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Introduction. The article describes the approach to solving the problem of complex technical system troubleshooting based on expert knowledge modeling. Intelligent information systems are widely used to solve the problems of diagnostics of multilevel systems including combine harvesters. The formal description of the subject domain knowledge is the framework for building the knowledge base of these systems. The sequence of creating an expert system knowledge base in accordance with production rules is considered. Materials and Methods. The approach is founded on the fault function table. As the object of diagnostics, one of the subsystems of the combine harvester electric equipment “opening the hopper roof flaps” is considered. The basis for constructing a sequence of elementary checks is a system of logical equations describing both the serviceable and possible faulty states of the subsystem. Results. A structural logic model is developed. As a result of analyzing the fault function table, the sets of elementary checks are determined. Four criteria have been used to analyze the weight of these checks. The authors have determined optimal sequence of checks and have developed a decision tree, which allows finding the cause of the malfunction and is the basis for creating the knowledge base of an intelligent information system. A fragment of the knowledge base is given. Discussion and Conclusion. The proposed approach of expert knowledge modelling increases the efficiency of the unit for troubleshooting of the intelligent decision support system. It makes possible to structure the base of expertise and establishing the optimal sequence of elementary checks. This allows determining the optimal sequence of application of the knowledge base production rule that makes it possible to reduce the time of restoring the serviceability of combines.

Abstract During the rice harvesting process of combine harvester, it is necessary to adjust the working parameters of the threshing device in time according to working conditions to ensure operational efficiency and performance. This paper designs a variable diameter threshing drum, develops a device for diameter regulation with self‐locking function, and its installation process and working principle are introduced in detail. A force analysis and modal analysis were carried out on the device for diameter adjustment of variable diameter threshing drum. It aims to ensure that the design dimensions of the constant speed spiral disc and claws in the device for diameter adjustment are in compliance with the self‐locking conditions, and effectively ensure the reliability of the device for diameter adjustment. A field experiment was carried out to check the reliability of the developed system. A regression analysis model takes the feeding rate, threshing gap and drum speed as influencing factors. The grain separation loss rate and damage rate as performance indexes were established, and calculations for multiple target optimization were performed. The experimental results showed that the threshing gap could be adjusted in real time according to the different feeding rates of the variable diameter threshing drum.

Cooling water temperature of the combine harvester during operations can reflect the changes of its power consumption and even overloads caused by extreme workload. There is an existing problem when extracting water temperature information from harvesters: data redundancy and the loss of time series feature. To solve such problem, a Convolutional denoising autoencoder and Long-Short Term Memory Artificial Neural Network (CDAE-LSTM) hybrid model based on parameter migration is proposed to predict temperature trends. Firstly, the historical data of the combine harvester are taken into account to perform correlation analysis to verify the input rationality of the proposed model. Secondly, pre-training has been performed to determine the model’s initial migration parameters, along with the adoption of CDAE to denoise and reconstruct the input data. Finally, after the migration, the CNN-LSTM hybrid model was trained with a real dataset and was able to predict the cooling water temperature. The accuracy of the model has been verified by field test data gathered in June 2019. Results show that the root mean squared error (RMSE) of the model is 0.0817, and the mean absolute error (MAE) is 0.0989. Compared with the performance of LSTM on the prediction data, the RMSE improvement rate is 2.272 %, and the MAE improvement rate is 20.113 %. It is proven that the adoption of CDAE stabilizes the model, and the CDAE-LSTM hybrid model shows higher accuracy and lower uncertainty for time series prediction.

Accurately diagnosing blockages in a threshing cylinder is crucial for ensuring efficiency and quality in combine harvester operations. However, in terms of blockage diagnostic methods, the current state of affairs is characterized by model-based approaches that can be highly time-consuming and difficult to implement, while data-driven approaches lack interpretability. To address this situation, we propose a temporal association rule mining (TARM)-based fault diagnosis method for identifying threshing cylinder blockages and discovering knowledge. This study performs field trials by varying the actual feed rate and obtains datasets for three blockage classes (slight, moderate, and severe). Firstly, a symbolic aggregate approximation (SAX) method is employed to reduce the data dimensionality and to construct the transaction set with a sliding window. Next, a cSpade method is used to mine and extract strong association rules by applying improved support, confidence, and lift indicators. With the established strong association rules, this study can comprehensively elucidate the variation pattern of each characteristic under several blockage failure conditions and can effectively identify blockage faults. The results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively distinguishes between three levels of blockage faults, achieving an overall diagnostic accuracy of 0.94. And the method yields precisions of 0.90, 0.92, and 0.99 and corresponding recalls of 0.90, 0.93, and 0.98 for slight, medium, and severe levels of blockage faults, respectively. Specifically, the knowledge acquired from the extracted strong association rules can effectively explain the operational characteristics of a combine harvester when its threshing cylinders are blocked. Furthermore, the proposed approach in this study can provide a reasonable and reliable reference for future research on threshing cylinder blockages.

Harvesting of high-moisture corn ears poses a challenge due to the high level of grain damage. In the present study, a series of concaves adapted to moist corn ears threshing was developed and evaluated. The key improvements include a concave arc shape and oblique crossbars to reduce corn grain damage and threshing losses. Results show that the geometrical shape of the concave arc and its crossbars have a significant influence on the grain detachment from the ears, grain separation through the concave, and grain damage during the threshing process of moist ears of corn. Studies show that replacing the concave rounded crossbars with oblique ones can increase threshing performance of moist corn ears. A concave with an Archimedes’ spiral arc and oblique concave crossbars is an effective approach to improve corn grain quality and reduce harvest losses due to grain damage. We identify the optimal design for threshing corn ears as an experimental concave with an Archimedes’ spiral arc of 8 mm height, with 19 mm wide crossbars of the concave with an oblique working plane (tilt angle 25°). This design achieves minimal threshing grain losses (0.03%) when threshing moist ears (grain moisture content ~35%), and damaged grain in the threshing apparatus does not exceed the permissible limit of 3% at an ear feed rate of 16.8 kg s−1.

A cost-effective harvesting method and equipment for small-scale farms is essential to ensure the viability and sustainability of their operations. This study aims to retrofit and test a pull-type combine harvester for effective and efficient operations in small grains. A 1960s-era functional combine harvester was retrofitted with a stripper header rotor in place of the sickle bar cutting system to increase the harvesting capacity. Preliminary field testing found that the original header auger and feeder house could not handle the changed crop composition at an increased capacity and did not properly convey the grain from the auger to the feeder house and onto the threshing system. Therefore, redesign modifications were conducted for the auger and feeder house to help increase the efficiency and capacity required to use the stripper header. Various design concepts were proposed, analyzed, and prototyped in this study. The machine performance of the material-conveying efficiency of the wheat-material-other-than-grain mixture was evaluated at various material throughput rates. The results showed that the auger shim and feeder house paddle redesign increased the efficiency from 80.68% to 98.56%, as compared to the original machine configuration. The cost-effective and high-performance pull-type combine harvester proposed in this study has a high potential in solving the bottleneck problem of local production of small grains by small-scale farming operations.

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As a multi-source vibration machine, the complex vibration of the combine harvester has caused many effects on various components. In this paper, the dynamic response of the plate and shell on the combine harvester is studied, and the influence of various factors on the vibration of the plate and shell is determined. The structure of the plate and shell is optimized, and the scheme of structural optimization that replaces the finite element model with the surrogate model is developed. The structure is designed with Latin hypercube design (LHD), the model of response surface is generated based on the Kriging model, and then the parameters are optimized by a multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA). It is realized that the first-order natural frequency of the plate is increased by 14.6% under the same mass, avoiding the resonance range of the main excitation of the machine. At the same time, its dynamic response under the multi-point force is also greatly decreased by 62.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is a promising industrial crop suitable for cultivation in marginal conditions in the Mediterranean area, but the mechanical harvesting of the seeds is still usually performed manually. In this manuscript, the authors present a preliminary test to assess the effectiveness of equipping a combine harvester with a sunflower header to mechanically harvest castor beans. Machinery performance, seed loss from impact (ISL) and cleaning systems (CSL), and seed cleaning were evaluated and compared with the results obtained from the same combine harvester equipped with a cereal header. According to the results, no statistically significant difference in CSL was found. Values ranged from 162. 41 kg dry matter (DM) ha−1 in the cereal header to 145.56 kg DM ha−1 in the sunflower header, corresponding, respectively, to 8% w/w and 7% w/w of the potential seed yield (PSY). Using the sunflower header significantly lowered ISL (158.16 kg DM ha−1, i.e., 8% w/w of PSY) in comparison with the cereal header (282.02 kg DM ha−1, i.e., 14% w/w of PSY). This suggests more gentle cutting and conveying capability of the sunflower header to harvest the plants without losing capsules. On the other hand, the use of different headers did not significantly affect the cleaning of the seeds which averaged at 20% of the total seeds collected in both cases. In conclusion, the study highlights that a conventional combine harvester equipped with a sunflower header could be the first step towards the development of a fully mechanized harvest phase in castor beans which triggers lower seed loss and does not negatively affect the cleaning capacity of the combine harvester. Further studies are also encouraged to confirm these findings in other hybrids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problems of high grain entrainment loss rate and impurity rate of traditional horizontal axial-flow combine harvesters, a horizontal axial-flow threshing-separating device with coaxial differential threshing drum, conical cleaning fan, double-layer vibrating screen and spiral plate-tooth re-thresher is designed. Meanwhile, a test-bed with a feeding rate of 2 kg/s is designed to improve the device performance. The test through quadratic orthogonal rotation combination design method is used to inspect the effects of the differential drum speed combination, conical fan blade taper, and length ratio of the high and low speed sections of the differential drum on the loss rate, crushing rate, impurity rate and threshing power consumption. The regression mathematical models of the loss rate, crushing rate, impurity content and threshing power consumption are established, and the multi-objective optimization calculation of the regression mathematical model is carried out by using MATLAB optimization toolbox. The results show that the order of the three factors affecting the loss rate and impurity content of the horizontal axial-flow threshing-separating device is the differential drum speed combination, the conical fan blade taper, and the length ratio of high and low speed sections of the differential drum. The field test results show that the performance index of the horizontal axial-flow separation device is better than the requirements of the national standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing gas-solid coupling simulation analysis of rape combined harvesting and cleaning device still has the challenge to obtain the accurate and reliable basic parameters that are necessary for discrete element simulation. As a solution, the contact parameters of the components of the rape threshing mixture were calibrated based on EDEM. As the main components of rape threshing mixture, rapeseed, Rape stalk, and rapeseed pod were taken from the rape plant that was ripe and benefitted for the combine harvesting. The radial elastic coefficients and characteristic parameters such as Poisson's ratio and elastic modulus of rape stalks were measured and analyzed by radial global compression test. Furthermore, the static friction coefficient and collision restitution coefficient among rapeseed, Rape stalk, rapeseed pod, and steel plate were measured by the inclined plane method and free-fall piezocone test, as well as the range of contact parameters of the particle model. By taking the relate error of stalk repose angle between its values of simulation and physical test, Plackett-Burman experiment was conducted to screen out the parameters that had significant influence on stalk repose angle and the optimal ranges of those parameters was further determined by the steepest climbing test based on EDEM. The regression relationship between the repose angle and the parameters that had appreciate impact on the angle was figured out, and the optimal combination of the contact parameters was obtained. The results indicated that the parameters that had significant effects on the stalk repose angle were the static friction coefficient between rape stalks, the rolling friction coefficient between rape stalks, the rolling friction coefficient between steel plate and rape stalk, while the optimal combination of those parameters were 0.707, 0.015, and 0.012, respectively. Under the optimal condition, the relative error of stalk repose angle was 0.54%. To further validating the calibrated parameters, the numerical simulation of cyclone separation cleaning device was carried out based on DEM-CFD method. The bench experiment to compare the performance of the cleaning device with that illustrated by the simulation was conducted based on the test-bench. The results of the simulation showed that the cleaning ratio and loss ratio of the cleaning device was 94.42% and 3.96%, respectively, while the relative error, compared with that obtained in the bench experiment, was 2.81% and 7.48%, respectively. It could validate the reliability of the calibrated parameters. This research could provide the basic discrete element parameters for the simulation analysis for rapeseed combine harvesting [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threshing gap of a maize combine harvester has to be adjusted in real-time based on different feed rates if it is to achieve adequate threshing efficiency and avoid excessive power consumption. A threshing unit with automatic threshing gap control system based on the feed rate was developed using an electric-hydraulic to overcome these problems. The optimal control model of feed rate and the threshing gap was established for the control system: When the feed rates were 6, 8, and 10 kg s−1, the optimal threshing gaps were 43, 47, and 51 mm, respectively. Taking a constant threshing gap (50 mm) as the control group, the operational performance of the automatic control system of the threshing gap was evaluated. The results showed that the detecting accuracy of the control system was within tolerance ±1.33%. The threshing efficiency of the threshing unit with the control system was higher than that of the threshing unit using a constant threshing gap when the feed rate fluctuated randomly. Compared with the control group, the average power consumption of the control system increased by 3.45%, but the average threshing efficiency increased by 7.32%, the broken grain rate decreased from 5.21% to 3.85%, and the grain-entrainment loss rate decreased from 0.29% to 0.21%. Thus, it can be seen that corresponding to different feed rates conditions, a proper threshing gap in the threshing unit with the developed automatic control system could obtain better working quality than with a constant threshing gap. • Fluctuation in the feed rate requires proper threshing gap control. • Proposed control system effectively significantly improved threshing efficiency. • Provides a theoretical basis to optimise threshing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research aims to study the uneven distribution of airflow created by a fan over the cleaning system of a combine harvester, affecting the efficiency of the technological process of separating impurities from the original crop. The article presents a methodology for studying the actual operation process using a digital twin, reveals problem areas and studies even distribution of the airflow at the outlet of the fan discharge channel of the combine harvester cleaning system. During the research, several parameters were defined. Based on the digital twin development and study, the airflow rate at the outlet of the radial fan discharge duct of the combine harvester (CH) cleaning system at different rotation rates of the fan wheel (450-1050 min-1) was determined. Experimental measurements of the airflow distribution over the working part of the sieve shoe for the existing cleaning system and modern combine harvesters made up 3.75-10.2 m/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of continuous high-strength operation of the harvester, structure aging, surface hardening, brittle fracture, and other features appear on V-belt due to temperature rise, which seriously affects the service life of the belt and stability of the whole machine. To predict the temperature distribution of V-belt and improve its service life, an advanced calculation method of temperature field suitable for multiwheel is proposed. First, on the basis of analysing the heat source of the transmission belt, the values of internal friction and external friction are calculated based on AVL Excite Timing Drive (AVL Excite TD). Secondly, two-dimensional temperature field finite element calculation model is established by analysing the heat balance equation, determining the heat flow distribution coefficient and heat convection conditions. Then, to verify the calculation model of the temperature field, the experimental setup and instrumentation are built based on Controller Area Network-bus (CAN-bus) technology. At last, multi-condition tests are designed in this paper. The experiment results show that the maximum difference between the model calculated value and experiment is 4.77 ℃ in unsteady state, and 0.15 ℃ in steady state. Therefore, the multiwheel V-belt temperature field calculation model developed in this paper can realize the accurate calculation of the temperature field under steady state conditions. It has a very important guiding significance for reasonable selection of operating parameters and improvement of service lifetime of belt.

To reduce human drudgery and the risk of labor shortages in the Asian developing countries, the appropriate introduction of agricultural machinery, especially combine harvesters, is an urgent task. Custom hiring services (CHSs) are expected to contribute to making paddy harvesters prevalent in developing countries; however, the economic performance has been rarely quantified. The study was carried out to precisely evaluate the machine performance attributes of medium and large combine harvesters using the real-time kinematic (RTK) global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and to estimate the economic performance of CHSs of paddy harvesters in Japan, as a typical case of Asian countries. The financial profitability was evaluated by four major indicators: net present value, benefit–cost ratio, internal rate of return, and payback period. The financial indicators showed that both types of harvester could be considered financially viable. Thus, the investment in combine harvesters can be highly profitable for CHS business by a local service provider and custom-hire entrepreneur, providing a great opportunity to use a combine harvester without initial investment by general farmers. The findings demonstrated the high feasibility of CHSs of paddy harvesters in Japan, while they highlighted that further study is needed to estimate the feasibility of CHS in the other Asian developing countries.

Energy management strategies are crucial for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Combine Harvester (PHECH). However, many existing approaches rely on rigid, pre-setting rules that struggle to adjust to the PHECH operational conditions. This paper first introduces a power estimation model tailored to the quasi-periodic process of harvester activity. Then, Dynamic Programming (DP) is applied to derive optimal samples of engine power ratio across various scenarios. Building on the samples, a Neural Network (NN) is developed to enhance the strategy's economic and real-time performance. Simulation tests evaluate the proposed algorithm's efficacy and its energy conservation potential. The findings suggest that, compared to fuel-driven harvesters, the NN strategy achieves similar energy cost savings to the DP approach, exceeding 11%, which is better than the Charge Depleting and Charge Sustaining (CDCS) strategy's 7.22% and the MPC-ECMS strategy's 7.87%. Moreover, the NN strategy reduces the time expense to roughly one-fifth of that required by the DP approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Real-time monitoring and electric adjustment of threshing and cleaning multi-parameter. • Identification method for the multi-parameter system based on PSO and WNN. • Optimized multi-parameter automatic control method based on MPC algorithm. The operating environment of grain combine harvesters is complex, and operators' experience is highly required. To meet the demand for high-quality and efficient harvesting in modern agriculture, harvesters must have the ability to control operational performance automatically. The core issue is to achieve multi-parameter cooperative control of the threshing and cleaning devices. The threshing and cleaning devices are located in the same rack space. The interaction mechanism between the internal agricultural material movement, mechanical structure, and airflow field is very complex, and it is a system with characteristics such as time-varying, hysteresis, and multi-parameter coupling. In response to the above challenges, real-time collection and adjustment methods for the main indicators and parameters of the threshing and cleaning devices were studied separately. A field experiment plan for identifying the threshing and cleaning system was designed. Based on the state space model and NARMAX (nonlinear auto-regressive moving average with exogenous input) model as the system structures, a fusion method of PSO (particle swarm optimization) and WNN (wavelet neural network) was proposed to optimize the structural parameters of the two models. Determine the optimal identification model for the threshing and cleaning system through testing. Then, adopt the MPC (model predictive control) method to regulate the multi-parameter of threshing and cleaning. The control process simulation was conducted in Simulink, and the software and hardware of the multi-parameter control system for the threshing and cleaning of the combine harvester were developed. The execution process of the control program was optimized, and field validation was conducted. The system could adjust the performance indicators to near the ideal set values in less than or equal to 3 s (indicator differences ≤ 0.23 %). In addition, the trigger times of the adjustment process were also few in the long-term continuous harvesting operation, which could make the performance indicators meet the requirements in the whole process. This indicated that the modeling and control methods proposed in this paper had good adaptability and stability, and laid the foundations for improving the intelligent level of harvesting machinery and achieving intelligent agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article concerns the problem of reducing losses during harvesting of tangled and dowm leguminous crops, particularly peas. This scientific research describes the proposed active side divider of the combine header made in the form of a disc cutter, which is mounted on the hydraulic motor shaft, and a counter-cutting plate fixed to the angled surface of the header sidewall. A methodology for determining the losses of the combine harvester header with the proposed active side divider has been developed. Also we have presented the results of laboratory and field studies to justify the design and operating parameters of the active side divider, conducted in accordance with GOST 28301-2015 "Grain harvesters. Test methods" on pea harvesting. After processing the experimental data, we obtained function equations and drew graphs of pea loss value dependencies on design and operating parameters of the active side divider. The findings have shown that the header with the proposed active side divider steadily performs the technological process at a disc cutter rotation frequency of n 120 min-1, a number of disc cutter teeth z – 8 pcs., and an operational speed of the combine v – 7 km/h. In this case, pea losses do not exceed the agronomic permissible losses.

ABSTRACT In view of the fact that the design of the cab structure of wheeled combine harvesters in China lacks ergonomic design parameters exclusive for Chinese drivers, there are generally problems such as high vibration and poor comfort of the whole machine structure during the harvesting process. Firstly, this paper designed the cab structure of a wheeled grain combine harvester based on ergonomics. Then, the driver's handling comfort and visibility were simulated and analyzed using Creo. Finally, the relevant dimensions of the driver's control device were optimized. The results show that the wheeled grain combine harvester cab based on ergonomic design better meets their driving comfort needs. In addition, it is found that the operating frequencies of the key components, such as the main shaft of the conveyor spindle, the vibrating screen, the threshing drum, and the intermediate shaft of the engine, partially overlap with the frequency of human discomfort. Therefore, modal planning is also needed for this harvester to meet human comfort requirements better. This paper provides the basic parameters for the design of the cab structure of the combine harvester with high comfort for the Chinese harvesting machinery driver.

The article deals with an important topic – reduction of grain losses during harvesting of lodged crops. It analyzes the designs of existing crop lifting devices for harvesting lodged crops and reveals their main drawback. The design and operating principles of the proposed copying crop lifter for combine harvester are described. The results of theoretical studies on justification of design parameters of copying crop lifter are given, in particular, theoretical dependencies determining the length of the slide and the base and the force required to match plated spring of the copying crop lifter are presented.

China is a large flax-growing country, with planting area and production ranking among the top three in the world. However, the cultivation range of flax in China is very broad, complex, and diverse, resulting in different planting scales and patterns, making it difficult to apply foreign large combine harvesters, and China lacks a dedicated flax combine harvester. This research improved the design of the 4LZ-4.0 crawler-type flax combine harvester for the regional features and flax cropping patterns in China. First, the structure, technical parameters, and working principles of the machine were introduced; second, the theoretical analysis and optimization of key components were performed; and finally, with the advancing speed of the machine, the speed of the threshing drum, and the speed of the suction fan as independent variables and the rate of removal and the total loss rate as response values, a three-factor, three-level response surface analysis method was used. For each component and response value, a mathematical model was created, and the factors and their interactions were evaluated and confirmed. The results demonstrated that the three parameters impact the threshing drum speed, advancing speed, and centrifugal fan speed in that order of priority, as well as the total loss rate in that order of priority. The machine’s optimal operating settings were 1.5 m·s−1 advancing speed, 788.49 r·min−1 threshing drum speed, and 885.34 r·min−1 centrifugal fan speed, and the validation test results indicated that under the typical dryland dense flax cultivation mode, it had a 97.46% threshing rate and 2.99% total loss rate after the test. This demonstrated that optimizing operational parameters may decrease losses in the process of mechanical flax harvesting, enhance harvesting efficiency, and satisfy the marketable flax harvesting standards.

Traditional harvesters of tiger nuts (Cyperus esculentus) face problems including low harvesting efficiency, high loss rate, high impurity rate, and high labor intensity. To solve these problems and improve the harvesting efficiency and quality of tiger nuts, a crawler-type tiger-nut combine harvester that integrates digging, soil removal, picking, screening, and collection was designed. The machinery comprises crawler devices and working devices. The key devices were designed through theoretical analysis. Therein, the digging and hoisting devices consist of digger blades, combined soil-breaking blades, and vibrating hoisting chains. The tuber picking and screening device is composed of the tuber picking drum, double-deck heterodromous vibrating screens, impurity removal blowers, and soil-crushing guide rollers. The crawler devices include the track assemblies and the hydraulic driving systems. SolidWorks was used to establish the virtual prototype model. Combined with simulation using the discrete element software, the law of motion of tiger-nut tubers in the digging, elevation, and screening processes was studied, which verified the feasibility of the design. Finally, a prototype was manufactured and fabricated to conduct field harvesting tests on tiger nuts. Field test results indicate that the harvesting efficiency, harvest rate, and impurity rate of the tiger-nut harvester are separately 0.216 ha/h, 98.14%, and 3.24%, which meet the harvesting requirements for tiger-nut growers.

A combine harvester has been widely employed for harvesting paddy in Malaysia. However, it is one of the most challenging machines to operate when harvesting grain crops. Improper handling of a combine harvester can lead to a significant amount of grain loss. Any losses during the harvesting process would result in less income for the farmers. Grain loss sensing technology is automated, remote, and prospective. It can help reduce grain losses by increasing harvesting precision, reliability, and productivity. Monitoring and generating real-time sensor data can provide effective combine harvester performance and information that will aid in analyzing and optimizing the harvesting process. Thus, this paper presents an overview of the conventional methods of grain loss measurements, the factors that contribute to grain losses, and further reviews the development and operation of sensor components for monitoring grain loss during harvest. The potential and limitations of the present grain loss monitoring systems used in combine harvesting operations are also critically analyzed. Several strategies for the adoption of the technology in Malaysia are also highlighted. The use of this technology in future harvesting methods is promising as it could lead to an increase in production, yield, and self-sufficiency to meet the increasing demand for food globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate fault prediction is essential to ensure the safety and reliability of combine harvester operation. In this study, a combine harvester fault prediction method based on a combination of stacked denoising autoencoders (SDAE) and multi-classification support vector machines (SVM) is proposed to predict combine harvester faults by extracting operational features of key combine components. In general, SDAE contains autoencoders and uses a deep network architecture to learn complex non-linear input-output relationships in a hierarchical manner. Selected features are fed into the SDAE network, deep-level features of the input parameters are extracted by SDAE, and an SVM classifier is then added to its top layer to achieve combine harvester fault prediction. The experimental results show that the method can achieve accurate and efficient combine harvester fault prediction. In particular, the experiments used Gaussian noise with a distribution center of 0.05 to corrupt the test data samples obtained by random sampling of the whole population, and the results showed that the prediction accuracy of the method was 95.31%, which has better robustness and generalization ability compared to SVM (77.03%), BP (74.61%), and SAE (90.86%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel pneumatic recovery method was proposed to curb the problem of high losses caused by side-cutting in a rapeseed combine harvester header. The influence of recovery method and material status changes on the recovery effect was studied via the CFD-DEM (computational fluid dynamic- discrete element method) coupling simulation. The effect of airflow action on the recovery effect was compared and analyzed, and the composite pneumatic recovery method was determined. In addition, the influence of material status changes and material feeding rate on the recovery effect was explored, and the critical condition of material blockage in the recovery device was configured. As such, the relationship model between air velocity and recovery rate was constructed and the air distribution ratio of the flow field in the device under this condition was optimized, had verified the rationality of this pneumatic recovery method was verified by a series of field tests. The average rapeseed recovery rate of 92.95% was achieved with the application of the recovery device, and the total loss rate of the header reduced by 52.26%, which is of great significance in reducing the total loss rate of the combine harvesters and improving the operation performance of machinery. The research results can provide a reference for the design of the header structure of a rape combine harvester. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intelligent regulation and control strategies for rice and wheat combine harvesters' operation are lacking and the rule of parameter matching is fuzzy in China, around these issues. The dynamic correlation control law among the parameters of rice and wheat, cleaning operation parameters of combine harvesters, the cleaning loss rate and impurity rate, and so on are studied. The intelligent control model for the rice and wheat combine harvester is established based on case-based reasoning (CBR). According to different rice and wheat varieties, water content and other rice and wheat properties, the control scheme of cleaning fan speed, air distributor plate angle and upper sieve opening with low cleaning impurity rate and cleaning loss rate is provided. Through the development of web-based cleaning intelligent control expert system and experimental evaluation, the feasibility and effectiveness of the CBR method in the intelligent control filed of rice and wheat combine harvesters are verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of the intelligent combine harvesters, the whole-field automatic harvesting has become feasible and includes driving straight along the unharvested crop edge and steering in the crop headland. Detecting the unharvested crop edge and the end of the cultivation crop, is the foundation of whole-field automatic harvesting. A rapid and robust detection method for detecting the harvesting edge for multiple crops based on stereo vision was developed. In order to improve the processing speed and keep the crop harvesting edge within the target region, a dynamic ROI (region of interest) extraction algorithm based on HSV (hue, saturation, and value) space scanning was developed. A coordinate transformation method was applied to generate a crop elevation image, and the unharvested crop area was obtained by the Ostu algorithm. Simultaneous detection of unharvested crop edge and crop end edge was realised by the method based on the horizontal length feature of the unharvested area contour. This enabled automatic driving along the unharvested crop edge, and automatic steering into the next harvest path according to the crop end edge. Finally, field tests with crops of paddy, oil-seed rape, and maize crops were carried out to test the system performance, and the accuracy of the detection was found to be higher than 98% for paddy and rape, and higher than 94% for maize with an average processing speed of 49 ms frame−1. The experiments showed that the proposed method exhibited high accuracy and efficiency and was suitable for various complex field environments. • Real-time edge detection method was developed for automated steering of combine. • Both unharvested edge and headland edge could be generated for multiple crops. • Method had an accuracy >94% and high efficiency in complex conditions. • Detection method could serve as a reference for agricultural vehicles navigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a coordinated tracking controller for a tractor-trailer to keep a desired distance and heading angle relative to a combine harvester for the autonomous unloading of harvested crops in automatic agriculture operations. A coordinate transformation and the prescribed performance control (PPC) technique are employed to develop a second-order Euler-Lagrange formulation of the tracking errors. Then, a neural adaptive saturated velocity observer-based controller is proposed to force that the trailer center is exactly placed under the end point of the harvester unloading tube to collect cereal grains. By an effective application of the PPC technique and computing a safe motion boundary, controller non-singularity, collision avoidance and connectivity between two vehicles are preserved continuously. The model uncertainties including unknown vehicle parameters, variable trailer mass and moment of inertia during the crop collection, surface friction, climate and crop conditions and external disturbances are compensated by an effective combination of a neural network and an adaptive robust control law. Lyapunov’s direct method is employed to prove that the tracking errors are semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded and converge to a neighborhood of the origin with a pre-specified maximum overshoot, convergence rate and steady-state accuracy. Finally, comparative simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller for the crop harvesting operations in a practical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Threshing has been one of the most fundamental steps to separate the grains from the harvested crop. An adjustment device of threshing clearance can greatly contribute to matching the feeding amount and working parameters in a combine harvester, in order to reduce the damage or loss rate of clean grain in the field. Two parameters are often used to adjust the threshing clearance at present, including the diameter of the cylinder and the position of the concave. In terms of cylinder diameter, there is a relatively larger structure of the device to control the expansion and contraction of the threshing teeth, leading to high power consumption and production cost. Therefore, the vertical adjusting concave has been commonly used to adjust the position of the concave in the combine so far. However, the vertical concave body can normally move up and down to result in the limited threshing clearance at the bottom of the threshing cylinder in the device. In this study, a symmetrically adjustable concave screen was designed to adjust the threshing clearance at the bottom of the cylinder in both sides. Among them, a hinged shaft was welded between the concave body and the upper cover plate that was installed on the frame, and an electric cylinder was positioned on the screen body. Specifically, a mobile phone in Bluetooth mode was utilized to extend or contract the electric cylinder during operation, further to drive the concave body for the rotation around the articulated shaft, and finally to quickly adjust the threshing clearance at the bottom in both sides of the threshing cylinder. A circular curve function was also selected to calculate the cross-sectional area of threshing clearance for the two concaves in the rectangular coordinate system before and after adjusting the threshing clearance. After that, a comparison was made to determine the working performance of the new symmetrically adjustable concave and vertical one on threshing clearance. The results showed that the symmetrically adjustable concave body was realized to bilaterally adjust the threshing clearance at the bottom at both sides of the cylinder. The cross-sectional area of the threshing clearance also varied greater than that of the vertical one. The grain logistics density was directly proportional to the rubbing effect inside the grain logistics. Once the feeding amount decreased, the threshing clearance was reduced to improve the grain logistics density for the internal rubbing effect and the low rate of unthreshed grains. Once the feeding amount increased, the threshing clearance needed to increase for the low grain logistics density, where the internal rubbing effect and the breakage rate of grain were reduced to directly tailor the density of grain flow via the cross-sectional area of threshing clearance. Correspondingly, the performance of the symmetrically adjustable concave was better than that of the vertical one, according to the cross-sectional area of threshing clearance. A field experiment showed that an optimal combination of parameters was achieved, where the forward speed of 3.3 km/h, the cylinder speed ratio of 500:650, the threshing clearance of 19 mm in the threshing section, and 15mm in the separation section. The optimal performance was obtained in this case, where the breakage rate of grain was 2.69%, the rate of unthreshed grains was 0.57%, and the loss rate of separation grains was 0.13%, indicating the higher reduction by 0.46%, 0.71%, and 0.55%, respectively, compared with the vertical one. The indexes of the symmetrically adjustable concave were also better than before. The findings can provide a strong reference for the differential threshing and separation in the adaptive regulation system of soybean combine harvester. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A header profiling system can be used to stabilize the header height during the operation of a combine harvester. The harvesting efficiency can be improved to protect the header from damage by stones and other debris in fields. It is very necessary to enhance the control accuracy of header height via the design of the mechanical structure, rather than only the header profiling algorithm so far. Therefore, this study aims to improve the sensitivity of the header profiling mechanism response to the topography change in the field, and the accuracy of field terrain profiling. A main-sub-plate pressing profiling mechanism was proposed, which was composed of a main profiling plate, an auxiliary profiling plate, a spring, an angle sensor, and a four-link transmission mechanism. Firstly, the geometric and mechanical models were established to determine the key parameters. Next, a quadratic regression universal rotary combination test was designed to optimize the key design parameters of the profiling mechanism. Among them, the test indexes were taken as the supporting force of header to the auxiliary profiling plate, the supporting force of soil to the main profiling plate, and the soil subsidence distance, whereas, the test factors were the spring stiffness coefficient, the initial length of spring, the weight of auxiliary and main profiling plate. A particle swarm optimization was selected to determine the level range of each factor. A multi-body dynamics and discrete element method (MBD-DEM) coupling was utilized to implement the optimization test for the MBD-DEM models of the main-subplate pressing profiling mechanism. A mathematical regression model was then established between each factor and index. It was found that the stiffness coefficient and the initial length of spring were the main influencing factors in the three response indexes. At the same time, a multi-objective comprehensive optimization was performed on various factors. The optimization goal was to make the supporting force of the header to auxiliary profiling plate as large as possible, whereas, the supporting force of soil to main profiling plate and the soil subsidence distance as small as possible. An optimal parameter combination was achieved as follows: the spring stiffness coefficient was 464 N/m, the initial length of the spring was 0.09 m, the length values of auxiliary and main profiling plate were 484, and 450 mm, respectively. The width values of the main and auxiliary profiling plates were 200 mm, and the material was 301 stainless steel. The spring material was carbon spring steel wire, where the wire and outer diameters were 2, and 20 mm, respectively, and the number of effective coils was 45. The field experiment results showed that the supporting forces of the header to the auxiliary profiling plate were all greater than 0 in the three repeated tests, indicating that the profiling mechanism was always in a normal working state. The average values for the supporting force of soil to the main profiling plate were 85.23, 85.80, and 86.08 N, respectively, which were basically consistent with the predicted values of the regression model, indicating that the profiling mechanism was sensitive to terrain changes. The average values of soil subsidence distance were 5.4, 7.1, and 6.4 mm, respectively, which were less than 10 mm, indicating the high accuracy of field terrain profiling. Consequently, the field experimental data was better consistent with the predicted values of the optimization model, indicating the reasonable parameter design of the profiling mechanism. Anyway, the reliable main-subplate pressing profiling mechanism can fully meet the requirements of soybean harvesting. The finding can also provide a strong reference for the profiling system of header in the combine harvester. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lodging causes kernel and ear loss in mechanical harvesting of corn and threatens grain security. To address this issue, the mechanical bending properties and lifting forces of lodged corn stalks were explored in this study. The ears of lodged corn could be lifted to the normal harvesting height by applying an upward force to the stalks. Based on this conclusion, an auxiliary feeding device for lodged corn in a combine harvester was designed. An orthogonal optimization experiment was conducted to explore the effects of working parameters on the device performance. The results demonstrated that the sequence of the factors affecting kernel loss with the auxiliary feeding device was: harvesting direction, forward speed of the harvester, and rotating speed of the spiral stalk lifter. The optimal combination of harvester forward speed and rotating speed of the spiral stalk lifter was 0.5 m s-1 and 300 rpm, and the ratio of the peripheral speed to the speed of motion was 9.42. The optimal harvesting direction was opposite to the lodging direction of the stalks. This study provides a theoretical basis and design reference for low-loss harvesting of lodged corn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large wheat fields are cultivated in Iraq every year, especially in the Bazalan region. Although the grain production rate is high in Bazalan, the grain harvest loss is significant. Investigating wheat crop losses in different harvesting units is crucial to making decisions and improving working conditions. The current research was carried out to study the effect of the two popular brands of combine harvesters (New Holland TC56 and John Deere 1450 CWS) based on a relationship between the amount of loss from combine harvesters, reel indexes, and plant density. Three reel indexes (1, 1.5, and 2) and two plant densities (high-density and low-density sites) were considered. A randomised complete block split-plot design with three replications was carried out. The results showed positive superiority of the New Holland TC56 in the percentage of header losses, threshing losses, separation and cleaning losses, total harvest loss, and total loss with the highest performance efficiency of 97.725%; however, the harvester performance efficiency of the John Deere 1450 CWS remained within the acceptable loss limits. Finally, the best results were achieved with a 1.5-reel index level interacting with a high-density site; these results were statistically more significant than the differences between the New Holland TC56 and the John Deere 1450 CWS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the short harvest period after grain ripening, the heavy of harvest tasks, the complicated operation of the combined harvester and the high driver's labor intensity, it is difficult to maintain the consistency of high cutting rate and cutting width of combined harvester. Based on computer vision, the combined harvester navigation method is being used to realize real-time control of the cut width of the combine harvester. To improve the working quality and efficiency of the wheel grain combine harvest, visual navigation control system was built in this research, it was composed of industrial camera, rear wheel angle measurement device, electro-hydraulic steering valve set, control box and notebook computer, etc. The industrial camera was mounted on the light frame of the front left turn of the combine harvester to capture the image information of the front field view of the harvester. The rear wheel angle measurement device was installed on the steering wheel bridge of the harvester, and the change and position of the rear wheel angle were fed back in real time. The steering cylinder was directly driven bypass connection way outside the electro-hydraulic steering valve set to make the rear wheel of the harvester turning. The control box integrated data acquisition card, power supply module, power amplifier, etc., for steering wheel control and steering wheel angle information measurement. As the main controller of the system, the notebook computer run the visual navigation software for image processing and deviation correction control, realized the automatic navigation process control of the combined harvester. Combined with OpenCV, a target path detection algorithm was designed to identify the boundary of harvested and non harvested paddy fields. After preprocessing, secondary edge segmentation and line detection, the forward-looking target path of visual navigation operation of combine harvester was obtained, and field dynamic calibration was carried out according to the relative position information of forward-looking path to obtain the full range harvesting status of combine harvester. A visual navigation tracking control method based on the front viewpoints was proposed in this research, through rectifying control implemented to maintain full cutting length at the same time prevent the leakage cut of crops, with full cut deviation, the front viewpoints pixel deviation and real-time steering rear corner as visual navigation controller input. The output steering wheel voltage was controlled according to the rectifying strategy. The results of paddy field experiments showed that the navigation system could basically realize the reliable acquisition of the position and the stable implementation of the target linear path tracking control. Under the condition that the field illumination conforming to the normal operation of human eyes, the detection accuracies of the image processing algorithm were higher than 96.28%, and the detection times of a single frame were less than 50 ms. Under the conditions that the nominal cutting width of the harvester was 2.56 m, the average full cutting width rate of visual navigation was 94.16%. Compared with the boundary of the first row, the straightness accuracy of the second row was increased by 44.92%. The research could provide technical support for the combine harvester to automatically navigate the operation of full cutting width.

Faba bean is one of the food legumes crops to harvest dry and fresh seeds. The manual bean harvesting has posed a great challenge on the Faba bean production with the largest planting area at present, such as high labor intensity, labor shortage, low harvesting efficiency, and lacking special machines. Current combine harvesters or grain threshers cannot fully meet the requirements for faba bean harvesting and threshing. It is very necessary to deal with the mechanized harvesting of faba bean, such as impurities, large loss, and high rate of crushing. In this study, a 4DL-5A faba bean combine harvester was designed to integrate with the cutting, conveying, threshing, cleaning, and collection. The key components of combine harvester were first analyzed to determine the working parameters of the header, threshing, and cleaning device. Then a quadratic orthogonal rotation combination test was designed to process the data by a design expert, where the impurity, loss, and crushing rate were taken as the response indexes. A field test was carried out in the Nantong test base, Jiangsu Province of China from June 13 to 15, 2020. The weather was sunny and the temperature was 32 . The total area of ℃ the test base was 7 hm². The faba bean variety was taken as “tongcanxian No.6”, where the yield per hectare was 3 000-4 500 kg, the average plant height was 852.3 mm, the average minimum pod height was 60.8 mm, and the average weight of 100 seeds was 262.8 g. An analysis was also made to explore the effects of forwarding speed, drum speed, and fan speed on the response index of the combine harvester. A regression mathematical model was established for the impurity content, loss rate, and crushing rate. The response surface method was then selected to implement the multi-objective optimization of the regression model. The results demonstrated that an optimal combination of operation parameters was achieved as follows: the forward speed 0.57 m/s, drum speed 400.45 r/min, and the fan speed 1 265.16 r/min, where the impurity rate was 3.23%, the loss rate was 3.00%, and the crushing rate was 2.72%. A field experiment then verified that the impurity rate, loss rate, and crushing rate were 3.49%, 2.87%, and 2.83%, respectively. The relative errors with the optimized values were 8.05%, 4.33%, and 4.04%, respectively. The findings can provide a strong reference for the design and optimization of structure and operation parameters in a faba bean combine harvester. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the actual field speed of rice combine harvester and its influence on grain loss in mechanized rice harvesting in Malaysian paddy field. The study was carried out at rice granaries in Bagan Serai, Perak state of Malaysia during harvesting seasons. Actual field speed of rice combine harvester as daily practiced by the operator was recorded through field observation measurements. Besides that, its influence on grain loss in paddy field was also evaluated. The findings of the study found that the combine harvester field speeds in rice harvesting under Malaysian paddy field conditions ranged from 3.87 km/h to 6.11 km/h. While, the best field speed was noticed to be 3.87 km/h, which contributed only 0.67% grain loss or equal to MYR8.04/ha (USD 1.96/ha) of profit losses. The field speed also showed a linear relationship with grain loss. Conclusively, the results can encourage the improvement of mechanization quality in an effort to reduce rice farmer’s profit losses through minimizing grain loss in rice harvesting.

The combine harvester in Yogyakarta Province Special Region has a small size because it is used to harvest rice in a narrow area. The purpose of this study is to determine which parts of the mini combine harvester machine are not ergonomic and need to be improved so that the operator can work comfortably and safely. The types of mini combine harvester machines investigated in this study are QUICK H140R, TANIKAYA Ironbee HT12, and JAP001. Results showed that, for the three combine harvester machines, there was a mismatch in the physical size of the engine and the anthropometry of the operator. The main problems of the mini combine harvester machine are less ergonomic seat, inappropriate placement of the control table, hand activity in the maximum area, narrow workspace for leg movements, and less supportive footstep for the operator to work while standing. This information is expected to be utilized by Indonesian mini combine harvester machine designers so that the new design of combine harvester machines will be ergonomic, safe, and comfortable.

The article is devoted to an urgent problem – reducing grain losses during harvesting of lodged grains by the combing method. It provides a description of the design and the principle of operation of the developed copying crop lifter of the combing header, as well as the methodology and the results of laboratory and field studies to substantiate its rational structural and operational parameters. Laboratory and field studies were carried out on the fields of the OOO Russkoye Polye (LLC) of the Penza Region in accordance with GOST 28301 – 2007 «Combine harvesters. Test Methods» in the harvesting of winter wheat. The area of the plot was 12 hectares, the yield was 47 kg/ha, the lodging reached 64%, the ratio of grain mass to straw mass was 1:1.3. The harvesting unit was the Akros – 595 combine harvester with the ZhO – 7 «OZON» combing header equipped with copying crop lifters. Losses after the combing header were determined by the method of the frame superposition. As the results of laboratory and field studies show, the minimum grain losses (no more than 2.5%) when harvesting lodged grains is ensured when the length of the crop lifter L = 470...540 mm, the gas stop pressure P = 50...60 N and the unit operating speed Up = 1,2…2,0 m/s.

Purpose: to improve the methodology for choosing grain harvesters for a given cereal crops yield and optimal harvesting conditions. Materials and methods. The improvement of the methodology for choosing grain harvesters was based on the recommendations by V. E. Berdyshev, G. N. Erokhin, E. V. Zhalnin, S. G. Lomakin, G. G. Maslov, S. M. Penkin, V. F. Fedorenko, G. E. Chepurin and other scientists using the basic technical characteristics of modern combine harvesters and reapers for harvesting Severodonetsk Jubilee variety winter wheat in a number of farms in the north-west of Volgograd region. Results. It is proposed to select grain harvesters step by step. At the first stage it is recommended to calculate the actual cereal crops feeding to the combine thresher for threshing the crop, taking into account its straw content. The straw content of winter wheat varies from average by 20–24 %, with an increase in yield, the difference between the maximum and minimum values decreases. The next stage is to determine the loading efficiency of the thresher with the yield possible in the farm, using the most commonly used reapers, the average speed of the combine and the maximum straw content of the harvested crop. Calculations showed that harvesters of class II should be used with a grain yield of 1 t per ha and a constructive reaper width of 6 and 7 m, respectively class V should be used at 3 t and 6 m per ha, and IX class should be used at 5 t per ha and 6 m. High-performance combines of class IX, equipped with wide reapers (9.1 m), can be effectively used in the recommended speed mode (7.2 km/h) with optimal threshing load with a grain yield of 1–2 t per ha. Conclusions. The choice of combine harvesters is recommended using the passport thresher capacity by 90–100 %, taking into account the yield of the harvested grain crop and its maximum straw content.

At present, loss rate and grain damage are the most complicated problems for combine harvester. Besides, existing controllers that control threshing quality do not take into account environmental noise, data fluctuations, and other detection factors. In this paper, considering the interference of uncertain factors, a control strategy with low crashed rate and reduced loss rate using type-2 Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) is proposed. This control strategy takes threshing separation component as a research object and adopts combination of theory with experimental analysis. Firstly, basic data acquisition experiment of threshing system is designed. Secondly, a control strategy is established by adequately previous filled test data. In the process of control strategy design, Fuzzy Logic Toolbox evaluates the performance of type-2 FLC. Integral of Square Error (ISE) and Integral of the Absolute value of the Error (IAE) show a better performance of type-2 FLC than of type-1 FLC. At last, field experiments are designed to verify the effectiveness of type-2 control strategy. The field test shows that the maximum reduction of grain damage rate and loss rate can reach to 44.08 % and 29.6 %. Experiment results show that the type-2 FLC can significantly reduce loss rate, crashed rate, and improve threshing quality.

Agricultural machineries as one of the main inputs in producing agricultural materials are associated with some problems on occupational health such as vibrations. At the lowest level, vibrations cause different diseases such as those affecting blood vessels, nerves, muscles, etc. The aim of this study was to determine and investigate the seat vibrations in John Deere 1055I combine harvester at different conditions. The experiments were carried out based on ISO 2631 and the Iranian standard number 14133. The tests were done at different engine revolutions and gear ratios with three replications. The collected data were analyzed considering factorial experiments based on completely randomized design. The results of variance analysis related to the effect of the main factors on combine seat vibrations showed a significant difference at the probability level of 1%. Effect of engine revolutions on vibration of the combine seat was higher than that of shifting gears. By calculating the allowable exposure time, there was concluded that for the first and second gears at the engine revolution of 1800 rpm and the first gear at the revolution of 2500 rpm, operators can easily drive the combine harvester for eight hours every day without any problems. The results of this study can be used to optimize the components affecting the vibration of the combine seat.

The main purpose of this study is to determination of agricultural structure and mechanization features of agricultural enterprises in Karaman province. The main material of the study is statistical data of Turkish Statistical Institute (TSI) of 2009 – 2018 years for Karaman province. According to the data of Karaman province in 2009 and 2018, the average tractor power is 34.92 kW and 35.33 kW; the average tractor power per cultivated areas 2.45 kWha-1 and 1.93 kWha-1; the number of tractors per 1,000 ha is 52.27 and 40.76; the cultivated area per tractor is 19.13 ha and 24.54 ha, respectively. The number of equipment per tractor is 10.66 and 9.86, and the number of combine harvester per 1,000 ha is 0.47 and 0.55.

Harvesting crops, including cereals, is the most responsible and resource-consuming stage of crop production. Therefore, the solution of issues on improving the technology of harvesting grain crops is an urgent topic currently. The aim of the research presented in the article was to increase the efficiency of the technology of harvesting grain crops by increasing the main (operational) time of work of grain harvesting equipment without a fundamental change in its design and composition. The result of the research is an analytical, theoretical and practical substantiation of the effectiveness of the use of non-stop unloading of the combine harvester in vehicles in the technology of harvesting grain crops, which will allow, depending on the type and yield of the crop: – to increase the main operating time TО on average by 14-14.7%; – to ensure that the areas with an uneven distribution of crushed straw are excluded. In the future, non-stop unloading of the combine may be recommended for use during operation of driverless combines.

Wheat lodging provides important reference information for self-adaptive header control of a combine harvester. Aimed at real-time detection of wheat lodging, this paper proposed a detection method of wheat lodging location and area based on binocular vision. In this method, the angle relationship between the stem and vertical direction when wheat is upright, inclined, and lodging was determined by mechanical analysis. The discrimination condition of the wheat lodging degree was proposed based on the height of the visual point cloud on the surface of wheat crops. The binocular camera was used to obtain the image parallax of wheat within the harvesting region. The binocular camera optical axis parallel model was used to calculate the three-dimensional coordinate of wheat. Then, the height of the wheat stem was obtained by further analysis and calculation. According to the wheat stem height detected by vision, the location and area of wheat lodging within the combine harvester’s harvesting region were analyzed. A field experiment showed that the detection error of the wheat stem height was 5.5 cm and the algorithm speed was under 2000 milliseconds, which enabled the analysis and calculation of the wheat lodging location, contour, and area within the combine harvester’s harvesting region. This study provides key information for adaptive header control of combine harvesters.

Impurity rate is one of the key performance indicators of the rice combine harvester and is also the main basis for parameter regulation. At present, the tracked rice combine harvester impurity rates cannot be monitored in real time. Due to the lack of parameter regulation basis, the harvest working parameters are set according to the operator’s experience and not adjusted during the operation, which leads to the harvest quality fluctuating greatly in a complex environment. In this paper, an impurity-detection system, including a grain-sampling device and machine vision system, was developed. Sampling device structure and impurity extraction algorithm were studied to enhance the impurity identification accuracy. To reduce the effect of impurity occlusion on visual recognition, an infusion-type sampling device was designed. The sampling device light source form was determined based on the brightness histogram analysis of a captured image under different light irradiations. The effect of sampling device structures on impurity visualization, grain distribution, and mass flow rate was investigated by the discrete element method (DEM). The impurity recognition algorithm was proposed based on Mask R-CNN, which mainly includes an impurity feature extraction network, an ROI generation network, and a target segmentation network. The test set experiment showed that the precision rate, recall rate, average precision, and comprehensive evaluation indicator of the impurity recognition model were 92.49%, 88.63%, 81.47%, and 90.52%, respectively. The conversion between impurity pixel number and its actual mass was realized according to the pixel density calibration test and impurity rate correction factor. The bench test result showed that the designed system has a good detection accuracy of 91.15~97.26% for the five varieties. The result relative error was in a range of 5.71~11.72% between the impurity-detection system and manual method in field conditions. The impurity-detection system could be applied to tracked rice combine harvesters to provide a reference for the adjustment of operating parameters.