US 12,376,521 B2Granted

Agricultural system and method for determining crop loss of an agricultural harvester

OwnerTravis J. Ohms, James Seedorfinventors

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Abstract

An agricultural system for determining crop loss of an agricultural harvester may include a support beam extending along a lateral direction between first and second lateral ends, and one or more impact sensors supported on the support beam. Each of the one or more impact sensors is configured to generate data indicative of a crop impact location of each crop impact of a plurality of crop impacts on the support beam between the first and second lateral ends. Additionally, the agricultural system may include a computing system communicatively coupled to the one or more impact sensors, where the computing system is configured to determine the crop impact location of each crop impact of the plurality of crop impacts on the support beam between the first and second lateral ends based at least in part on the data from the one or more impact sensors.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An agricultural system for determining crop loss of an agricultural harvester, the agricultural system comprising:

a support beam extending along a lateral direction between a first lateral end and a second lateral end of the support beam, the support beam being positioned at a material-other-than-grain (MOG) outlet of the agricultural harvester;
one or more impact sensors supported on the support beam, the one or more impact sensors comprising a first impact sensor supported on the support beam proximate the first lateral end of the support beam and a second impact sensor supported on the support beam proximate the second lateral end of the support beam, the second impact sensor being spaced apart from the first impact sensor along the lateral direction, each of the one or more impact sensors being at least one of a vibration sensor or an acoustic sensor, each of the one or more impact sensors generating data indicative of a magnitude of vibrations of the support beam in response to each crop impact of a plurality of crop impacts on the support beam between the first and second lateral ends, the magnitude of the vibrations of the support beam being indicative of a crop impact location of each crop impact of the plurality of crop impacts on the support beam between the first and second lateral ends, the plurality of crop impacts being caused by crop leaving the agricultural harvester through the MOG outlet;
and
a computing system communicatively coupled to the one or more impact sensors, the computing system determining the crop impact location of each crop impact of the plurality of crop impacts on the support beam between the first and second lateral ends based at least in part on a comparison of the data from the first and second one or mere impact sensors.

1 more element

An agricultural method for determining crop loss of an agricultural harvester, the agricultural method comprising:

receiving, with a computing system, data from one or more impact sensors supported on a support beam, the support beam being positioned at a material-other-than-grain (MOG) outlet of the agricultural harvester, the one or more impact sensors comprising a first impact sensor supported on the support beam proximate the first lateral end of the support beam and a second impact sensor supported on the support beam proximate the second lateral end of the support beam, the second impact sensor being spaced apart from the first impact sensor along the lateral direction, each of the one or more impact sensors being at least one of a vibration sensor or an acoustic sensor, the support beam extending along a lateral direction between a first lateral end and a second lateral end of the support beam, the data being indicative of a magnitude of vibrations of the support beam in response to each crop impact of a plurality of crop impacts on the support beam between the first and second lateral ends, the magnitude of the vibrations of the support beam being indicative of a crop impact location of each crop impact of the plurality of crop impacts on the support beam between the first and second lateral ends, the plurality of crop impacts being caused by crop leaving the agricultural harvester through the MOG outlet;
determining, with the computing system, the crop impact location of each crop impact of the plurality of crop impacts on the support beam between the first and second lateral ends based at least in part on a comparison of the data from the first and second impact sensors;
and
controlling, with the computing system, an operation of the agricultural harvester based at least in part on the crop impact locations.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/404,285Filed 17 Aug 2021
Published: US 2023/0058693 A123 Feb 2023
Granted: 5 Aug 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

A01D 41/1273
For measuring grain flow: for measuring grain loss
A01D 41/1275
Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines: for the level of grain in grain tanks
G05B 19/4155
Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to…
A01D 45/02
Harvesting of standing crops: of maize , i.e. kernel harvesting