US 11,944,036 B2
Forage harvester
Christoph Heitmann, Warendorf (DE); Sven Carsten Belau, Gütersloh (DE); Ingo Bönig, Gütersloh (DE); and Jan Meyer zu Hörste, Bad Rothenfelde (DE)
Assigned to CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH, Harsewinkel (DE)
Filed by CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH, Harsewinkel (DE)
Filed on Sep. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/470,151.
Claims priority of application No. 102020123526.7 (DE), filed on Sep. 9, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0071091 A1, Mar. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. A01D 43/08 (2006.01); A01D 82/02 (2006.01)
CPC A01D 43/085 (2013.01) [A01D 82/02 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A forage harvester configured for one or both of performing a harvesting process with at least one work assembly for harvesting a crop or for processing harvested material of the crop in a context of the harvesting the process, wherein the harvested material comprises grain components, the forage harvester comprising:
a corn cracker configured to process the grain components to comminute the harvested material, the corn cracker including at least two rollers configured to rotate, wherein the at least two rollers including a gap with an adjustable gap width therebetween through which the harvested material is transported, wherein the corn cracker including machine parameters comprising the adjustable gap width and one or both of adjustable rotational speed of one or both of the at least two rollers or an adjustable differential rotational speed of the at least two rollers; and
a driver assistance system configured to:
use an optimization model comprising at least one multidimensional characteristic map in order to control the corn cracker, the at least one multidimensional characteristic map representing a relationship between a processing quality of the grain components and at least three parameters, the at least three parameters comprising at least one input parameter and at least one output parameter, the at least one input parameter varying during the harvesting process and representing a current harvesting process state, the at least one output parameter comprising at least one of the machine parameters of the corn cracker;
determine, during the harvesting process and based on both the at least one input parameter and the optimization model comprising the at least one multidimensional characteristic map, a value of the at least one output parameter in order to achieve a uniform given processing quality of the grain components during the harvesting process; and
cause adjustment of the at least one of the machine parameters of the corn cracker based on the value of the at least one output parameter in order to achieve the uniform given processing quality of the grain components during the harvesting process.