BALER MASS FLOW SENSING ASSEMBLY AND METHOD

• US 20160088798A1
• Filed: 09/15/2015
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company, Iowa State University Research Foundation Incorporated (Iowa State University)
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company, Iowa State University Research Foundation Incorporated (Iowa State University)
• Inventors: Lang, Eric R., Askey, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 10,477,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 89/00 Pick-ups for loaders, chaff-cutters, balers, field-threshers, or the like , i.e. attachments for picking-up hay or the like field crops field threshers with windrow pick-up apparatus A01D41/10
• CPC Class Codes: A01F 15/08 Details
• CPC Class Codes: A01F 15/0825 Regulating or controlling density or shape of the bale
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 9/3007 Control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 9/301 Feed means
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 9/3078 with precompression means

Abstract

A crop sensing system for a baler includes a compression system for forming a bale and a feed system for picking up crop from a surface and conveying the crop to the compression system. The crop sensing system includes a sensor arrangement having at least one sensor being coupled to at least one of the compression system or the feed system, wherein the at least one sensor generates a signal corresponding to a crop load on the at least one of the compression system or the feed system. The crop sensing system includes a control unit configured to receive the signal from the sensor arrangement and calculate crop mass data based on at least the signal.

Claims

1. A crop sensing system for a baler comprising:

a compression system for forming a bale;

a feed system for picking up crop from a surface and conveying the crop to the compression system;

a sensor arrangement including at least one sensor being coupled to at least one of the compression system or the feed system, the at least one sensor configured to generate a signal which corresponds to a crop load on the at least one of the compression system or the feed system; and

a control unit configured to receive the signal from the sensor arrangement and calculate crop mass data based on at least the signal.

2. The crop sensing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is a first sensor and the signal is a first signal;

wherein the sensor arrangement includes a second sensor being coupled to at least one of the compression system or the feed system, the second sensor generating a second signal that corresponds to a crop load on the at least one of the compression system or the feed system;

wherein the control unit is configured to receive the first and second signals and calculate crop mass data based on at least the first and second signals.

3. The crop sensing system of claim 2, wherein the feed system includes at least one of a pickup assembly for receiving crop from a surface, at least one blade for cutting the crop, or a lifter assembly for receiving the crop from the at least one blade;

and wherein at least one of the first or second signals corresponds to a crop load on the feed system.

4. The crop sensing system of claim 1, wherein the baler includes a loading fork having a range of motion for passing crop from a pre-compression chamber into the compression system, wherein the sensor arrangement includes a first sensor coupled to the loading fork and a second sensor coupled to the pre-compression chamber, and wherein the control unit is configured to calculate the crop mass data based on signals that correspond to the crop load on the loading fork and the pre-compression chamber.

5. The crop sensing system of claim 4, wherein the pre-compression chamber includes a feed pan at least partially defining the pre-compression chamber, and wherein the second sensor is coupled to the feed pan for measuring a crop load generally normal to the feed pan.

6. The crop sensing system of claim 5, wherein the control unit calculates the mass data at least in part by integrating a signal from the first sensor over at least a portion of the range of motion of the loading fork and based on the crop load on and generally normal to the feed pan.

7. The crop sensing system of claim 4, wherein the control unit calculates the mass data at least in part by integrating the crop load signal from the first sensor over at least a portion of the range of motion of the loading fork.

8. The crop sensing system of claim 1 further comprising a global positioning system in communication with the control unit and configured to generate location data, wherein the control unit pairs the location data with corresponding crop mass data, wherein the display device displays a geospatial representation of the location and crop mass data.

9. A crop sensing system for a baler, the system including a processor and a display device, the processor configured to:

receive signals from a sensor arrangement coupled to the baler;

calculate crop mass data based at least in part on the signals; and

communicate, by way of the display device, a representation of the crop mass data.

10. The crop sensing system of claim 9, wherein the sensor arrangement includes a first sensor generating a first signal and a second sensor generating a second signal, wherein the first and second signals correspond to respective crop loads on the baler;

wherein the processor is configured to receive the first and second signals and calculate the crop mass data based on at least the first and second signals.

11. The crop sensing system of claim 10, wherein the baler includes a feed system having at least one of a pickup assembly for receiving crop from a surface, at least one blade for cutting the crop, or a lifter assembly for receiving the crop from the at least one blade;

wherein at least one of the first or second signals corresponds to a crop load on the feed system.

12. The crop sensing system of claim 9, wherein the baler includes a loading fork having a range of motion for passing crop from a pre-compression chamber into a compression system, wherein the sensor arrangement includes a first sensor coupled to the loading fork and a second sensor coupled to the pre-compression chamber, and wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the crop mass data based on signals that correspond to the crop load on the loading fork and the pre-compression chamber.

13. The crop sensing system of claim 12, wherein the pre-compression chamber includes a feed pan at least partially defining the pre-compression chamber, and wherein the second sensor is coupled to the feed pan for measuring a crop load generally normal to the feed pan.

14. The crop sensing system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the mass data at least in part by integrating a signal from the first sensor over at least a portion of the range of motion of the loading fork and based on the crop load on and generally normal to the feed pan.

15. The crop sensing system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the mass data at least in part by integrating the crop load signal from the first sensor over at least a portion of the range of motion of the loading fork.

16. The crop sensing system of claim 9, the baler comprising a global positioning system configured to generate location data, the processor further configured to pair the location data with corresponding crop mass data, wherein communicating includes displaying a geospatial representation of the location and crop mass data.

17. A crop sensing system for a baler comprising:

a first conveyor including a bale chamber in which a bale is formed and moved;

a second conveyor positioned to pick up crop from a surface and convey the crop toward the bale chamber;

at least one sensor coupled to at least one of the first conveyor or the second conveyor, and configured to generate a signal which corresponds to a crop load on the at least one of the first conveyor or the second conveyor;

a controller configured to receive the signal from the sensor and calculate crop mass data based on at least the signal.

18. The crop sensing system of claim 17, wherein the at least one sensor is a first sensor and the signal is a first signal, the crop sensing system further comprising a second sensor coupled to at least one of the first conveyor or the second conveyor, the second sensor generating a second signal that corresponds to a crop load on the at least one of the first conveyor or the second conveyor;

wherein the controller is configured to receive the first and second signals and calculate crop mass data based on at least the first and second signals.

19. The crop sensing system of claim 17, wherein the second conveyor includes a loading fork having a range of motion for passing crop from a pre-compression chamber into the bale chamber, wherein the at least one sensor is a first sensor coupled to the loading fork, further comprising a second sensor coupled to the pre-compression chamber, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the crop mass data based on signals that correspond to the crop load on the loading fork and the pre-compression chamber.

20. The crop sensing system of claim 19, wherein the controller calculates the mass data at least in part by integrating the crop load signal from the first sensor over at least a portion of the range of motion of the loading fork.