Abstract: A residue collector is operable to receive residue from a combine harvester during a training harvesting operation. The residue collector includes a residue separator for separating the processed residue into a first portion and a second portion based on a property of the processed residue; one or more weight sensors for directly or indirectly determining the weight of the first portion and the second portion; and a controller configured to determine a quality factor for the processed residue based on the determined weight of the first portion in relation to the weight of the second portion.

Abstract: An agricultural residue depositing apparatus includes a human-controllable mobile vehicle that is capable of generating agricultural residue and depositing it on a ground surface over which the mobile vehicle is moveable. The vehicle includes an interface device that is capable of generating one or more output that is interpretable by a human operator. The apparatus include sensors of agricultural residue deposited by the mobile vehicle and processors to which the sensors are operatively connected. The processors are additionally operatively connected to the interface device such that the interface device generates one or more outputs, based on one or more signals generated by the one or more sensors, of or relating to agricultural residue deposited by the mobile vehicle. The processors are capable of adding human-interpretable augmentation to the outputs indicating one or more parameters of or relating to the deposition of residue.

Abstract: A spreader system includes two spreader rotors configured to rotate about upright rotation axes and to eject residue crop material centrally between the rotors in a direction tangential to the rotors. The spreader system further includes a first structure that is configured to undergo an oscillating movement, such as a rotating oscillation about a central axis oriented in the tangential direction. The spreader system further includes adjustable deflector blades. The first structure can be a main deflector having main deflector blades, wherein the adjustable deflector blades are parallel to the main deflector blades and adjustable by a translation relative to the main deflector blades in an upward or downward direction, to thereby influence a gap between the main deflector and a lower plane of the rotors. The adjustable blades may be each pivotable relative to a frame so that their angular position can be set to one of several positions.

Abstract: The cutting system includes knives attached to a continuously moving belt-type carrier. The carrier motion moves the knives past stationary counterknife fingers. Each knife is pivotably connected to the platform portion of a support bracket having also a wall portion that is fixed to the belt-type carrier. The knife is furthermore coupled to the bracket by a reversible force coupling that maintains the knife in a forwardly oriented operational position when the knife is subjected to lateral forces which exert a torque on the knife that remains below a predefined limit, encountered when the knife is cutting stalks or meeting small obstructions. When the knife is subjected to lateral forces resulting in a torque above the predefined limit, the force coupling is configured to be disengaged in a reversible manner, enabling the knife to pivot about a rotation axis towards a non-operational position.

Abstract: A cutting system includes knives attached to a continuously moving belt-type carrier. The carrier motion moves the knives past stationary counterknife fingers which are attached to or uniform with a cutterbar, as the cutting system is driven through a field of crop stalks, which are cut by the interaction between the knives and counterknives. One or more sensing devices produce signals or images related to the condition of the knives when the knives are moving past the sensing devices. A processing unit processes the signals or images and derives therefrom one or more parameters representative of the condition of the knives, and compares the parameters to a reference, to thereby monitor the condition. An agricultural implement such as a combine harvester, can be equipped with the cutting system.

Abstract: A method is provided for controlling a threshing system for an agricultural harvester. The method includes using a camera for obtaining images of a crop flow, processing the obtained images and controlling an operational setting of the threshing system. The images are obtained downstream of the threshing system, preferably somewhere between the threshing rotor or threshing drum and the residue spreader. The image processing aims at detecting grain ears in the obtained images, and to derive from those images at least one physical property of the detected grain ears. The operational setting of the threshing system are controlled in dependence of the derived at least one physical property.

Abstract: A controller for controlling a chopper arrangement of an agricultural harvester. The controller receives sensor data indicative of an intensity of chopping performed on crop material by the chopper arrangement, and sensor data indicative of a power consumption of the chopper arrangement. The controller has a processor to determine an actuator setting for a chopper arrangement actuator of the agricultural harvester in dependence on the received sensor data indicative of the intensity of chopping and the received sensor data indicative of the power consumption. The controller sends an actuator control signal to the chopper arrangement actuator to control the chopper arrangement actuator to operate in accordance with the associated determined actuator setting. The determined actuator setting includes an amount of insertion, and an angle of insertion, of at least one bank of counter knives of the chopper arrangement relative to rotatable knife rows of the chopper arrangement.

Abstract: A combine harvester includes a crop material sensor arrangement having a crop material sensor configured to monitor crop material downstream of a threshing and separating system of the combine, and having a sensor window through which the crop material sensor monitors the crop material. The sensor window is arranged adjacent to a flow path of the crop material such that crop material flows past the sensor window as it flows along the flow path, and the sensor window is arranged such that an angle is formed between a plane defined by the sensor window and a tangential projection that extends from a component of the combine harvester that influences the flow path immediately upstream of the sensor window. This ensures that the camera window remains sufficiently clean to allow the crop material sensor to monitor crop material through the window.