Strategic crop placement using a virtual trip line for a harvester and crop accumulator combination
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorTimothy J. Kraus
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A harvester and a crop accumulator combination. The harvester is configured to transfer a harvested crop to the crop accumulator. The crop accumulator comprises at least one actuator to selectively discharge the harvested crops onto a field. A GPS unit is configured with at least one virtual trip line. An ECU is in communication with the GPS unit. The ECU is configured to selectively command the actuator of the crop accumulator to discharge harvested crop onto the field when the ECU receives a signal from the GPS unit when at least one of the virtual trip line is being approached, the virtual trip line is being crossed, and the virtual trip line has been crossed.
Claims10
A round baler and a crop accumulator combination, the round baler being configured to transfer one or more round bales to the crop accumulator, the crop accumulator comprising at least one actuator to selectively discharge the one or more round bales onto a field, the combination further comprising:
- a GPS unit configured with at least one virtual trip line, wherein the virtual trip line is defined by one or more virtual line segments that connect two or more points at predetermined geographic locations set in the GPS unit, and wherein the virtual trip line is disposed transverse to a crop windrow;
- and
- an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in communication with the GPS unit, the ECU configured to determine when the transfer of one of the one or more round bales to the crop accumulator is complete by using a sensor associated with one of the round baler and the crop accumulator, the ECU configured to temporarily pause the discharge of the one or more round bales from the crop accumulator onto the field until the transfer of one of the one or more round bales from the round baler to the crop accumulator is complete, and the ECU configured to selectively command the actuator of the crop accumulator to discharge the one or more round bales substantially on the virtual trip line when the ECU receives a signal from the GPS unit that at least one of:
- the virtual trip line is being approached, the virtual trip line is being crossed, and the virtual trip line has been crossed.
A round baler and a crop accumulator combination, the round baler configured to transfer one or more round bales to the crop accumulator, the crop accumulator comprising at least one actuator to selectively discharge the one or more round bales onto a field, the combination further comprising:
- a GPS unit configured with at least one virtual trip line, wherein the virtual trip line is defined by one or more virtual line segments that connect two or more points at predetermined geographic locations set in the GPS unit and disposed transverse to a crop windrow, the GPS unit configured to determine when the transfer of one of the one or more round bales from the round baler to the crop accumulator is complete by using a sensor associated with one of the round baler and the crop accumulator, the GPS unit configured to temporarily pause the discharge of the one or more round bales from the crop accumulator onto the field until the transfer of one of the one or more round bales from the round baler to the crop accumulator is complete, and the GPS unit configured to provide a signal to an operator indicating when to command the actuator of the crop accumulator to discharge the one or more round bales from the crop accumulator onto the field such that the one or more round bales are deposited substantially on the virtual trip line.
A round baler and crop accumulator combination comprising:
- a round baler operable to form crop material from a crop windrow into a bale and transfer the bale onto a crop accumulator;
- wherein the crop accumulator is operable to temporarily store one or more bales while the round baler is forming another bale, and includes at least one actuator to selectively discharge the one or more bales onto a field;
- a GPS unit operable to track a location of the crop accumulator, and including a virtual trip line defined by one or more virtual line segments that connect two or more points at predetermined geographic locations set in the GPS unit and disposed transverse to a direction of the crop windrow;
- at least one sensor operable to sense data related to when a transfer of a bale between the round baler and the crop accumulator is complete, and sense data related to a presence of the one or more bales on the crop accumulator;
- and
- an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) operable to control the at least one actuator of the crop accumulator, and disposed in communication with the GPS unit and the at least one sensor, wherein the ECU is configured to:
- determine a presence of the one or more bales on the crop accumulator from information received from the at least one sensor;
- selectively command the at least one actuator of the crop accumulator to discharge the one or more round bales present on the crop accumulator substantially on the virtual trip line when the ECU receives a signal form the GPS unit that the crop accumulator is approaching the virtual trip line, crossing the virtual trip line, or that the virtual trip line has been crossed;
- in response to the signal to command the at least one actuator to discharge the one or more round bales, determine if the round baler has completed a most recent transfer process in which a respective bale of the one or more bales is transferred from the round baler to the crop accumulator;
- and
- temporarily pause the command to the at least one actuator to discharge the one or more round bales present on the crop accumulator onto the field when the round baler has not completed the most recent transfer process, until the most recent transfer process is complete.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.