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CA1045495A - Combine-harvester provided with sensing means - Google Patents

Combine-harvester provided with sensing means

Info

Publication number
CA1045495A
CA1045495A CA252,439A CA252439A CA1045495A CA 1045495 A CA1045495 A CA 1045495A CA 252439 A CA252439 A CA 252439A CA 1045495 A CA1045495 A CA 1045495A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
grain
rear end
sieves
straw
vehicle
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA252,439A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
James A. Brown
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
RDS (AGRICULTURAL) Ltd
Original Assignee
RDS (AGRICULTURAL) Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by RDS (AGRICULTURAL) Ltd filed Critical RDS (AGRICULTURAL) Ltd
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1045495A publication Critical patent/CA1045495A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01DHARVESTING; MOWING
    • A01D41/00Combines, i.e. harvesters or mowers combined with threshing devices
    • A01D41/12Details of combines
    • A01D41/127Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
    • A01D41/1271Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines for measuring crop flow
    • A01D41/1272Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines for measuring crop flow for measuring grain flow
    • A01D41/1273Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines for measuring crop flow for measuring grain flow for measuring grain loss

Landscapes

  • Threshing Machine Elements (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A combine-harvester is provided with three acoustic detectors which are connected to moistening and display means for inspection by the driver of the combine-harvester. The first detector is mounted at the rear end of the straw walkers and extends across the whole width of the straw walkers so as to detect grain loss from the straw walkers, the second detector is mounted at the rear end of the sieves and extends across the whole width of the sieves to detect grain loss from the sieves and the third detector is mounted in the air flow path between the straw discharge from the straw walkers and the chaff discharge from the sieves and extends substantially across the the air flow from the fans co-operating with sieves. By noting grain loss detected by the second and third detector rather than merely grain loss detected by the second detector conventionally disposed at the rear end of the straw walkers and to the rear of the sieves, between the chaff discharge from the sieves and the path of air from the fans co-operating with the sieves, it is possible to adjust the fan and set the sieves more accurately. It is therefore possible to drive the combine-harvester at the maximum speed compatible with efficient harvesting.

Description

The invention relates to a combine-harvester whic~ :
is provided with sensing means ~or monitoring the effectiveness o~ harvesting operations so that the speed oi the combine-harvester can be maintained at or near its optimum value.
In the operation of a combine-harvester, as it ~oves along a iield o~ cereal grain-bearing plants, cut plants are fed to a threshing d~um where straw is separated ~rom chafi and grain. The straw is passed to straw walkers which convey it to the rear of the combine-harvester where it is allowed to iall back onto the iield and the chaif and grain are passed over grain sieves through which air is passed irom a ~an to blow the chaif irom the grain. The grain is thus enabled to pass through the sieves and the chaif which is not carried away by the stream oi air irom the ian is allowed to discharge over the rear end oi the sieves.
In ~eneral, if the sieves and the fan of a combine-harvester are adjusted so that grain losses over the rear end oi the seives and grain losses in the air stream rrom the fan are reduced to acceptable ievels, then over the range o~ normal driving speeds o~ a com~ine-harvester, the amount of grain fed to the straw walkers and subsequently discharged with the straw ialls within acceptable limits. ~Iowever, as soon as the speed oi the combine-harvester rises above a critical value at which the threshing drum becomes over-loaded the grain losses from this source increase at a substantial and unacceptable rate as a result oi imper~ect operation
- 2 -, 1~5495 of the over-loaded threshing drum.
In a combine-harvester provided with sensing mealls Dor ~onitoring the effectivensss of harvestin~
operations, sensors are used to measure the incidence of grain in the straw and chaff discharged from the combine-harvester. Thus, in a conventiona] form of this apparatus, two acoustic sensors are respectively mounted at the rear end of the straw walkers and at a position, for example: the mid-position, between the ; 10 ~ rear end of tne graln sieves, and the~co~r~ of the stream air used to blow the chaff ~rom the grain. -To obtain optimum results, the combine-harvester is driven at normal harvesting speed through a field of grain-bearing plants and the sieves and the fan are / ~s O e c f ~o ~t adjustea untll, onqina~pctio~ of the straw discharged from the rear of the combine-harvester, it is clear ' ~-that grain losses have been reduced to an acceptable ! -level. The indication provided by the sensor disposed to the rear of the sieves under these conditions may then be used as a first datum value against which subsequent indications provided by this sensor can be compared so as to indicate malfunction of the sieves or maladjustment of thc sieves or the fan. The speed of the combine-harvester is then progressively increased until the sensor mounted at the rear end of the straw walkers indicates an excessive rate of increase in grain loss. Thus, by noting the indications given by the sensor at the rear end of the straw walkers, at the different speeds of operation, it is possible to note
3~ a second datum value correspondin~ to the highest speed -at ~Yhich the co~bine~harvester can travel without causlng excessive grain loss from the straw wallcers as a result o~ over-loading of the threshillg drum Theoretlcally, once this second datum value has been noted, for op~ration in a particular field on a particular dny under particular climatic conditions, the speed of the combine-harvester can be maintained as high as possible by ensuring that the speed is only reduced when the sen~or at the rear oi the straw walkers gives an indication in excess of the second datum value.
!~ Unfortunately, visual assessments oi grain loss, ., .
i; by inspecting the straw discharged at the rear Or the ~- combine-harvester, are notoriously unreliable and so it is dif~icult to make the preliminary adjustment of the ~` sieves and the fan necessary to obtain optimum harvesting results. Moreover, it has been iound that the sensor disposea to the rear o~ the sieves cannot be used ~- very effectively to assist in this preliminary adjustment. -; Thus, when the fan is improperly set to provide too high an air ilow through the sieves, the detector to the rear o~ the sie~es may give an indication consistent with a low incidence of grain entrained with the chaff ; bein~ discharged from the rear end of the sieves, whereas - an excessive amount of grain, entrained in the un-necessarily high flow of air ~rom the fali, is blown from the rear of the combine-harvester. Equally, i~
the ian is improperly set to provide too low an air flow through the sieves, the detector disposed to the rear oi the sieves may give an indication consistent with a low incidence o~ grain even thou~h the sieves are " ' ' '' : ' ' ' ' ' . , . : - ' ' improperly set and excessive grain is being carried over the rear end of the sieves.
It is therefore an object of the present inVention to provide a combine-harvester having grain-discharge detector means which facilitate adjustment of the grain sieves and the fan so as to enable the optimum settings to be more readily ascertained.
According to the invention, there is provided a com-bine-harvester comprising, a vehicle having a driver's cabin and front and rear ends for receiving cut grain crop and dis-i charging straw, respectively, cutting means disposed at the ,~ front end of the vehicle for cutting grain crop, a threshing drum for separating grain from straw, conveyor means for feeding cut grain crop from the cutting means to the threshing drum, 1 straw walkers extending upwardly from the threshing drum - towards the rear end of the vehicle and having a rear end from which straw from the threshing drum is discharged under gravity, adjustable sieve means, for separating chaff from grain, extend-ing towards the rear end of the vehicle and having a forward end disposed below the level of the threshing drum, for receiving grain from the threshing drum, and a rear end over which chaff separated from the grain received from the threshing drum is discharged under gravity, a hood mounted on the rear end of the vehicle and co-operating with the straw walkers and the sieves to define an air flow path, an adjustable output fan for providing an air flow which passes through the sieVe means, to facilitate the separation of chaff from grain on the sieve means, and along the flow path to the rear end of the vehicle, two grain-discharge detectors respectively mounted below the rear end of the straw walkers and the rear end of the sieve means to detect grains in the straw and chaff discharged at the rear end of the vehicle, an additional grain-discharge ~ .
B

1~;)45~95 detector mounted in the air flow path at the rear end of the vehicle to detect grains entrained in the air flow from the fan, and metering and display means mounted in the driyer~s cabin and connected to the two grain-discharge detectors and to the additional grain-discharge detector, Thus, with the combine-harvester provided with three or more grain-discharge detectors, in accordance with the invention, it is possible to connect the sensors to a metering and display unit disposed in front of the driver so that the driver can see the effect, in terms of grain loss, of any adjustment to the setting of the sieves or of the fan. Con-sequently, apart from the more precise indication of the source of any increase in grain loss which may occur during harvesting, the chief advantage of the present invention over other existing systems is that the use of three or more sensors, in the positions specified, enables the sensors .~
.

~ 20 .j I

~q ' , 5a -:' ': ' '. ~. ':
., - ~ ' ~

- lV4~495 to be used to obtain o~timum settings of the sieves and the fan at th~ c~mmellcement of harvesting.

An embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanyin~ drawing, which is a schematic side elevation of a combine-har~ester fitted with three acoustic, grain-d1scharge detectors.

As shown in the drawing, cutting means 10 are provided at the front end of the machine and conveyor mear.s 11 disposed within the support frame 12 of the cutting means 10 ~eed cut plants to a threshing drum 13 where straw is separated from grain and chaff and - delivered to straw walkers 14 which carry the straw towards the rear oi the machine while disturbing the straw so as to shake loose and dislod~e any graln which has been fed on to the straw walkers.
- Grain and chaff ~hich is separated from the straw by the threshing drum 13 1s fed to adjustable sieves c 15 and air irom a fan 16 is blown through the sieves 15 and separates the chaff from the grain so that the grain is able to pass through the sieves 15 while the - chaff is collected on the sleves 15 so as to flow over the rear end of the sieves 15.
; The three acoustic detectors 17, 18 and 19 are mounted inside or adjacent a hood 20 enclosing the rear endY of the straw walkers 1~ and the sieves 15 of the dischar6e end of the combine-harvester so that two detec-tors 17 and 18 are disposed adjacent the rear ends of the 1~4549S
straw walkers 14 and the sieves 15 and extend across substantially the whole width of the straw walkers and the sieves in the paths of the straw and cha~f while the third detector 19, which extends across substantially the entire width of the hood 20, is disposed in the path of the air ~rom the fan 16, between the path of the stra~ and the path of the chaff discharged from the rear end of the sieves. Electrical leads (not shown) connect the three detectors 17, 18 and 19 to a metering and display unit 21-positioned in~front Or the driver'sca~in 22.
By adjusting the metering and display unit 21 so that it provides readings from the three detectors 17, 18 and 19, in turn, it is possible to adjust the fan ~ and the sieves 15, so that the metering and display unit 21 provides an indication of the effect of these adjustments in addition to showing how the speed of the combine-harvester varies from the optimum speed.

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Claims (2)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS;
1. A combine-harvester comprising, a vehicle having a driver's cabin and front and rear ends for receiving cut grain crop and discharging straw, respectively, cutting means disposed at the front end of the vehicle for cutting grain crop, a threshing drum for separating grain from straw, conveyor means for feeding cut grain crop from the cutting means to the threshing drum, straw walkers extending upwardly from the threshing drum towards the rear end of the vehicle and having a rear end from which straw from the threshing drum is discharged under gravity, adjustable sieve means, for separating chaff from grain, extending towards the rear end of the vehicle and having a forward end disposed below the level of the threshing drum, for receiving grain from the threshing drum, and a rear end over which chaff separated from the grain received from the threshing drum is discharged under gravity, a hood mounted on the rear end of the vehicle and co-operating with the straw walkers and the sieves to define an air flow path, an adjustable output fan for providing an air flow which passes through the sieve means, to facilitate the separation of chaff from grain on the sieve means, and along the flow path to the rear end of the vehicle, two grain-discharge detectors respectively mounted below the rear end of the straw walkers and the rear end of the sieve means to detect grains in the straw and chaff discharged at the rear end of the vehicle, an additional grain-discharge detector mounted in the air flow path at the rear end of the vehicle to detect grains entrained in the air flow from the fan, and metering and display means mounted in the driver's cabin and connected to the two grain-discharge detectors and to the additional grain-discharge detector.
2. A combine-harvester, according to Claim 1, in which said additional grain-discharge detector comprises an elongate acoustic sensor which extends across the whole width of the air flow path.
CA252,439A 1975-08-18 1976-05-13 Combine-harvester provided with sensing means Expired CA1045495A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB3427775A GB1468477A (en) 1975-08-18 1975-08-18 Comine-harvester provided with grain sensing means

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1045495A true CA1045495A (en) 1979-01-02

Family

ID=10363624

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA252,439A Expired CA1045495A (en) 1975-08-18 1976-05-13 Combine-harvester provided with sensing means

Country Status (3)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1045495A (en)
DE (1) DE2635846A1 (en)
GB (1) GB1468477A (en)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA1146661A (en) * 1977-08-17 1983-05-17 Kym W. Eldredge Grain loss indicator having a sensor member secured to a shaken with a sieve frame
US4230130A (en) * 1979-02-05 1980-10-28 International Harvester Company Combine grain loss sensing
YU44433B (en) * 1983-02-25 1990-08-31 Franc Kamenik Improved monitor for indication of cereals grains dissipation on combines
GB0604860D0 (en) * 2006-03-10 2006-04-19 Cnh Belgium Nv Improvements in or relating to material stream sensors
BE1022414B1 (en) * 2014-10-14 2016-03-24 Cnh Industrial Belgium Nv SENSOR SET-UP FOR MOWING DISHER FOR DETECTING CLEAN GRAIN LOSS
CN109247133A (en) * 2018-08-24 2019-01-22 合肥集民科技有限公司 High efficiency grain thresing machine
CN109533492B (en) * 2019-01-07 2024-01-12 桂林电子科技大学 Intelligent grain bagging device and method based on binocular vision

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1468477A (en) 1977-03-30
DE2635846A1 (en) 1977-03-03

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