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US 12,584,855 B2Granted
Method and arrangement for determining a variable of grain crops
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsPeter Schade, Carsten Struve, Renke Gralfs
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for measuring at least one of a mass-specific or size-specific variable of grain crops, the method comprising the following steps: recording a spectrum of the grain crops with a sensor operating in the near-infrared range; and deriving the at least one of mass-specific or size-specific variable from the spectrum.
Claims20
A method for measuring at least one of a mass-specific variable or a size-specific variable of a grain crop in a first area and a second area of an agricultural field, comprising:
- recording, based on information provided by a first sensor, a first mass flow rate of the grain crop in the first area and a second mass flow rate of the grain crop in the second area, wherein the first sensor is located at a first location on a housing of an agricultural vehicle, wherein a grain elevator of the agricultural vehicle releases the grain crop from the grain elevator to the first location to be measured by the first sensor, and wherein the grain elevator and the first location are on opposite sides of the housing;
- recording, based on information provided by a second sensor, a first spectrum of the grain crop in the first area and a second spectrum of the grain crop in the second area, wherein the second sensor is operating in a near-infrared range, and wherein the second sensor is located at a second location different from the first location;
- deriving a first mass-specific variable or a first size-specific variable from the first spectrum and a second mass-specific variable or a second size-specific variable from the second spectrum;
- determining a first number of grains in the first area and a second number of grains in the second area based on the first and second mass flow rates and the first and second mass-specific variables or size-specific variables, wherein the first number of grains in the first area is greater than the second number of grains in the second area;
- and
- determining an agricultural operation to be performed in the first area in a subsequent cultivation cycle, the agricultural operation determined based on a quotient between the first mass-specific variable or the first size-specific variable and the first number of grains, wherein the agricultural operation is performed in the first area at a decreased rate than in the second area based on the quotient.
3 more elements
An apparatus for measuring at least one of a mass-specific variable or a size-specific variable of a grain crop in a first area and a second area of an agricultural field, comprising:
- a first sensor configured to measure a first mass flow rate of the grain crop in the first area and a second mass flow rate of the grain crop in the second area, wherein the first sensor is located at a first location on a housing of an agricultural vehicle, wherein a grain elevator of the agricultural vehicle releases the grain crop from the grain elevator to the first location to be measured by the first sensor, and wherein the grain elevator and the first location are on opposite sides of the housing;
- a second sensor operating in a near-infrared range configured to measure a first spectrum of the grain crop in the first area and a second spectrum of the grain crop in the second area, wherein the second sensor is located at a second location different from the first location;
- and
- an evaluation device configured to:
- derive a first mass-specific variable or a first size-specific variable from the first spectrum and a second mass-specific variable or a second size-specific variable from the second spectrum;
- determine a first number of grains in the first area and a second number of grains in the second area based on the first and second mass flow rates and the first and second mass-specific variables or size-specific variables, wherein the first number of grains in the first area is greater than the second number of grains in the second area;
- and
- determine an agricultural operation to be performed in the first area in a subsequent cultivation cycle, the agricultural operation determined based on a quotient between the first mass-specific variable or the first size-specific variable and the first number of grains, wherein the agricultural operation is performed in the first area at a decreased rate than in the second area based on the quotient.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.