Patent Publication Number: US-2021185916-A1

Title: Sensor assembly for an agricultural header

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a sensor assembly for an agricultural header. 
     A harvester may be used to harvest crops, such as barley, beans, beets, carrots, corn, cotton, flax, oats, potatoes, rye, soybeans, wheat, or other plant crops. During operation of the harvester, the harvesting process may begin by removing a portion of a plant from a field using a header of the harvester. The header may cut the plant and transport the cut crops to a processing system of the harvester. 
     Certain headers include a cutter bar assembly configured to cut a portion of each crop (e.g., a stalk), thereby separating the cut crop from the soil. The cutter bar assembly may extend along a substantial portion of the width of the header at a forward end of the header. The header may also include one or more belts positioned behind the cutter bar assembly relative to the direction of travel of the harvester. The belt(s) are configured to transport the cut crops to an inlet of the processing system. 
     Certain headers may also include a reel assembly, which may include a reel having multiple fingers extending from a central framework. The central framework is driven to rotate, such that the fingers move in a circular pattern. The fingers are configured to engage the crops, thereby preparing the crops to be cut by the cutter bar assembly and/or urging the cut crops to move toward the belt(s). The reel is typically supported by multiple arms extending from a frame of the header. The reel assembly may include one or more actuators configured to drive the arms to rotate, thereby adjusting the position of the reel relative to the frame of the header. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     In one embodiment, a sensor assembly for an agricultural header includes a sensor configured to detect a feature of an unharvested crop field and a bracket. The bracket includes a first end portion configured to couple to a reel arm or to a frame of the agricultural header and a second end portion coupled to the sensor. The sensor assembly is configured to orient the sensor such that a central axis of a field of view of the sensor is at a non-parallel angle relative to a vertical axis of the agricultural header while the sensor assembly is coupled to the agricultural header. 
     In one embodiment, a sensor assembly for an agricultural header includes a sensor configured to detect a feature of an unharvested crop field and a bracket. The bracket includes a first end portion configured to couple to a reel arm of the agricultural header and a second end portion coupled to the sensor. The bracket is configured to position the sensor laterally-inwardly relative to the reel arm while the bracket is coupled to the reel arm. 
     In one embodiment, a header for an agricultural harvester includes a bracket coupled to a reel arm or to a frame of the header. The header also includes a sensor coupled to the bracket, and the sensor is oriented relative to the header to enable the sensor to detect a detected area that is completely within a lateral extent of the header. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a harvester having a header and a sensor assembly, wherein each sensor of the sensor assembly is positioned laterally-inwardly of lateral edges of the header, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the header and the sensor assembly that may be used in the harvester of  FIG. 1 , wherein the sensor assembly is coupled to a reel arm via a bracket that bends laterally-inwardly, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the header and the sensor assembly of  FIG. 2 , in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of a portion of the header and the sensor assembly of  FIG. 2 , in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of a portion of the header and the sensor assembly of  FIG. 2 , wherein the bracket is adjustable, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of a portion of the header and the sensor assembly that may be used in the harvester of  FIG. 1 , wherein the sensor assembly is coupled to a reel arm via a bracket that extends laterally-inwardly, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the header and the sensor assembly that may be used in the harvester of  FIG. 1 , wherein the sensor assembly is coupled to a frame of the header at a position that is laterally-inward of the lateral edges of the header, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  is a front view of a harvester having a header and a sensor assembly, wherein each sensor of the sensor assembly is configured and/or oriented to detect a respective detected area that is laterally-inward of lateral edges of the header, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 9  is a top view of a portion of the header and the sensor assembly that may be used in the harvester of  FIG. 8 , wherein the sensor assembly is coupled to a reel arm via a bracket, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Any examples of operating parameters and/or environmental conditions are not exclusive of other parameters/conditions of the disclosed embodiments. 
     Turning to the drawings,  FIG. 1  is a front view of an embodiment of a harvester  100  (e.g., agricultural harvester) having a header  200  (e.g., agricultural header). The harvester  100  also includes a chassis  110  configured to support the header  200  and an agricultural crop processing system  120 . As described in greater detail below, the header  200  is configured to cut crops and to transport the cut crops toward an inlet of the agricultural crop processing system  120  for further processing of the cut crops. The agricultural crop processing system  120  receives cut crops from the header  200  and separates desired crop material from crop residue. For example, the agricultural crop processing system  120  may include a thresher having a cylindrical threshing rotor that transports the crops in a helical flow path through the harvester  100 . In addition to transporting the crops, the thresher may separate certain desired crop material (e.g., grain) from the crop residue (e.g., husks and pods) and may enable the desired crop material to flow into a cleaning system located beneath the thresher. The cleaning system may remove debris from the desired crop material and transport the desired crop material to a storage compartment within the harvester  100 . The crop residue may be transported from the thresher to a crop residue handling system, which may remove the crop residue from the harvester  100  via a crop residue spreading system positioned at the aft end of the harvester  100 . To facilitate discussion, the harvester  100  and/or its components may be described with reference to a lateral axis or direction  140 , a longitudinal axis or direction  142 , and a vertical axis or direction  144 . The harvester  100  and/or its components may also be described with reference to a direction of travel  146  (e.g., over ground  148 ). 
     The header  200  includes a cutter bar assembly configured to cut the crops within the field. The header  200  also includes a reel assembly configured to engage the crops to prepare the crops to be cut by the cutter bar assembly and/or to urge crops cut by the cutter bar assembly onto belts that convey the cut crops toward the inlet of the agricultural crop processing system  120 . The reel assembly includes a reel having multiple fingers extending from a central framework. The central framework is driven to rotate, such that the fingers engage the crops and urge the crops toward the cutter bar assembly and the belts. Additionally, the reel may be supported by multiple arms (e.g., reel arms) that are coupled to a frame  201  of the header  200 . Each arm of the multiple arms may be coupled to the frame  201  via a respective pivot joint. For example, one pivot joint is configured to enable a first arm of the multiple arms to pivot (e.g., about the lateral axis  140 ) relative to the frame  201  of the header  200 , and another pivot joint is configured to enable a second arm of the multiple arms to pivot (e.g., about the lateral axis  140 ) relative to the frame  201  of the header  200 . 
     In the disclosed embodiments, the harvester  100  also includes a sensor assembly  210 . The sensor assembly  210  may be coupled to the header  200 . For example, the sensor assembly  210  may be coupled to the arms of the reel assembly and/or to the frame  201  of the header  200 . The sensor assembly  210  may include multiple sensors  211  that are configured to detect features of an unharvested crop field (e.g., crop features and/or terrain features, such as a height of the crops, a density of the crops, a color of the crops, and/or surface features of the ground  148 ) as the harvester  100  travels through the field. The sensors  211  may send signals indicative of the features of the unharvested crop field to an electronic controller (e.g., having a processor and memory) for processing. It should be appreciated that the sensors  211  may any suitable type of sensors, such as acoustic sensors, optical sensors, radar sensors, or the like. It should also be appreciated that the sensor assembly  210  may include any number of sensors (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or more) distributed laterally across the header  200 . 
     As shown, the sensors  211  may be positioned laterally-inwardly of lateral edges  202  (e.g., laterally-outermost edges; laterally-outermost point) of the header  200 . For example, the sensors  211  may be coupled to brackets (e.g., extension assemblies) that are coupled to and extend from the arms of the reel assembly. The brackets may bend or extend laterally-inwardly to position the sensors  211  laterally-inwardly of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . In this way, the sensors  211  may be positioned to effectively detect features of the unharvested crop field that are forward of the header  200  and/or within a lateral extent  203  (e.g., lateral width) of the header  200 . In some embodiments, the sensors  211  may be positioned to exclusively (e.g., only) detect features of the unharvested crop field that are forward of the header  200  and/or within the lateral extent  203  of the header  200 . For example, each sensor  211  has a field of view  212  (e.g., an angle through which the sensor  211  is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation) and may be positioned to detect features of the unharvested crop field over a detected area  213  (e.g., crop area or ground area) that is substantially or completely within the lateral extent  203  of the header  200 . In this way, the disclosed embodiments may enable an operator or the electronic controller to receive information about relevant features of the unharvested crop field (e.g., based only on the features of the unharvested crop field forward of the header  200  and/or within the lateral extent  203  of the header  200 , and not based on or adversely influenced by features of the unharvested crop field outside of the lateral extent  203  of the header  200 ) from the sensors  211  and/or to properly position components of the header  200  (e.g., the cutter bar, the reel assembly) based on relevant features of the unharvested crop field. 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of an embodiment of the header  200  having the sensor assembly  210 , a reel assembly  220 , and a cutter bar assembly  230 . Features of the reel assembly  220  and the cutter bar assembly  230  will be described in more detail below with reference to  FIG. 3 . 
     As shown, the sensors  211  may be positioned to facilitate detection of features of the unharvested crop field that are forward of the header  200  and/or within the lateral extent  203  of the header  200 , as described above with reference to  FIG. 1 . In particular, the sensor assembly  210  includes brackets  214  (e.g., extension assemblies). Each bracket  214  includes a first end  215  that is coupled to (e.g., directly coupled to; in contact with; extends from) an arm  221  of the reel assembly  220  and a second end  216  that is coupled to (e.g., directly coupled to; in contact with) the sensor  211  (e.g., a housing that houses or supports sensing components of the sensor  211 ). The bracket  214  may extend forward of the reel assembly  220  and the cutter bar assembly  230 . At least the brackets  214  that are coupled to the laterally-outer arms  221  (e.g., outer-most arms  221 ) may also extend and/or bend laterally-inwardly to position the respective sensor  211  laterally-inwardly of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . For example, the bracket  214  may bend laterally-inwardly at an elbow  217 . However, it should be appreciated that an entirety of the bracket  214  may extend laterally-inwardly from the arm  221  or the bracket  214  have any of a variety of other configurations that position the sensor  211  laterally-inwardly of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the header  200  and the sensor assembly  210  of  FIG. 2 . The cutter bar assembly  230  is positioned at a forward end of the header  200  relative to the longitudinal axis  142  of the header  200 . The cutter bar assembly  230  extends laterally along a substantial portion of the width of the header  200  (e.g., approximately 100, 95, 90, 85, 80, or 75 percent of the lateral extent  203  of the header  200 ). As the harvester  100  is driven through the field, the cutter bar assembly  230  engages and cuts crops within the field. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the header  200  includes a first lateral belt  204  on a first lateral side of the header  200  and a second lateral belt  205  on a second lateral side of the header  200 , opposite the first lateral side. Each belt is driven to rotate by a suitable drive mechanism, such as an electric motor or a hydraulic motor. The first lateral belt  204  and the second lateral belt  205  are driven such that the top surface of each belt moves laterally inward. In addition, the header  200  includes a longitudinal belt  206  positioned between the first lateral belt  204  and the second lateral belt  205  along the lateral axis  140 . The longitudinal belt  206  is driven to rotate by a suitable drive mechanism, such as an electric motor or a hydraulic motor. The longitudinal belt  206  is driven such that the top surface of the longitudinal belt  206  moves rearwardly relative to the direction of travel  146 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the crops cut by the cutter bar assembly  230  are directed toward the belts at least in part by the reel assembly  220 , thereby substantially reducing the possibility of the cut crops falling onto the surface of the field. The reel assembly  220  includes a reel  227  having multiple fingers  222  extending from a central framework  223 . The central framework  223  is driven to rotate such that the fingers  222  move (e.g., in a circular pattern). The fingers  222  are configured to engage the crops and urge the cut crops toward the belts. The cut crops that contact the top surface of the lateral belts  204 ,  205  are driven laterally inwardly to the longitudinal belt  206  due to the movement of the lateral belts  204 ,  205 . In addition, cut crops that contact the longitudinal belt  206  and the cut crops provided to the longitudinal belt  206  by the lateral belts  204 ,  205  are driven rearwardly relative to the direction of travel  146  due to the movement of the longitudinal belt  206 . Accordingly, the belts move the cut agricultural crops through an opening in the header  200  to the inlet of the agricultural crop processing system  120  ( FIG. 1 ). 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the reel  227  includes multiple sections coupled to one another. In particular, the reel  227  includes a center section  224  (e.g., positioned forward of a center section  207  of the frame  201  of the header  200  relative to the direction of travel  146 ), a first wing section  225 , and a second wing section  226 . In the illustrated embodiment, each section of the reel  227  is supported by one or more arms  221  that are coupled to the frame  201  of the header  200 . While the reel  227  includes three sections  224 ,  225 ,  226  coupled to the frame  201  of the header  200  via four arms  221 , it should be appreciated that the reel  227  may include any number of sections coupled to the frame  201  of the header  200  via any number of arms  221  (e.g., one section coupled to the frame  201  of the header  200  via two arms  221 ; two sections coupled to the frame  201  of the header  200  via three arms  221 ; four sections coupled to the frame  201  of the header  200  via five arms  221 ). 
     As discussed in detail below, regardless of the number of arms  221 , each arm  221  is pivotally coupled to the frame  201  of the header  200  via a respective pivot joint. The pivot joints are configured to enable the arms  221  to pivot (e.g., about the lateral axis  140 ) relative to the frame  201  of the header  200 . An actuator  228  may be coupled to each arm  221  and configured to drive the respective arm  221  to rotate about the respective pivot joint, thereby controlling a position of the reel  227  relative to the frame  201  of the header  200  along the vertical axis  144 . Such a configuration may enable the reel  227  to be positioned at an appropriate position along the vertical axis  144  to engage the crops to prepare the crops to be cut by the cutter bar assembly  230  and/or to urge the cut crops toward the belts  204 ,  205 ,  206 , for example. In some embodiments, each section of the reel  227  may also be configured to slide along its respective arm(s)  221  to enable the reel  227  to move along the longitudinal axis  142  relative to the frame  201  of the header  200 . Such a configuration may enable at least a portion of the reel assembly  220  to be positioned forward of the cutter bar assembly  230  relative to the direction of travel  146  to enable the reel assembly  220  to engage the crop to prepare the crop to be cut by the cutter bar assembly  230 , for example. 
     As noted above, the sensor assembly  210  may be coupled to or included as part of the reel assembly  220 . The sensor assembly  210  may include one or more brackets  214  and one or more sensors  211 . In the illustrated embodiment, each of the arms  221  is coupled to a respective bracket  214  that supports a respective sensor  211 . However, only some of the arms  221  may be coupled to a respective bracket  214  that supports a respective sensor  211 . For example, only the laterally-outer arms  221  may be coupled to a respective bracket  214  and a respective sensor  211 , only the laterally-inner arm(s)  221  may be coupled to a respective bracket  214  and a respective sensor  211 , and/or every other arm  221  (e.g., non-adjacent or alternating arms) may be coupled to a respective bracket  214  and a respective sensor  211 . As discussed in more detail below, regardless of the number of brackets  214  and sensors  211  included in the sensor assembly  210 , the sensors  211  may be positioned laterally-inwardly of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . For example, as shown, at least the brackets  214  coupled to the laterally-outer arms  221  may bend laterally-inwardly to position the respective sensor  211  laterally-inwardly of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . In the illustrated embodiment, the bracket  214  bends at the elbow  217 . However, as noted above, it should be appreciated that an entirety of the bracket  214  may extend laterally-inwardly from the arm  221  or the bracket  214  or have any of a variety of other configurations that position the sensor  211  laterally-inwardly of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . 
       FIG. 4  is a top view of a portion of the header  200  and the sensor assembly  210  of  FIG. 2 . As shown, the bracket  214  is coupled to the arm  221 . In particular, the bracket  214  extends forward from the arm  221  to position the respective sensor  211  forward of the cutter bar assembly  230  (e.g., relative to the direction of travel  146 ) and/or extends laterally-inwardly via a bend to position the respective sensor  211  laterally-inwardly of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . In the illustrated embodiment, the bracket  214  bends at the elbow  217 . For example, the bracket  214  includes a longitudinally-extending portion  218  and a laterally-extending portion  219  that are joined at the elbow  217 . The bend (e.g., at the laterally-inner edge of the elbow  217 ) may have any suitable angle, such as between about 10 to 90, 20 to 80, 30 to 70, or 40 to 60 degrees. 
     As shown, the sensor  211  may be positioned such that the detected area  213  is completely laterally-inward of the lateral edge  202  of the header  200 . Thus, the sensor  211  only detects the relevant features of the unharvested crop field that the header  200  will travel over as the header  200  continues its current pass through the field. In some embodiments, a laterally-outer edge of the detected area  213  may substantially align with the lateral edge  202  of the header  200  along the lateral axis  140  (e.g., less than 5, 10, 15, or 20 percent of the detected area extends laterally-outwardly of the lateral edge  202  of the header). It should be appreciated that the sensor  211  may be positioned such that the detected area  213  is substantially laterally-inward of the lateral edge  202  of the header  200  (e.g., at least 95, 90, 85, 80, 75, 70, 65, 60, 55, or 50 percent of the detected area  213  is laterally-inward of the lateral edge  202  of the header  200 ). 
     As noted above, the arm  221  may move vertically to position the reel  227  at an appropriate position relative to the crop in the field. As the arm  221  moves vertically, the bracket  214  and the sensor  211  may also move vertically. The disclosed embodiments may account for the vertical position of the sensor  211  relative to the ground  148  ( FIG. 1 ) or other detected object (e.g., crops) to keep the detected area  213  substantially or completely laterally-inward of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200  as the header  200  travels through the field. In some embodiments, the sensor  211  may have the field of view  212  and be positioned on the bracket  214  so that the detected area  213  is always substantially or completely laterally-inward of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 , regardless of the vertical position of the sensor  211 . For example, at a first vertical position (e.g., limit position, lowest position), the sensor  211  may detect a relatively smaller detected area  213  that is completely within the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . And at a second vertical position (e.g., limit position, highest position), the sensor  211  may detect a relatively larger detected area  213  that is also completely within the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . 
     In some embodiments, features of the sensor assembly  210  may be adjustable to account for the vertical position of the sensor  211 . For example, the field of view  212  of the sensor  211  may be adjustable based on the vertical position of the sensor  211 , which may be determined based on feedback from the sensor  211  itself (e.g., data obtained by the sensor  211  is indicative of the vertical position of the sensor  211 ) and/or based on the position of the arm  221 . In some embodiments, the electronic controller may receive an indication of the vertical position of the sensor  211  and then adjust the field of view  212  of the sensor  211  to keep the detected area  213  within the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . Thus, the field of view  212  of the sensor  211  may adjust automatically in response to changes in the vertical position of the sensor  211 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , in some embodiments, the bracket  214  may be adjustable. For example, in  FIG. 5  as compared to  FIG. 4 , the bracket  214  is adjusted to move the sensor  211  further laterally-inwardly relative to the lateral edge  202  of the header  200  in response to the sensor  211  moving vertically higher above the features of the unharvested crop field. The bracket  214  may be adjustable in any of a variety of ways, such as a telescoping arm that extends and retracts (e.g., the laterally-extending portion  219  may be a telescoping arm). In some embodiments, the electronic controller may receive an indication of the vertical position of the sensor  211  and then instruct an actuator to adjust the bracket  214  to keep the detected area  213  within the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . Thus, the bracket  214  may adjust automatically in response to changes in the vertical position of the sensor  211 . It should be appreciated that other techniques may be employed. For example, processing techniques may process the data obtained by the sensors  211  to exclude the features of the unharvested crop field that are determined to be outside of the lateral extent  203  of the header  200  (e.g., determined based at least in part on inputs related to the vertical position of the sensor  211 ). 
     As noted above, it should be appreciated that an entirety of the bracket  214  may extend laterally-inwardly from the arm  221  or the bracket  214 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . In particular, the bracket  214  may extend from the arm  221  at an angle that positions the sensor  211  laterally-inwardly of the lateral edge  202  of the header  200 . 
     Additionally, the sensors  211  may be coupled to the header  200  in other ways. For example,  FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the header  200  and the sensor assembly  210  that may be used in the harvester  100  of  FIG. 1 . As shown, the sensor assembly  210  is coupled to the frame  201  of the header  200  at a position that is laterally-inward of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . In particular, the brackets  214  are coupled to (e.g., directly coupled to; in contact with; extends from) the frame  201  at a position that is laterally-inward of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 . The brackets  214  may extend up and over the reel assembly  220  and the cutter bar assembly  230 . In this way, the sensors  211  may be positioned to effectively detect the relevant features of the unharvested crop field that are forward of the header  200  and/or within the lateral extent  203  of the header  200 . For example, each of the laterally-outer sensors  211  may be positioned laterally-inward of the respective lateral edge  202  of the header  200  by a distance  240  that approximately equals (e.g., within 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, or 20 percent) and/or is less than a radius  242  of the detected area  213 . In some embodiments, some of the sensors  211  (e.g., the laterally-inner sensors  211 ) may be coupled to and supported by the arms  221  of the reel assembly  220 , as shown in  FIGS. 2-6 , while other sensors  211  (e.g., the laterally-outer sensors  211 ) may be coupled to and supported by the frame  201  of the header  200 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     Additionally or alternatively, it may be desirable to orient one or more of the sensors  211  such that a central axis of the field of view  212  of the sensor  211  is at a non-parallel angle relative to the vertical axis  144  of the header  200 . Such a configuration may enable the detected area  213  to be laterally-inward of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 , even while the sensor  211  is positioned on the laterally-outer arm  221  or otherwise positioned proximate to the lateral edge  202  of the header  200 . 
     For example,  FIG. 8  illustrates a harvester  100 ′ having a header  200 ′ and a sensor assembly  210 ′. As shown, at least two of the sensors  211 ′ may be positioned proximate to the lateral edges  202 ′ of the header  200 ′. If the sensors  211 ′ were oriented so that a central axis  250  of their field of view  212 ′ was aligned with the vertical axis  144 ′ of the header  200 ′, the detected area  213 ′ would extend laterally outside of the lateral edges  202 ′ of the header  200 ′. However, as shown, the central axis  250  of the field of view  212 ′ is angled (e.g., non-parallel) relative to the vertical axis  144 ′ of the header  200 ′, which may cause the detected area  213 ′ to be substantially or completely within the lateral extent  203 ′ of the header  200 ′. It should be appreciated that the central axis  250  of the field of view  212 ′ may be angled (e.g., in a plane that is not aligned with the vertical axis  144 ′) to cause the detected area  213 ′ to be forward of the header  200 . The harvester  100 ′ may also include additional sensors  211 ′ that are positioned at other locations along the header  200 ′ that are oriented such that their field of view  212 ′ is aligned with (e.g., parallel to) the vertical axis  144 ′ of the header  200 ′. 
     It should be appreciated that the sensor  211 ′ (e.g., the housing) may be mounted on the bracket  214 ′ ( FIG. 9 ) or otherwise coupled to the header  200 ′ in a manner that causes the central axis  250  of the field of view  212 ′ to be angled relative to the vertical axis  144 ′ of the header  200 ′ (e.g., the sensor  211 ′ is rotated on the bracket  214 ′), or the sensor  211 ′ itself may be modified to direct its field of view  212 ′ at the angle relative to the vertical axis  144 ′ of the header  200 ′. 
       FIG. 9  is a top view of a portion of the header  200 ′ and the sensor assembly  210 ′ of  FIG. 8 . As shown, the sensor assembly  210 ′ includes the bracket  214 ′, which may be coupled to the arm  221 ′ of the reel assembly  220 ′. The detected area  213 ′ is offset laterally-inwardly (e.g., the detected area  213 ′ is not centered below the sensor  211 ′), and in particular, the detected area  213 ′ is offset laterally-inwardly such that the detected area  213  is substantially or completely within the lateral extent  203  of the header  200  (e.g., does not extend laterally outside of the lateral edges  202  of the header  200 ). 
     In some embodiments, a laterally-outer edge of the detected area  213 ′ may substantially align with the lateral edge  202 ′ of the header  200 ′ (e.g., along the lateral axis  140 ′). It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the detected area  213  may be offset laterally-inwardly such that the detected area  213  is substantially within the lateral extent  203 ′ of the header  200 ′ (e.g., at least 95, 90, 85, 80, 75, 70, 65, 60, 55, or 50 percent of the detected area  213 ′ is laterally-inward of the lateral edge  202 ′ of the header  200 ′). Additionally, as discussed above, the arm  221 ′ may move vertically. Accordingly, it may be desirable to adjust the field of view  212 ′ and/or the orientation of the sensor  211 ′ relative to the vertical axis  140 ′ based on the height of the sensor  211 ′. For example, the electronic controller may receive an indication of the vertical position of the sensor  211 ′ and then control an actuator to rotate the sensor  211 ′ relative to the frame  201 ′ of the header  200 ′ to adjust the orientation of the sensor  211 ′ to keep the detected area  213 ′ substantially or completely within the lateral edges  202 ′ of the header  200 ′. Thus, the orientation of the sensor  211 ′ may adjust automatically in response to changes in the vertical position of the sensor  211 ′. 
     As discussed herein, certain components may be coupled to an electronic controller having a processor and a memory. The electronic controller may control operation of the sensor  211 ,  211 ′ and/or process signals received from the sensor  211 ,  211 ′. The processor may receive signals indicative of the height of the sensor  211 ,  211 ′, and the processor may instruct an actuator to adjust the bracket  214 ,  214 ′, the sensor  211 ,  211 ′, or another component of the sensor assembly  210 . An electronic controller  251  having a processor  252  and a memory  253  is shown in  FIG. 9  as an example, and it should be understood that these components may be included in any of the sensor assemblies  210 ,  210 ′ described herein to carry out any of the functions described herein. 
     The processor may be any suitable type of computer processor or microprocessor capable of executing computer-executable code. The processor may also include multiple processors that may perform the operations described herein. The memory may represent non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., any suitable form of memory or storage) that may store the processor-executable code used by the processor to perform various techniques described herein. It should be noted that non-transitory merely indicates that the media is tangible and not a signal. 
     While only certain features have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the disclosure. It should also be understood that any of the features of  FIGS. 1-9  may be combined in any suitable manner. For example, at least some of the sensors  211  of  FIGS. 1-7  may be oriented at an angle relative to the vertical axis  144  in the manner shown and described with respect to  FIGS. 8 and 9 . 
     The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and applied to material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claims appended to the end of this specification contain one or more elements designated as “means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ” or “step for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ”, it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claims containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).