Combine with a bypass device
AssigneeCLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
InventorsFrédéric Fischer, Tim Lütke Harmann, Bastian Bormann, Johann Witte, Jonas Brandmeier, Richard Geary
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Abstract
A self-propelled combine for collecting and handling harvested material and a method for cleaning and/or referencing an optical measuring device of the self-propelled combine are disclosed. The self-propelled combine has a bypass device with an optical measuring device for determining harvested material properties of the partial flow of harvested material.
Claims19
A self-propelled combine configured to collect and process harvested material, the combine comprising:
- a grain elevator configured to convey a flow of harvested material from a conveying and cleaning device of the combine to a grain tank of the combine;
- a bypass device positioned at or relative to the grain elevator and comprising a screw conveyor configured to guide a partial flow of the harvested material that comprises at least a part of the flow of harvested material conveyed through the grain elevator;
- wherein the bypass device includes an optical measuring device configured to determine one or more harvested material properties of the partial flow of harvested material;
- wherein the optical measuring device includes a tube through which the partial flow is guided in order to determine the one or more harvested material properties of the partial flow of harvested material;
- and
- wherein the bypass device includes a cylinder device with a movable piston rod that is configured to clean the tube of the optical measuring device in order to remove at least some of the harvested material within the tube.
A method for performing one or both of cleaning or referencing an optical measuring device of a self-propelled combine, the method comprising:
- operating the combine, the combine:
- comprising a grain elevator configured to convey a flow of harvested material from a conveying and cleaning device of the combine to a grain tank of the combine;
- and
- a bypass device positioned at or relative to the grain elevator and comprising a screw conveyor configured to guide a partial flow of the harvested material that comprises at least a part of the flow of harvested material conveyed through the grain elevator, wherein the bypass device includes the optical measuring device configured to determine one or more harvested material properties of the partial flow of harvested material, wherein the optical measuring device includes a tube through which the partial flow is guided in order to determine the one or more harvested material properties of the partial flow of harvested material, and wherein the bypass device includes a cylinder device with a movable piston rod that is configured to clean the tube of the optical measuring device in order to remove at least some of the harvested material within the tube;
- determining, by the optical measuring device, whether to perform one or both of cleaning or referencing;
- and
- transmitting, by the optical measuring device, one or both of a cleaning signal or a referencing signal to at least a part of the combine responsive to determining to perform the one or both of cleaning or references;
- and
- responsive to detecting, by the at least a part of the combine, the one or both of the cleaning signal or the referencing signal, performing one or both of:
- cleaning of the optical measuring device using the bypass device by moving the movable piston rod in order to remove at least some of the harvested material within the tube;
- or
- configuring at least a part of the combine in order to prevent inflow of the partial flow of harvested material into the optical measuring device and performing, at least partly while the inflow of the partial flow of the harvested material is prevented, at least one operation to reference the optical measuring device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.