Harvesting machine with visualization system

A graphical user interface (60) for a combine harvester (10) includes, in a first portion (62) of the user interface, a graphical representation (66, 70) of an amount of material passing through a threshing system (22) at multiple positions along a longitudinal direction of the combine harvester, and a graphical representation (68, 72) of an amount of material passing through a cleaning system (42) at multiple positions along the longitudinal direction of the combine harvester. The user interface further includes, in a second portion (64) of the user interface, a graphical representation (74, 78) of an amount of material passing through the threshing system (22) at a plurality of locations along a lateral axis of the combine harvester, and a graphical representation (76, 80) of an amount of material passing through the cleaning system (42) at a plurality of locations along the lateral axis of the combine harvester.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate to user interfaces for agricultural machines. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to user interfaces for harvester crop processing systems.

BACKGROUND

For many decades, self-propelled combine harvesters have been used by farmers to harvest a wide range of crops including cereals, maize and oilseed rape. Typically, a combine harvester cuts the crop material, threshes the grain (or seed) therefrom, separates the grain from the straw, and cleans the grain before storing in an on-board tank. Straw and crop residue are ejected from the rear of the machine.

The crop processor of a combine harvester comprises threshing and separating systems. The separating system is traditionally based upon one of two well-established systems. In a first known system straw walkers are used to “walk” the crop stream rearwardly in the combine wherein agitation caused by this movement causes the grain to fall through an integrated grate while the straw residue falls from the rear and out of the combine. In the second alternative system cylindrical rotors are mounted within the combine longitudinally and enclosed by rotor cages wherein crop fed in at the front travels rearwardly in an axially spiral motion due to interacting crop engaging elements fitted to the rotor tube and guide vanes fitted on the inside of the rotor cage. The cylindrical rotors can provide a threshing and separating action, or a separating action only. Separated grain falls through a grate in the cage whilst the straw residue is conveyed rearwardly and out of the machine.

The process for cleaning grain in combine harvesters has not changed fundamentally for many decades. The cleaning system has directed therethrough a cleaning airstream which is typically generated by a cross-flow or centrifugal fan located in front of the cleaning shoe. As a mix of grain kernels, chaff, tailings and straw is passed over one or more oscillating sieves, the cleaning airstream serves to blow the lighter material in a generally rearward direction over the sieves and out of the rear of the machine. The grain is generally heavier and/or smaller than the material other than grain (MOG) in the mix and passes through the sieves.

The above section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

SUMMARY

A combine harvester according to embodiments of the invention comprises a threshing system for threshing and separating crop material; a cleaning system for separating grain from chaff, the cleaning system being positioned to collect crop material falling from the threshing system; a plurality of threshing system sensors for detecting an amount of material passing from the threshing system to the cleaning system, at least two of the threshing system sensors being spaced apart along a longitudinal axis of the combine harvester and at least two of the rotor sensors being spaced apart along a lateral axis of the combine harvester; and a plurality of cleaning system sensors for detecting an amount of material passing through the cleaning system, at least two of the cleaning system sensors being spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of the combine harvester and at least two of the cleaning system sensors being spaced apart along the lateral axis of the combine harvester.

The combine harvester further comprises one or more computing devices configured to receive data from the threshing system sensors and from the cleaning system sensors, and use the data to generate a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface includes, in a first portion of the user interface, a graphical representation of an amount of material passing through the threshing system at multiple positions along a longitudinal direction of the combine harvester, and a graphical representation of an amount of material passing through the cleaning system at multiple positions along the longitudinal direction of the combine harvester. The graphical user interface further includes, in a second portion of the user interface, a graphical representation of an amount of material passing through the threshing system at a plurality of locations along a lateral axis of the combine harvester, and a graphical representation of an amount of material passing through the cleaning system at a plurality of locations along the lateral axis of the combine harvester.

In another embodiment of the invention, the combine harvester the computing device is configured to present the first portion of the user interface and the second portion of the user interface simultaneously and in a manner such that the graphical representation of the amount of material passing through the threshing system in the first portion of the user interface is visually aligned with the graphical representation of the amount of material passing through the threshing system in the second portion of the user interface, and such that the graphical representation of the amount of material passing through the cleaning system in the first portion of the user interface is visually aligned with the graphical representation of the amount of material passing through the cleaning system in the second portion of the user interface.

In some embodiments of the invention, the combine harvester includes a computing device configured to present information in the second portion of the user interface according to a user-selected position of a visual marker in the first portion of the user interface. In response to an input received from a user, the computing device changes the location of the visual marker in the first portion of the graphical user interface and updates the information in the second portion of the graphical user interface to correspond to the new location of the visual marker.

These and other important aspects of the present invention are described more fully in the detailed description below. The invention is not limited to the particular methods and systems described herein. Other embodiments may be used and/or changes to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the claims that follow the detailed description.

DESCRIPTION

The following description of embodiments of the invention references the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

With initial reference toFIGS. 1-3, a combine harvester10includes a frame12, front tracks14and steerable rear wheels16. A header18is detachably supported on the front of a feederhouse20which is pivotable about a transverse axis to lift and lower the header18in a conventional manner.

The combine10is driven in a forward direction across a field of standing crop in a known manner. The header18serves to cut and gather the crop material before conveying such into the feederhouse20and elevator housed therein. At this stage the crop stream is unprocessed. It should be understood that combine harvesters are employed to harvest a host of different crops including cereal, rice, corn and grass seed. The following description will make reference to various parts of the cereal crop stream but it should be understood that this is by way of example only and does not by any means limit the applicability of the invention to harvester other harvesting crops.

The cut crop stream is conveyed rearwardly from the feederhouse20to a threshing system22. The threshing system22includes a pair of axial flow threshing and separating rotors24,26which are arranged side by said and are fed at their front end by a feed beater28. The axial flow rotors24,26serve to thresh the crop stream in a front “threshing” region, separate the grain therefrom in a rear “separating” region, and eject the straw residue through the rear of the combine harvester10either directly onto the ground in a windrow or via a straw chopper. Each rotor24,26includes a plurality of blades30near a front end for moving crop material from the feed beater28rearward along the rotor, and a plurality of rasp bars32proximate the blades30. Each rotor24,26further includes a plurality of fingers34forming spiral-shaped rows along an outer surface thereof for moving crop material toward a rear portion of the machine as the threshing and separating occurs.

The threshing system22also includes one or more concaves36and one or more grates38associated with each rotor24,26. Each concave36is located proximate the underside of one of the rotors and allows the separated material to fall by gravity to a cleaning system42located below the threshing system22. A return pan40comprises a tray-like structure and serves to catch crop material falling from the concaves36and grates38forwardly to a front edge where the grain falls into the cleaning system42. At this point the crop material may include a mixture of grain kernels, chaff, unthreshed tailings and shorter straw. The residue crop material, predominantly straw, exits the combine harvester10at the rear where it is spread or placed in a windrow.

The cleaning system42separates grain from chaff according to known principles and includes a fan44for moving air through the cleaning system, a stratification pan46, a chaffer48and a sieve50. The cleaning system ejects residue through the rear of the machine while the clean grain is conveyed by a (not shown) elevator to an onboard storage tank. For completeness, the combine10includes an unloading system which includes an unloading auger shown in part inFIG. 1.

FIGS. 2 and 3illustrate a plurality of threshing system sensors52placed at various locations in or near the threshing system22to detect an amount of material falling from the threshing system22, and a plurality of cleaning system sensors54placed at various locations in or near the cleaning system42to detect an amount of material passing through the cleaning system42. The sensors52,54may be mass acoustic detection sensors placed immediately beneath the concaves as well as within or beneath the cleaning assembly. The sensors are spaced apart along a longitudinal direction and along a lateral direction of the combine harvester10so that an amount of material falling through the concaves and the cleaning assembly can be determined at various points along the longitudinal axis and along the lateral axis of the machine.

FIG. 4is a diagram illustrating, in plan view, the relative locations of various of the threshing system sensors52. The sensors52are placed on multiple sensor bars56A-F. Two of the sensor bars56A,56D are placed near a forward end of the threshing system22while four of the sensor bars56B,56C,56E,56F are placed near a rearward end of the threshing system22. Each of the sensor bars56includes four of the sensors52approximately evenly spaced along the bar. Three of the sensor bars56A,56B,56C are associated with one of the rotors24, with the sensor bar56A being placed near a forward end of the rotor24and two of the sensor bars56B,56C being placed near a rearward end of the rotor24. The two sensor bars56B,56C placed near the rearward end of the rotor24are also spaced apart laterally or along a lateral axis of the combine harvester10. Similarly, three of the sensor bars56D,56E,56F are associated with the other rotor26, with the sensor bar56D being placed near a forward end of the rotor26and two of the sensor bars56B,56C being placed near a rearward end of the rotor24. The two sensor bars56E,56F placed near the rearward end of the rotor26are also spaced apart laterally or along the lateral axis of the combine harvester10. Spacing the sensors52along longitudinal and lateral axes of the combine harvester10enables the system to determine an amount of material passing from the threshing system22at various locations and to present to the user information about material distribution in a graphical user interface. Not depicted inFIG. 4(but illustrated inFIGS. 2 and 3) is another sensor bar56G positioned rearward of the bars56B,56C,56E and56F. While the sensor bars56A-F are oriented generally along the longitudinal axis of the combine harvester10, the sensor bar56G is oriented generally along the lateral axis of the combine harvester10.

Similarly, the cleaning system42includes multiple sensor bars58, each sensor bar58holding a plurality of the cleaning system sensors54. In particular, four sensor bars58are oriented generally along the longitudinal axis of the combine harvester10and three sensor bars58are oriented generally along the lateral axis of the combine harvester10. The sensor bars58are placed below the stratification pan46

FIGS. 5-10illustrate a graphical user interface60that presents a graphical representation of the data collected by the sensors52,54. The graphical user interface60presents a visualization of crop material passing from the threshing system22and passing through the cleaning system42, including a distribution of crop material along a longitudinal direction of the combine harvester10and along a lateral direction of the combine harvester10.

A first portion62of the user interface60presents a graphical representation of an amount of material passing through the threshing system22at multiple positions along a longitudinal direction of the combine harvester10. The first portion62of the user interface58also presents a graphical representation of an amount of material passing through the cleaning system42at multiple positions along the longitudinal direction of the combine harvester10. A second portion64of the user interface60presents a graphical representation of an amount of material passing through the threshing system22at a plurality of locations along a lateral axis of the combine harvester. The second portion64of the user interface60also presents a graphical representation of an amount of material passing through the cleaning system42at a plurality of locations along the lateral axis of the combine harvester10.

Both the first portion62and the second portion64of the user interface60present crop material load and distribution information within or as part of a graphical representation of the combine harvester10. The first portion62of the user interface60includes a graphical depiction66of a portion of the threshing system22along a longitudinal direction and a graphical depiction68of a portion of the cleaning system42along a longitudinal direction. Associated with the graphical depiction66of the portion of the threshing system22is a status graph70that indicates an amount of material falling from the threshing system22. The status graph70is curved and is generated using data collected from the sensors52. As illustrated, the status graph70is lowest near a middle of the graphical depiction66of the threshing system22indicating that more crop material is falling from the threshing system22at or near the middle and less is falling from the threshing system22near the ends thereof.

Associated with the graphical depiction68of the portion of the cleaning system42is a status graph72that indicates an amount of material falling from the cleaning system42. The status graph72is curved and is generated using data collected from the sensors54. As illustrated, the status graph72is lowest near a forward portion of the graphical depiction68of the cleaning system42indicating that more crop material is falling from the cleaning system42at or near a forward portion of the cleaning system42and less is falling from the cleaning system42near a rearward portion thereof.

The second portion64of the user interface60includes a graphical depiction74of a portion of the threshing system22along a lateral direction of the combine harvester10and a graphical depiction76of a portion of the cleaning system42along a lateral direction of the combine harvester10. Associated with the graphical depiction74of the portion of the threshing system22is a plurality of bar graphs78that indicate amounts of material falling from the threshing system22at multiple locations along the lateral direction. As illustrated, the bar graph78B on the right is lower than the bar graph78A on the left, indicating that more crop material is falling from the right side of the threshing system22than on the left side of the threshing system22. In this embodiment of the invention the combine harvester10has two rotors, so the bar graph78A on the left generally indicates crop material falling from the left rotor while the bar graph78B on the right generally indicates crop material falling from the right rotor. It will be appreciated, however, that this system may be used on a combine harvester10with a single rotor, wherein the bar graphs78may indicate an amount of crop material falling from a left side of the rotor and an amount of crop material falling from a right side of the rotor.

Associated with the graphical depiction76of the portion of the cleaning system42is a plurality of bar graphs80that indicate amounts of material falling from the cleaning system42at multiple locations along the lateral direction. As illustrated, the bar graph80B on the right is lower than the bar graph80A on the left, indicating that more crop material is falling from the right side of the cleaning system42than on the left side of the cleaning system42.

The graphs70,72,78,80may be updated in real time or near real time using data collected by the sensors52,54. In this manner the graphs70,72,78,80can be animations with constant or near constant movement to reflect actual, current loading and distribution of crop material in the threshing system22and the cleaning system44. Furthermore, and as illustrated inFIG. 5, the first portion62of the user interface60and the second portion64of the user interface60are presented simultaneously and in a manner such that the graphical representation of the amount of material passing through the threshing system22in the first portion62of the user interface60is visually aligned with the graphical representation of the amount of material passing through the threshing system22in the second portion64of the user interface60, and such that the graphical representation of the amount of material passing through the cleaning system42in the first portion62of the user interface60is visually aligned with the graphical representation of the amount of material passing through the cleaning system42in the second portion64of the user interface60. This manner of graphically presenting information allows the operator to quickly and easily assess how crop material is distributed front to rear as well as side to side in the threshing and cleaning systems of the combine harvester10. A pitch indicator82illustrates the pitch of the combine harvester10and a roll indicator84indicates a roll of the combine harvester10.

The first portion62of the user interface60includes a visual marker86indicating a location along the longitudinal direction of the combine harvester10corresponding to the distribution information presented in the second portion64of the user interface60. The visual marker86is moveable by the user between a forward location of the graphical depiction66(toward the left in the illustrations) and a rearward location of the graphical depiction66(toward the right in the illustrations). When the visual marker86is located forward (toward the left) the loading and distribution information depicted on the second portion64of the user interface60is generated using data from sensors52,54located forward on the combine harvester10. When the visual marker86is located rearward (toward the right) the loading and distribution information depicted on the second portion64of the user interface60is generated using data from sensors52,54located rearward on the combine harvester10. Similarly, when the visual marker86is located in the middle, the loading and distribution information depicted on the second portion64of the user interface60is generated using data from sensors52,54located in the middle.

FIG. 6depicts the user interface60on a portable electronic device88, such as a table computer. If the device88has a touchscreen, the user may simply touch the visual marker86and drag it left or right to the desired location. To the right inFIG. 6portions of the threshing system22and the cleaning system44are depicted, along with an indicator90of the location of the threshing system22and the cleaning system44corresponding to the crop material loading and distribution information presented in the second portion64of the user interface60.FIG. 7illustrates the user interface60with the visual marker86moved to a central location along the longitudinal direction, with the indicator90showing the corresponding location of the threshing system22and the cleaning system44corresponding to the crop material loading and distribution information presented in the second portion64of the user interface60.FIG. 8illustrates the user interface60with the visual marker86moved to a forward location along the longitudinal direction, with the indicator90showing the corresponding location of the threshing system22and the cleaning system44corresponding to the crop material loading and distribution information presented in the second portion64of the user interface60.

FIG. 9illustrates that the left bar graphs78A,80A, outlined by box92, correspond to crop material data collected on the left side of the threshing system22and the cleaning system42, as indicated by markers94,96, respectively.FIG. 10illustrates that the right bar graphs78B,80B, outlined by box98, correspond to crop material data collected on the right side of the threshing system22and the cleaning system42, as indicated by markers100,102, respectively.

It may be desirable, for example, to operate the combine10so that more material passes through the concaves and the cleaning assembly toward a front of the machine than toward a rear of the machine because more material passing through near a rear of the machine may be indicative of grain loss. Similarly, it may be desirable for the operator to see amounts of grain passing through left and right portions of the concaves22and the shoe where the machine is operating on a slope and is leaning left or right. In that situation one side or the other may be overloaded.

An advantage of the present invention includes collecting data indicative of processed crop such that the data may be used to generate visual information for the machine operator to inform the machine operator of the status of crop processing at various locations within the machine. Yet another advantage of the present invention is allowing the machine operator to select particular locations within the machine to view a lateral distribution of the processed crop.

Although the invention has been described with reference to one or more embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Furthermore, the following claims describe one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention and are not intended to describe all embodiments of the invention or all novel aspects of the invention.