CROP DETECTION SYSTEM

A sugarcane sampling station includes a sugarcane sampling station including a structure defining a passageway through which a harvested material passes, a core sampler mounted to the structure, the core sampler comprising a coring rod configured to retrieve a sample of the harvested, a crop detection system mounted to the structure, the crop detection system comprising a sensing device configured to detect the harvested material, and a processor configured to determine a quality of the harvested material detected by the crop detection system based on an output of the sensing device.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a system for measuring the quality of harvested material such as sugarcane.

A sugarcane harvester severs sugarcane plants from the ground with a base cutter assembly and transports the severed plants to a set of chopping drums that chop the severed plant into smaller billets. The billets are sent through a cleaning arrangement to separate the billets from non-billet material such as leaves, dirt, and other trash. Passing through the cleaning system, the billets are then dispatched to stowed in, for example, a trailing vehicle. The dispatched billets from the trailing vehicle are transported to a mill where the harvested billets are processed.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a sugarcane sampling station includes a sugarcane sampling station including a structure defining a passageway through which a harvested material passes, a core sampler mounted to the structure, the core sampler comprising a coring rod configured to retrieve a sample of the harvested, a crop detection system mounted to the structure, the crop detection system comprising a sensing device configured to detect the harvested material, and a processor configured to determine a quality of the harvested material detected by the crop detection system based on an output of the sensing device.

In some embodiments, a transport vehicle is configured to drive through the passageway. In some embodiments, the coring rod is configured to retrieve the sample of the harvested material from within a trailer of the transport vehicle. In some embodiments, the sensing device is configured to detect the harvested material within the trailer.

In another embodiment, a crop detection system includes a structure defining a passageway under which a transport vehicle is configured to drive, a sensing device configured to detect a harvested material within a trailer of the transport vehicle, and a processor configured to determine a quantity and a quality of the harvested material based on an output of the sensing device.

In another embodiment, a crop detection system includes a structure separate from a harvesting vehicle and defining a passageway under which a harvested and unprocessed crop is viewable, a sensing device mounted to the structure and configured to detect the harvested and unprocessed crop, and a processor configured to determine a quantity and a quality of the harvested material based on an output of the sensing device.

In yet another embodiment, a crop detection system configured to determine a quality of a harvested material within a trailer of a transport vehicle includes a sensing device configured to analyze a visible layer of the harvested material within the trailer and a processor programmed to generate a topographical map based of the visible layer and calculate a quality of the material based on the topographical map.

Other features and aspects of the disclosure will become apparent by consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG.1illustrates a sugarcane sampling station100having a frame104comprising legs108, a lower platform112, an upper platform116, an overhead core sampler120, and a crop detection system180. The legs108are supported on the ground and extend vertically upward from the ground to the upper platform116. The upper platform116extends between two opposing sets of legs108to define a passageway124there below through which a sugarcane transport128is capable of driving. The legs108of the station100define a width of the passageway124through which the transport128passes and the upper platform116, together with the ground define a height of the passageway124through which the transport128passes. The lower platform112is mounted to the legs108at a height below the upper platform116and outside of the passageway124. The lower platform112may function as a control stand from which an operator may control the overhead core sampler120and the crop detection system180.

The sugarcane transport128includes a truck132and a trailer136pulled by the truck132that contains the harvested sugarcane billets150. The trailer136includes a substantially open top154or a top that is capable of opening such that the harvested sugarcane billets150are viewable and accessible via the top154of the trailer136. The transport128is a road-going vehicle and includes a plurality of tires158that move the truck132and trailer136along the ground surface160(FIG.2). In some embodiments, one or more of the lateral sidewalls162of the trailer136(that define a width of the trailer136) may be open or include openings therein that permit viewing or removal of the sugarcane billet150through the sidewall. The transport128moves the billet material150harvested at the field to the sugarcane harvesting station100at, for example, a mill for processing the billet material150. In some embodiments, the transport128is the vehicle128that trails the harvester in the field to collect the billet material150and in other embodiments is a separate over-the-highway vehicle that receives the billet material150from the field cart/trail vehicle.

The overhead core sampler120includes a coring rod170that takes a sample of the billet material150from within the trailer136of the transport vehicle128. The coring rod170is moved (e.g., hydraulically, electrically, manually) downward from the upper platform116into harvested material150located within the trailer136through the open top154of the trailer136. The coring rod170cuts through the height of the material150in the trailer136to extract a tube-shaped sample of the material150from within the trailer136. This sample is shredded, pressed, and analyzed to determine an output250: the quality of the sugarcane. The quality of the sugarcane is a measure of the percentage of the harvested and transported material150that is usable billet material150as opposed to extraneous plant matter, roots, root balls, debris, mud, and dirt.

The overhead core sampler120provides a representative sample of the crop150carried by the transport vehicle128, through the representative sample may not be truly representative of the entirety of the material150hauled within the trailer136. For example, the trailer136of the vehicle128may include twenty-eight tons of crop150(as calculated based on a weight of the transport vehicle scale at the mill). The coring rod170removes a sample from the trailer136that weighs approximately fifteen pounds, or approximately 0.02-0.03% of the total material150. The fifteen-pound sample is shredded into a shredded sample, of which approximately 2.2 pounds (approximately 1000 grams) is removed for analysis. Juice is extracted from the shredded sample via pressing the remaining residue or cake is further analyzed. The 2.2 pounds that is analyzed corresponds to approximately 0.003% of the total material150in the trailer136. In some instances, the overhead core sampler unit120is not utilized on every transport128entering the mill. In instances where only one of every three transports128is sampled, only 0.001% of the harvested crop150is tested.

The crop detection system180, as shown inFIG.5, is separate from the core sampler120and supplements the information gathered by the overhead core sampler120. The crop detection system180includes one or more sensing devices200for analyzing the load150within the trailer136of the sugarcane transport128without physically engaging the load150(e.g., without taking a sample from the load150). In some embodiments, such as the embodiment shown inFIGS.1-3, each sensing device200includes a stereo camera204and/or a lidar device208mounted to the sampling station100and having a field of view212directed downward into the passageway124towards any sugarcane transport128that passes through the passageway124. As shown, three sensing devices200are mounted to the underside of the upper platform116to generate a field of view212that is wide enough to capture the entire width X (FIG.3) of the trailer136passing through the sampling station100. In other embodiments, more (e.g., four, five, six) or fewer (e.g., one or two) sensing devices200may be utilized based on the achievable field of view212of each sensing device200or based on the desired field of view212(e.g., the entire width of the trailer136, only a portion of the width of the trailer136). Each stereo camera204analyzes, among other things, the topography of the load150within the trailer136as the transport128passes under and through the sampling station100. With the open topped trailer136, the upper surface of the material150within the trailer136is visible to the sensor assemblies mounted at a height above the trailer136.

In some embodiments, the topography of the harvested material150is generated by identifying the distance between the sensing device200and the top of the material150. The sensing device200is located a known distance Z1from a ground surface160on which the trailer136is transported. The base166of the trailer136(i.e., the surface of the trailer upon which the material150is located) is located a known, provided, or measured height Z2above the ground surface. The sensing device200measures the distance Z3(i.e., the vertical distance) between the sensing device200and the upper layer of the material150, thereby generating the topographical map of the upper layer of the material150. The height Z3of the material within the trailer136is calculated (by a processor240) by subtracting the heights Z2and Z3from the mounting distance Z1of the sensing device200.

The sensing devices200analyze the topography of the harvested material150within the trailer136, as described above. Additionally, the sensing devices200may identify the perimeter of the trailer136so that the analyzed size of the trailer136can be compared to known data. One or more of the sensing devices200may additionally identify the speed of the trailer136as it passes through the passageway124(e.g., via a radar sensor216) to provide relevant data for understanding and splicing the topographical images gathered by the stereo cameras204.

The information gathered by the sensing devices200is transmitted, either via a wired connection or wirelessly via a wireless data transmission device, as an output or output signal to a processor240that is separate from the sensing devices200. The processor240is programmed to analyze the information provided by the sensing devices200in addition to other information provided to the processor240. The processor240may be located at, for example, the sampling station100or at the lab260that analyzes the core sample.

In addition to the information provided by the sensing devices200, the processor240receives additional data relating to the transport vehicle128. The weight of the vehicle128is measured via a vehicle128scale and transmitted or inputted into the processor240. An identification number associated with the trailer136(e.g., an RFID tag224) may be scanned or otherwise entered into the processor240to provide information relating to the dimensions (e.g., width, length) of the truck132and/or trailer136, the height of the truck132bed, the field or farm from which the trailer136has harvested the crop150located within the trailer136, the date and time of harvest or vehicle128arrival, and/or the crop150variety. The dimensional data of the trailer136is used by the processor240to confirm and/or correct the measured perimeter of the trailer136that is measured by the sensing devices200. The weight of the transport vehicle128in combination with the truck132bed height and the topography determined by the sensing devices200provides an average density of the product within the trailer136, which can be used to determine the quality of the crop150and/or the amount of impurities (e.g., mud, leafy trash, etc.) within the trailer136. This information is used in combination with, or as a replacement for, the coring sample provided by the overhead core sampler120to further provide an identification of the quality of material150within the trailer136. In contrast to the core sample taken by the core sampling machine, the information analyzed by the sensor system provides data indicative of the quality of the entirety of the material150within the trailer136, rather than a fraction of a percent of the material150.

In operation, a transport128having a trailer136containing harvested billet material150passes under the sugarcane sampling station100along the transport direction T (FIGS.2-3). The transport128may stop at a position below the upper platform116of the station100such that the coring rod170of the overhead core is inserted into the material150within the trailer136of the transport128to extract a sample of the material150that is then sent to the lab260for testing. The sensing devices200(e.g., stereo camera204, lidar devices208) record the topography of the upper surface of the material150within the trailer136and transmit these images to the processor240. The processor240splices together the various images taken by the different sensing devices200and generates an overall topographical map of the harvested material150within the trailer136. The processor240combines the topographical map with other known variables such as the weight of the material150in the transport128(i.e., the known weight of the unloaded vehicle128subtracted from the measured weight of the loaded vehicle128) and the known dimensions of the vehicle128(i.e., the width X and length Y of the trailer136as shown inFIG.3) to calculate the density of the harvested material150within the transport128. As leafy waste material150and dirt/mud have different densities than the desired billet material150, the measured density provides an estimate of the quality of the material150within the trailer136.

This estimate can also be compared to the material quality identified by the core sampler120. If the quality of the sample material150approximately matches the quality identified by the crop detection system180(i.e., the sensing devices200, the processor240, and the additional inputs), this provides an indication that the cored sample may be representative of the entire load150within the transport128. If the core sample indicates significantly higher or lower quality than what is determined by the crop detection system180, the core sample may be unrepresentative of the entire load150within the transport128. The information gathered by comparing the sampled and detected qualities of the material150may lead to increased or decreased rates of sampling and/or feedback provided to the grower regarding the quality of the material150.

In addition to generating a topographical map of the material150within the trailer136, the processor240is able to analyze the images generated by the sensor devices to differentiate between desired billet material150and extraneous plant matter and other undesirable material150s(e.g., dirt, mud) based on the colors, shapes, and sizes detected within the images. This information is analyzed to determine a quality of the visible material150(e.g., the material150visible to the sensor devices), which can be compared to the quality of the core sample and the quality of the material150based on the calculated density. By comparing these three different values, the processor240can identify if the top layer is representative of the entire load150within the trailer136.

Analyzing the load150via the crop detection system180takes significantly less time than the core sampler120, resulting in a quicker drop off and analysis of the material150quality when used in place of the core sampler120. When used in combination with the core sampler120, it adds no additional time for the crop detection system180to operate as it is configured to record the images as the vehicle128passes under the sampling station100that takes the sample. The crop detection system180can therefore be utilized to record all loads entering the mill without a substantial increase in time.

In some embodiments, the crop detection system180is mounted to a structure that is separate from a sugarcane sampling station100that supports an overhead core sampler120. The standalone structure may be a single-use apparatus at or near the mill and may be utilized entirely for supporting the crop detection system180at a height above a vehicle128. Alternatively, the crop detection system180may be mounted and incorporated into other structures at or near the mill, such as at the weigh station228, at an initial cane table, or at the entrance to the mill.

Further, in some embodiments, the crop detection system180does not analyze the trailer136of a transport vehicle128that provides the material150to the mill. In some embodiments, the transport vehicle128may unload the material from the trailer136into another vehicle at the mill yard, with this other vehicle being the transport analyzed via the crop detection system180. In still other embodiments, the transport128may unload the harvested material150onto a prewash and leveling table where the material is then analyzed by the crop detection system.

As shown inFIG.4, an alternative crop detection system180can be utilized to analyze a side profile of the load150within the trailer136when the trailer136has an open side or has some visibility through a side of the trailer136. The crop detection system180shown inFIG.4can be used as a substitute for the crop detection system180shown inFIG.1or may alternatively be used in combination with the crop detection system180shown inFIG.1.

In addition to the stereo cameras204and lidar devices208, the sensing systems may additionally or alternatively include near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy devices220. The NIR spectroscopy devices220identify material150information that extends beyond the upper layer of the material150within the trailer136(which is visible to the stereo cameras204). The NIR spectroscopy devices220view down into the material150beyond the surface level to identify moisture data and sugar content (i.e., Brix %, Pol %). This additional information is provided to the processor240for further refining the detected quality of the sugarcane.

The detected quality of the sugarcane based on the crop detection system180can be relayed to the operator270of a sugarcane harvester in the fields. For example, if the detected quality is indicative of too much waste material150being harvested, the operator270of the sugarcane harvester can modify settings (e.g., fan speed, deflection angle, cutting height, ground speed) of the harvester to decrease the harvest of the extraneous plant matter.