Radio frequency measurement device for measuring harvested agricultural material

A measurement device comprising:

• a transmitter for providing a transmitted signal;
• a signal splitter for splitting the transmitted signal into transmitted signal components;
• a set of planar dielectric layers spaced apart and parallel to each other to provide a primary channel for agricultural material to flow between the set of planar dielectric layers and a secondary channel for agricultural material to flow above or below the set of planar dielectric layers, each dielectric planar member having an upper side and a lower side;
• an inner set of primary conductive patches on a plurality of inner sides of the set of planar dielectric layers, where transmit patches of the inner set of primary conductive patches are coupled to the transmitter via the signal splitter and where receive patches of the inner set of primary conductive patches are coupled to one or more receivers to receive a radio frequency field associated with the transmitted signal of one or more adjacent corresponding transmit patches;
• an outer set of secondary conductive patches on one of a plurality of outer sides of the set of planar dielectric layers, where transmit patches of the outer set of secondary conductive patches are coupled to the transmitter via the signal splitter and where receive patches of the outer set of secondary conductive patches are coupled to one or more receivers to receive a radio frequency fringing field associated with the transmitted signal of one or more adjacent corresponding transmit patches;
• a detector associated with one or more respective receivers for determining or estimating a primary attenuation, phase shift, or both of the received radio frequency field in the primary channel and for determining or estimating a secondary attenuation of the radio frequency fringing field in the secondary channel;
• an electronic data processing unit for evaluating the estimated aggregate attenuation, phase shift or both of the primary attenuation and the secondary attenuation to estimate an amount, volume, mass, flow or yield of harvested agricultural material.

A combine comprising:

• a first measurement device for measuring grain loss exiting from an outlet port of the combine;
• a second measurement device for measuring an amount, volume, mass, flow or yield of harvested agricultural material associated with a clean grain elevator;
• each of said first and second measurement devices comprising:
• a set of planar dielectric layers spaced apart and parallel to each other to provide a channel for agricultural material to flow above, below or between the set of planar dielectric layers, each dielectric planar member having an upper side and a lower side;
• a plurality of conductive patches on the upper side and the lower side of each dielectric layer to form transmitting antennas and corresponding receiving antennas to receive an electromagnetic signal from one or more of the transmitting antennas;
• a transmitter coupled to the transmitting antennas;
• one or more receivers coupled to the receiving antennas;
• a detector associated with the one or more respective receivers for determining or estimating the attenuation of the electromagnetic signal associated with agricultural material in the channel;
• and
• an electronic data processing unit for evaluating the estimated attenuation to estimate a grain loss content or the yield of the agricultural material.