Closed loop control of tailings processor aggressiveness

An agricultural harvester, comprising:

• a threshing and separating system;
• a tailings auger;
• a return auger;
• and
• a tailings processor, the tailings processor including:
• a threshing device for re-threshing tailings, the threshing device being configured for receiving the tailings from the tailings auger and for providing the re-threshed tailings to the return auger;
• an arrangement to automatically adjust the aggressiveness of the tailings processor to achieve a desired level of broken grain and/or unthreshed grain, the desired level being selected by a user of the agricultural harvester;
• and
• a system for controlling the aggressiveness of the tailings processor, the system comprising:
• at least one imaging device oriented to image a grain sample, at least a portion of the grain sample having passed through the tailings processor at least once;
• and
• a controller connected to the at least one imaging device and to the arrangement, the controller or the at least one imaging device determining from the image a level of broken grain and/or unthreshed grain, the controller configured to automatically adjust the aggressiveness of the tailings processor using the arrangement, based on the level of broken grain and/or unthreshed grain determined from the image from the at least one imaging device by comparing the level of broken grain and/or unthreshed grain to the desired level.

A method of processing tailings in an agricultural harvester having a threshing and separating system, a threshing device, a grain cleaning system, a tailings auger and a return auger, a clean grain auger, a grain elevator having an outlet, and a grain tank, the method of processing tailings comprising the steps of:

• receiving the tailings from the tailings auger;
• re-threshing the tailings in a tailings processor;
• providing re-threshed tailings to the return auger;
• and
• adjusting the aggressiveness of the tailings processor to achieve a desired level of broken grain and/or unthreshed grain, the desired level being selected by a user of the agricultural harvester, the adjusting being carried out by a system for controlling the aggressiveness of the tailings processor, the system carrying out the steps of:
• imaging a grain sample with at least one imaging device, at least a portion of the grain sample having passed through the tailings processor at least once;
• determining from an image taken in the imaging step a level of broken grain and/or unthreshed grain;
• and
• automatically adjusting the aggressiveness of the tailings processor based on the level of broken grain and/or unthreshed grain determined from the image from the at least one imaging device by comparing the level of broken grain and/or unthreshed grain to the desired level.