Grain cleaning system and method of controlling such
AssigneeAGCO International GmbH
InventorsDan Hermann, Morten Leth Bilde
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A grain cleaning system for a combine harvester having a transmitter adapted to transmit a base signal at a known frequency and one or more spaced receivers for detecting signals of a different frequency as reflected from airborne grain and other materials within the duct of the grain cleaning system. An Electronic Control Unit modulates the base signal and the reflected signals to obtain Doppler signals or frequencies from which an average particle velocity is determined. The particle velocity is used as an input parameter for the generation of control signals for the adjustment of various working units of the combine harvester including, by way of example, the fan and sieves.
Claims20
A grain cleaning system comprising:
- a screening apparatus having a duct and a sieve disposed in the duct;
- a fan arranged to generate a cleaning airstream through the duct;
- an ultrasonic sensing device comprising:
- a transmitter configured to transmit a base signal through the cleaning airstream;
- and
- a receiver spaced from the transmitter and configured to receive and transduce a modified signal that comprises a modified portion of the base signal and;
- an electronic control unit (ECU) that is in communication with the sensing device, wherein the ECU is configured to generate control signals based upon a phase shift value which is determined from a parameter of the base signal and a parameter of the modified signal,
- wherein the receiver is configured to transduce a signal reflected off of airborne particles in the cleaning airstream, and wherein the ECU is configured to generate a value for the particle velocity from a Doppler frequency which is determined from a frequency of the base signal and a frequency of the reflected signal.
A method of controlling a combine harvester having a plurality of working units including a grain cleaning system, the method comprising:
- transmitting an ultrasonic base signal through a cleaning airstream which passes through the grain cleaning system;
- receiving and transducing a modified signal comprising a modified portion of the base signal;
- determining a phase shift value from a parameter of the base signal and a parameter of the modified signal;
- generating a control signal based upon the phase shift value;
- and
- controlling a work setting of at least one of the working units based upon the control signal;
- transducing a signal reflected off of airborne particles in the cleaning airstream;
- and
- generating a value for the particle velocity from a Doppler frequency which is determined from a frequency of the base signal and a frequency of the reflected signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.