# US 12,593,751 B2 · Agricultural system and method for monitoring feeder throughput of a harvester > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,593,751 B2 - Document ID: US12593751B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/963,363 - Filed: 2022-10-11 - Published: 2024-04-11 - Granted: 2026-04-07 - Earliest claimed: 2022-10-11 - Assignees: CNH Industrial America LLC - Applicants: CNH Industrial America LLC - Inventors: Cory Douglas Hunt - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12593751B2 ## CPC - A01D 41/127: Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines - A01D 41/1271: {for measuring crop flow} - A01D 41/141: {Automatic header control} - A01F 12/46: Mechanical grain conveyors - A01D: HARVESTING; MOWING - A01F: PROCESSING OF HARVESTED PRODUCE; HAY OR STRAW PRESSES; DEVICES FOR STORING AGRICULTURAL OR HORTICULTURAL PRODUCE (devices for topping or skinning onions or flower bulbs A23N15/08) ## Abstract An agricultural system for monitoring throughput of a feeder configured for use with a harvester performing a harvesting operation within a field includes a feeder housing and a feed assembly supported within the feeder housing, with the feed assembly directing a flow of harvested materials through the feeder, and with the feed assembly including a plurality of carriers spaced apart and driven about a loop. Moreover, the agricultural system includes a sensor configured to generate data indicative of the flow of harvested materials through the feeder. Additionally, the agricultural system includes a computing system communicatively coupled to the sensor, with the computing system being configured to monitor the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on the data generated by the sensor and a position of the plurality of carriers relative to the sensor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An agricultural system for monitoring throughput of a feeder of a harvester performing a harvesting operation within a field, the agricultural system comprising: a feeder housing; a feed assembly supported within the feeder housing, the feed assembly directing a flow of harvested materials through the feeder, the feed assembly including a plurality of carriers spaced apart and drivable about a loop for directing the flow of harvested materials; a sensor generating data indicative of the flow of harvested materials through the feeder; and a computing system communicatively coupled to the sensor, the computing system monitoring the flow of harvested materials within the feeder based at least in part on the data generated by the sensor and a position of the plurality of carriers relative to the sensor during generation of the data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, further comprising a position sensor generating position data indicative of the position of at least one of the plurality of carriers relative to the sensor, wherein the computing system is monitoring the position of the plurality of carriers relative to the sensor based at least in part on the position data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The agricultural system of claim 2, wherein the computing system is controlling the sensor to generate the data based at least in part on the position of the plurality of carriers relative to the sensor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is monitoring the position of the plurality of carriers relative to the sensor based at least in part on the data generated by the sensor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is monitoring the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on the data associated with intervals of a given number of the plurality of carriers passing through a field of view of the sensor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is monitoring the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on the data associated with a midpoint between directly adjacent carriers of the plurality of carriers about the loop being within a field of view of the sensor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is monitoring the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on a first set of data points and a second set of data points of the data, the first set of data points being associated with a leading side of a first carrier of the plurality of carriers being within a field of view of the sensor and a trailing side of the first carrier being outside of the field of view, the second set of data points being associated with a trailing side of a second carrier of the plurality of carriers being within the field of view and a leading side of the second carrier being outside of the field of view. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The agricultural system of claim 7, wherein a number of the first set of data points is equal to a number of the second set of data points. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is monitoring the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on the data associated with a leading side of the plurality of carriers being within a field of view of the sensor and a trailing side of the plurality of carriers being outside of the field of view. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The agricultural system of claim 9, wherein the computing system is monitoring a volume of the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on the data, and wherein the computing system is monitoring the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on the data associated with the leading side of the plurality of carriers being within the field of view and the trailing side of the plurality of carriers being outside of the field of view in response to the volume of the flow of harvested materials being less than a threshold volume. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a camera, a radar sensor, or a lidar sensor. ### Claim 12 An agricultural method for monitoring throughput of a feeder of a harvester performing a harvesting operation within a field, the feeder comprising a feeder housing and a feed assembly supported within the feeder housing, the feed assembly including a plurality of carriers spaced apart and drivable about a loop, the agricultural method comprising: controlling the feed assembly to drive the plurality of carriers about the loop to direct a flow of harvested materials through the feeder; determining, with a computing system, a position of the plurality of carriers relative to a sensor as the plurality of carriers is driven about the loop; receiving, with the computing system, data generated by the sensor, the data being indicative of the flow of harvested materials within the feeder; and monitoring, with the computing system, the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on the data generated by the sensor and the position of the plurality of carriers relative to the sensor during generation of the data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The agricultural method of claim 12, wherein determining the position of the plurality of carriers relative to the sensor comprises: receiving, with the computing system, position data generated by a position sensor indicative of the position of at least one of the plurality of carriers relative to the sensor; and determining the position of the plurality of carriers relative to the sensor based at least in part on the position data. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The agricultural method of claim 13, further comprising controlling the sensor to generate the data based at least in part on the position of the plurality of carriers relative to the sensor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The agricultural method of claim 12, wherein monitoring the flow of harvested materials comprises monitoring the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on the data associated with intervals of a given number of carriers of the plurality of carriers passing through a field of view of the sensor. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The agricultural method of claim 12, wherein monitoring the flow of harvested materials comprises monitoring the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on the data associated with a midpoint between directly adjacent carriers of the plurality of carriers about the loop being within a field of view of the sensor. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The agricultural method of claim 12, wherein monitoring the flow of harvested materials comprises monitoring the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on a first set of data points and a second set of data points of the data, the first set of data points being associated with an leading side of a first carrier of the plurality of carriers being within a field of view of the sensor and a trailing side of the first carrier being outside of the field of view, the second set of data points being associated with a trailing side of a second carrier of the plurality of carriers being within the field of view and a leading side of the second carrier being outside of the field of view. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The agricultural method of claim 12, wherein monitoring the flow of harvested materials comprises monitoring the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on the data associated with a leading side of the plurality of carriers being within a field of view of the sensor and a trailing side of the plurality of carriers being outside of the field of view. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The agricultural method of claim 18, further comprising monitoring a volume of the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on the data, wherein monitoring the flow of harvested materials comprises monitoring the flow of harvested materials based at least in part on the data associated with the leading side of the plurality of carriers being within the field of view of the sensor and the trailing side of the plurality of carriers being outside the field of view in response to the volume of the flow of harvested materials being less than a threshold volume. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The agricultural method of claim 12, further comprising initiating, with the computing system, a control action based at least in part on the data generated by the sensor.