US 12,203,479 B2 · System and method for monitoring an extractor fan of an agricultural harvester

Abstract

A system for monitoring an extractor fan of an agricultural harvester includes an extractor fan having a shaft configured to be coupled to a rotational drive source for rotationally driving the shaft, a fan hub coupled to a lower shaft end of the shaft such that rotation of the shaft rotationally drives the fan hub about a fan hub axis, with the fan hub extending between an upstream side and a downstream side along the fan hub axis, and fan blades coupled to and extending radially outwardly from the fan hub. The system further includes a sensor that generates data indicative of acceleration of the extractor fan. Additionally, the system includes a computing system that determines an acceleration of the extractor fan based at least in part on the data, and determines whether the extractor is imbalanced based at least in part on the acceleration of the extractor fan.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for monitoring an extractor fan of an agricultural harvester, the system comprising:

an extractor fan comprising:
a shaft extending along a rotational axis between an upper shaft end and a lower shaft end, the upper shaft end configured to be coupled to a rotational drive source for rotationally driving the shaft about the rotational axis;
a fan hub coupled to the lower shaft end of the shaft such that rotation of the shaft rotationally drives the fan hub about a fan hub axis, the fan hub extending between an upstream side and a downstream side along the fan hub axis;
and
a plurality of fan blades coupled to and extending radially outwardly from the fan hub;
a sensor configured to generate data indicative of acceleration of the extractor fan;
and
a computing system communicatively coupled to the sensor, the computing system being configured to:
receive the data generated by the sensor;
determine an acceleration of the extractor fan based at least in part on the data;
and
determine whether the extractor fan is imbalanced based at least in part on the acceleration of the extractor fan.

9 more elements

A method for monitoring an extractor fan of an agricultural harvester, the extractor fan including a shaft coupled between a rotational drive source and a fan hub such that rotation of the shaft by the rotational drive source rotationally drives the fan hub about a fan hub axis, the fan hub extending between an upstream side and a downstream side along the fan hub axis, the extractor fan additionally including a plurality of fan blades coupled to and extending radially outwardly from the fan hub, the method comprising:

controlling the rotational drive source to rotationally drive the fan hub;
receiving, with a computing system, data generated by a sensor, the data being indicative of acceleration of the extractor fan;
determining, with the computing system, an acceleration of the extractor fan based at least in part on the data;
and
determining, with the computing system, whether the extractor fan is imbalanced based at least in part on the acceleration of the extractor fan.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and method for monitoring an extractor fan of an agricultural harvester

Life of this patent

System and method for monitoring an extractor fan of an agricultural harvester

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20