Yield measurement and base cutter height control systems for a harvester

A method comprising:

• receiving, by a processing device, images from a stereo-camera system, the images being of an area of an elevator of a harvester, the elevator having an elevator back plate with an irregular pattern of apertures configured to reduce volume determination errors;
• generating, by the processing device, a three-dimensional (3D) profile of the area of the elevator at least in part by analyzing the images using triangulation, the 3D profile including a grid of squares, each square in the grid of squares having a predefined area and a corresponding height relative to a plane of the elevator;
• filtering out, by the processing device and from the 3D profile, data points corresponding to a paddle on the elevator to produce a filtered 3D profile;
• and
• determining, by the processing device, a volume of a material on the elevator based on the filtered 3D profile.

A harvester comprising:

• an elevator having an elevator back plate with an irregular pattern of apertures configured to reduce volume determination errors;
• and
• a stereo-camera system coupled to the harvester and configured to detect an area associated with the elevator and transmit images associated with the area;
• wherein the harvester is configured for:
• generating a three-dimensional (3D) profile of the area of the elevator at least in part by analyzing the images using triangulation;
• adjusting a coordinate plane of the 3D profile to align with a plane of the elevator such that the coordinate plane of the 3D profile includes (i) a first axis that is oriented along a direction of paddle movement on the elevator, (ii) a second axis that is oriented from the elevator toward the stereo-camera system, and (iii) a third axis that is orthogonal to the first axis and the second axis;
• determining a composition of a material by analyzing the 3D profile of the area of the elevator;
• and
• determining a volume of a crop included in the material based on the composition of the material.

A system comprising:

• a harvester comprising:
• a base cutter;
• and
• a stereo-camera system positioned underneath the harvester, the stereo-camera system being configured to capture an area that is underneath or behind the harvester and to transmit images of the area;
• a processing device in communication with the stereo-camera system;
• and
• a memory device on which instructions executable by the processing device are stored for causing the processing device to:
• generate a three-dimensional (3D) profile of the area by analyzing the images using a stereo-vision algorithm;
• and
• modify a height of the base cutter based on the 3D profile.

A method comprising:

• receiving, by a processing device, images from a stereo-camera system positioned underneath a harvester comprising a base cutter, the images depicting an area that is underneath or behind the harvester;
• generating, by the processing device, a three-dimensional (3D) profile of the area by analyzing the images using a stereo-vision algorithm;
• and
• modifying, by the processing device, a height of the base cutter based on the 3D profile.