Harvester with predictive ground speed regulation

摘要

A combine harvester (10), has driven wheels or tracks (14) for moving the combine harvester; a system for detecting characteristics of crop plants (96) in front of the combine harvester and for calculating an expected mass throughput of the combine harvester from the detected physical characteristics; an electronic control (80), configured to control the ground speed of the combine harvester to maintain a desired mass throughput of the combine harvester in consideration of the expected mass throughput of the combine harvester; and a sensor (86) for detecting a combine harvester parameter that is indicative of an actual mass throughput of the combine harvester; wherein the electronic control is configured to compare an output value of the sensor to a value indicating the expected mass throughput and to use a result of the comparison as feedback to control the speed of the combine harvester.

主权项

1. A combine harvester (10), comprising:
driving means (14) for moving the combine harvester (10) at a ground speed (“V”) over a field; a system for detecting physical characteristics of a group of crop plants (96) standing in front of the combine harvester (10) and for calculating an expected mass throughput of the combine harvester (10) from said detected physical characteristics; an electronic control (80), which is configured to automatically control the ground speed (“V”) of the combine harvester (10) to maintain a desired mass throughput of the combine harvester (10) by taking into consideration the expected mass throughput of the combine harvester (10); and a sensor (86) for detecting a parameter of the combine harvester (10) indicative of an actual mass throughput of the combine harvester (10); wherein the electronic control (80) is configured to compare an output value of the sensor (86) to a value indicative of the expected mass throughput and to use a result of the comparison as a feedback value to control the ground speed (“V”) of the combine harvester (10); wherein the system comprises a distance sensor (90) having a transmitter (92) for transmitting successive electromagnetic waves against a group of crop plants (96) standing in front of the combine harvester (10), a receiver (94) configured to receive reflections of the successive electromagnetic waves from the group of crop plants (96), and an evaluation unit (98) for calculating the expected mass throughput in the combine harvester (10), with an aid of traveling times and/or amplitudes of the reflections; wherein the successive electromagnetic waves from the transmitter (92) are radiated, horizontally and/or vertically polarized radar waves, wherein the receiver (94) receives vertically polarized radar waves and/or horizontally polarized radar waves reflected from the group of crop plants (96), wherein the successive electromagnetic waves comprise radar waves of a single frequency or of different frequencies, and the evaluation unit (98) is configured to calculate a time derivation of a space filling degree of the group of crop plants (96) with dry mass and water and a taken-up volume (), with an aid of the radar waves received.