System for measuring threshing losses
AssigneeCNH Industrial America LLC
InventorsBart Lenaerts, Thomas Mahieu, Bart M.A. Missotten
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system are provided for determining a threshing loss in a threshing system. The method includes irradiating a crop sample downstream at least a portion of a threshing system with electromagnetic waves having a frequency in a range of 0.1-10 THz, measuring a reflection and/or a transmission of the electromagnetic waves by the crop sample, establishing, based on the measured reflection and/or transmission, an at least two-dimensional terahertz image of the crop sample, identifying at least one ear in the terahertz image, identifying at least one grain kernel in the identified ear, and determining the threshing loss based on the identified grain kernel.
Claims19
A method for determining and adapting to a threshing loss in a threshing system, the method comprising:
- irradiating a crop sample downstream of at least a portion of the threshing system with electromagnetic waves having a frequency in a range of 0.1-10 THz,
- measuring a reflection and/or a transmission of the electromagnetic waves by the crop sample,
- establishing, based on the measured reflection and/or transmission, an at least two-dimensional terahertz image of the crop sample,
- determining the threshing loss by counting grain kernels contained within an ear and appearing in the two-dimensional terahertz image, and
- automatically adapting at least one operational setting of the threshing system in dependence of the determined threshing loss.
A system for determining and adapting to a threshing loss in a threshing system, the system comprising:
- at least one terahertz emitter for emitting electromagnetic waves having a frequency in a range of 0.1-10 THz onto a crop sample,
- at least one terahertz sensor for measuring a reflection and/or a transmission of the electromagnetic waves by the crop sample, and
- a controller, operatively coupled to the terahertz emitter and the terahertz sensor, that is configured for:
- (i) establishing, based on the measured reflection and/or transmission, an at least two-dimensional terahertz image of the crop sample,
- (ii) determining the threshing loss by counting grain kernels contained within an ear and appearing in the two-dimensional terahertz image, and
- (iii) automatically adapting at least one operational setting of the threshing system in dependence of the determined threshing loss.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.