Patent Description:
A harvester is an agricultural machine used to harvest and process crops. For instance, 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 detachable harvesting implement, such as a header, which cuts and collects plant materials from the field. The harvester also includes a plant processing system, which performs various processing operations (e.g., threshing, separating, etc.) to separate the crops from the other plant materials received from the harvesting implement. The separated crop materials are stored in a crop tank of the harvester, while the remaining residue is discharged from harvester as the harvester is moved across the field.

The yield or amount of the residue discharged from the harvester may impact later farming operations within the field. Specifically, farmers may adjust their tillage, fertilizing, and/or drainage practices based on the amount of residue present within the field to maximize crop growth and productivity. For example, farmers may choose to perform additional tillage on portion of the field in which high levels of residue are present. However, while current harvesters are configured to detect the yield of crop materials entering the crop tank, such harvesters are unable to determine the yield of residue discharged from the harvester.

<CIT> describes a system and method for conveying agricultural material in a harvester.

Accordingly, an improved system and method for determining the residue yield of plant materials being harvested by an agricultural harvester would be welcomed in the technology.

In one aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a system for determining a residue yield of the plant materials ingested by a harvesting implement of an agricultural harvester according to claim <NUM>.

In a further aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a harvester with a harvesting implement comprising a system according to claim <NUM>.

In general, the present subject matter is directed to systems for determining the residue yield of plant materials being harvested by an agricultural harvester. Specifically, a controller of the disclosed system is configured to determine the weight of a quantity of plant materials being ingested by a harvesting implement of the harvester based on measurement signals received from one or more plant yield sensors. The plant yield sensor(s) may be provided in operative association with one or more conveyors of the harvester implement. The plant yield sensor(s) may be configured to detect the weight of the harvested plant materials being transported by the conveyor(s). Moreover, the controller is also configured to determine the weight of the quantity of crop materials removed from the harvested plant materials by a plant processing system of the harvester based on measurement signals received from a crop yield sensor. Thereafter, the controller is configured to determine the residue yield value of the ingested plant materials by comparing the determined weight of the plant materials and the determined weight of the separated crop materials.

Referring now to the drawings, <FIG> illustrates a partial sectional side view of one embodiment of an agricultural harvester <NUM> in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. In general, the harvester <NUM> may be configured to be moved across a field in a direction of travel (e.g., as indicated by arrow <NUM>) to harvest standing crop <NUM>. While traversing the field, the harvester <NUM> is configured to intake and process harvested plant materials from the standing crop <NUM>, thereby separating the crop materials of the harvested plant materials from the associated residue. Thereafter, the harvester <NUM> may be configured to store the crop materials within a crop tank <NUM> of the harvester <NUM> and discharge the remaining residue from the harvester <NUM>. Furthermore, the harvester <NUM> may be configured to unload the crop materials stored within the crop tank <NUM> into a crop cart (not shown) or other suitable crop container.

As shown, in one embodiment, the harvester <NUM> may be configured as an axial-flow type combine, wherein the harvested plant materials are threshed and separated while being advanced by and along a longitudinally arranged rotor <NUM>. However, it should be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the harvester <NUM> may have any suitable harvester configuration.

The harvester <NUM> may include a chassis or main frame <NUM> configured to support and/or couple to various components of the harvester <NUM>. For example, in several embodiments, the harvester <NUM> may include a pair of driven, ground-engaging front wheels <NUM> and a pair of steerable rear wheels <NUM> that are coupled to the frame <NUM>. As such, the wheels <NUM>, <NUM> may be configured to support the harvester <NUM> relative to a ground surface <NUM> and move the harvester <NUM> in the forward direction of travel <NUM> relative to the ground surface <NUM>. Furthermore, the harvester <NUM> may include an operator's platform <NUM> having an operator's cab <NUM>, a plant processing system <NUM>, and the crop tank <NUM> that are supported by the frame <NUM>. As will be described below, the plant processing system <NUM> may be configured to perform various processing operations on the harvested plant materials as the plant processing system <NUM> operates to transfer the harvested plant materials received from a harvesting implement (e.g., header <NUM>) of the harvester <NUM> through the harvester <NUM>. Additionally, as is generally understood, the harvester <NUM> may include an engine <NUM> and a transmission <NUM> mounted on the frame <NUM>. The transmission <NUM> may be operably coupled to the engine <NUM> 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>, the header <NUM> and an associated feeder <NUM> of the plant processing system <NUM> may extend forward of the frame <NUM> and may be pivotally secured thereto for generally vertical movement. In general, the feeder <NUM> may be configured to serve as 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 a threshing and separating assembly <NUM> of the plant processing system <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 upward and downward 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 the field with the standing crop <NUM>, the plant materials are severed from the stubble by a sickle bar <NUM> at the front of the header <NUM> and delivered by a header auger <NUM> to the front end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM>. A feeder conveyor <NUM> supported by a feeder frame <NUM> transports the harvested plant materials from the front end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM> to the threshing and separating assembly <NUM>. As is generally understood, the threshing and separating assembly <NUM> may include a cylindrical chamber <NUM> in which the rotor <NUM> is rotated to thresh and separate the harvested plant materials received therein. That is, the harvested plant materials are rubbed and beaten between the rotor <NUM> and the inner surfaces of the chamber <NUM>, whereby the crop materials (e.g., grain, seed, or the like) are is loosened and separated from the straw of the plant materials.

The crop materials that have been separated by the threshing and separating assembly <NUM> may fall onto a crop cleaning assembly <NUM> of the plant processing system <NUM>. In general, the crop cleaning assembly <NUM> may include a series of pans <NUM> and associated sieves <NUM>. As is generally understood, the separated crop materials may be spread out via oscillation of the pans <NUM> and/or the sieves <NUM> and may eventually fall 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 remove chaff and other impurities from the crop materials. For instance, the fan <NUM> may blow the impurities off of the crop materials for discharge from the harvester <NUM> through the outlet of a residue hood <NUM> positioned at the back end of the harvester <NUM>. The cleaned crop materials passing through the sieves <NUM> may then fall into a trough of an auger <NUM>, which may be configured to transfer the crop materials to an elevator <NUM> for delivery to the crop tank <NUM>. Additionally, in one embodiment, a pair of tank augers <NUM> at the bottom of the crop tank <NUM> may be used to urge the cleaned crop materials sideways to an unloading tube <NUM> for discharge from the harvester <NUM>.

Moreover, in several embodiments, the harvester <NUM> may include a residue spreader <NUM> configured to discharge the residue (e.g., the straw, chaff, impurities, and/or the like) from the residue hood <NUM> as the harvester <NUM> is moved across the field. For example, in one embodiment, the spreader <NUM> may include one or more spreader discs (not shown) configured to eject the residue from the residue hood <NUM>, with such disc(s) being driven by an associated actuator(s) <NUM> (e.g., an electric motor(s)). As will be described below, the actuator(s) <NUM> may be configured to adjust the spread width of the residue (e.g., the lateral width of the stream of residue) being discharged from the harvester <NUM>. However, it should be appreciated that residue spreader <NUM> may have any other suitable configuration.

Furthermore, as shown in <FIG>, a plant yield sensor <NUM> may be provided in operative association with the feeder <NUM>. As such, the plant yield sensor <NUM> is configured to detect a parameter associated with the weight of the harvested plant materials being transported through the feeder <NUM> from the header <NUM> to the threshing and separating assembly <NUM>. For example, in one embodiment, the plant yield sensor <NUM> may correspond to a weight sensor provided in operative association with the feeder conveyor <NUM>, with such weight sensor being configured to detect the weight of the plant materials being transported by the feeder conveyor <NUM>. In another embodiment, the plant yield sensor <NUM> may correspond to a load cell provided in operative association with the feeder frame <NUM>, with such weight sensor being configured to detect the weight of header <NUM> and the plant materials present on within the <NUM>. However, it should be appreciated that the plant yield sensor <NUM> may be provided in operative association with any other suitable component of the feeder <NUM> and/or be correspond to any other suitable type of sensing device configured to detect any other suitable parameter associated with the weight of the harvested plant materials being transported by the feeder <NUM>. For example, in one embodiment, the plant yield sensor <NUM> may correspond to a torque sensor configured to detect the operating torque of one or more rollers <NUM>, <NUM> of the feeder conveyor <NUM>. Furthermore, as will be described below, a plant yield sensor <NUM> may be provided in operative association with the header <NUM> in addition to or as an alternative to the plant yield sensor <NUM> provided in operative association with the feeder <NUM>.

The harvester <NUM> also includes a crop yield sensor <NUM> configured to detect a parameter associated with the weight of crop materials removed from the harvested plant materials by the plant processing system <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, in one embodiment, the crop yield sensor <NUM> may be provided in operative association with the crop tank <NUM>. In such embodiment, the crop yield sensor <NUM> may include a crop flow sensing device <NUM>, such as a flow meter, configured to detect the flow rate of the crop materials being delivered to the crop tank <NUM> by the elevator <NUM>. Additionally, the crop yield sensor <NUM> may include a crop moisture sensing device <NUM>, such as a humidity sensor, configured to detect the moisture present within the crop materials stored in the crop tank <NUM>. As will be described below, the flow rate and the moisture of the crop materials may collectively be indicative of the weight of the crop materials separated from the harvested plant materials. However, it should be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the crop yield sensor <NUM> may correspond to and/or comprise any other suitable sensing device or combination of sensing devices configured to detect a parameter associated with the weight of crop materials removed from the harvested plant materials. Furthermore, the crop yield sensor <NUM> may be provided in operative association with any other suitable component of the harvester <NUM>, such as the elevator <NUM>.

Additionally, the harvester <NUM> may include one or more sensors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> configured to detect one or more additional operating parameters of the harvester <NUM>. For example, the harvester <NUM> may include a vehicle speed sensor <NUM> (e.g., a Hall Effect sensor) configured to detect the speed of the harvester <NUM> in the direction of travel <NUM>. Moreover, the harvester <NUM> may include a feeder conveyor speed sensor <NUM> configured to detect the speed the feeder conveyor <NUM>. The detected conveyor speed may be the rotational or linear speed of a belt of the feeder conveyor <NUM>. In this regard, the vehicle speed sensor <NUM> and/or the feeder conveyor speed sensor <NUM> may correspond to Hall Effect sensors or any other suitable type of sensors configured to detect rotational speed. Furthermore, the harvester <NUM> may include an orientation sensor <NUM> configured to detect a parameter associated with the orientation of the harvester <NUM> relative to the ground <NUM>. For example, in one embodiment, the sensor <NUM> may be configured to detect vertical movement of the harvester <NUM> relative to the ground <NUM>, such as movement caused by field topography changes (e.g., bumps, depressions, and/or the like). As such, the orientation sensor <NUM> may correspond to a gyroscope, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), or any other suitable sensor configured to detect orientation changes.

Referring now to <FIG>, a top view of one embodiment of the header <NUM> described above with reference to <FIG> is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. As shown, in several embodiments, the header <NUM> may be configured as a draper header including conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> for transporting the harvested plant materials to the feeder <NUM>. However, it should be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the header <NUM> may be configured as any other suitable type of header.

As shown in <FIG>, the header <NUM> may include a header frame <NUM>. In general, the frame <NUM> may extend along a longitudinal direction <NUM> between a forward end <NUM> and an aft end <NUM>. The frame <NUM> may also extend along a lateral direction <NUM> between a first side <NUM> and a second side <NUM>. In this respect, the frame <NUM> may be configured to support or couple to a plurality of components of the header <NUM>. For example, the conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and the header auger <NUM> (<FIG>) may be supported by the frame <NUM>. Additionally, the sickle bar <NUM> may be supported by and/or coupled to the frame <NUM>.

As indicated above, the conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may be configured to transport the harvested plant materials from the sickle bar <NUM> to the feeder <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, in one embodiment, laterally extending conveyors (e.g., a first lateral conveyor <NUM> and a second lateral conveyor <NUM>) may be positioned adjacent to the first and second sides <NUM>, <NUM> of the header frame <NUM>, respectively. In this regard, the first lateral conveyor <NUM> may be configured to transport harvested plant materials laterally inward (e.g., as indicated by arrow <NUM> in <FIG>) from the first side <NUM> of the frame <NUM> toward a laterally central portion <NUM> of the header <NUM>. Similarly, the second lateral conveyor <NUM> may be configured to transport harvested plant materials laterally inward (e.g., as indicated by arrow <NUM> in <FIG>) from the second side <NUM> of the frame <NUM> toward the laterally central portion <NUM>. Additionally, a central conveyor <NUM> may be positioned laterally between the lateral conveyors <NUM>, <NUM> such that the conveyor <NUM> is positioned at or proximate to the laterally central portion <NUM> of the header <NUM>. As such, the central conveyor <NUM> may be configured to transport the plant materials provided to the laterally central portion <NUM> of the header <NUM> by the lateral conveyors <NUM>, <NUM> to the front end <NUM> of the feeder <NUM> (e.g., as indicated by arrow <NUM> in <FIG>). It should be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the header <NUM> may include any other suitable number of conveyor belts, such as more or fewer than three conveyor belts. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the header <NUM> may be configured as any other suitable type of header.

<FIG> illustrates a schematic view of one embodiment of a suitable configuration for one or more of the conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> of the header <NUM> described above with reference to <FIG> in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. As indicated above, the conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may be supported by the header frame <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, each conveyor <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may include a pair of rollers <NUM>, <NUM> configured to rotatably support an associated conveyor belt <NUM> relative to the header frame <NUM>. As such, each conveyor belt <NUM> may be configured to be wrapped around or otherwise engage the corresponding rollers <NUM>, <NUM> such that the direction of travel of each conveyor belt <NUM> changes (e.g., reverses direction) as such conveyor belt <NUM> engages or wraps around each corresponding rollers <NUM>, <NUM>. Furthermore, at least one of the rollers <NUM>, <NUM> may be configured to rotatably drive the corresponding conveyor belt <NUM> such that the harvested plant materials are moved in the corresponding conveyer direction <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> (<FIG>). It should be appreciated that, in other embodiments, each conveyor <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may include additional rollers positioned between the opposed end rollers <NUM>, <NUM> to support portions of the conveyor belt <NUM> positioned between the rollers <NUM>, <NUM> along the length of each conveyor <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>.

As indicated above, in several embodiments, one or more plant yield sensors <NUM> may be provided in operative association with the header <NUM>. As such, the plant yield sensor(s) <NUM> are configured to detect a parameter(s) associated with the weight of the harvested plant materials being ingested by the header <NUM>. Specifically, in one embodiment, the plant yield sensor(s) <NUM> may correspond to a weight sensor(s), such as a load cell(s), provided in operative association with one or more of the conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, with each weight sensor being configured to detect the weight of the plant materials being transported by the associated conveyor <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. For example, in such embodiment, the weight of the harvested plant materials may compress the conveyor belt <NUM> against the weight sensor(s). In one embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, one plant yield sensor <NUM> may be provided in operative association with the first lateral conveyor <NUM>, and another plant yield sensor <NUM> may be provided in operative association with the second lateral conveyor <NUM>. In such embodiment, each plant yield sensor <NUM> may be configured to detect the weight of the plant materials on its respective conveyor <NUM>, <NUM> such that the weight of all of the plant materials being ingested by the header <NUM> is detected. In another embodiment, a single plant yield sensor <NUM> may be provided in operative association with the central conveyor <NUM> to detect the weight of all of the plant materials being ingested by the header <NUM>. However, it should be appreciated that the plant yield sensor(s) <NUM> may be provided in operative association with any other suitable component of the header <NUM> and/or be correspond to any other suitable type of sensing device(s) configured to detect any other suitable parameter(s) associated with the weight of the harvested plant materials being ingested by the harvester <NUM>. For example, in one embodiment, the plant yield sensor(s) <NUM> may correspond to a torque sensor(s) configured to detect the operating torque(s) of one or more rollers <NUM>, <NUM> of the conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>.

Additionally, in one embodiment, the header <NUM> may include one or more conveyor speed sensors <NUM> configured to detect the speed of one or more of the conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. The detected conveyor speed(s) may be the rotational or linear speed(s) of the belt(s) <NUM> of the corresponding conveyor <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. In this regard, each conveyor speed sensor <NUM> may correspond to a Hall Effect sensor or any other suitable type of sensing device configured to detect rotational speed.

It should be further be appreciated that the configurations of the harvester <NUM> and the header <NUM> described above and shown in <FIG> are provided only to place the present subject matter in an exemplary field of use. Thus, it should be appreciated that the present subject matter may be readily adaptable to any manner of harvester and/or header configuration.

Referring now to <FIG>, a schematic view of one embodiment of a system <NUM> for determining the residue yield of plant material being harvested by an agricultural harvester is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. In general, the system <NUM> will be described herein with reference to the harvester <NUM> and header <NUM> described above with reference to <FIG>. However, it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the disclosed system <NUM> may generally be utilized with harvesters having any other suitable harvester configuration and/or harvesting implements having any other suitable implement configuration.

As shown in <FIG>, the system <NUM> may include various components of the harvester <NUM>. The system <NUM> includes the plant yield sensor(s) <NUM>. For example, as indicated above, the system <NUM> may, in one embodiment, include one plant yield sensor <NUM> provided in operative association with the first lateral conveyor <NUM> of the header <NUM> and another plant yield sensor <NUM> provided in operative association with the second lateral conveyor <NUM> of the header <NUM>. In another embodiment, the system <NUM> may include one plant yield sensor <NUM> provided in operative association with the central conveyor <NUM> of the header <NUM>. In a further embodiment, the system <NUM> may include one plant yield sensor <NUM> provided in operative association with the feeder conveyor <NUM>. However, it should be appreciated that the system <NUM> may include any other suitable number of plant yield sensors <NUM>. Furthermore, the system <NUM> includes the crop yield sensor <NUM>, and may include the vehicle speed sensor <NUM>, the conveyor speed sensor <NUM>, and/or the orientation sensor <NUM> described above with reference to <FIG>. Additionally, the system <NUM> may include the residue spreader actuator <NUM> of the residue spreader <NUM> (<FIG>). However, it should be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the system <NUM> may include any other suitable components of the harvester <NUM>.

In accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, the system <NUM> includes a controller <NUM> which may be configured to electronically control the operation of one or more components of the harvester <NUM>. In general, the controller <NUM> may comprise any suitable processor-based device known in the art, such as a computing device or any suitable combination of computing devices. Thus, in several embodiments, the controller <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 controller <NUM> may generally comprise memory element(s) including, but not limited to, a computer readable medium (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), a computer readable non-volatile medium (e.g., a flash memory), a floppy disk, 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 controller <NUM> to perform various computer-implemented functions, such as one or more aspects of the method <NUM> described below with reference to <FIG>. In addition, the controller <NUM> may also include various other suitable components, such as a communications circuit or module, one or more input/output channels, a data/control bus and/or the like.

It should be appreciated that the controller <NUM> may correspond to an existing controller of the harvester <NUM> or the controller <NUM> may correspond to a separate processing device. For instance, in one embodiment, the controller <NUM> may form all or part of a separate plug-in module that may be installed within the harvester <NUM> to allow for the disclosed system and method to be implemented without requiring additional software to be uploaded onto existing control devices of the harvester <NUM>.

In several embodiments, the controller <NUM> is configured to determine the weight of plant materials being ingested by or otherwise entering the harvester <NUM>. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the controller <NUM> is communicatively coupled to the plant yield sensor(s) <NUM> via a wired or wireless connection to allow measurement signals (e.g., indicated by dashed line <NUM> in <FIG>) to be transmitted from the plant yield sensor(s) <NUM> to the controller <NUM>. For instance, the controller <NUM> may include a look-up table or suitable mathematical formula stored within its memory <NUM> that correlates the sensor measurements to the amount of the plant materials entering the harvester <NUM>. In embodiments in which the system <NUM> includes separate sensors <NUM> provided in operative association with the laterally extended header conveyors <NUM> and <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may be configured to sum the amounts of plant materials determined based on measurement signals <NUM> received from each sensor <NUM>.

Additionally, the controller <NUM> is configured to determine the weight of crop materials removed from the ingested plant materials by the plant processing system <NUM>. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the controller <NUM> is communicatively coupled to the crop yield sensor <NUM> via a wired or wireless connection to allow measurement signals <NUM> to be transmitted from the crop yield sensor <NUM> to the controller <NUM>. For instance, the controller <NUM> may include a look-up table or suitable mathematical formula stored within its memory <NUM> that correlates the sensor measurements to the amount of the crop materials entering the crop tank <NUM>. In one embodiment, such look-up table or mathematical formula may correlate the crop flow rate measurements (e.g., from the crop flow sensing device <NUM>) and the crop moisture measurements (e.g., from crop moisture sensing device <NUM>) to the amount of the crop materials entering the crop tank <NUM>.

Additionally, in one embodiment, the controller <NUM> may be configured to determine the speed at which the harvester <NUM> is moved in the direction of travel <NUM>. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the controller <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to the vehicle speed sensor <NUM> via a wired or wireless connection to allow measurement signals (e.g., as indicated by dashed lines <NUM> in <FIG>) to be transmitted from the vehicle speed sensor <NUM> to the controller <NUM>. For instance, the controller <NUM> may include a look-up table or suitable mathematical formula stored within its memory <NUM> that correlates the sensor measurements to the vehicle speed of the harvester <NUM>.

Moreover, the controller <NUM> may also be configured to determine the speed of one or more of the conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the controller <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to the conveyor speed sensor(s) <NUM> via a wired or wireless connection to allow measurement signals <NUM> to be transmitted from the conveyor speed sensor(s) <NUM> to the controller <NUM>. For instance, the controller <NUM> may include a look-up table or suitable mathematical formula stored within its memory <NUM> that correlates the sensor measurements to the conveyor speed(s) of the conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>.

Furthermore, in one embodiment, the controller <NUM> may be configured to determine vertical movement of the harvester <NUM> relative to the ground <NUM>. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the controller <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to the vehicle orientation sensor <NUM> via a wired or wireless connection to allow measurement signals <NUM> to be transmitted from the orientation sensor <NUM> to the controller <NUM>. For instance, the controller <NUM> may include a look-up table or suitable mathematical formula stored within its memory <NUM> that correlates the sensor measurements to the vertical movement of the harvester <NUM>.

In one embodiment, the controller <NUM> may be further configured to filter one or more components of the measurement signals <NUM> received from plant yield sensor(s) <NUM> and/or the crop yield sensor <NUM> before determining the associated plant and crop yields. Such measurement signal components may generally be associated with the operation of the harvester <NUM> and may impact the accuracy of the plant and crop yield determinations. For example, such measurement signal components may include the speed at which the harvester <NUM> moves in the direction of travel, the speed of one or more of the conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or the vertical movement of the harvester <NUM> relative to the ground <NUM>. As such, the controller <NUM> may use one or more suitable filtering techniques, such as one or more software-based filters (e.g., suitable algorithms or formulas) stored within its memory <NUM>, which filter or remove such components from the measurement signals <NUM>. For example, such filtering techniques may include high pass filtering, low pass filtering, band pass filtering, Butterworth filtering, and/or or combinations of such filtering techniques. It should be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the controller <NUM> may be configured to determine the plant and crop yields based on the raw measurement signals <NUM> received from the plant and crop yield sensors <NUM>, <NUM>.

In accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, the controller <NUM> is configured to determine a residue yield value by comparing the determined plant and crop yields. For example, in one embodiment, the controller <NUM> may be configured to subtract the determined weight of the crop materials entering the crop tank from the determined overall weight of the plant materials entering the header, with the difference therebetween being indicative of the residue yield. However, it should be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the controller <NUM> may be configured to determine the residue yield in any other suitable manner from the determined plant and crop yields.

In one embodiment, the monitored residue yield value of may correspond to an instantaneous value of the amount of the residue being discharged by the harvester <NUM>. More specifically, as is generally understood, the amount of residue present in the plant materials produced by the standing crop <NUM> may vary as the harvester <NUM> is moved across the field. In such embodiment, the controller <NUM> may be configured to continuously receive the measurement signals <NUM> from the plant and crop yield sensors <NUM>, <NUM> as the harvester <NUM> is moved through the field. As such, the controller <NUM> may be configured to continuously update the determined residue yield value based on the subsequently received measurement signals <NUM>.

Additionally, the controller <NUM> may be configured to create a residue yield map based on the determined amount of residue being discharged by the harvester <NUM>. In general, the residue yield map may provide an indication of the amount of residue present at one or more geographical or physical location within the field. As such, the controller <NUM> may be configured to associate the determined residue yield being discharged by the harvester <NUM> with the current location or position of the harvester <NUM> (e.g., as determined by a GPS receiver or other location sensor (not shown)) within the field.

<FIG> illustrates an example plant yield map <NUM> in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. As shown, the determined residue yield value may vary at different locations within the field. For instance, in the example map <NUM> of <FIG>, it may be assumed that regions <NUM> of the field have a greater determined residue yield value than regions <NUM> of the field. As such, the regions <NUM>, <NUM> may be depicted with different colors or other visual indicators indicative of their varying determined residue yield values. For example, the regions <NUM> may be identified by red, while the regions <NUM> may be identified by yellow. In this regard, it should be appreciated that the colors corresponding to the various determined residue yield values in the map <NUM> of <FIG> may be indicative of the determined residue yield values associated with those particular locations within the field. For example, in one embodiment, low determined residue yield values may be associated with yellow, and high determined residue yield values may be associated with red.

In accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, the controller <NUM> may also be configured to initiate a control action associated with adjusting one or more operating parameters of the harvester <NUM> based on the determined residue yield value(s). More specifically, as mentioned above, the monitored amount of residue discharged from the harvester <NUM> may vary throughout the field. As such, in several embodiments, the controller <NUM> may be configured to adjust one or more of the harvester's operating parameters based on variations in the determined residue yield value over time as the harvester <NUM> is moved through the field. For example, when the determined residue yield value increases, the controller <NUM> may be configured to adjust one or more operating parameters in a manner that permits the harvester <NUM> to increase the area over which the residue is spread. Conversely, when the determined residue yield value decreases, the controller <NUM> may be configured to adjust one or more operating parameters in a manner that permits the harvester <NUM> to decrease the area over which the residue is spread.

In several embodiments, the controller <NUM> may be configured to adjust one or more operating parameters associated with the residue spreader <NUM> based on the determined residue yield. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the controller <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to the actuator <NUM> of the residue spreader <NUM> via a wired or wireless connection to allow control signals (e.g., indicated by dashed lines <NUM> in <FIG>) to be transmitted from the controller <NUM> to the residue spreader actuator <NUM>. Such control signals <NUM> may be configured to instruct the residue spreader actuator <NUM> to increase the speed at which the residue spreader discs rotate to change the spread width of the residue discharged from the harvester <NUM>. For example, when the determined residue yield value increases, the control signals <NUM> may instruct the residue spreader actuator <NUM> to increase the speed of the discs such that the spread width of the residue is increased. Conversely, when the determined residue yield amount value decreases, the control signals <NUM> may instruct the residue spreader actuator <NUM> to decrease the speed of the discs such that the spread width of the residue is decreased. However, it should be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the controller <NUM> may be configured to transmit control signals <NUM> to any other suitable component of the harvester <NUM> such that the spread width of the residue discharged from of the harvester <NUM> is adjusted.

Referring now to <FIG>, a flow diagram of a method <NUM> for determining the residue yield of plant material being harvested by an agricultural harvester is illustrated, but this method is not within the scope of the appended claims. In general, the method <NUM> will be described herein with reference to the agricultural harvester <NUM>, the header <NUM>, and the system <NUM> described above with reference to <FIG>. However, it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the disclosed method <NUM> may generally be utilized to determine the residue yield of plant material being harvested by any harvester having any suitable harvester configuration and/or any harvesting implement having any suitable implement configuration and/or in connection with any system having any suitable system configuration. In addition, 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> may include controlling, with a computing device, the operation of the agricultural harvester such that a harvesting implement of the harvester ingests a quantity of plant materials from a field. For instance, as described above, the controller <NUM> may be configured to control the operation of the header <NUM> of the harvester <NUM> such that the header <NUM> ingests plant materials from the field.

Additionally, at (<NUM>), the method <NUM> may include controlling, with a computing device, the operation of the agricultural harvester such that a plant processing system of the harvester processes the quantity of harvested plant materials ingested by harvesting implement. For instance, as described above, the controller <NUM> may be configured to control the operation of the plant processing system <NUM> of the harvester <NUM> such that the plant processing system <NUM> processes the harvested plant materials ingested by harvesting implement <NUM>, thereby separating the crop materials from the associated residue.

Moreover, as shown in <FIG>, at (<NUM>), the method <NUM> may include determining, with the computing device, a weight of the quantity of plant materials being ingested by the harvesting implement based on data received from a plant yield sensor. For instance, as described above, the controller <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to the plant yield sensor(s) <NUM> configured to capture data <NUM> indicative of the weight of plant materials currently being ingested by the harvester <NUM>. As such, data <NUM> transmitted from the plant yield sensor(s) <NUM> may be received by the controller <NUM> and subsequently analyzed and/or processed to determine the weight of plant materials being ingested.

Furthermore, at (<NUM>), the method <NUM> may include determining, with the computing device, the weight of a quantity of crop removed from the quantity of harvested plant materials based on data received from a crop yield sensor. For instance, as described above, the controller <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to the crop yield sensor <NUM> configured to capture data <NUM> indicative of the weight of crop materials separated from the harvested plant materials by the plant processing system <NUM> of the harvester <NUM>. As such, data <NUM> transmitted from the crop yield sensor <NUM> may be received by the controller <NUM> and subsequently analyzed and/or processed to determine the weight of crop materials removed from the plant materials.

Claim 1:
A system (<NUM>) for determining a residue yield of the plant materials ingested by a harvesting implement (<NUM>) of an agricultural harvester (<NUM>), the system (<NUM>) comprising a plant yield sensor (<NUM>) configured to detect a parameter associated with a weight of the harvested plant materials being ingested by the harvesting implement (<NUM>), the system (<NUM>) further comprising a crop yield sensor (<NUM>) configured to detect a parameter associated with a weight of a quantity of crop materials removed from the quantity of harvested plant materials by a plant processing system (<NUM>) of the agricultural harvester (<NUM>), the system (<NUM>) further comprising a controller (<NUM>) communicatively coupled to the plant and the crop yield sensors (<NUM>, <NUM>), the controller (<NUM>) being configured to:
determine the weight of the quantity of plant materials being ingested by the harvesting implement (<NUM>) based on measurement signals (<NUM>) received from the plant yield sensor (<NUM>);
determine the weight of the quantity of crop materials removed from the quantity of harvested plant materials based on measurement signals (<NUM>) received from the crop yield sensor (<NUM>); and
determine a residue yield value by comparing the determined weight of the quantity of plant materials and the determined weight of the quantity of crop materials
characterized in that the tw plant yield sensor (<NUM>) is provided in operative association with at least one of the harvesting implement (<NUM>) or a feeder (<NUM>) of the agricultural harvester (<NUM>).