Deere & Company

Iowa State University Research Foundation Inc

Carnegie Mellon University

Bryan E Dugas

Peter A Johnson

Rahul Gunda

John A Dighton

Paul I Craig

Daniel Joseph Corbett

Herman Herman

Carlos Vallespi-Gonzalez

Matthew J Darr

Hernan Badino

Matthew J Hansen

Mark S Louviere

Dipankar D Dongare

Nikhil Chavan

Kiran Bachhav

Bhalchandra Padwal

A method of controlling an agricultural harvesting machine having a harvesting device configured to engage and cut crop on a field. The method includes receiving an indication of field topography in a first area of the field prior to the first area being harvested, controlling a position of the harvesting device to harvest the crop in the first area based on the indication of field topography in the first area, receiving in-situ data from the first area of the field after the first area is harvested by the harvesting device, receiving an indication of field topography in a second area of the field prior to the second area being harvested, and controlling the position of the harvesting device to harvest the crop in the second area based on the in-situ data and the indication of field topography in the second area.

Agricultural harvesting machine cutter height control

A control system for a harvester having a residue discharge system operable to eject crop residue according to an adjustable residue discharge parameter, the control system including a processor, a memory, a human-machine interface, and a sensor configured to detect at least one of wind speed, wind direction, or humidity. The control system is configured to receive the signal from the sensor, receive an operator input corresponding to a desired residue management strategy selected from at least a first residue management strategy and a second residue management strategy, and adjust the residue discharge parameter based on the desired residue management strategy and the detected at least one of wind speed, wind direction, or humidity.

Residue management control system for harvester

A harvester including an inlet configured to receive a crop including a stalk, a blade configured to cut the crop into a billet, a sensor configured to detect a three-dimensional appearance of at least a portion of the billet and generate a signal associated with the three-dimensional appearance of the at least a portion of the billet, and a control system having a processor, a memory, and a human-machine interface. The control system is configured to receive the signal from the sensor and programmed to 1) analyze the three-dimensional appearance of the at least a portion of the billet, 2) classify the three-dimensional appearance using an indicator of cut quality and 3) index the indicator of cut quality into the memory.

Cut quality detection and reporting system for a harvester

A control system for a harvester includes a plurality of actuators, each of which moves of one of the following: a knockdown roller for pressing crops down, a side knife for cutting crops along a substantially vertical plane, a base cutter for cutting crops along a substantially horizontal plane, and a crop divider configured to separate crops into rows. The control system also includes a controller in electrical communication with each actuator of the plurality of actuators. The controller receives a signal indicative of an operational position of at least one actuator of the plurality of actuators, and sends a signal to the at least one actuator of the plurality of actuators to initiate movement of the at least one actuator of the plurality of actuators in response to the received signal.

Automatic product harvesting control system

A harvester including a mono-camera having a first field of view, where the camera outputs a first image representative of the first field of view, and where the first image is a two-dimensional representation of the first field of view. The harvester also includes a controller in operable communication with the mono-camera, where the controller establishes a second two-dimensional reference frame fixed relative to the first field of view, where the controller identifies a reference point within the first image, where the controller locates the reference point within the second two-dimensional reference frame, and where the controller calculates the location of the reference point relative to the first, three-dimensional reference frame based on the position of the reference point within the second two-dimensional reference frame.

Monitor system for a harvester

A control system for a harvester that harvests crop stalks each having a bottom portion and a top portion. The harvester includes a topper that cuts the stalks between the top and bottom portions and a base cutter that cuts the stalks near a ground surface. The control system includes a sensor that senses a first height between the top of the bottom portion and the ground surface, and senses a second height between the bottom of the bottom portion and the ground surface. The controller receives signals representing the sensed first and second heights from the sensor, determines average first and second heights for the stalks over a set time, sends a first signal to the topper to cause movement of the topper to the average first height, and sends a second signal to the base cutter to cause movement of the base cutter to the average second height.

Harvester crop mapping

A controller for a harvester receives a speed of the harvester, the pitch, the yaw and the roll of the vehicle body, compares the sensed yaw, pitch and roll of the vehicle body to respective acceptable yaw, pitch and roll ranges. The controller also receives a conveyor position respect to the vehicle body, compares the conveyor position to an acceptable range of conveyor positions, calculates a center of gravity of the harvester based upon the yaw, pitch, roll and conveyor position, and compares the speed of the harvester to an acceptable range of speeds based upon the calculated center of gravity of the harvester. The controller also sends a signal to move the conveyor with respect to the vehicle body, alert the user to move the conveyor with respect to the vehicle body, reduce the speed of the harvester, or alert the user to reduce the speed of the harvester.

Harvester stability monitoring and control

A harvester including a frame supported by a drive assembly for movement along a support surface, a head unit coupled to the harvester and configured to selectively harvest crop material, a camera coupled to the frame and configured to generate one or more images of a field of view, and a controller in operable communication with the camera and the head unit, where the controller is configured to determine one or more crop attributes based at least in part on the one or more images produced by the camera.

Monitor and control system for a harvester

A method of moving a component of a harvester that includes a topper for cutting top portions of crops, a conveyor for transporting the cut stalks of the crops, a primary hood, and a secondary hood, each of the primary and secondary hoods operable to direct the cut top portions of the crops away from the conveyor. The method includes selecting a cutting mode of operation from the following modes of operation: circular cutting mode and face cutting mode; selecting a crop position from the following crop positions: crop at right and crop at left; selecting at least one component from the following components: the conveyor, the primary hood, or the secondary hood; and in response to selecting at least one component, automatically moving the selected at least one component to one of a first operational position or a second operational position.

Automatic product harvesting method and control system

A method of collecting material with a harvester when a storage vehicle is spaced from the harvester includes moving material from the field into the basket, actuating the conveyor for a first time period when the sensed parameter is above the set amount, transporting a first portion of the material a first distance with the actuated conveyor, after the first time period has elapsed, stopping the conveyor to store the first portion of the material on the conveyor, after the first time period has elapsed, if the conveyor can store more material, actuating the conveyor for a second time period, transporting a second portion of the material a second distance with the actuated conveyor and transporting the first portion of the material a third distance with the actuated conveyor, and if the conveyor cannot store more material, alerting an operator that the conveyor is full.

Automatic product fill method and control system

A control system for a harvester having a primary crop cleaner for cleaning a cut crop, and a secondary cleaner for cleaning the cut crop downstream of the primary crop cleaner. The control system includes a processor, a memory, and a human-machine interface. The processor is configured to receive an input corresponding to a desired cleaning level of the crop, monitor an actual cleaning level, control the primary crop cleaner based at least in part on feedback from monitoring the actual cleaning level and including adjusting a speed of the primary crop cleaner to move the actual cleaning level of the crop during harvester operation towards the desired cleaning level of the crop, monitor an error between the desired cleaning level and the actual cleaning level during control of the primary crop cleaner, and control the secondary crop cleaner based at least in part on the error.

System and method for controlled cleaning in a cane harvester

A system is provided that can include a 3D sensor. The 3D sensor can be configured to detect an area of an elevator on a harvester. The 3D sensor can further be configured to transmit a first signal associated with the area. The system can also include a processing device in communication with the 3D sensor. The system can further include a memory device in which instructions executable by the processing device are stored for causing the processing device to receive the first signal and determine a volume of a material on the elevator based on the first signal.

Yield measurement and base cutter height control systems for a harvester

A control system for a harvester having a crop cleaner for cleaning a cut crop. The control system includes a processor, a memory, and a human-machine interface. The processor is configured to receive an input corresponding to a desired cleaning level of the crop, monitor the actual cleaning level, and control the crop cleaner based on feedback from monitoring the actual cleaning level to move the cleaning level of the crop towards the desired cleaning level of the crop.

A method and control system are disclosed for monitoring operating modes of a harvester. A harvester may include one or more harvesting devices driven by one or more hydraulic circuits. A lower pressure limit and a current operating pressure may be determined for a hydraulic circuit of a harvesting device. The determined pressure limit and operating pressure may be compared, and a current operating mode for the harvester identified accordingly. The operating mode may include at least one of a waiting mode, a transport mode, a maneuvering mode, and a harvesting mode.

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Napoleonville, LA, United States of America

Bryan E Dugas