Systems and methods for improving fire safety in agricultural machinery

A vehicle configured to at least partially process harvested plant material, the vehicle comprising:

• a chassis;
• a plurality of material processing units supported by the chassis, configured to cooperatively move the harvested plant material along a flow path, and configured to be in series along the flow path, wherein the plurality of material processing units comprises:
• a first material processing unit comprising machinery positioned in the flow path and configured to rotate and potentially generate sparks when engaged by any rock and/or metallic debris in the flow path, and
• a downstream material processing unit comprising a conduit positioned downstream from the first material processing unit;
• a fan supported by the chassis, wherein the fan is in fluid communication with the conduit and configured to at least partially cause the harvested plant material to be transported along at least the portion of the flow path within the conduit;
• and
• a detector configured to detect at least one predetermined fire-related condition within the conduit, and provide a signal comprising data indicative of any detection of the at least one predetermined fire-related condition within the conduit.

A method for at least partially controlling any fire-related condition in a vehicle configured to at least partially process harvested plant material, the method comprising:

• operating a plurality of material processing units supported by a chassis of the vehicle, so that the plurality of material processing units cooperatively move the harvested plant material along a flow path, wherein:
• the plurality of material processing units are configured to be in series along the flow path,
• the plurality of material processing units includes upstream and downstream material processing units each including a respective chamber through which the flow path extends, and
• the upstream material processing unit is positioned upstream from the downstream material processing unit along the flow path;
• discharging fire suppressant into the chamber of the upstream material processing unit;
• discharging fire suppressant into the chamber of the downstream material processing unit;
• transporting harvested plant material from the upstream material processing unit to the downstream material processing unit along a portion of the flow path;
• ceasing the discharging of the fire suppressant into the chamber of the upstream material processing unit;
• and
• ceasing the discharging of the fire suppressant into the chamber of the downstream material processing unit after the ceasing of the discharging of the fire suppressant into the chamber of the upstream material processing unit.