Patent Publication Number: US-2022210974-A1

Title: Mower-conditioner machine for sensing moisture content of crop material

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains to agricultural harvesting machines and, more specifically, to a mower-conditioner machine. 
     Agricultural harvesting machines may include self-propelled windrowers or pull-type mower-conditioners. Farmers may operate such mowing devices to cut crop material, for example hay or grass, from a field and subsequently deposit the cut crop into windrows on the field. The windrows may be left on the field to dry out the crop in the sun. Thereafter, farmers may bale the cut crop material with a baler, such as a large square baler or round baler, which straddles the windrows and travels along the windrows to pick up the crop material and form it into bales. 
     A typical pull-type mower-conditioner includes a frame, a hitch coupled to the towing vehicle, a cutter bar, a conditioner assembly, and a swathgate. The mower-conditioner may further include other elements such as a reel to assist crop feeding and an auger or belts to convey crop to a central discharge point. The cutter bar may be comprised of a series of rotary discs. The conditioner assembly may include two or more conditioning rolls for conditioning the crop material. The conditioning rolls are located adjacent to one another such that a gap forms therebetween. This gap in between the paired conditioning rolls helps to define the size of the crop mat which passes therethrough. After being conditioned, the stream of crop material engages with the swathgate and is deposited onto the field. 
     What is needed in the art is a cost-effective mower-conditioner machine which automatically monitors the moisture content of crop material. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Exemplary embodiments provided according to the present disclosure include a mower-conditioner machine. The mower-conditioner machine includes a frame, a cutter bar connected to the frame, the cutter bar is configured to cut a crop material from a field, and a crop-engaging member connected to the frame. The crop-engaging member is configured to contact the crop material. The mower-conditioner machine also includes at least one moisture sensor connected to the crop-engaging member. The at least one moisture sensor is configured to sense a moisture content of the crop material. 
     In some exemplary embodiments provided in accordance with the present disclosure there is provided a mower-conditioner machine. The mower-conditioner machine includes a frame, a cutter bar connected to the frame, the cutter bar is configured to cut a crop material from a field, and a crop-engaging member connected to the frame. The crop-engaging member is configured to contact the crop material. The mower-conditioner machine also includes at least one moisture sensor connected to the crop-engaging member. The at least one moisture sensor is configured to sense a moisture content of the crop material. 
     In some exemplary embodiments provided in accordance with the present disclosure, an agricultural assembly. The agricultural assembly includes a work vehicle and a mower-conditioner machine. The mower-conditioner machine includes a frame connected to work vehicle, a cutter bar connected to the frame, the cutter bar is configured to cut a crop material from a field, and a crop-engaging member connected to the frame. The crop-engaging member being configured to contact the crop material. The mower-conditioner also includes at least one moisture sensor connected to the crop-engaging member. The at least one moisture sensor is configured to sense a moisture content of the crop material. 
     In some exemplary embodiments provided in accordance with the present disclosure, a method for conducting an agricultural procedure. The method includes mowing a crop material in a field by a mower-conditioner machine, sensing, by at least one moisture sensor, a moisture content of the crop material, sensing, by a location sensor, a location of the mower-conditioner machine, generating, by a controller, a moisture content map based at least partially on the moisture content of the crop material and the location of the mower-conditioner machine, and estimating, by the controller, a drying time of the crop material based at least partially on the moisture content map. 
     One possible advantage that may be realized by exemplary embodiments provided according to the present disclosure is that the need to visit the field to check windrow moisture between mowing and a secondary operation can be reduced or eliminated. 
     Another possible advantage that may be realized by exemplary embodiments provided according to the present disclosure is that the controller may automatically generate a moisture content field map and automatically determine an estimated drying time for the cut crop material in the field. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For the purpose of illustration, there are shown in the drawings certain embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements, dimensions, and instruments shown. Like numerals indicate like elements throughout the drawings. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a side view of an exemplary embodiment of an agricultural assembly, the assembly including a work vehicle and a pull-type mower-conditioner machine, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of a swathgate of the mower-conditioner machine of  FIG. 1 , the swathgate has a moisture sensor attached thereto; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of another exemplary embodiment of an agricultural assembly, the assembly including a work vehicle and a pull-type mower-conditioner machine with one or more moisture sensors located at the crop conditioner, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of another exemplary embodiment of an agricultural assembly, the assembly including a work vehicle and a mower-conditioner machine in the form of an attachment head, in accordance with the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a flowchart of a method for conducting an agricultural procedure in a field. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The terms “forward”, “rearward”, “left” and “right”, when used in connection with the agricultural assembly and/or components thereof are usually determined with reference to the direction of forward operative travel, but they should not be construed as limiting. The terms “longitudinal” and “transverse” are determined with reference to the fore-and-aft direction of the work vehicle and are equally not to be construed as limiting. As used herein, the term mower-conditioner machine may include a pull-type mower-conditioner or a self-propelled mower-conditioner, including a rotary disc attachment head for a work vehicle. 
     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIGS. 1-2 , there is shown an exemplary embodiment of an agricultural assembly  100  which includes a work vehicle  110  and a pull-type mower-conditioner machine  120 . The work vehicle  110  may pull the mower-conditioner machine  120  in a forward direction of travel for mowing and conditioning the crop material in the field. 
     The work vehicle  110 , which is shown schematically, may be in the form of any desired vehicle, such as a tractor or self-propelled windrower. The work vehicle  110  may include a chassis, wheels and/or tracks, a prime mover, a steering assembly, and a cab for housing an operator. The work vehicle  110  may also include a controller  112 , with a memory  114 , and one or more sensor(s)  116  for sensing various operating parameters of the work vehicle  110 . For example, the work vehicle  110  may include a positioning or location sensor  116  for sensing and providing location data. The location sensor  116  may be in the form of a global positioning system (GPS) sensor or the like which tracks the position of the work vehicle  110  in the field. The work vehicle  110  may also include a speed sensor, inclinometer, etc. 
     The mower-conditioner machine  120  may be connected to and towed by the work vehicle  110 . The mower-conditioner machine  120  may generally include a frame  122  with a tongue  124  connected to the vehicle  110 , wheels  126 , a transversely disposed cutter bar  128 , a crop conditioner  130 , and a discharge assembly  132 . The discharge assembly  132  includes a swathgate  134  pivotally connected to the frame  122  and a pair of side shields  136  pivotally connected to the frame  122 . 
     The mower-conditioner machine  120  may also include a controller  140 , with a memory  142 , and one or more sensor(s)  144 ,  146 ,  148  for sensing various operating parameters of the mower-conditioner machine  120  and/or characteristics of the crop material. For instance, the mower-conditioner machine  120  may include one or more location sensors  144 , crop characteristic sensors  146 , and moisture sensors  148 . It should be appreciated that the mower-conditioner machine  120  may not include a separate controller  140 ; therein, the various sensors sensor(s)  144 ,  146 ,  148  may be operably coupled to the vehicle controller  112  which may control the functionality of the mower-conditioner machine  120 . 
     As the mower-conditioner  120  is towed through the field, the standing crop is cut by the cutter bar  128  and transported downstream to the crop conditioner  130 . The cutter bar  128  may be located at the front of the frame  122 . The cutter bar  128  may be in the form of any desired cutter bar  128 , such as a rotary disc cutter bar with multiple cutting disc heads. The crop conditioner  130  may condition or otherwise crush the crop material to decrease the drying time of the crop material on the field. The crop conditioner  130  generally includes at least two conditioning rolls  138  rotatably connected to the frame  122  and spaced apart from one another by a gap which allows the crop material to pass therethrough. The severed and conditioned crop material is then ejected rearwardly toward the discharge assembly  132 . 
     The swathgate  134  generally influences the height or upper bound of the stream of crop material. The swathgate  134  may be automatically and/or manually adjusted relative to the frame. The side shields  136 , which may also be adjustable relative to the frame  122 , generally influence the width of the stream of crop material. If the mower-conditioner machine  120  is configured to create swaths, the ejected stream of crop material may contact and be directed by the swathgate  134 . If the mower-conditioner machine  120  is configured to create windrows, the ejected stream of crop material may contact and be directed by the swathgate  134  and the shields  136 . Relative to other harvesting procedures, mowing procedures may work the field in smaller sections or widths in a given pass through the field. Mower crop cutting widths are generally on the order of 3 to 4.5 meters, or 10 to 15 feet. 
     The controller  140  can be operably connected to the vehicle controller  112  via an ISOBUS communication interface. The controller  140  can be configured to receive location data from one or more location sensors  116  and/or  144 , receive moisture content data from one or more moisture sensors  148 , and receive crop information from user inputted data and/or from one or more crop characteristic sensors  146  which may sense crop characteristics, including the type of crop in the field. The controller  140  can also be configured to generate a moisture content map  154  based at least partially on the sensed moisture content data and the location data. The controller  140  can also be configured to estimate a drying time  156  of the crop material based at least partially on the moisture content map  154 . However, if the mower-conditioner machine  120  is not equipped with the controller  140 , the vehicle controller  112  may perform the aforementioned functionality. 
     The vehicle controller  112  and/or the controller  140  can also be operatively coupled to a data center  150  by way of a network  152  of the assembly  100 . For instance, the controller  140  can be operably connected to the network  152  by way of the vehicle controller  112  or the controller  140  may be directly connected to the network  152 , separately from the vehicle controller  112 . The data center  150  may also be configured to receive, process, and record data concerning with the system  100 . The data center  150  may be in the form of any desired remote or offsite data center which may receive, process, and/or store any data concerning the operation of the assembly  100 , the crop material, the field itself, and/or various other conditions, such as the real-time weather conditions. The network  152  may be any suitable network, including a wireless network having one or more processors or nodes. Additionally, the network  152  may broadly represent any combination of one or more data communication networks including local area networks, wide area networks, neural networks, etc., using a wired or wireless connection. 
     It should be appreciated that the vehicle controller  112 , the controller  140 , and/or the data center  150  may solely or collectively generate the moisture content map  154  and/or conduct drying time  156  processing for processing the signals, e.g. location data, moisture content data, etc., from the sensors  116 ,  144 ,  146 ,  148  and estimating a drying time for one or more sections or zones of the field. The moisture content map  154  may be generated for the entire field or portions thereof such that the map may be created and updated in real-time as the mower-conditioner machine  120  is operating in the field. In more detail, the controller  140 , vehicle controller  112 , and/or the data center  150  may determine the moisture content of the crop material via a lookup table upon receiving the moisture data from the sensor(s)  148 , overlay the determined moisture content with location data, and subsequently create the moisture content map  154 . The moisture content map  154  and/or any other desired information, such as the crop type and/or weather conditions, may be used to estimate a drying time  156  of the crop material. The estimated drying time  156  may be sectionalized by specific passes and/or zones of similarly grouped crop material, such as dry or moist groupings of crop material. Furthermore, the controller(s)  140 ,  112 , and/or data center  150  may generate an optimized procedure based on the estimated drying time. For instance, one or more specific areas of the field may require more or less dry-down time, which can then be used to more precisely plan an optimum baling or chopping strategy in a particular field to provide optimum dry-down time for each section of a field. For example, if the crop material mowed in the northwest quadrant of a field has much higher moisture content at the time of mowing than the other three quadrants, then the operator can bale or chop the northwest quadrant last, thus allowing it more dry-down time the other sections of the field rather than entering the field and beginning operation wherever it is most convenient to start operation. As can be appreciated, the data center may or may not store the moisture content map  154  and/or the estimated drying time  156 . 
     The location sensor  144  may be connected to the frame  122 . The location sensor  144  may be in the form of any desired sensor for sensing the location of the mower-conditioner machine  120 . The crop characteristic sensor  146  can be connected to the frame  122  at any desired location. The crop characteristic sensor  146  may be in the form of any desired sensor for sensing one or more characteristics of the crop, such as an optical sensor, e.g. camera, or a wave-ranging sensor, e.g. LIDAR sensor. The crop characteristic sensor  146  may sense the type of crop material being harvested. It is noted that the mower-conditioner machine  120  may not include a location sensor  144  or a crop characteristic sensor  146 . 
     Each moisture sensor  148  may be connected to a respective crop-engaging member. As shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , the moisture sensor(s)  148  is connected to the crop-engaging surface, i.e., underside, of the swathgate  134 . Each moisture sensor  148  may be embedded within the swathgate  134  so that each sensor  148  is flush with the crop-engaging surface of the swathgate  134 . Each moisture sensor  148  may be in the form of one or more electrodes for sensing a voltage drop between the electrodes or between one electrode and the ground, e.g. a component of the swathgate  134  and/or frame  122  which is grounded, and/or a wave-ranging sensor, e.g. a LIDAR sensor or infrared sensor. It should be appreciated that one or more moisture sensors  148  may also be connected to one or both of the side shields  136 . For instance, a moisture sensor  148  may be connected to the inner, crop-engaging surface of one of the shields  136 . However, only the swathgate  134  may have moisture sensors  148  connected thereto. 
     Additionally, the one or more moisture sensors  148  may be fitted within a mount  160 , such as an electrically insulated mount  160 , that connects the moisture sensor(s)  148  to the swathgate  134  ( FIG. 2 ). In more detail, the swathgate  134  may have a through-hole or recessed portion in which the mount is seated. The mount  160  may comprise a plastic material. 
     In the embodiment wherein the one or more moisture sensors  148  comprise the electrode(s), a current may pass between the electrodes and/or ground and through the crop material as the stream of crop material passes over the electrode(s) in the swathgate  134 . Hence, the voltage difference or drop which results from the current flow through the crop material will ultimately determine the moisture content of the crop material. Upon receiving the moisture data from the moisture sensor(s)  148 , the controller  140 , the vehicle controller  112 , and/or data center  150  may determine the moisture content of the crop material by employing a lookup table or algorithm that correlates the moisture data to a particular moisture content of the crop material. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown another embodiment of an agricultural assembly  300 , which may be substantially similar to the agricultural assembly  100  except that the moisture sensor(s)  348  is(are) located on one or both of the crop conditioning rolls  338  instead of or in addition to the swathgate  334 . For instance, one moisture sensor  348  may be coupled to one conditioning roll  338 . In one embodiment, a current may be provided to the conditioning roll  338  and the other conditioning roll  338  may be grounded such that a voltage drop measured between the conditioning rolls  338  may be used to determine the moisture content of the crop material. It should be appreciated that the swathgate  334  may not include any moisture sensors  348 . It should also be appreciated that the mower-conditioner machine  320  may include two or more moistures sensors  348  located on swathgate  334  and the conditioning rolls  338 . The controller  340  may function similarly to the controller  140 , as discussed above, to generate the moisture content map  154 . Like elements have been identified with like reference characters, except for the  300  series designation. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , there is shown another embodiment of an agricultural assembly  400  which includes a work vehicle  410  and a mower-conditioner machine  420 . As shown, the work vehicle  410  is a self-propelled windrower  410  and the mower-conditioner machine  420  is an attachment head  420  that is removably connected to the windrower  410 . 
     Similarly to the work vehicle  110 , the work vehicle  410  may include a chassis  411 , wheels and/or tracks  413 , a prime mover, a steering assembly, a cab  415 , a controller  412 , with a memory  414 , and one or more sensor(s)  416 , such as a location sensor  416 , for sensing various operating parameters of the work vehicle  410 . The vehicle controller  412  may operate substantially similar to the vehicle controller  112 , as discussed above. 
     The mower-conditioner machine  420  may be removably connected to and pushed by the work vehicle  410 . The mower-conditioner  420  may include a frame  422  that is removably connected to the chassis  411  of the work vehicle  410 , a transversely disposed cutter bar  428 , a crop conditioner  430  with conditioning rolls  438 , and a discharge assembly  432 . The discharge assembly  432  includes a swathgate  434  which may be pivotally connected to the frame  422  and a pair of side shields  436  which may be pivotally connected to the frame  422 . 
     The mower-conditioner machine  420  may also include a controller  440 , with a memory  442 , and one or more sensor(s)  446 ,  448  for sensing various operating parameters of the mower-conditioner machine  420  and/or characteristics of the crop material. The controller  440  can be operably connected to the vehicle controller  412 . The mower-conditioner machine  420  may include one or more crop characteristic sensors  446  and/or moisture sensors  448 . The controller  440  and sensors  444 ,  446 ,  448  may be substantially similar to the controller  140  and sensors  144 ,  146 ,  148 , as discussed above. It should be appreciated that the mower-conditioner machine  420  may not include a controller  440  or location sensor  444 ; therein, the various sensors sensor(s)  446 ,  448  may be operably coupled to the vehicle controller  412  which may control the functionality of the mower-conditioner machine  420 . The agricultural assembly  400  may also include a data center  450  and a network  452  which may be similar to the data center  150  and network  152 , as discussed above. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , there is shown a flowchart of a method  500  for conducting an agricultural procedure. By way of example only, the method  500  is described herein with reference to the agricultural assembly  100 . However, the agricultural assembly  100 ,  300 , and/or  400  may be used to carry out the method  500 . The method  500  may include mowing a crop material in the field by a mower-conditioner machine  120  (at block  502 ). At least one moisture sensor  148  may sense a moisture content of the crop material (at block  504 ). A location sensor  116  and/or  144  may sense a location of the mower-conditioner machine (at block  506 ). The vehicle controller  112 , the controller  140 , and/or the data center  150  may individually or collectively receive the moisture and location data and subsequently generate the moisture content map  154  based at least partially on the moisture content of the crop material and the location of the mower-conditioner machine (at block  508 ). Furthermore, the vehicle controller  112 , the controller  140 , and/or the data center  150  may individually or collectively estimate a drying time of the crop material based at least partially on the moisture content map (at block  510 ). Thereafter, the vehicle controller  112 , the controller  140 , and/or the data center  150  may output the moisture content map  154  and/or the estimated drying time  156  to the operator (at block  512 ) 
     It is to be understood that one or more of the steps of the method  500  may be individually or collectively performed by the vehicle controller  112 ,  312 ,  412 , the controller  140 ,  340 ,  440 , and/or the data center  150 ,  350 ,  450  of the agricultural assembly  100 ,  300 ,  400  upon loading and executing software code or instructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readable medium, such as on a magnetic medium, e.g., a computer hard drive, an optical medium, e.g., an optical disc, solid-state memory, e.g., flash memory, or other storage media known in the art. Thus, any of the functionality performed by the controller(s) described herein, such as the method  500 , is implemented in software code or instructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readable medium. The controller(s) loads the software code or instructions via a direct interface with the computer readable medium or via a wired and/or wireless network. Upon loading and executing such software code or instructions by the controller(s), the controller(s) may perform any of the functionality of the controller(s) described herein, including any steps of the method  500  described herein. 
     The term “software code” or “code” used herein refers to any instructions or set of instructions that influence the operation of a computer or controller. They may exist in a computer-executable form, such as machine code, which is the set of instructions and data directly executed by a computer&#39;s central processing unit or by a controller, a human-understandable form, such as source code, which may be compiled in order to be executed by a computer&#39;s central processing unit or by a controller, or an intermediate form, such as object code, which is produced by a compiler. As used herein, the term “software code” or “code” also includes any human-understandable computer instructions or set of instructions, e.g., a script, that may be executed on the fly with the aid of an interpreter executed by a computer&#39;s central processing unit or by a controller. 
     These and other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing specification. Accordingly, it is to be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is intended to include all changes and modifications that are within the scope and spirit of the invention.