Reaping based yield monitoring system and method for the same

• US 9,983,142 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2015
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raven Industries Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Raven Industries Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Acheson, John Earl, Kocer, Jared Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): Torres, Alicia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behrens, Adam J
• Application Number:
  US14/687,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20150293029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/8466 Investigation of vegetal material, e.g. leaves, plants, fruits
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/84 Systems specially adapted for particular applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0098 Plants or trees wood G01N33/46

Abstract

A reaping based yield monitor system includes one or more reaping yield instruments configured for coupling with a harvester head. The one or more reaping yield instruments measure at least one crop characteristic of a harvested crop in sections of the harvester head. A yield monitor determines a variable yield of the harvested crop. An apportionment module apportions the variable yield of the harvested crop to the sections of the harvester head based on the at least one crop characteristic measured in each of the sections of the harvester head. In another example, a stand counting module counts a harvested standing crop with the one or more reaping yield instruments and a stand count output module output a harvested standing crop value based on one or more of the counted harvested standing crop or filtered measured values of a stand characteristic measured with the one or more reaping yield instruments.

Claims

1. A reaping based yield monitor system comprising:

one or more reaping yield instruments configured for coupling with a harvester head, the one or more reaping yield instruments measure at least one crop characteristic of a harvested crop in each of a plurality of sections of the harvester head in an ongoing manner, the at least one crop characteristic measured in each of the plurality of sections having a proportion relative to the at least one crop characteristic measured in the plurality of sections; and

a yield monitor assembly in communication with the one or more reaping yield instruments, the yield monitor assembly includes;

a yield monitor with one or more yield instruments remotely positioned relative to the one or more reaping yield instruments, the yield monitor configured to determine a variable yield of the harvested crop in an ongoing manner, and

an apportionment module configured to allocate, in an ongoing manner, the variable yield of the harvested crop determined with the yield monitor to each of the sections of the harvester head according to the proportion of the at least one crop characteristic measured in each of the plurality of sections of the harvester head with the one or more reaping yield instruments.

2. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sections of the harvester head include a plurality of row sections of the harvester head.

3. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 2, wherein the one or more reaping yield instruments includes a plurality of dedicated reaping yield instruments each configured for association with a respective row section of the plurality of row sections, and each of the dedicated reaping yield instruments is configured to measure the at least one crop characteristic at the associated respective row section.

4. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 2, wherein the one or more reaping yield instruments includes a contact instrument at each of the plurality of row sections.

5. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 1, wherein the one or more reaping yield instruments include one or more imaging instruments.

6. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 5, wherein the one or more imaging instruments includes one or more of infrared (IR), optical, or video instruments.

7. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 1 comprising the one or more yield instruments in communication with the yield monitor, the one or more yield instruments are different than the one or more reaping yield instruments,

the one or more yield instruments are configured to measure at least another crop characteristic the same as or different from the at least one crop characteristic, and

the yield monitor determines the variable yield of the harvested crop based on the measured at least another crop characteristic.

8. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 7, wherein the one or more yield instruments are configured for coupling with a grain elevator of the harvester, and the one or more reaping yield instruments are configured for coupling with the harvester head upstream from the grain elevator and the one or more yield instruments.

9. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 1, wherein the apportionment module includes a matching module configured to match the determined variable yield taken at a second time with at least one corresponding measurement of the at least one crop characteristic of the harvested crop measured with the one or more reaping yield instruments and taken at an earlier first time relative to the second time.

10. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 1, wherein the one or more reaping yield instruments includes a plurality of reaping yield instruments, and the apportionment module includes:

a characteristic value module configured to store a plurality of ongoing consolidated values, each ongoing consolidated value corresponding to measurements of the crop characteristic measured with the plurality of reaping yield instruments taken at a first time for each of the plurality of sections of the harvester head,

a comparator configured to compare the determined variable yield against the plurality of ongoing consolidated values, the determined variable yield determined at a second later time relative to the first time,

a matching module configured to match the determined variable yield with an ongoing consolidated value of the plurality of ongoing consolidated values based on the comparison, and

an assignment module configured to divide the matched determined variable yield into variable yield portions between each section of the plurality of sections of the harvester head according to the measurements of the at least one crop characteristic measured with the plurality of reaping yield instruments.

11. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 10, wherein the apportionment module includes a delay module configured to measure a delay time between the first and second times of the measurements of the crop characteristics and the determined variable yield.

12. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 10, wherein the apportionment module includes an indexing module in communication with a field map, and

the indexing module is configured to map the variable yield portions of each of the plurality of sections to portions of the field map corresponding to each of the harvester head sections at the first time.

13. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 12, wherein the sections of the harvester head include row sections of the harvester head, and the portions of the field map include crop rows, and

the indexing module is configured to map the variable yield portions of each of the plurality of row sections to the crop rows of the field map corresponding to each of the harvester head row sections at the first time.

14. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 1, wherein the one or more reaping yield instruments includes a contact instrument coupled along at least one deck plate of a harvester row section.

15. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 14, wherein the contact instrument includes a load cell system.

16. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 15, wherein the contact instrument includes a protective plate covering the load cell system.

17. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 1, wherein the one or more reaping yield instruments includes a plurality of reaping yield instruments, and the apportionment module includes:

a matching module configured to match the determined variable yield with measurements of the at least one crop characteristic in each of the plurality of sections of the harvester head according to a delay time between the measuring of the at least one crop characteristic and determining of the variable yield, and

an assignment module configured to divide the matched determined variable yield into variable yield portions between each of the sections of the plurality of sections according to the measurements of the at least one crop characteristic in each of the plurality of sections with the plurality of reaping yield instruments.

18. A reaping based yield measuring system comprising:

one or more reaping yield instruments configured for coupling with a harvester head, the one or more reaping yield instruments measure at least one crop characteristic in each of a plurality of sections of the harvester head in an ongoing manner, the at least one crop characteristic measured in each of the plurality of sections having a proportion relative to the at least one crop characteristic measured in the plurality of sections;

a reaping instrument controller in communication with the one or more reaping yield instruments, the reaping instrument controller configured for communication with a yield monitor having one or more yield instruments different from the one or more reaping yield instruments; and

wherein the reaping instrument controller is configured to allocate, in an ongoing manner, an ongoing determined variable yield of harvested crop generated by the yield monitor with the one or more yield instruments to each of the sections of the plurality of sections according to the proportions of the at least one crop characteristic in each of the plurality of sections of the harvester head.

19. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 18 comprising the yield monitor in communication with the reaping instrument controller, the yield monitor is configured to determine the variable yield of the harvested crop.

20. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 19 comprising the one or more yield instruments in communication with the yield monitor,

the one or more yield instruments are configured to measure at least another crop characteristic the same as or different from the at least one crop characteristic, and

the yield monitor determines the variable yield of the harvested crop based on the measured at least another crop characteristic measured by the one or more yield instruments.

21. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 20, wherein the one or more yield instruments are configured for coupling with a grain elevator of the harvester, and the one or more reaping yield instruments are configured for coupling with the harvester head upstream from the grain elevator and the one or more yield instruments.

22. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of sections of the harvester head include a plurality of row sections of the harvester head.

23. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 22, wherein the one or more reaping yield instruments includes a plurality of dedicated reaping yield instruments each configured for association with corresponding row sections of the plurality of row sections, and each of the dedicated reaping yield instruments is configured to measure the at least one crop characteristic at the respective corresponding row section.

24. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 22, wherein the one or more reaping yield instruments includes a contact instrument configured for positioning at each row section of the plurality of row sections.

25. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 18, wherein the one or more reaping yield instruments include one or more imaging instruments.

26. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 25, wherein the one or more imaging sensors includes one or more of infrared (IR), optical, or video instruments.

27. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 25, wherein

the one or more imaging instruments includes a plurality of dedicated imaging instruments each configured for association with respective sections of the plurality of sections of the harvester head to measure the at least one crop characteristic at each of the sections.

28. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 25, wherein the one or more imaging instruments includes a single stream video instrument configured to measure the at least one crop characteristic at each section of the plurality of sections.

29. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 18, wherein the one or more reaping yield instruments include a plurality of reaping yield instruments, and the reaping instrument controller includes:

a characteristic value module configured to store a plurality of ongoing consolidated values, each ongoing consolidated value corresponding to measurements of the crop characteristic measured with the plurality of reaping yield instruments taken at a first time for each of the plurality of sections of the harvester head,

a comparator configured to compare the determined variable yield against the plurality of ongoing consolidated values, the determined variable yield determined at a second later time relative to the first time,

a matching module configured to match the determined variable yield with an ongoing consolidated value of the plurality of ongoing consolidated values based on the comparison, and

an assignment module configured to divide the determined variable yield into variable yield portions between each section of the plurality of sections of the harvester head according to the measurements of the at least one crop characteristic measured with the plurality of reaping yield instruments.

30. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 29, wherein the reaping instrument controller includes a delay module configured to measure a delay time between the first and second times of the measurements of the crop characteristics and the determined variable yield.

31. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 29, wherein the reaping instrument controller includes an indexing module in communication with a field map, and

the indexing module is configured to map the variable yield portions of each of the plurality of sections to portions of the field map corresponding to each of the harvester head sections at the first time.

32. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 30, wherein the sections of the harvester head include row sections of the harvester head, and the portions of the field include crop rows, and

the indexing module is configured to associate the apportioned variable yield of the harvested crop at each of the row sections of the harvester head to the portions of crop rows of the field on a field map corresponding to each location of the row sections of the harvester head based on the delay time.

33. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 18, wherein the one or more reaping yield instruments includes a contact instrument coupled along at least one deck plate of a harvester row section.

34. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 33, wherein the contact instrument includes a load cell system.

35. The reaping based yield measuring system of claim 34, wherein the contact instrument includes a protective plate covering the load cell system.

36. The reaping based yield monitor system of claim 18, wherein the reaping instrument controller includes:

a matching module configured to match the determined variable yield with measurements of the at least one crop characteristic in each of the plurality of sections of the harvester head according to a delay time between the measuring of the at least one crop characteristic and determining of the variable yield, and

an assignment module is configured to divide the matched determined variable yield into variable yield portions between each of the sections of the plurality of sections according to the measurements of the at least one crop characteristic in each of the plurality of sections with the plurality of reaping yield instruments.