10 / FORAGE HARVEST PROTECTION

Forage harvester radar protection sensors

We are developing a radar system intended to warn the operator about objects in maize ahead of the header, before they are cut. Our primary trial targets are 16/20 mm rods and bolts or nuts from M12 upwards, including non-magnetic stainless steel and objects attached to standing stalks. Detection in maize remains to be demonstrated.

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OPERATING CONCEPT

Concept diagram, not footage of a working prototype. A 1–2 m observation depth is a trial target.

Radar ahead of the header. Time to react before cutting.

The proposal uses several radars viewing standing maize from different angles ahead of a rotary header. Trials will investigate whether they can indicate a hazard 1–2 m before the header, while a rod or bolt attached to a stalk is still in the crop. Range and reliability remain unverified.

01 / RADAR ZONE AHEAD OF THE HEADER

The sensors are intended to observe standing plants from several directions. An item may be fixed halfway up a stalk. Trial priorities are 16/20 mm steel rods and M12+ hardware; radar echo alone does not establish whether an item is magnetic or metallic.

02 / ALERT AND EVENT RECORD

When an object enters the configured risk zone, the system is intended to alert the terminal and save the event position and parameters for further analysis.

Development status: we are comparing the TI IWR6843ISK 60 GHz evaluation module with the OPS243-C 24 GHz FMCW sensor. We do not specify a minimum detectable object or performance before trials in maize at the intended mounting geometry and working speed.

PROTOTYPE VISUALISATIONS

The proposed system in a maize field.

Computer-generated concept visuals. They illustrate the proposed mounting and a hazard scenario; they do not document a working device or proven detection performance.

Aerial concept visualisation of a forage harvester and three radar observation zones directed into standing maize — **How the system looks into the crop**An aerial view illustrates the proposed overlapping observation zones of three sensors ahead of the header.

Concept visualisation of a self-propelled forage harvester with a rotary maize header and three sensors — **Harvester and maize header**A rotary maize header with three concept sensor positions ahead of the cutting area.

Concept visualisation of a metal bolt and nut attached to a standing maize stalk — **Hazard on a standing stalk**A bolt attached halfway up a maize stalk before it reaches the header.

Concept visualisation of three sensor housings above a rotary forage-harvester header — **Several viewing angles**Three observation points above a rotary header. Their positions and angles require trials on a specific machine.

From signal to operator response.

STEP 01 / MACHINE REVIEW
We establish header geometry, observation direction, mounting locations, operating speeds and available signals on the harvester.
STEP 02 / DETECTION VALIDATION
We record data for reference objects hidden in maize at the intended mounting point. Only then can operating limits be defined for the object, conditions and speed.
STEP 03 / ALARM AND PROTECTION
The first stage is a terminal alert and an event record. Automatic stopping or drive disconnection requires a separate safety-circuit design, risk assessment and validation for the individual machine.

BEFORE WE TALK

Questions and answers

Will the radar detect every small object hidden in maize?

That cannot be promised without testing. Results depend on object size, shape and material, position, crop moisture, mounting geometry and operating speed. Performance will be established through trials with reference objects in realistic operating conditions.

Will the radar detect non-magnetic stainless steel?

Radar does not work like a magnet: it reacts to an object’s radar echo. Non-magnetic stainless steel can return such an echo, but detection of a specific item has to be proven by trials in maize. The system does not classify an object solely by whether it is metal.

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KontaktContact

New Technology Farm
Marek JarczewskiNew Technology Farm
Marek Jarczewski

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