed by the crop processing apparatus 16 may affect the constituents of the material deposited out of the combine 10. In an ideal scenario, all of the grain contained within the crop material collected by the combine 10 will be separated from the MOG, and only MOG will be deposited via the spreader tool 22, however, in most instances there will be grain contained within this material. Accordingly, by obtaining a measurement of an amount of grain contained within the material being deposited from the combine, a measurement of grain loss from the combine, and in particular associated with the separating and cleaning steps of the harvesting process, can be obtained.

[0042] Accordingly, the combine 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a sensing unit 25 (see FIGS. 1 and 2, specifically) which comprises a detection surface 27. The sensing unit 25 is positioned within the flow path of material deposited through the outlet 29 of the spreader tool 22 such that material being deposited via the spreader tool 22 may be incident on the detection surface 27. Here, the sensing unit 25 is mounted to the underside of housing 35 of the spreader tool 25.

[0043] In use, the sensing unit 25 is configured to measure an impact parameter indicative of a force and/or frequency of material incident on the detection surface 27. Grain can be distinguished from other material incident on the detection surface 27 through analysis of the signal produced upon impact of material therewith (see below discussion). In general, due to the kernels of grain being much harder than the straw and chaff, impacts of the kernels with a detection surface have a characteristic sensor response, namely a fast rise time, with a generally higher amplitude when compared with sensor response associated with the impact of straw and/or chaff with the detection surface 27 of the sensing unit 25. Therefore, by measuring the force and/or frequency of such impacts, and in particular those associated with grain incident on the detection surface 27, it is possible to determine a measurement or at least a prediction of the amount of grain present in the material.

[0044] The combine 10 also includes, amongst other features, an operator cab 26, wheels 28, engine (not shown) and a user interface 120B. As will be discussed in detail herein (see FIG. 3), the combine 10 embodies a control system 100 operable to control operation of one or more systems of the combine 10 in dependence on the determined grain loss.

[0045] FIGS. 5 to 7 show a variant of combine 10, and illustrate how the present invention is advantageous in comparison with prior art solutions.

[0046] FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate how grain loss may vary in dependence on material throughput through the combine 10, and specifically highlights how in a “packed phase” corresponding to a high material throughput grain loss may be at its highest level. As discussed herein, this may correspond to a scenario where the straw and other MOG material is dense enough to effectively form a barrier preventing grain from falling through (and subsequently through the sieves) and being separated therefrom. Rather, in this scenario, the grain material (shown in red in FIG. 6) may sit on top of the MOG (shown in yellow in FIG. 6) and pass over the end of the separating component and be lost out of the rear of the combine 10.

[0047] Current prior art solutions may place a sensor in the position indicated by sensor 27′ in FIG. 6, attempting to capture a measure of the material being lost over the end of the separating component. However, as illustrated by FIG. 6, at high enough material loads, MOG and grain material may not fall onto the sensor 27′, but in fact be pushed beyond the position of the sensor 27′. Accordingly, such prior art solutions may be deficient in that an accurate measure of the grain contained within the material being passed over the end of the separating component may not be captured.

[0048] To improve on this, the present invention provides a sensor unit 25 with a detection surface 27 in a flow path corresponding to material ejected from an outlet 29 of the spreader tool 22. The combine 10 is configured such that material from the separating component(s) is passed into the spreader tool 22 and subsequently ejected therefrom by applying a propulsive force to the material, in the manner discussed herein. Advantageously, the output from the spreader tool 22, or at least the location at which material is output from the spreader tool can be considered to be roughly constant across varying material loads. Positioning the detection surface 27 of the sensing unit at the outlet 29 of the spreader tool 22 therefore overcomes or at least partly mitigates the problems associated with the prior art discussed herein.

[0049] FIG. 7 further illustrates the location of the detection surface 27 (here two separate surfaces) with respect to the outlet 29 of the spreader tool 22. As shown, the surfaces 27 are positioned partly within the (expected) flow path of material from the spreader tool 22, but only slightly so as not to significantly impede the flow of material therefrom.

[0050] An embodiment of a method 200 of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0051] At step 202, an impact signal is received from the sensing unit 25 and is utilised to determine a grain loss associated with the harvesting process, and specifically associated with the spreader tool 22 (steps 204-208). At step 204, the impact signal is analysed to extract an impact parameter indicative of a force and/or frequency of material incident on the detection surface 27 of the sensing unit 25. As discussed herein, through analysis of the sensor response from sensing unit 25 individual grain impacts on the detection surface 27 of the sensing unit 25 can be identified, and a measure of grain loss determined therefrom. Using the measurement of grain loss, one or more systems of the combine 10 and/or an implement (e.g. header 12) coupled thereto may be controlled based thereon (steps 206 and 208). Specifically, in step 206, a control signal is generated for controlling operation of the one or more systems in a desired manner, and at step 208, this control signal is output to, for example, a control unit (120A, 120B, 120C) associated the relevant system(s) to be controlled for controlling operation of those system(s) in the desired manner.

[0052] To reduce the grain lost during a harvesting process, the method 200 and in particular step 208 of the method 200 may include controlling an operational speed of one or more systems of the combine 10. For example, the method 200 may include reducing a forward speed of the combine 10 in dependence on the determined grain loss. To achieve this, the method 200 includes outputting a control signal to an operational control unit 120C associated with the combine 10, e.g. an ECU of the combine 10 responsible for controlling application of a motive force to the wheels 28, either through control of a power unit of the combine 10, and/or control of an associated transmission, for example. Operational control unit 120C may additionally be operable to control operation of the crop processing apparatus 16, for example, to control an operational speed of the apparatus 16 which may dictate a speed of or volume of material which moves through the combine 10.

[0053] Additionally or alternatively, method 200 can include outputting a control signal to a control unit 120B associated with a user interface, e.g. a display screen located within the cab 26 for outputting information and/or indicators to an operator of the combine 10 of the determined grain loss, which may include a value and/or one or more suggested corrective actions to be taken to reduce the grain loss.

[0054] Additionally or alternatively, method 200 can include outputting a control signal to control unit 120C associated with spreader tool 22, for controlling operation thereof, e.g. to control an operational speed of the rotor units 34, and/or a position of the deflector plates, for example. In a variant, the method 200 may include receiving an operational signal from the control unit 120C indicative of an operational speed of the rotor units 34, for example, and using this information to determine the grain loss. Advantageously, the operational speed of the rotor units 34 may be indicative of the likely speed of material through the outlet 29 of the spreader tool 22, and may be used to identify grain impacts on the detection surface 27 based thereon.

[0055] In a further variant, the method 200 may include controlling an operational speed of the header 12 or components thereof, e.g. one or more reels, augers, conveyors, belts and the like, or other implement suitably coupled to the combine 10 in dependence on the determined grain loss. Additionally or alternatively, the method 200 may include controlling a height, position, orientation, etc. of the header 12 or one or more components thereof in dependence on the determined grain loss.

[0056] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a control system 100 in accordance with the invention, and its functionality within a wider system for agricultural machines (e.g. combine 10). As discussed herein, the control system 100 is operable to control one or more operational parameters of the combine 10 and/or one or more components thereof (e.g. crop processing apparatus 16, header 12, components of header 12, spreader tool 22, etc.) in dependence on a determined grain loss, as determined in the manner described herein using sensing unit 25.

[0057] Here, the control system 100 comprises a controller 102 having an electronic processor 104, an electronic input 106, an electronic output 108 and memory 110. The processor 104 is operable to access the memory 110 and execute instructions stored therein to perform given functions, specifically to cause performance of the method 200 of FIG. 4 in the manner described hereinabove, and ultimately generate and output a control signal(s) 114 from output 108 for controlling operation of one or more operational parameters of the combine 10 following analysis of data from one or more sensing units (e.g. unit 25). In the illustrated embodiment, the processor 104 is operable to receive an impact signal from the sensing unit 25, where the impact signal comprises a measurement of an impact parameter indicative of a force and/or frequency of material incident on a detection surface 27 of the sensing unit 25. The impact signal here is in the form of input signals 112 received at electronic input 106 of controller 102. The control signals 114 are output via electronic output 108 to respective control units 120A, 120B, 120C associated with one or more operational parameters of the combine 10 or components thereof as described above. For example, in this embodiment, control unit 120C is associated with motion of the combine 10 and may be utilised to control a forward speed of the combine 10, for example. Control unit 120B is associated with the operation of a display unit within the cab 26, and may be utilised to control operation of the display unit to provide information to an operator of the combine with regards to the determined grain loss, e.g. one or more steps for correcting / reducing the grain loss. Control unit 120A is associated with the spreader tool 22, and is operable to control operation of the spreader tool 22, e.g. by controlling an operational speed of the rotor units 34, for example. In the illustrated embodiment, the control unit 120A is operable to output an operational control signal 115 comprising data relating to an operational speed of the spreader tool 22. The operational control signal 115 is received at the electronic input 106 of controller 102 and used to determine the measurement of grain loss. Specifically, and as described herein, with knowledge of an operational speed of the spreader tool 22, and specifically a rotational speed of rotor units 34, the likely speed of material through the outlet 29 of the spreader tool 22 may be predicted, and may be used to identify grain impacts on the detection surface 27 based thereon.

[0058] Any process descriptions or blocks in flow diagrams should be understood as representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process, and alternate implementations are included within the scope of the embodiments in which functions may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the present disclosure.

[0059] It will be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention can be realised in the form of hardware, software or a combination of hardware and software. Any such software may be stored in the form of volatile or non-volatile storage such as, for example, a storage device like a ROM, whether erasable or rewritable or not, or in the form of memory such as, for example, RAM, memory chips, device or integrated circuits or on an optically or magnetically readable medium such as, for example, a CD, DVD, magnetic disk or magnetic tape. It will be appreciated that the storage devices and storage media are embodiments of machine-readable storage that are suitable for storing a program or programs that, when executed, implement embodiments of the present invention. Accordingly, embodiments provide a program comprising code for implementing a system or method as set out herein and a machine readable storage storing such a program. Still further, embodiments of the present invention may be conveyed electronically via any medium such as a communication signal carried over a wired or wireless connection and embodiments suitably encompass the same.

[0060] It will be appreciated that the above embodiments are discussed by way of example only. Various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present application.