Header mounted radar for ground detection and active header control
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsScott N. Clark, John A. Dighton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An agricultural harvester for harvesting a crop. The agricultural harvester includes a frame and a crop gatherer extending from and being moveably coupled to the frame. The crop gatherer includes one of a crop divider, a crop cutter, or a crop remover. A radar assembly is operatively connected to the crop gatherer, wherein the radar assembly transmits electromagnetic waves toward a ground to identify a ground level. A controller is operatively connected to the radar assembly and the crop gatherer, wherein the controller receives the identified ground level from the radar assembly and adjusts a height of the crop gatherer with respect to the ground.
Claims20
An agricultural harvester operable to move in a forward direction to harvest crop growing from a ground, the agricultural harvester comprising:
- a frame;
- a crop gatherer extending from and being moveably coupled to the frame, the crop gatherer including one of a crop divider, a crop cutter, or a crop remover;
- a radar assembly operatively connected to the crop gatherer, the radar assembly transmitting electromagnetic waves toward the ground to identify a ground level;
- and
- a controller operatively connected to the radar assembly and the crop gatherer, wherein the controller receives the identified ground level from the radar assembly and adjusts a height of the crop gatherer with respect to the identified ground level.
A method of harvesting a crop from a ground of a field using an agricultural harvester, the method comprising:
- identifying a crop gathering height for harvesting the crop from the field, wherein the crop gathering height is a height determined with respect to a crop gatherer and the ground;
- determining, with a radar assembly, a distance between the ground and the crop gatherer;
- comparing the identified crop gathering height to the determined distance between the ground and the crop gatherer;
- adjusting the distance between the crop gatherer and the ground based on the comparing step;
- and
- moving the agricultural harvester through the field to harvest the crop at the adjusted distance of the crop gatherer.
A crop gatherer for harvesting crop from a ground, the crop gatherer comprising:
- a lift actuator;
- a crop header operatively coupled to the lift actuator, the crop header including one of a crop divider, a crop cutter, or a crop remover, wherein the lift actuator adjusts a position of the crop header with the ground;
- and
- a radar assembly coupled to the crop header, the radar assembly configured to transmit an electromagnetic wave and to receive reflected electromagnetic waves to identify a ground level of the ground, the radar assembly including a radar support arranged to locate the radar assembly at or forward of one of the crop divider, the crop cutter, or the crop remover;
- wherein the radar support includes a support arm and an adjustment mechanism operatively connected to the support arm, wherein the adjustment mechanism is adjustable to locate the support arm to position the radar assembly at or forward of one of the crop divider, the crop cutter, or the crop remover.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.