LOAD-BASED YIELD SENSOR

• US 20160073583A1
• Filed: 09/14/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Agricultural Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Agricultural Solutions LLC
• Inventors: Nystuen, Paul A., Reich, Adam A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,188,035 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1271 for measuring crop flow
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1272 for measuring grain flow
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1273 for measuring grain loss
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1274 for drives
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1276 for cleaning mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1277 for measuring grain quality
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 57/12 Rotating rakes
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/08 Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B7/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/08 for incorporation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/12 having electrical weight-sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/00 Measuring force or stress, in general measuring force due to impact G01L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0098 Plants or trees wood G01N33/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 : for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/411 : Identification of targets based on measurements of radar reflectivity G01S7/415 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 : Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 : Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30128 : Food products
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 : Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 : Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/136 : involving thresholding
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 : exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/68 : Food, e.g. fruit or vegetables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 : provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 : Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof

Abstract

A method of estimating the mass of crop entering into a grain tank on a harvesting machine, comprising the steps of mounting a load sensor on the upper bearing of a conveyor belt moving crop through the clean grain elevator into the grain tank, connecting the load sensor to a processor, using the load sensor to measure a load on the conveyor belt when no crop is present in the clean grain elevator, and also when crop is moving through the clean grain elevator, and comparing the load with no crop present to the load when crop is present to estimate the mass of crop moving through the clean grain elevator.

Claims

1. A method of estimating the mass of crop entering into a grain tank on a harvesting machine, comprising the steps of

mounting at least one load sensor on an upper bearing of a conveyor belt moving crop through the clean grain elevator into the grain tank;

connecting the at least one load sensor to a processor;

using the at least one load sensor to measure a load on the conveyor belt when no crop is present in the clean grain elevator;

using the at least one load sensor to measure a load on the conveyor belt when crop is moving through the clean grain elevator; and

using the processor to compare the load with no crop present to the load when crop is present to estimate the mass of crop moving through the clean grain elevator.

2. The method of estimating the mass of crop entering into a grain tank on a harvesting machine of claim 1, further comprising the step of connecting a non-volatile memory to the processor, wherein the step of using the at least one load sensor to measure a load on the conveyor belt when no crop is present in the clean grain elevator is done once during an initial setup of the harvesting machine, and then stored in the non-volatile memory for future use.

3. A system for estimating the mass of crop entering into a grain tank on a harvesting machine, comprising:

at least one load sensor, wherein the at least one load sensor is mounted on an upper bearing of a conveyor belt moving crop matter through a clean grain elevator into the grain tank;

a processor, wherein the processor is operatively connected to the at least one load sensor;

application software executing on the processor;

wherein the application software can command the at least one load sensor to read a value for the load seen on the conveyor belt when no crop matter is present;

wherein the application software can command the at least one load sensor to read a value for the load seen on the conveyor belt when crop matter is present;

wherein the application software can compare the value for the load when no crop matter is present to the value for the load when crop matter is present; and

wherein the difference between the two values is representative of a load of the crop matter currently on the conveyor belt.