Unloading Automation System for Unloading Crop

• US 20170276534A1
• Filed: 03/23/2017
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Vermue, Koen J.J., Missotten, Bart M.A., Mahieu, Thomas, Viaene, Karel M.C., Jongmans, Dr W.J., Aesaert, Glenn
• Granted Patent: US 10,254,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/00 Steering of agricultural machines or implements; Guiding agricultural machines or implements on a desired track
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/07 in or into a trailer A01D43/077 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/073 with controllable discharge spout
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 90/02 Loading means
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 90/10 Unloading means
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/284 Electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/292 Light , e.g. infrared or ultraviolet
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/08 Systems for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S13/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/876 Combination of several spaced transponders or reflectors of known location for determining the position of a receiver G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons

Abstract

An unloading automation system for unloading of harvested crop from an agricultural vehicle, such as a combine harvester, into a container. The container may be part of a vehicle container combination that is arranged to maneuver next to the agricultural vehicle in the field. The unloading automation system includes a filling degree measurement system and position measurement system, wherein the position measurement is based on UWB technology. This non-optical technology improves measurement results in dusty environments. The filing degree measurement system and the position measurement system have at least one UWB tag or base station in common.

Claims

1. An unloading automation system for unloading harvested crop from an agricultural vehicle into a container, wherein the agricultural vehicle is equipped with a discharge, the unloading automation system comprising:

a filling degree measurement system adapted to, during the unloading, determine a level of harvested crop at at least one position within the container, the filling degree measurement system comprising at least one first UWB tag and at least one first UWB base station, wherein the at least one first UWB tag is arranged to communicate with the at least one first UWB base station via a wireless communication path, wherein the at least one first UWB tag and the at least one first UWB base station are positioned such that their wireless communication path gets distorted as the container is filled, resulting in a weakened UWB pulse received by the at least one first UWB base station;

a position measurement system adapted to determine a position of the agricultural vehicle relative to the container, the position measurement system comprising at least one second UWB tag and at least one second UWB base station, wherein the at least one second UWB tag is adapted to generate a UWB pulse and arranged to communicate with the at least one second UWB base station, wherein the at least one second UWB tag is fixed in a known position relative to one of the agricultural harvester or the container and the at least one second UWB base station is fixed in a known position relative to the other of the agricultural harvester or the container, wherein the position measurement system is further adapted to;

obtain a distance of the at least one second UWB tag to the at least one second UWB base station from a communication between the at least one second UWB tag and the at least one second UWB base station; and

obtain a position of the agricultural vehicle relative to the container from the distance of the at least one second UWB tag to the at least one second UWB base station,

wherein at least one of the UWB base stations or UWB tags is a common UWB base station or a common UWB tag that is in the filing degree measurement system as well as in the position measurement system, and

wherein the filling degree measurement system and the position measurement system are adapted to respectively determine the position of the agricultural vehicle relative to the container and the level of the harvested crop at the at least one position within the container based on an UWB pulse which is received or transmitted by the common UWB base station or the common UWB tag.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the at least first and second UWBs tags comprises a first UWB radio receiver designed to receive UWB pulses, a first UWB radio transmitter designed to transmit UWB pulses, an electric energy source, and a microcontroller programmed to control operation of the first UWB radio transmitter and the first UWB radio receiver, and wherein the each UWB tag is adapted to store a unique identification code and transmit the unique identification code together with the UWB pulses to allow the each UWB tag to be identified,

each of the at least first and second UWB base stations comprises a second UWB radio receiver designed to receive UWB pulses, a second UWB radio transmitter designed to transmit UWB pulses, an electric energy source, and a microcontroller programmed to control operation of the second UWB radio transmitter and the second UWB radio receiver, and

wherein each of the at least first and second UWBs tags is arranged to return an UWB pulse that is emitted by a respective one of the at least first and second UWB base stations, and wherein the distance between the respective UWB base station and the each UWB tag is determined by the time the UWB pulse has travelled from the respective UWB base station to the each UWB tag and back.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the filling degree measurement system further comprises a 3D-camera at a known position relative to the agricultural vehicle, wherein the 3D-camera is arranged to scan the inside of the container, and wherein the filling degree measurement system is further adapted to determine the level of harvested crop in the container from results of the scan.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the filling degree measurement system further comprises a source of illumination, wherein the source of illumination is positioned separately from the 3D-camera, resulting in fields of view of the 3D-camera and illumination which are dissimilar to each other, wherein the respective fields of view coincide in the container on the position of crop to be measured.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the unloading automation system comprises a data processing device, wherein the data processing device comprises at least one input terminal and at least one output terminal, and further comprises a processor which is adapted to compute output data based on input data.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the data processing device is arranged to determine at least a desired position of the discharge of the agricultural vehicle relative to the container based on the measurements obtained by at least one of the position measurement system and the filling degree measurement system.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an information system arranged to inform an operator of the agricultural vehicle regarding information obtained or computed by the unloading automation system.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the information system comprises a visual display on which the information obtained or computed by the unloading automation system is shown to the operator, wherein the information system is arranged to produce alarms and instructions to the operator, and wherein the alarms and instruction are communicated to the operator visually or by sound.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the information system is arranged to inform the operator regarding a desired position of discharge of the agricultural vehicle relative to the container.

10. The system according to claim 5, wherein the unloading automation system further comprises a controller configured control a position of at least a part of at least one of the agricultural vehicle or the container relative to the other of the agricultural vehicle or the container, wherein the controller is further configured to communicate with the data processing device of the unloading automation system, and wherein the controller further configured to position the at least a part of at least one of the agricultural vehicle or the container such that the discharge of the agricultural vehicle is positioned relative to the container in a desired position determined by the data processing device

11. A combination of a combine harvester and a vehicle container, wherein the combination is equipped with the system according to claim 1.

12. A method for unloading crop from an agricultural vehicle into a container, using a system according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring the level of harvested crop at the at least one position within the container; and

measuring the position of the agricultural vehicle relative to the container.

13. The system to claim 1, wherein the position measurement system further comprises a third UWB tag and a third UWB base station.