SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING HARVEST OPERATIONS

• US 20110213531A1
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH America Llc (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: RINGWALD, Justin R., BENNING, Ryan C., SCHROEDER, Jay D., FARLEY, Herbert M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,537,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/102 Regulating or controlling the seed rate
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/18 Machines for depositing quantities of seed at intervals
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1275 for the level of grain in grain tanks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining

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.

Claims

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;

determining real time fill rates of the one or more grain bins of the one or more corresponding harvesters;

updating a site database with the real time fill levels and real time fill rates; and

determining an offload value for the one or more harvesters to reach a predetermined harvester grain bin capacity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the offload value comprises an amount of time for the one or more harvesters to reach the predetermined harvester grain bin capacity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the offload value is the distance for one or more harvesters to harvest to reach the predetermined harvester grain bin capacity.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating a site database with an operational map; and

providing real time position data for one or more harvesters to the site database;

wherein the offload value comprises an offload location position where one or more harvesters reach the predetermined harvest grain bin capacity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the real time position data is generated by a global positioning system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing real time position data for one or more offload vehicles

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

plotting an optimal travel path for one or more offload vehicle to intersect with one or more harvesters for an offload operation.

8. A harvest system, comprising:

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;

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;

update a site database with the real time fill levels and real time fill rates; and

determine an offload value for the one or more harvesters to reach a predetermined harvester grain bin capacity.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the control system is further configured to determine the offload value further comprising an amount of time for the one or more harvesters to reach the predetermined harvester grain bin capacity.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the control system is further configured to determine the offload value further comprising a distance for one or more harvesters to harvest to reach the predetermined harvester grain bin capacity.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the control system is further configured to update a site database with an operational map, and provide real time position data for one or more harvesters to the site database;

and

wherein the offload value comprises an offload location position where one or more harvesters reach the predetermined harvest grain bin capacity.

12. The system of claim 11, a global positioning system that generates the real time position data.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

one or more offload vehicles;

wherein the one or more offload vehicles comprises at least one individual control system for providing real time position data for the one or more offload vehicles to the control system.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

Wherein the control system is further configured to plot an optimal travel path for one or more offload vehicles to intersect with one or more harvesters for an offload operation.

15. A control system for harvest operations, comprising a grain capacity monitoring system to determine one or more real time harvest amounts of one or more corresponding harvester grain bins;

a database configured to receive the one or more real time harvest amounts; 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.

16. The control system of claim 15, wherein the harvest operations data comprises an offload value comprising an amount of time for the one or more harvesters to reach one or more corresponding predetermined harvester grain bin capacities.

17. The control system of claim 15, wherein the harvest operations data comprises an offload value comprising the distance for one or more harvesters to harvest to reach one or more corresponding predetermined harvester grain bin capacities.

18. The control system of claim 15, further comprising:

one or more global positioning systems for determining the corresponding locations of on one or more harvesters and providing the locations of the one or more harvesters to the database.

19. The control system of claim 18, wherein the generated harvest operations data comprises an offload location position where one or more harvesters reach a predetermined harvest grain bin capacity.

20. The control system of claim 18, further comprising:

one or more additional global positioning systems for determining the corresponding locations of one or more offload vehicles and providing the locations of the one or more offload vehicles to the database.

21. The control system of claim 20, wherein the generated harvest operations data further comprises an optimal travel path for the one or more offload vehicle to intersect with the one or more harvesters for an offload operation.