Managing a combine residue system using field-data

• US 10,292,323 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2017
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Missotten, Bart M. A., Jongmans, Dre W. J., Tallir, Frederik, Mahieu, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US15/422,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20170215330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1243 Devices for laying-out or distributing the straw
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A method for operating an agricultural combine in a field using at least one field-map. The method includes steps of determining (S1) a position of the agricultural combine in the field, retrieving (S2) field-related data from the at least one field-map related to the determined position in the field, and adjusting (S3) residue processing system settings of the agricultural combine based on the retrieved data.

Claims

1. A method of operating an agricultural combine on a field using at least one field-map, the method comprising steps of:

providing the agricultural combine including a positioning system, a residue processing system comprising a chopper, the residue processing system is configured for processing and expelling residue onto the field based on residue processing system settings, the residue processing system settings comprising chopper settings to influence an average particle size of residue expelled by the residue processing system, a controller, and a memory in which field-related data is stored in the at least one field-map, the controller being operationally coupled to the memory, the positioning system, and the residue processing system;

determining, by the positioning system, a position of the agricultural combine in the field;

retrieving, by the memory, the field-related data from the at least one field-map related to the determined position in the field; and

adjusting the residue processing system settings, by the controller, based on the retrieved field-related data such that the controller adjusts the chopper to one of decrease the average particle size of the residue to deposit a layer of residue with a first density and increase the average particle size of the residue to deposit another layer of residue with a second density that is less than the first density.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the chopper settings are chopper speed settings.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the settings of the residue processing system comprise distribution settings to influence a distribution of residue expelled by the residue processing system.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the distribution settings comprise spreader speed settings.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the field-related data comprises yield data related to a yield of multiple field segments of the field over a predetermined period of time.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the yield data comprises crop development data collected over a period of time for the multiple field segments.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the yield data comprises historic manuring data so that an influence of the manuring in combination with the yield data provides an indication for revenue potential.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the field-related data comprises slope data related to slopes of multiple field segments of the field.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the settings of the residue processing system comprise distribution settings to influence a distribution of residue expelled by the residue processing system, and the method includes a step of unevenly distributing residue by adjusting the distribution settings, by the controller, so that the residue processing system distributes a majority of the residue onto a more flat part of the field and distributes less residue onto a field part with a high slope.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the least one field-map includes a first field segment in which a plurality of rocks are present and a second field segment that is adjacent to the first field segment, and the settings of the residue processing system comprise distribution settings to influence a distribution of residue expelled by the residue processing system, and the method includes a step of unevenly distributing residue by adjusting the distribution settings, by the controller, so that that the residue processing system unevenly distributes a majority of residue onto the second field segment and less residue onto the first field segment.

11. An agricultural combine comprising:

a positioning system adapted for determining a position of the combine in a field;

a residue processing system comprising a chopper and being adapted for processing and expelling residue onto the field based on residue processing system settings, and the residue processing system settings comprise chopper settings to influence an average particle size of the residue expelled by the residue processing system; and

a controller operationally coupled to;

a memory wherein field-related data is stored in at least one field-map;

the positioning system; and

the residue processing system,

wherein the controller is configured to generate and adjust residue processing system settings based on the field-related data retrieved from the memory corresponding to the determined position in the field such that the controller adjusts the chopper to one of decrease the average particle size of the residue to deposit a layer of residue with a first density and increase the average particle size of the residue to deposit another layer of residue with a second density that is less than the first density.

12. The agricultural combine according to claim 11, wherein the least one field-map includes a first field segment in which a plurality of rocks are present and a second field segment that is adjacent to the first field segment, and the settings of the residue processing system comprise distribution settings to influence a distribution of residue expelled by the residue processing system, and the controller adjusts the distribution settings so that the residue processing system unevenly distributes a majority of residue onto the second field segment and less residue onto the first field segment.

13. The agricultural combine according to claim 11, wherein the settings of the residue processing system comprise distribution settings to influence a distribution of residue expelled by the residue processing system, and the field-related data comprises slope data related to slopes of multiple field segments of the field, and the controller adjusts the distribution settings so that the residue processing system distributes a majority of the residue onto a more flat part of the field while distributing less residue onto a field part with a high slope.