Crop transfer device and corresponding method

1. A crop transfer device for transferring crop to a receptacle, the device comprising:

a conveyor for transferring the crop, the conveyor defining a conveyor plane (CP), the conveyor having a conveyor outlet defining an outlet direction (OD) which is the direction of the crop falling from the conveyor at the conveyor outlet;

a scanning device adapted to scan the surface of crop situated below the conveyor outlet; and

a mounting device by which the scanning device is mounted to the conveyor with a translational mobility of the scanning device with respect to the conveyor along a path.

2. The crop transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting device comprises a mounting arm rotationally linked to the conveyor around a mounting axis of rotation (x-x), and wherein the scanning device is attached to the mounting arm at a distance to the mounting axis of rotation.

3. The crop transfer device according to claim 2 , wherein the scanning device is attached to the mounting arm at a distance to the mounting axis of rotation so that the path has an arc shape.

4. The crop transfer device according to claim 2 , wherein the mounting device comprises drive means for driving the scanning device along the path and wherein the drive device comprises a linkage translating a unidirectional rotary motion of around more than 360° into an oscillating translation of the scanning device along the path.

5. The crop transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the scanning device is arranged above the conveyor plane with respect to the outlet direction.

6. The crop transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyor comprises an outlet wall, and wherein the path of the scanning device is situated outside of the outlet wall, which is a side of the wall opposite the conveyor outlet.

7. The crop transfer device according to claim 6 , wherein the outlet wall extends perpendicular to the conveyor plane.

8. The crop transfer device according to claim 6 , wherein, the path is situated completely on the outside of the outlet wall.

9. The crop transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the scanning device comprises a scan head adapted to scan in a scan plane (SP).

10. The crop transfer device according to claim 9 , wherein the scan head comprises a 2D-Laserscanner.

11. The crop transfer device according to claim 9 , wherein the scan head is a rotational scan head having a rotational mobility around a scan axis (A-A).

12. The crop transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting device comprises drive means for driving the scanning device along the path.

13. The crop transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the crop transfer device comprises control means adapted to generate a three-dimensional model of the crop heap surface and the receptacle based on the information generated by the scanning device.

14. The crop transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the crop transfer device comprises control means adapted to generate a three-dimensional model of the crop heap surface or the receptacle based on the information generated by the scanning device.

15. The crop transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the crop transfer device is a device for transferring root crop.

16. A method of transferring crop into a receptacle using a crop transfer device according to claim 1 , the method comprising:

conveying crop via the conveyor;

discharging the conveyed crop through the conveyor outlet;

scanning the surface of a heap in the receptacle created by the discharged crop and/or the receptacle by the scanning device; and

moving the conveyor with respect to the receptacle as a function of the information generated by the scanning device.

17. The crop transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyor plane (CP) is coplanar with an upperside of a conveyor belt.

18. The crop transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting axis of rotation (x-x) is perpendicular to the conveyor plane (CP).