Crop harvesting system and method

A crop harvester system comprising:

• a harvester implement including a cutter bar operable at a cutter speed and configured for cutting the crop material, and an auger operable at an auger speed and configured for moving the crop material relative to the cutter bar;
• an image sensor positioned to capture an image of the crop material disposed forward of the harvester implement along a harvest path;
• a radar system including a transmitter positioned and operable to emit an electromagnetic signal in a direction forward of the harvester implement along the harvest path, and a receiver positioned and operable to receive a returned electromagnetic signal reflected from the crop material disposed forward of the harvester implement along the harvest path;
• a controller including a processor and a memory having a plug avoidance algorithm stored thereon, wherein the processor is operable to execute the plug avoidance algorithm to:
• determine a volume of the crop material in a region forward of the harvester implement along the harvest path from the image of the crop material captured by the image sensor;
• determine a moisture content of the crop material in the region forward of the harvester implement along the harvest path from the returned electromagnetic signal received by the radar system;
• determine a density of the crop material in the region forward of the harvester implement along the harvest path from the returned electromagnetic signal received by the radar system;
• and
• control one of the cutter bar and the auger while the harvester implement is cutting the crop material in the region based on the volume of the crop material, the moisture content of the crop material, and the density of the crop material in the region to avoid plugging of the auger with the cut crop material.

A method of controlling a crop harvester system having a traction unit and a harvester implement attached to the traction unit, the method comprising:

• sensing a stereo image of a region of a field located forward of the harvester implement along a harvest path with a stereo camera system;
• determining a volume of the crop material in the region forward of the harvester implement along the harvest path from the stereo image of the crop material captured by the stereo camera system;
• emitting an electromagnetic signal from a transmitter of a radar system directed toward the region of the field located forward of the harvester implement along the harvest path;
• receiving a returned electromagnetic signal, reflected from the crop material disposed forward of the harvester implement along the harvest path, with a receiver of the radar system;
• determining a moisture content of the crop material in the region forward of the harvester implement along the harvest path from the returned electromagnetic signal received by the radar system;
• determining a density of the crop material in the region forward of the harvester implement along the harvest path from the returned electromagnetic signal received by the radar system;
• and
• controlling an operating characteristic of one of the traction unit and the harvester implement while the harvester implement is cutting the crop material in the region based on the volume of the crop material, the moisture content of the crop material, and the density of the crop material in the region to avoid plugging of an auger of the harvester implement with the cut crop material.