Patent Description:
A harvester is an agricultural machine that is used to harvest and process crops. For instance, a forage harvester may be used to cut and comminute silage crops, such as grass and corn. Similarly, a combine harvester may be used to harvest grain crops, such as wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn, soybeans, and flax or linseed. In general, the objective is to complete several processes, which traditionally were distinct, in one pass of the machine over a particular part of the field. In this regard, most harvesters are equipped with a harvesting implement, such as a header, which cuts and collects the crop from the field and feeds it to the base harvester for further processing. The harvester also includes a crop processing system, which performs various processing operations (e.g., threshing, separating, cleaning, etc.) of the harvested crop received from the harvesting implement.

Typically, the settings of the crop processing system are controlled based on a yield estimate generated after the crop has been at least partially processed by the crop processing system. However, if there is a sudden increase in the crop being received from the header, the crop processing system may not be able to adjust quickly enough to properly process the increased amount of crop, which may cause crop losses to occur. Similarly, if there is a sudden drop in the crop being received from the header, the crop processing system may not be cleaning the crop as aggressively as it could, which generally lowers the cleaning efficiency of the harvester, or the processing speed may be lower than necessary, which means that the harvesting operation takes longer than necessary.

Accordingly, an agricultural system and method for monitoring throughput of a feeder configured for use with an agricultural harvester would be welcomed in the technology.

<CIT> is prior art with respect to Art. <NUM>(<NUM>) EPC and discloses, according to its abstract, an agricultural system for monitoring throughput of a feeder configured for use with a harvester performing a harvesting operation within a field includes a feeder housing and a feed assembly supported within the feeder housing, with the feed assembly directing a flow of harvested materials through the feeder, and with the feed assembly including a plurality of carriers spaced apart and driven about a loop.

<CIT> and <CIT> disclose further agricultural systems for monitoring throughput of a feeder configured for use with a harvester performing a harvesting operation within a field.

In one aspect, the present subject matter is directed to an agricultural system for monitoring throughput of a feeder configured for use with a harvester performing a harvesting operation within a field. The agricultural system includes a feeder housing and a feed assembly supported within the feeder housing, with the feed assembly being configured to direct a first flow of harvested materials and a second flow of harvested materials through the feeder. The agricultural system further includes a first sensor configured to generate first data indicative of the first flow of harvested materials through a first lateral section of the feeder. Similarly, the agricultural system includes a second sensor configured to generate second data indicative of the second flow of harvested materials through a second lateral section of the feeder, the second lateral section of the feeder being at least partially separate from the first lateral section of the feeder. Additionally, the agricultural system includes a computing system communicatively coupled to the first sensor and the second sensor, with the computing system being configured to receive the first data and the second data, and to determine whether the harvester is on-row based at least in part on the first data and the second data.

In another aspect, the present subject matter is directed to an agricultural method for monitoring throughput of a feeder configured for use with a harvester performing a harvesting operation within a field, where the feeder has a feeder housing and a feed assembly supported within the feeder housing. The agricultural method includes controlling the feed assembly to direct a first flow of harvested materials through a first lateral section of the feeder and a second flow of harvested materials through a second lateral section of the feeder, where the second lateral section is at least partially separate from the first lateral section along a lateral direction. Further, the agricultural method includes receiving, with a computing system, first data generated by a first sensor having a field of view directed toward the first flow of harvested materials. Moreover, the agricultural method includes receiving, with the computing system, second data generated by a second sensor having a field of view directed toward the second flow of harvested materials. Additionally, the agricultural method includes determining, with the computing system, whether the harvester is on-row based at least in part on the first data and the second data.

In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention.

In general, the present subject matter is directed to agricultural systems and methods for determining feeder throughput of a feeder of an agricultural harvester. Specifically, in several embodiments, the disclosed system includes a feeder of the agricultural harvester, where the feeder has a feeder housing and a feed assembly positioned within the feeder housing, with the feed assembly being configured to direct a flow of harvested materials through the feeder. For instance, the feed assembly may include a plurality of carriers (e.g., slats) spaced apart and drivable along a loop. Generally, the harvested materials may be pushed by the slats from a front end of the feeder to a rear end of the feeder as the slats are driven around the loop. Depending on the configuration of the header, the feeder has two or more substantially distinct flows of harvested materials flowing through different lateral sections of the feeder. More precisely, the feeder has a first flow of harvested materials passing through a first lateral section of the feeder and a second flow of harvested materials passing through a second lateral section of the feeder.

If the header has a different width or row spacing compared to the planter previously used to plant the crops being harvested, it may be particularly difficult to steer the header to be on-row. Generally, the harvester is "on-row" when the row spacing across the header is aligned with the row spacing of crop being harvested so that the rows of crop pass through corresponding spaces of the header, such as between heads of a corn header. Conversely, the harvester is not on-row or is "off-row" when the row spacing along at least part of the harvester (e.g., of a lateral region of the header associated with a lateral section of the feeder) is not aligned with the row spacing in the field such that some of the crop does not pass through corresponding spaces of the header. When the harvester is off-row, a significantly higher volume of material-other-than-grain (MOG) may pass through the lateral section of the feeder corresponding to the region of the header not properly aligned with the rows of crop.

As such, a first and a second sensor are used to generate data indicative of the different flows of harvested materials, which is turn, indicative of whether the harvester is on-row. Specifically, a first sensor is configured to generate data indicative of the first flow of harvested materials through the first lateral section of the feeder and a second sensor is configured to generate data indicative of the second flow of harvested materials through the at least partially distinct, second lateral section of the feeder. A computing system of the disclosed system is configured to monitor the data from the sensors to determine whether the harvester is "on-row" or "off-row. " If the harvester is determined to be "off-row", the operator may be notified and/or an automatic adjustment (e.g., a steering correction and/or a header row spacing correction) may be performed to try to bring the harvester back to an on-row condition.

Accordingly, the disclosed system and methods monitor the throughput of the feeder to determine when the harvester is on-row, which may improve the row guidance of the harvester and, thus, the overall performance of the harvesting operation.

Referring now to the drawings, <FIG> illustrates a simplified, partial sectional side view of one embodiment of a work vehicle, such as an agricultural harvester <NUM>. The harvester <NUM> may be configured as an axial-flow type combine, wherein crop material is threshed and separated while it is advanced by and along a longitudinally arranged rotor <NUM>. The harvester <NUM> may include a chassis or main frame <NUM> having a pair of driven, ground-engaging front wheels <NUM> and a pair of steerable rear wheels <NUM>. The wheels <NUM>, <NUM> may be configured to support the harvester <NUM> relative to a ground surface <NUM> and move the harvester <NUM> in a forward direction of movement (indicated by arrow <NUM> in <FIG>) relative to the ground surface <NUM>. Additionally, an operator's platform <NUM> with an operator's cab <NUM>, a threshing and separating assembly <NUM>, a grain cleaning assembly <NUM>, and a holding tank <NUM> may be supported by the frame <NUM>. As is generally understood, the harvester <NUM> may include an engine and a transmission mounted on the frame <NUM>. The transmission may be operably coupled to the engine and may provide variably adjusted gear ratios for transferring engine power to the wheels <NUM>, <NUM> via a drive axle assembly (or via axles if multiple drive axles are employed).

Moreover, as shown in <FIG>, a harvesting implement (e.g., a header <NUM>) and an associated feeder <NUM> may extend forward of the main frame <NUM> and may be pivotally secured thereto for generally vertical movement. In general, the feeder <NUM> may be configured to serve as a support structure for the header <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the feeder <NUM> may extend between a front end <NUM> coupled to the header <NUM> and a rear end <NUM> positioned adjacent to the threshing and separating assembly <NUM>. As is generally understood, the rear end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM> may be pivotally coupled to a portion of the harvester <NUM> to allow the front end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM> and, thus, the header <NUM> to be moved upwardly and downwardly relative to the ground <NUM> to set the desired harvesting or cutting height for the header <NUM>.

As the harvester <NUM> is propelled forwardly over a field with standing crop, the crop material is severed from the stubble by a sickle bar <NUM> at the front of the header <NUM> and delivered by a material transfer device <NUM> (e.g., a header auger, a header conveyor, etc.) to the front end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM>, which supplies the cut crop to the threshing and separating assembly <NUM>. However, it should be appreciated that the header <NUM> may have any other suitable configuration. For instance, as will be described below in greater detail, in some embodiments, the header <NUM> may have a plurality of heads instead of the sickle bar <NUM> for severing the standing crop from the stubble.

As is generally understood, the threshing and separating assembly <NUM> may include a cylindrical chamber or concave rotor cage <NUM> (hereinafter referred to as "concave <NUM>") in which the rotor <NUM> is rotated by a rotor drive <NUM> (<FIG>) to thresh and separate the crop received therein. That is, the crop is rubbed and beaten between the rotor <NUM> and the inner surfaces of the concave <NUM>, whereby the grain, seed, or the like, is loosened and separated from the straw or MOG. In some embodiments, a position of the concave <NUM> about the rotor axis (e.g., a distance from the rotor axis) may be adjustable by one or more first concave actuators 78A (<FIG>) and/or an angle of vanes (not shown) within the concave <NUM> may be adjustable by one or more second concave actuators 78B (<FIG>).

Crop material which has been separated by the threshing and separating assembly <NUM> falls onto a series of pans <NUM> and associated sieves <NUM>, with the separated crop material being spread out via oscillation of the pans <NUM> and/or sieves <NUM> and eventually falling through apertures defined in the sieves <NUM>. Additionally, a cleaning fan <NUM> may be positioned adjacent to one or more of the sieves <NUM> to provide an air flow through the sieves <NUM> that removes chaff and other impurities from the crop material. For instance, the fan <NUM> may blow the impurities off of the crop material for discharge from the harvester <NUM> through the outlet of a straw hood <NUM> positioned at the back end of the harvester <NUM>. In some embodiments, a leveling system <NUM> (<FIG>) may be provided for adjusting the lateral positioning of the cleaning assembly <NUM>, <NUM>. For instance, when the agricultural harvester <NUM> is on a hill such that one lateral side of the agricultural harvester <NUM> is positioned higher than its other lateral side, one or more actuators of the leveling system <NUM> may adjust the lateral positioning or angle of the pans <NUM> and/or the sieves <NUM> to counteract such sloping and keep the pans <NUM> and sieves <NUM> level.

The cleaned crop material passing through the sieves <NUM> may then fall into a trough of an auger <NUM>, which may be configured to transfer the crop material to an elevator <NUM> for delivery to the associated holding tank <NUM>. Additionally, a pair of tank augers <NUM> at the bottom of the holding tank <NUM> may be used to urge the cleaned crop material sideways to an unloading tube <NUM> for discharge from the harvester <NUM>.

Moreover, in several embodiments, the harvester <NUM> may also include a hydraulic system <NUM> which is configured to adjust a height of the header <NUM> relative to the ground surface <NUM> so as to maintain the desired cutting height between the header <NUM> and the ground surface <NUM>. The hydraulic system <NUM> may include a height actuator <NUM> (e.g., a fluid-actuated cylinder) configured to adjust the height or vertical positioning of the header <NUM> relative to the ground. For example, in some embodiments, the height actuator <NUM> may be coupled between the feeder <NUM> and the frame <NUM> such that the height actuator <NUM> may pivot the feeder <NUM> to raise and lower the header <NUM> relative to the ground <NUM>. In addition, the hydraulic system <NUM> may include a tilt actuator(s) <NUM> (e.g., a fluid-actuated cylinder) coupled between the header <NUM> and the feeder <NUM> to allow the header <NUM> to be tilted relative to the ground surface <NUM> or pivoted laterally or side-to-side relative to the feeder <NUM>.

Additionally, in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter and as will be described in greater detail below, a sensor assembly <NUM> includes two sensors <NUM> associated with the feeder <NUM>, where each sensor <NUM> is configured to generate data indicative of the flow of harvested materials directed through the feeder <NUM> by a feed assembly <NUM>, such as feeder throughput and/or the composition, distribution, quality, etc. of the flow of harvested materials. Using at least the feeder throughput of the harvested materials directed through the feeder <NUM>, adjustment(s) may be made to the operation of the harvester <NUM> to reduce crop losses and improve efficiency of the crop processing operations.

Referring now to <FIG>, a detail view of various components of the feeder <NUM> of the agricultural harvester <NUM> is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, particularly illustrating the feed assembly <NUM> and the sensor assembly <NUM> associated with the feeder <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the feeder <NUM> has a housing that generally extends along the direction of travel <NUM> between the front end <NUM> and the rear end <NUM>, along a lateral direction LT1, perpendicular to the direction of travel <NUM>, between a first lateral side L1 and a second lateral side L2, and along a vertical direction V1, generally perpendicular to both the direction of travel <NUM> and the lateral direction LT1, between an upper wall 34U and a lower wall <NUM> (shown transparently). The feed assembly <NUM> is positioned at least partially within the feeder housing and includes drive members, including a first rotational shaft 35A and a second rotational shaft 35B. Each of the rotational shafts 35A, 35B generally extends along or parallel to the lateral direction LT1 and is rotatable about a respective rotational axis similarly extending along or parallel to the lateral direction LT1, with the rotational shafts 35A, 35B being spaced apart along the direction of travel <NUM>.

The feed assembly <NUM> further includes a plurality of carriers <NUM>, such as slats, configured to be driven about a continuous loop defined by chains <NUM> extending around sprockets <NUM> fixed to the rotational shafts 35A, 35B. The slats <NUM> are spaced apart along the chains <NUM> by a distance D1 (<FIG>). The slats <NUM> collectively extend across substantially all of a lateral width of the feeder <NUM> in the lateral direction LT1. In some instances, each of the slats <NUM> only extends across a portion of the lateral width of the feeder <NUM> in the lateral direction LT1. For example, as shown in <FIG>, each of the slats <NUM> extends across about one-third of the lateral width of the feeder <NUM> in the lateral direction LT1, with the slats <NUM> at least partially overlapping along the lateral direction LT1 such that the slats collectively extend across substantially all of the lateral width of the feeder <NUM>. However, it should be appreciated that, in other embodiments, each of the slats <NUM> may extend across an entire lateral width of the feeder <NUM>.

When the rotational shaft(s) 35A, 35B are driven to rotate (e.g., by shaft drive(s) <NUM> (<FIG>)), the chains <NUM> are driven by the sprockets <NUM> fixed to the shafts 35A, 35B, which drives the slats <NUM> about the loop. Preferably, the rotational shafts 35A, 35B are driven such that the slats <NUM> closer to the lower wall <NUM> of the feeder move from the front end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM> towards the rear end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM> (e.g., as shown with arrow DR1, generally parallel to the direction of travel <NUM>), while the slats <NUM> closer to the upper wall 34U of the feeder <NUM> move from the rear end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM> towards the front end <NUM> of the feeder. For instance, as shown in <FIG>, as the slats <NUM> closest to the lower wall <NUM> of the feeder housing are driven by the chain <NUM> in the direction DR1, a leading side <NUM> of the slats <NUM> is positioned closer to the rear end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM> than a trailing side 37T of the slats <NUM>, and flows of the harvested materials are pushed by the leading side <NUM> of the slats <NUM> along the lower wall <NUM> from the front end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM> to the rear end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM>.

As indicated above, depending on the configuration of the header <NUM>, the flow of harvested materials through the feeder <NUM> may include multiple substantially distinct flows of harvested materials flowing through different lateral sections of the feeder <NUM>.

According to the present invention, the feeder <NUM> has a first flow of harvested materials F1 passing through a first lateral section LS1 of the feeder <NUM> and a second flow of harvested materials F2 passing through a second lateral section LS2 of the feeder <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the first lateral section LS1 extends from the first lateral side L1 to an intermediate lateral location along the lateral direction LT1, while the second lateral section LS2 extends from the second lateral side L2 to the intermediate lateral location. It should be appreciated that, in some instances, the intermediate lateral location is a center of the feeder <NUM> along the lateral direction LT1. However, the intermediate lateral location may be any other suitable location along the lateral direction LT1. In one embodiment, the lateral sections LS1, LS2 do not overlap. However, it should be appreciated that, in other embodiments, the lateral sections LS1, LS2 may at least partially overlap. Additionally, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the lateral sections LS1, LS2 are spaced apart from each other along the lateral direction LT1.

In the illustrated embodiment, the sensor assembly <NUM> includes two sensors <NUM> for generating data indicative of the flows of harvested materials being moved through the feeder <NUM> by the feed assembly <NUM>. In some embodiments, the sensors <NUM> are coupled to or otherwise supported on the lower wall <NUM> of the feeder <NUM>, with the field of view 102F of each of the sensors <NUM> being directed generally upward along the vertical direction V1, from vertically below the feed assembly <NUM>. For instance, in one embodiment, at least one window 34W is positioned within the lower wall <NUM>, with the sensors <NUM> being coupled to the lower wall <NUM> on an exterior of the feeder <NUM> such that the field of view 102F of each of the sensors <NUM> is directed through the window 34W, or through respective windows 34W, into the feeder <NUM>. However, in other embodiments, the sensors <NUM> may be alternatively, or additionally, positioned at any other suitable location such that the field of view 102F of the sensors <NUM> are directed towards the flows of harvested materials F1, F2.

As illustrated, the field of view 102F of one of the sensors <NUM> is directed towards the first lateral section LS1 of the lateral width of the feeder <NUM>, while the field of view 102F of the other of the sensors <NUM> is directed towards the second lateral section LS2 of the lateral width of the feeder <NUM>. As such, the sensor <NUM> with the field of view 102F directed toward the first lateral section LS1 may be configured to generate data indicative of the first flow of harvested materials F1 through the first lateral section LS1 of the feeder <NUM>, while the sensor <NUM> with the field of view 102F directed toward the second lateral section LS2 may be configured to generate data indicative of the second flow of harvested materials F2 through the second lateral section LS2. It should be appreciated that the field of view 102F of the sensors <NUM> may extend across the entire lateral width of the respective lateral section LS1, LS2, or only a portion thereof. The data generated by the sensors <NUM> may thus, also be indicative of a distribution of the flow of harvested materials across at least a portion of the lateral width of the feeder <NUM>. In one embodiment, the field of view 102F of the sensors <NUM> may collectively extend across at least <NUM>% of the lateral width of the feeder <NUM>, such as at least <NUM>% of the lateral width of the feeder, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the field of view 102F of the sensors <NUM> may collectively extend across the entire lateral width of the feeder <NUM>.

The sensors <NUM> may be configured as any suitable sensors. For instance, in one embodiment, each of the sensors <NUM> may be configured as a non-contact sensor(s), including a vision-based sensor(s) (e.g., a camera(s), a light detection and ranging (lidar) device(s)/sensor(s), and/or a radio detection and ranging (radar) sensor(s)), such that the sensors <NUM> generates suitable data (e.g., image data, radar data, point-cloud data, infrared data, and/or the like) indicative of the amount of harvested materials directed through the feeder <NUM>. It should be appreciated that, by having a separate sensor <NUM> for each flow of harvested materials F1, F2, the data may be easier to analyze. However, it should also be appreciated that, although two of the sensors <NUM> are shown in <FIG>, any suitable number of the sensors <NUM> may instead be used. For instance, in one embodiment, one, three, four, or more of the sensor(s) <NUM> may be provided in association with the feeder <NUM>. It should additionally be appreciated that the feeder <NUM> may have any other suitable feed assembly for directing the flow of crop materials through the feeder <NUM> instead of, or in addition to, the feed assembly <NUM>, such as a conveyor belt, and/or the like.

As will be described below, a computing system of the disclosed system is configured to monitor data generated by the sensors <NUM> indicative of the flows of harvested materials F1, F2 through the different lateral sections LS1, LS2 of the feeder <NUM>. According to the present invention, the computing system is configured to monitor the data generated by the sensors <NUM> to determine whether the harvester <NUM> is on-row.

For example, referring to the schematic top down views of the header <NUM> shown in <FIG>, a first lateral region LR1 of the header <NUM> is configured to generate the first flow of harvested materials F1 associated with the first lateral section LS1 of the feeder <NUM>, while a second lateral region LR2 of the header <NUM> is configured to generate the second flow of harvested materials F2 associated with the second lateral section LS2 of the feeder <NUM>. When the harvester <NUM> is off-row, at least part of the harvester <NUM> may be incorrectly aligned with the crop SC1. For instance, as shown in <FIG>, a row spacing RS1 of the planted crop SC1 is different (e.g., larger) compared to a row spacing RS2 between heads HR1 of the header <NUM>. In <FIG>, the spacings RS1, RS2 at the first lateral region LR1 of the header <NUM> are all substantially aligned along the direction of travel <NUM> such that the crop SC1 is received between the heads HR1 at the first lateral region LR1. Conversely, the spacings RS1, RS2 at the second lateral region LR2 of the header <NUM> are not all substantially aligned along the direction of travel <NUM>, such that some of the crop SC1 passes largely under or outside of the heads HR1 within the second lateral region LR2. As shown in <FIG>, such as when the heading of the harvester <NUM> is shifted by a distance HS1 in the lateral direction LT1 relative to the crop SC1 from the position shown in <FIG>, the spacings RS1, RS2 at both the first and second lateral regions LR1, LR2 are substantially aligned along the direction of travel <NUM> and the harvester <NUM> is on-row. In one embodiment, a header actuator 32A (<FIG>) may alternatively, or additionally, be controlled to adjust the spacing RS2 between the heads HR1 from the spacing in <FIG> such that the crop SC1 and the heads HR1 are substantially aligned along the direction of travel <NUM> within both the first and second lateral regions LR1, LR2 and the harvester <NUM> is on-row.

When the harvester <NUM> is off-row, the data generated by the sensors <NUM> indicative of the first and second flows of harvested materials F1, F2 through the feeder <NUM> may indicate that there is a significant difference in the flow of harvested materials through one lateral section (e.g., the first flow F1 through the first lateral section LS1) compared to the flow of harvested materials through another lateral section (e.g., the second flow F2 through the second lateral section LS2). For example, the second flow of harvested materials F2 may have more MOG than the first flow of harvested materials F1. Conversely, when the harvester <NUM> is on-row, the data generated by the sensors <NUM> indicative of the first and second flows F1, F2 of harvested materials through the feeder <NUM> may indicate that there is not a significant difference in the flow of harvested materials through one lateral section (e.g., the first flow F1 through the first lateral section LS1) compared to the flow of harvested materials through another lateral section (e.g., the second flow F2 through the second lateral section LS2). For instance, the first and second flows of harvested materials F1, F2 may have a substantially similar amount of MOG. Accordingly, by monitoring the comparison of the data generated by the sensors <NUM> indicative of the flows of harvested materials through the different lateral sections of the feeder <NUM>, the disclosed system may be able to determine whether the harvester <NUM> is on-row, among other things.

Referring now to <FIG>, a schematic view of one embodiment of a control system <NUM> for determining feeder throughput of a feeder of an agricultural harvester is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. In general, the control system <NUM> will be described herein with reference to the harvester <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>, the feeder <NUM> and the sensor assembly <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>, and the header <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>. However, it should be appreciated that the disclosed control system <NUM> may be used with any suitable agricultural work vehicle having any other suitable vehicle configuration, with any feeder having any other suitable feeder configuration, with any sensor assembly having any other suitable sensor assembly configuration, and/or with any header having any other suitable header configuration.

As shown, the control system <NUM> may include any combination of components of the harvester <NUM> described above. For instance, the system <NUM> may include: drives, such as the shaft drive(s) <NUM> for rotationally driving the rotational shaft(s) 35A, 35B, the auger drive <NUM> for rotationally driving the auger <NUM>, a drive of the fan(s) <NUM> for providing the air flow through the sieves <NUM> that removes chaff and other impurities from the crop material, and the rotor drive <NUM> for controlling a rotational speed of rotor <NUM>; actuators, such as the header actuator(s) 32A for adjusting the row spacing RS2 of the heads HR1 of the header <NUM>, and/or the concave actuator(s) 78A, 78B for controlling the position of the concave <NUM> and/or angle of vanes of the concave <NUM>; the leveling system <NUM> for adjusting a position of the pans <NUM> and the sieves <NUM>; and/or a steering system <NUM> configured to adjust a heading (e.g., the direction of travel <NUM>) of the harvester <NUM>. The system <NUM> may further include the sensor(s) <NUM> for generating data indicative of the flow of harvested materials through the feeder <NUM>.

Moreover, as shown in <FIG>, the control system <NUM> may include a computing system <NUM> installed on and/or otherwise provided in operative association with the harvester <NUM>. In general, the computing system <NUM> may correspond to any suitable processor-based device(s), such as a computing device or any combination of computing devices. Thus, in several embodiments, the computing system <NUM> may include one or more processor(s) <NUM> and associated memory device(s) <NUM> configured to perform a variety of computer-implemented functions. As used herein, the term "processor" refers not only to integrated circuits referred to in the art as being included in a computer, but also refers to a controller, a microcontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmable circuits. Additionally, the memory device(s) <NUM> of the computing system <NUM> may generally comprise memory element(s) including, but not limited to, computer readable medium (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), computer readable non-volatile medium (e.g., a flash memory), a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disk (MOD), a digital versatile disc (DVD) and/or other suitable memory elements. Such memory device(s) <NUM> may generally be configured to store suitable computer-readable instructions that, when implemented by the processor(s) <NUM>, configure the computing system <NUM> to perform various computer-implemented functions, such as one or more aspects of the control algorithms and/or methods described herein.

In one embodiment, the memory <NUM> of the computing system <NUM> may include one or more databases for storing information associated with the operation of the harvester <NUM>, including data <NUM> associated with determining the feeder throughput of the feeder <NUM> of the harvester <NUM>. For instance, as shown in <FIG>, the memory <NUM> may include a sensor database <NUM> for storing data provided by the sensors <NUM> that is associated with at least an amount of the flow of harvested materials through the feeder <NUM>. Specifically, the computing system <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to each of the sensors <NUM> to allow the data indicative of the harvested materials generated by the sensors <NUM> (e.g., indicative of the volume, composition, distribution, quality, etc.) to be transmitted to the computing system <NUM>. As such, the computing system <NUM> may be configured to continuously or periodically monitor and store the data indicative of the amount/distribution of the harvested materials for subsequent processing and/or analysis.

Additionally, the memory <NUM> may include a guidance map database <NUM> configured to store a guidance map for guiding the harvester <NUM> through the field during a harvesting operation. For instance, the guidance map may provide a path for guiding or steering the harvester <NUM> through the field. The guidance map may be generated based at least in part on data collected during a previous agricultural operation within the field, such as a planting or spraying operation, and/or based on any other suitable information.

The memory <NUM> may store instructions <NUM> that, when executed by the processor(s) <NUM>, configure the computing system <NUM> to execute a harvester control module <NUM>. For instance, the control module <NUM> may be configured to control one or more components of the harvester <NUM>. For example, the control module <NUM> may generally be configured to control an operation of the auger drive <NUM> to drive the auger <NUM> to direct crop material through the header <NUM> to the front end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM>. Similarly, the control module <NUM> may generally be configured to control an operation of the shaft drive(s) <NUM> to drive the rotational shaft(s) 35A, 35B to direct crop material through the feeder <NUM>. Additionally, in some embodiments, the control module <NUM> may control the steering system <NUM> to steer the harvester <NUM> through the field according to the guidance map <NUM> and/or control the user interface(s) <NUM> to display or otherwise indicate the path provided by the guidance map <NUM> to an operator.

The control module <NUM> may further be configured to initiate a control action to control component(s) of the harvester <NUM> based at least in part on the flow of harvested materials through the feeder <NUM>. For instance, the control module <NUM> may determine the feeder throughput based at least in part on the sensor data <NUM>. Generally, the greater the amount of harvested materials detected to be flowing through the feeder <NUM>, the greater the feeder throughput. In some instances, the control module <NUM> may control the rotor drive <NUM> to adjust a rotational speed of the rotor <NUM>, the concave actuator(s) 78A, 78B to adjust the concave <NUM> (e.g., a position of the concave <NUM> about the rotational axis of the rotor <NUM> and/or an angle of vanes of the concave <NUM>), and/or the fan(s) <NUM> to adjust the air flow in response to the feeder throughput. For instance, in response to a change in the feeder throughput, the rotor drive <NUM> may be controlled to increase or decrease the rotational speed of the rotor <NUM>; the first concave actuator(s) 78A may be controlled to move the concave <NUM> closer to the rotor <NUM> to increase an aggressiveness of the threshing and separating assembly; the second concave actuator(s) 78B may be controlled to change the degree of opening of the vanes of the concave <NUM> to create additional passes within the threshing and separating assembly; and/or the fan(s) <NUM> may be controlled to increase or decrease the air flow across the sieves <NUM>.

Moreover, in some embodiments, the control module <NUM> may be configured to determine the distribution of the harvested materials across the lateral width of the feeder <NUM> based at least in part on the sensor data <NUM>. For instance, the field of view of the sensor(s) <NUM> may be correlated to the lateral width of the feeder <NUM> such that the distribution of the harvested materials across all or a portion of the lateral width of the feeder <NUM> may be determined based at least in part on the sensor data <NUM>. More particularly, as discussed above, the data generated by the sensor(s) <NUM> may be indicative of the separate flows of harvested materials through different lateral sections of the feeder <NUM>. For example, the sensor(s) <NUM> may be configured to generate data indicative of the first flow of harvested materials F1 through the first lateral section LS1 and data indicative of the second flow of harvested materials F2 through the second lateral LS2. Additionally, in some embodiments, the composition (e.g., percentage of crop, percentage of MOG, and/or the like), the size of stalks (e.g., stalk thickness), and/or the quality of the harvested crop (e.g., percentage of cracked kernels, the size of crop (e.g., ear size), and/or the like) in the flow(s) of harvested materials may be determined based at least in part on the sensor data <NUM>.

The control module <NUM> may be configured to control an operation of the leveling system <NUM> to adjust a positioning of the pans <NUM> and/or sieves <NUM> of the cleaning assembly in response to the distribution of harvested materials indicating that the flow of crop material is being focused towards one of the lateral sides of the feeder <NUM>. For instance, if more crop material is detected toward the first lateral side L1 of the feeder <NUM>, the leveling system <NUM> may be controlled to tilt the pans <NUM> and/or sieves <NUM> of the cleaning assembly such that the lateral side of the cleaning assembly proximate the first lateral side L1 of the feeder <NUM> is raised and/or the lateral side of the cleaning assembly proximate the second lateral side L2 of the feeder <NUM> is lowered. Conversely, if more crop material is detected toward the second lateral side L2 of the feeder <NUM>, the leveling system <NUM> may be controlled to tilt the pans <NUM> and/or sieves <NUM> of the cleaning assembly such that the lateral side of the cleaning assembly proximate the second lateral side L2 of the feeder <NUM> is raised and/or the lateral side of the cleaning assembly proximate the first lateral side L1 of the feeder <NUM> is lowered.

The control module <NUM> determines whether the harvester <NUM> is on-row based at least in part on the feeder throughput. According to the present invention, the control module <NUM> compares the different flows of harvested materials F1, F2 based at least in part on the sensor data <NUM> to determine whether the harvester <NUM> is on-row. The control module <NUM> compares the first flow of harvested materials F1 to the second flow of harvested materials F2 based at least in part on the sensor data <NUM>. In some instances, the control module <NUM> may compare the first volume of MOG in the first flow of harvested materials F1 to a second volume of MOG in the second flow of harvested materials F2, with the first and second volumes being determined based at least in part on the sensor data <NUM>. When the first volume of MOG is greater than the second volume of MOG by at least a threshold amount, the control module <NUM> is configured to determine that the harvester <NUM> is off-row, particularly that the first lateral side L1 of the harvester <NUM> associated with the first lateral section LS1 is off-row. Similarly, when the second volume of MOG is greater than the first volume of MOG by at least the threshold amount, the control module <NUM> is configured to determine that the harvester <NUM> is off-row, particularly that the second lateral side L2 of the harvester <NUM> associated with the second lateral section LS2 is off-row. If the difference between the first and second volumes of MOG is less than or within the threshold amount, the control module <NUM> is configured to determine that the harvester <NUM> is on-row.

Moreover, the control module <NUM> may be configured to initiate a control an operation of the crop processing system to reduce crop losses and/or improve efficiency of the harvester <NUM> based at least in part on the determination of whether the feeder <NUM> is on-row. For instance, when the harvester <NUM> is determined to not be on-row or to be off-row, the control module <NUM> may control a steering system <NUM> of the harvester <NUM> to adjust the heading of the harvester <NUM> and/or control the header actuator 32A to adjust the row spacing RS2 of the header <NUM> to bring the harvester <NUM> back on-row. Additionally, the control module <NUM> may adjust the header <NUM> (e.g., the row spacing of the header <NUM>, the height of the header, and/or the like) based on the size of stalks (e.g., stalk thickness), and/or the quality of the harvested crop (e.g., percentage of cracked kernels, the size of crop (e.g., ear size), and/or the like) in the flow(s) of harvested materials F1, F2 detected within the feeder <NUM> based at least in part on the sensor data <NUM>.

In some instances, the control module <NUM> may further monitor whether the adjustment of the harvester <NUM> moved the harvester <NUM> on-row. For instance, the control module <NUM> may compare the different flows of harvested materials F1, F2 based at least in part on the sensor data <NUM> generated after the adjustment of the harvester <NUM> to determine whether the harvester <NUM> is now on-row. For example, the control module <NUM> may compare the first flow of harvested materials F1 to the second flow of harvested materials F2 based at least in part on the sensor data <NUM> generated after the adjustment of the harvester <NUM>, similar to as described above. If the control module <NUM> determines that the adjustments did not bring the harvester on-row or that the harvester <NUM> is still off-row, then the control module <NUM> may, in some instances, initiate further control of the operation of the crop processing system to reduce crop losses and/or improve efficiency of the harvester <NUM> based at least in part on the determination of whether the feeder <NUM> is on-row. For instance, when the harvester <NUM> is determined to still not be on-row or to be off-row, the control module <NUM> may control a steering system <NUM> of the harvester <NUM> to further adjust the heading of the harvester <NUM> and/or control the header actuator 32A to further adjust the row spacing RS2 of the header <NUM> to bring the harvester <NUM> back on-row. The control module <NUM> may additionally, or alternatively, notify an operator that the harvester <NUM> is still off-row and/or that the header <NUM> may be plugged.

In some instances, the control module <NUM> may instead or additionally determine that the header <NUM> may be at least partially plugged based on the comparison of the flows of harvested materials F1, F2. For example, if the volume of the first flow of harvested materials F1 is less than a volume of the second flow of harvested materials F2 by at least a given differential, then the control module <NUM> may determine that the first lateral side L1 of the harvester <NUM> associated with the first lateral section LS1 is plugged. In such instance, the control module <NUM> may adjust the row spacing RS2 of the header <NUM> to try to clear the plug (e.g., cyclically widen and narrow the row spacing RS2 along at least the plugged side of the header <NUM>) and/or may indicate the plugged side of the header <NUM> to an operator.

It should be appreciated that the automated control of the different parts of the harvester <NUM> in response to the distribution of the crop may additionally take into account further operating factors of the harvester <NUM>, such as crop type, moisture content, and/or the like.

Alternatively, or additionally, in some embodiments, the harvester control module <NUM> may be configured to control an operation of a user interface <NUM> associated with the agricultural harvester <NUM>. In general, the user interface <NUM> may correspond to any suitable input device(s) configured to allow the operator to provide operator inputs to the computing system <NUM>, such as a touch screen display, a keyboard, joystick, buttons, knobs, switches, and/or combinations thereof located within the cab <NUM> of the harvester <NUM>. The operator may provide various inputs into the system <NUM> via the user interface <NUM>. In one embodiment, suitable operator inputs may include, but are not limited to, a target rotor speed, a target concave position and/or vane angle, a lateral leveling of the cleaning assembly, and/or any other parameter associated with the harvester <NUM>. In addition, the user interface <NUM> may also be configured to provide feedback (e.g., feedback associated with the feeder throughput) to the operator. As such, the user interface <NUM> may include one or more output devices (not shown), such as display screens, speakers, warning lights, and/or the like, which are configured to provide feedback from the computing system <NUM> to the operator. For example, the computing system <NUM> may control an operation of the user interface <NUM> to indicate to the operator of the harvester <NUM> the feeder throughput, the distribution of the crop materials across the lateral direction LT1 moving through the feeder <NUM>, the composition of the harvested materials, the quality of the harvested materials, whether the harvester is on-row or off-row, and/or suggested actions to reduce crop loss and/or improve efficiency based on the feeder throughput, distribution, composition, quality of the crop materials moving through the feeder <NUM>, and/or the on-row or off-row condition of the harvester <NUM>.

The instructions <NUM>, when executed by the processor(s) <NUM>, may further configure the computing system <NUM> to execute a map module <NUM>. In general, the map module <NUM> may be configured to correlate the feeder throughput, or a parameter related to feeder throughput (e.g., yield, residue coverage, and/or the like), to different locations within the field. For instance, the computing system <NUM> may also be communicatively coupled with one or more positioning device(s) <NUM>, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) or another similar positioning device, configured to transmit a location corresponding to a position of the harvester <NUM> (e.g., of the feeder <NUM>) within the field when the sensor data <NUM> is generated by the sensor(s) <NUM>. The map module <NUM> may generate a feeder throughput map, a yield map, a residue coverage map, and/or the like, correlating the feeder throughput (or related parameter) to each position of the harvester <NUM> associated with each data point of the sensor data. The generated map(s) may be used to control subsequent agricultural operations within the field (e.g., tillage, planting, and/or the like).

Additionally, the map module <NUM> may be configured to adjust or update the guidance map <NUM> based at least in part on the feeder throughput. For instance, if the harvester <NUM> is determined to be off-row, the map module <NUM> may adjust the guidance map <NUM> to reflect an adjustment to bring the harvester <NUM> back on-row. For example, the first lateral side L1 of the harvester <NUM> (e.g., the first lateral region LR1 of the header <NUM>) is determined to be off-row, but the second lateral side L2 of the harvester <NUM> (e.g., the second lateral region LR2 of the header <NUM>) is determined to be on-row, then the map module <NUM> may shift the path of the guidance map <NUM> to shift the first lateral side L1 towards the on-row condition (e.g., left).

It should be appreciated that the computing system <NUM> may also include various other suitable components, such as a communications circuit or module <NUM>, a network interface, one or more input/output channels, a data/control bus and/or the like, to allow the computing system <NUM> to be communicatively coupled with any of the various other system components described herein.

Additionally, it should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the computing system <NUM> is a feeder computing system configured to control operation of the feeder <NUM>. In such embodiments, the feeder computing system <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to a main computing system <NUM> of the harvester <NUM> configured to control the operation of the crop processing system, trailing the feeder <NUM>, such as the operation of the rotor drive <NUM>, the concave actuator(s) 78A, 78B, the fan(s) <NUM>, and the leveling system <NUM>, and, optionally, the user interface <NUM>. The feeder computing system <NUM> and the main computing system <NUM> may be communicatively coupled in any suitable way. The feeder computing system <NUM> may be configured to receive the sensor data <NUM> from the sensors <NUM> and determine the feeder throughput. In some embodiments, the feeder computing system <NUM> may then communicate the feeder throughput to the main computing system <NUM>, where the main computing system <NUM> may subsequently control the operation of the crop processing system and/or user interface <NUM> based at least in part on the feeder throughput as suggested above with reference to the harvester control module <NUM>. Alternatively, or additionally, the feeder computing system <NUM> may control the operation of the crop processing system and/or user interface <NUM> via communication with the main computing system <NUM>. It should be appreciated that by using the feeder computing system <NUM>, the data processing load on the main computing system <NUM> may be reduced. It should additionally be appreciated that, due to the distance between the feeder <NUM> and the main computing system <NUM>, it is easier to couple (e.g., with wires or wirelessly) the sensors <NUM> to the feeder computing system <NUM> and to couple (e.g., with wires or wirelessly) the computing systems <NUM>, <NUM> than to couple (e.g., with wires or wirelessly) the sensors <NUM> directly to the main computing system <NUM>.

Referring now to <FIG>, a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method <NUM> for determining feeder throughput of an agricultural harvester (e.g., harvester <NUM>) is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. For purposes of discussion, the method <NUM> will generally be described herein with reference to the harvester <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>, the sensor(s) <NUM> described with reference to the feeder <NUM> in <FIG>, and the computing system <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>. However, it should be appreciated that the disclosed method <NUM> may be used with any suitable agricultural work vehicle having any other suitable vehicle configuration, with a computing system having any other suitable system configuration, with any feeder having any other suitable feeder configuration, and/or with any other suitable sensor(s). Additionally, although <FIG> depicts steps performed in a particular order for purposes of illustration and discussion, the methods discussed herein are not limited to any particular order or arrangement. One skilled in the art, using the disclosures provided herein, will appreciate that various steps of the methods disclosed herein can be omitted, rearranged, combined, and/or adapted in various ways without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.

As shown in <FIG>, at (<NUM>), the method <NUM> includes controlling a feed assembly of a harvester to direct a first flow of harvested materials through a first lateral section of a feeder and a second flow of harvested materials through a second lateral section of the feeder. For instance, as described above, the feed assembly <NUM> (e.g., the shaft drive(s) <NUM> of the feed assembly <NUM>) may be controlled to drive the plurality of slats <NUM> about the loop defined by the chain <NUM> to direct the first flow of harvested materials F1 through the first lateral section LS1 of the feeder <NUM> and the second flow of harvested materials F2 through the second lateral section LS2 of the feeder <NUM>, where the second lateral section LS2 is at least partially separate from the first lateral section LS1 along a lateral direction LT1.

Further, at (<NUM>), the method <NUM> includes receiving first data generated by a first sensor having a field of view directed toward the first flow of harvested materials. For example, as discussed above, the computing system <NUM> may receive first data generated by the sensor <NUM> having a field of view 102F directed toward the first flow of harvested materials F1.

Moreover, at (<NUM>), the method <NUM> includes receiving second data generated by a second sensor having a field of view directed toward the second flow of harvested materials. For example, as discussed above, the computing system <NUM> may receive second data generated by the sensor <NUM> having a field of view 102F directed toward the second flow of harvested materials F2.

Additionally, at (<NUM>), the method <NUM> includes determining whether the harvester is on-row based at least in part on the first data and the second data. The computing system <NUM> determines whether the harvester <NUM> is on-row based at least in part on the first data and the second data. For example, if the volume of MOG in the first flow of harvested materials F1 is greater than the volume of MOG in the second flow of harvested materials F2 by at least a threshold volume, the computing system <NUM> may determine that the harvester <NUM> is off-row, particularly that the first lateral side L1 of the harvester <NUM> associated with the first lateral section LS1 of the feeder <NUM> is more off-row (less on-row) than the second lateral side L2 of the harvester <NUM> associated with the second lateral section LS2 of the feeder <NUM>. However, if the volume of MOG in the first flow of harvested materials F1 is within the threshold volume of the volume of MOG in the second flow of harvested materials F2, the computing system <NUM> may determine that the harvester <NUM> is on-row.

Claim 1:
An agricultural system for monitoring throughput of a feeder (<NUM>) configured for use with a harvester (<NUM>) performing a harvesting operation within a field, the agricultural system comprising a feeder housing and a feed assembly (<NUM>) supported within the feeder housing, the feed assembly (<NUM>) configured to direct a first flow of harvested materials (F1) and a second flow of harvested materials (F2) through the feeder (<NUM>), the agricultural system comprising:
a first sensor (<NUM>) configured to generate first data indicative of the first flow of harvested materials (F1) through a first lateral section (LS1) of the feeder (<NUM>);
a second sensor (<NUM>) configured to generate second data indicative of the second flow of harvested materials (F2) through a second lateral section (LS2) of the feeder (<NUM>), the second lateral section (LS2) of the feeder (<NUM>) being at least partially separate from the first lateral section (LS1) of the feeder (<NUM>); and
a computing system (<NUM>) communicatively coupled to the first sensor (<NUM>) and the second sensor (<NUM>), the computing system (<NUM>) being configured to: receive the first data and the second data;
and characterized in that the computing system determines whether the harvester (<NUM>) is on-row based at least in part on the first data and the second data; the computing system (<NUM>) being configured to determine whether the harvester (<NUM>) is on-row based at least in part on a comparison of the first flow of harvested materials (F1) through the first lateral section (LS1) with the second flow of harvested materials (F2) through the second lateral section (LS2) determined based at least in part on the first data and the second data.