System and method for controlling harvest operations
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for monitoring and coordinating harvest operations comprising:
- determining real time fill levels of one or more grain bins of one or more corresponding harvesters using a computer in communication with one or more grain flow sensors, wherein the computer includes a microprocessor and a computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium executable to determine a harvest operation offload value for optimizing offloading operations of the one or more grain bins during harvesting operations within a field;
determining real time fill rates of the one or more grain bins of the one or more corresponding harvesters using the computer;
updating a site database with the determined real time fill levels and real time fill rates; and
determining the offload value for the one or more harvesters using the computer in communication with the site database based upon at least one of the real time fill levels and real time fill rates of at least one other vehicle in the updated site database.
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Abstract
A system and method for monitoring and coordinating harvest operations is disclosed. The system and method includes a control system to real time monitor the grain capacity of one or more harvesters to optimize harvest operations. The control system may also monitor harvest and offload vehicle positions and provide instructions for optimizing harvest operations.
48 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for monitoring and coordinating harvest operations comprising:
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determining real time fill levels of one or more grain bins of one or more corresponding harvesters using a computer in communication with one or more grain flow sensors, wherein the computer includes a microprocessor and a computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium executable to determine a harvest operation offload value for optimizing offloading operations of the one or more grain bins during harvesting operations within a field; determining real time fill rates of the one or more grain bins of the one or more corresponding harvesters using the computer; updating a site database with the determined real time fill levels and real time fill rates; and determining the offload value for the one or more harvesters using the computer in communication with the site database based upon at least one of the real time fill levels and real time fill rates of at least one other vehicle in the updated site database. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A harvest system, comprising:
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one or more harvesters comprising one or more corresponding control systems, the one or more control systems comprising; a grain capacity monitoring system to determine one or more corresponding real time harvest amounts, the grain capacity monitoring system including a plurality of contact sensors for determining fill levels of grain; and one or more offload vehicles; wherein the control system is configured to determine real time fill levels of one or more grain bins of one or more corresponding harvesters, determine real time fill rates of the one or more grain bins of the one or more corresponding harvesters; determine real time fill rates of the one or more offload vehicles; update a site database with the real time fill levels and the real time fill rates of the one or more grain bins of the one or more corresponding harvesters and the one or more offload vehicles, determine an offload value for the one or more harvesters to reach a predetermined harvester grain bin capacity based upon at least one of the determined real time fill levels and fill rates of at least one other vehicle in the updated site database, and receive an alert based on a real time fill level of grain reaching one of the plurality of contact sensors. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A control system for harvest operations, comprising
a grain capacity monitoring system to determine real time harvest amounts comprising real time fill levels and real time fill rates of corresponding harvester grain storage bins from one or more harvesters and one or more offload vehicles, a database configured to receive the real time harvest amounts from the one or more harvesters and the one or more offload vehicles; - and
a microprocessor; wherein the microprocessor comprises a computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium, the microprocessor configured to access the database and to execute the computer program product to generate harvest operations data based on the real time harvest amounts; wherein the harvest operations data comprises a harvest offload pattern for the corresponding harvester grain storage bins including which harvester to offload first, a period of time for offloading a harvester before proceeding to another harvester based on one of a position of the one or more offload vehicles, a remaining harvester grain storage bin capacity, and a remaining offload vehicle capacity, and an offload value comprising an amount of time for the harvester grain storage bins to reach one or more corresponding predetermined harvester grain storage bin capacities and a distance for the one or more harvesters to harvest to reach the one or more corresponding predetermined harvester grain storage bin capacities. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification