Deere & Company

Iowa State University Research Foundation Inc

Niels Dybro

Noel Wayne Anderson

Larry Lee Hendrickson

Aaron J Bruns

Bryan Kirk Buerkle

Zachary Thomas Bonefas

James Joseph Phelan

Nathan R Vandike

Gurmukh H Advani

Ronald Dean Bremner

Matthew J Darr

William D Todd

Robert McNaull

Bhanu Kiran Palla

An image capture device captures an image of crop after it has been processed by a kernel processing unit on a forage harvester. A size distribution indicative of the distribution of kernel fragment sizes in the harvested crop is identified from the image captured by the image capture device. A control system generates control signals to control a speed differential in the speed of rotation of kernel processing rollers based on the size distribution. Control signals can also be generated to control a size of a gap between the kernel processing rollers.

Controlling a machine based on cracked kernel detection

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for controlling machine configurations. An example method includes deter mining a desired trajectory of an auxiliary machine based at least in part on a desired work path or an alignment of a host machine and the auxiliary machine; determining a first actual trajectory of the auxiliary machine based on i) determining a first distance between a first side of the auxiliary machine and the host machine and ii) determining a second distance between a second side of the auxiliary machine and the host machine, the first side is opposite the second side; comparing the desired trajectory of the auxiliary machine to the first actual trajectory of the auxiliary machine; and when the first actual trajectory does not satisfy a threshold distance of the desired trajectory, selecting a trajectory-assist mode to steer the auxiliary machine toward the desired trajectory.

Methods and apparatus to control machine configurations

At least one sensor carried by a mobile machine senses a sensed forage crop attribute value independent of plant population for an individual forage plant. A processing unit derives a derived forage crop attribute value based on the sensed forage crop attribute value. The derived forage crop attribute value is used to determine a field condition.

Field condition determination

Track management system for use with a work machine and a track assembly that is pivotably coupled thereto at a pivot point. The track management system includes a first mount, a second mount, and an actuator. The first mount is coupled to the work machine, and the second mount is coupled to the track assembly. The actuator includes a first portion that is coupled to the first mount and a second portion that is coupled to the second mount. Expanding the actuator urges the track assembly about the pivot point in a first direction, while retracting the actuator urges the track assembly about the pivot point a second direction that is opposite of the first direction.

Track management system for use with a work machine and track assembly

A harvester may include a grain processing unit and a material flow sensor to form an yes electromagnetic plane or field through which crop material passes while being sensed.

Harvester with electromagnetic plane crop material flow sensor

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for controlling machine configurations. An example method includes determining a desired trajectory of an auxiliary machine based at least in part on a desired work path or an alignment of a host machine and the auxiliary machine; determining a first actual trajectory of the auxiliary machine; comparing the desired trajectory of the auxiliary machine to the first actual trajectory of the auxiliary machine; when the first actual trajectory does not satisfy a threshold distance of the desired trajectory, crab steering the auxiliary machine toward the desired trajectory while a course of the host machine is different than a course of the auxiliary machine.

An apparatus may include a harvester head having a crop harvesting width, different components across the harvesting width to interact with plants being harvested, at least one sensor to sense a power characteristic associated with each of the different components and a processing unit to output a crop quantity distribution signal based upon differences in the power characteristic associated with the different components across the harvesting width.

Yield estimation

At least one sensor carried by a mobile machine senses a sensed forage crop attribute value independent of plant population for an individual forage plant. A processing unit derives a derived forage crop attribute value based on the sensed forage crop attribute value.

Per plant crop sensing resolution

A system for measuring plant attributes comprises a plant attribute sensor (); a digital a priori plant location map (); and an ECU () coupled to the plant attribute sensor () and configured to retrieve and use the a priori plant map and to anticipate a plant measurement based upon the a priori plant map and to use that anticipation to improve the accuracy of the plant measurement.

System for measuring plant attributes using a priori plant maps

A harvester interacts with plants so as to separate a harvested portion from a biomass portion of each of the plants. At least one sensor carried by the harvester outputs a signal based upon an attribute of the biomass portion.

Biomass sensing

A system for measuring plant attributes includes an ECU mounted on a combine, a plant attribute sensor, a ground speed sensor and a vehicle guidance sensor. The ECU is configured to use a signal from a vehicle guidance sensor disposed in front of plant attribute sensor to create a signal sampling window in which signals from the plant attribute sensor will be read and to reject signals from the plant attribute sensors outside of this signal sampling window.

Combine harvester combining row crop guidance and plant attribute measurement

A method and apparatus estimate yield. A first method comprises receiving a first signal indicating an aggregate yield measured by an aggregate yield sensor during a measurement interval, receiving a second signal indicating a plurality of geo-referenced regions across which a harvester head has traveled prior to the measurement interval, allocating a portion of the aggregate yield to each of at least two geo-referenced regions based upon different travel times for crops from different portions of the head and outputting aggregate yield portion allocations. A second method estimates yield based upon sensed power characteristics across the harvesting width of a harvesting machine.

A crop harvesting width of a harvester head is partitioned into a plurality of portions. At least one sensor detects a metric of a crop being harvested for each of the plurality of portions. A processing unit determines an attribute of the crop harvested for each of a plurality of portions using the detected metric.

Crop sensing

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for controlling machine configurations. An example method disclosed herein includes identifying a machine configuration, the machine configuration comprising a host machine connected to an auxiliary machine; determining a desired trajectory based on at least one of the host machine turning, a desired work path, or an alignment of the host machine and the auxiliary machine; and controlling steering of the auxiliary machine based on a desired trajectory of the host machine.

Growing community of inventors

Sherrard, IL, United States of America

Niels Dybro