Weighing material on a conveyor

A system for measuring the weight of a material during a process of conveying said material, said system comprising:

• a conveyor assembly including:
• a conveyor having an attitude defined by a pitch angle and a roll angle, wherein at least one of said pitch angle and said roll angle is variable;
• and
• a support member connected to said conveyor and supporting said conveyor rather than supporting only a portion of a belt of said conveyor;
• means for sensing a force borne by said support member;
• means for measuring a direction through which said force acts;
• means for measuring said attitude of said conveyor;
• and
• a processor for calculating the weight of said material using data representing said force, said direction through which said force acts, and said attitude of said conveyor.

In a system for carrying a material on a conveyor assembly, wherein said conveyor assembly includes a conveyor having a variable attitude defined by a pitch angle and a roll angle, and wherein said conveyor assembly further includes a support member connected to said conveyor, a method for measuring the weight of said material, comprising the steps of:

• adjusting a length of said support member, such that said pitch angle of said conveyor is varied;
• disposing said material on said conveyor assembly;
• measuring a force borne by said support member;
• measuring a direction through which said force acts;
• measuring said variable attitude of said conveyor assembly;
• and
• calculating said weight of said material using at least said measured force, said measured direction, and said measured variable attitude.

In a system for harvesting crops and conveying said crops using a harvesting vehicle equipped with a conveyor assembly, wherein said conveyor assembly includes a conveyor having a variable attitude, and wherein said conveyor assembly further includes a support member connected to said conveyor, a method for mapping a yield distribution of said crops over a field, comprising the steps of:

• causing said harvesting vehicle to traverse said field such that said crops are harvested and disposed on said conveyor;
• and
• repeating, as said harvesting vehicle traverses said field, the steps of:
• measuring a force borne by said support member;
• measuring a direction through which said force acts;
• measuring a variable attitude of said conveyor assembly using at least two clinometers, said variable attitude being defined by a variable pitch angle and a variable roll angle;
• calculating said weight of said crops using at least said measured force, said measured direction, and said measured variable attitude;
• detecting a position of said harvesting vehicle on said field;
• and correlating said calculated weight with said detected variable position.