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US 2013/0095899 A1Published application
Wind compensation of residue spread width
AssigneeCNH America LLC
InventorKevin Frederick KNAPP
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wind compensation system for residue spreading for an agricultural machine, such as a combine, and method for adjusting residue spreading based on wind speed and direction. Residue spreading is adjusted by a computing device in the combine which analyzes wind speed and direction input relative to combine motion of travel and adjusts one or more spreading devices in the combine to compensate for the wind to provide for even distribution of residue onto the ground. To compensate for wind, the computing device controls any one of spreader impeller rotation speed, spreader flow guide position, and/or spreader regulator position.
Claims20
A system for discharging residue from an agricultural combine to a ground surface to compensate for one or more wind characteristics comprising:
- a spreader operatively connected to a rear end of the agricultural combine, the spreader including:
- a housing having:
- an inlet for receiving a flow of residue, and
- an outlet configured about a lateral side of the housing for discharging the flow of residue, and
- one or more impellers operatively connected to the housing for rotating therein, wherein rotation of the one or more impellers discharges the flow of residue received through the inlet out through the outlet;
- a weather sensing device connected on or about the agricultural combine to sense one or more wind characteristics, wherein the one or more wind characteristics comprise at least one of wind speed and wind direction;
- a spreader setting unit connected to the spreader to transmit spreader setting information over a channel;
- a processor to receive the sensed one or more wind characteristics from the weather sensing device over the channel and receive the spreader setting information from the spreader setting unit, wherein the processor analyzes the wind characteristics and spreader setting information to transmit spreader adjustment commands;
- a data storage device connected to the processor by the channel for storing a look-up table of wind information entries comprising at least one of wind speed entries in a wind speed listing and wind direction entries in a wind direction listing, wherein each of the wind information entries are adjoined to a compensation spreader setting entry in a compensation spreader setting listing and wherein each of the one or more sensed wind characteristic received by the processor is matched by the processor to an approximately equal wind information entry in the look-up table and wherein the processor retrieves the compensation spreader setting entry adjoined to the matched wind information entry;
- a spreader controller connected to the processor by the channel to receive the spreader adjustment commands from the processor to adjust the spreader to optimize the discharge of the flow of residue to form an approximately even distribution of residue in a row on the ground surface while compensating for the one or more wind characteristics.
7 more elements
A method for discharging residue evenly from an agricultural combine to a ground surface in compensation wind characteristics comprising:
- sensing one or more of the wind characteristics comprising at least one of wind speed and wind direction at a weather sensing device connected on or about the agricultural combine;
- transmitting the one or more wind characteristics to a processor connected to the weather sensing device over a channel from the weather sensing device;
- matching the one or more wind characteristics to an approximately equal wind information entry comprising at least one wind speed entry and wind direction entry in a wind information listing in a look-up table stored in a data storage device, wherein the data storage device is connected to the processor by the channel;
- retrieving a compensation spreader setting entry adjoined to the wind information entry from the look-up table by the processor;
- commanding a spreader controller to apply adjustments to the spreader from the processor based on the compensation spreader setting entry retrieved from the data storage device by the processor, wherein the spreader controller is connected to the processor by the channel;
- adjusting the spreader to optimize the discharge of a flow of residue by the spreader controller, wherein the spreader controller is connected to the spreader.
- sensing spreader settings comprising at least one of current spreader settings and adjusted spreader settings at the spreader by a spreader setting unit connected to the spreader;
- transmitting the spreader settings to the processor from the spreader setting unit connected to the processor on the channel;
- analyzing the transmitted spreader settings at the processor;
- and
- modifying commands to the spreader controller based on the analyzed spreader settings;
- wherein the spreader is operatively connected to a rear end of the agricultural combine and wherein the spreader comprises:
- a housing having:
- an inlet for receiving the flow of residue, and
- an outlet configured about a lateral side of the housing for discharging the flow of residue,
- one or more impellers operatively connected to the housing for rotating therein, wherein rotation of the one or more impellers discharges the flow of residue received through the inlet out through the outlet.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.