Grain cart with automated unloading assistance

A control assembly for an agricultural implement comprising a hopper container having a discharge opening at a bottom end of the hopper container, an unloading auger supported relative to the hopper container to receive material discharged from the hopper container through the discharge opening, a gate operatively associated with the discharge opening, and a gate actuator for operating the gate relative to the discharge opening between an open position enabling material to be discharged through the discharge opening and a closed position spanning the discharge opening to prevent material being discharged from the hopper container into the unload auger, and a drive assembly adapted to connect the unload auger to a power-take-off shaft of an auxiliary implement for driving rotation of the unload auger according to a rotation speed of the power-take-off shaft, the control assembly comprising:

• a speed sensor adapted to measure the rotation speed of the power-take-off shaft;
• a controller for operative communication with the speed sensor and the gate actuator;
• the controller including a memory storing a gate position criteria and programming instructions thereon and a processor for executing the programming instructions so as to be configured to:
• compare the measured rotation speed from the speed sensor to the gate position criteria;
• and
• generate a gate signal for the gate actuator to displace the gate to an intermediate position between the open and closed positions responsive to the measured rotation speed from the speed sensor meeting the gate position criteria.

A control assembly for an agricultural implement comprising a hopper container having a discharge opening at a bottom end of the hopper container, an unloading auger supported relative to the hopper container to receive material discharged from the hopper container through the discharge opening and dispense the material from the unloading auger into a receiving container, a gate operatively associated with the discharge opening, and a gate actuator for operating the gate relative to the discharge opening between an open position enabling material to be discharged through the discharge opening and a closed position spanning the discharge opening to prevent material being discharged from the hopper container into the unload auger, the control assembly comprising:

• a height sensor for being supported on the unloading auger so as to be adapted to measure a height of material discharged into the receiving container relative to the height sensor;
• a controller for operative communication with the height sensor and the gate actuator;
• the controller including a memory storing a height threshold and programming instructions thereon and a processor for executing the programming instructions so as to be configured to:
• compare the measured height of material from the height sensor to the height threshold;
• and
• generate a gate signal for the gate actuator to displace the gate at least partway towards the closed position responsive to the measured height of material from the height sensor meeting the height threshold.

A control assembly for an agricultural implement comprising a hopper container having a discharge opening at a bottom end of the hopper container, an unloading auger supported relative to the hopper container to receive material discharged from the hopper container through the discharge opening and dispense the material from the unloading auger into a receiving container of an auxiliary implement, a gate operatively associated with the discharge opening, and a gate actuator for operating the gate relative to the discharge opening between an open position enabling material to be discharged through the discharge opening and a closed position spanning the discharge opening to prevent material being discharged from the hopper container into the unload auger, the control assembly comprising:

• a height sensor for being supported on the unloading auger so as to be adapted to measure a height of material discharged into the receiving container relative to the height sensor;
• a controller for operative communication with the height sensor;
• the controller including a memory storing a height threshold and programming instructions thereon and a processor for executing the programming instructions so as to be configured to:
• compare the measured height of material from the height sensor to the height threshold;
• and
• generate an output signal when the measured height of material from the height sensor meets the height threshold.