Measuring and testing – Moisture content or absorption characteristic of material
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-19
2001-02-13
Williams, Hezron (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
Moisture content or absorption characteristic of material
C056S01020A, C056S01020B, C056S01020C, C324S691000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185990
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to methods for measuring the humidity or moisture content of crop in an agricultural harvester and, more particularly, to the combination of data from a humidity sensor with data from a mass flow rate sensor.
It is already well known in the art to use data collected during harvester operations for the generation of maps showing the specific yield for each section of a field. To this end, the harvesting machine is equipped with a device for establishing the precise position of the harvester in the yield, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, a ground speed sensor, such as a Doppler radar velocity sensor and a crop flow rate sensor, such as a grain mass flow sensor. The data generated by the sensors are logged during harvesting operations and can be used for generating a yield map for a complete field.
Such yield maps provide data on the amount of crop generated by each field portion, but say little on the other qualities of the harvested crop. For instance it may be of interest to have data on the ripeness of the crop. Such data may be derived from humidity or moisture sensors. These data can also assist in deciding whether to continue or interrupt the harvest when the evening is closing in. When the moisture content of the incoming crop material is too high, the efficiency of the threshing mechanism is falling rapidly.
However, such humidity sensors usually require a calibrated volume of crop material, such that dedicated sampling devices are needed for taking portions from the regular crop flow and feeding them into the humidity sensor. An example thereof can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,851.
It is also known to use a manually operated switch for marking deviating spots in a field during harvest operations. This information is loaded into the memory of the mapping system and is combined with the GPS information for indicating the spots on a map of the field. Such system has already been used for identifying weed spots. However, the reliability of such map is depends completely of the continuous attention of the operator and his quick reaction to the occurrence of such spots.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a method for continuously assessing the humidity of harvested crop without the use of any sampling device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to assess the humidity of incoming harvested crop on a continuous basis without the use of any sampling device.
According to the invention, there is provided a method for assessing the humidity of a crop during harvesting operations, including the steps of:
harvesting a field using a harvesting machine having:
a mechanism for collecting the crop from the field and feeding it into the harvesting machine;
a crop processing means for processing the collected crop fed into said harvesting machine;
a moisture sensor for monitoring the moisture content of the collected crop; and
a mass flow rate sensor for monitoring the mass flow rate of crop material in said harvesting machine;
logging data from said moisture sensor and said mass flow rate sensor while harvesting the field; and
deriving the actual moisture content of the collected crop from the combined data from said moisture sensor and from said mass flow rate sensor.
The actual moisture content may be derived from a raw moisture content value, provided by the moisture sensor and consequent adjustment thereof in accordance with the mass flow rate value established by the mass flow sensor.
The moisture data can be logged during harvesting operations and combined with position data provided by a harvester location means for establishing a moisture content map of the field. Moisture content values exceeding a threshold value may be indicative of weed infected spots in the field.
A simple and robust moisture sensor may include one or more sensor plates mounted in a conveyor housing of the harvester. The sensor plate is electrically insulated and a voltage is applied thereto. The current from the plate through the crop material to the housing is representative of the conductivity and hence of the moisture content of the crop.
Such sensor may be combined with a sensor monitoring the mass flow rate of all collected crop material, e.g. a sensor measuring the power needed to drive a conveyor of the crop collecting means. Alternatively, the signal from a grain flow rate sensor may be used.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5871397 (1999-02-01), Nelson et al.
patent: 5934997 (1999-08-01), Nelson et al.
patent: 2304910 (1997-03-01), None
patent: 8605353 (1986-09-01), None
Missotten Bart M. A.
Strubbe Gilbert J. I.
Loo Dennis
Miller Larry W.
New Holland North America Inc.
Stader J. William
Williams Hezron
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