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US 4,036,065 AGranted
Grain loss monitor
AssigneeSenstek Ltd.
InventorsWilliam P. Strelioff, William S. Elliott, Dale Johnson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSenstek Ltd.
InventorsWilliam P. Strelioff, William S. Elliott, Dale Johnson
Estimating the term…
A percentage of the grain lost is sampled constantly by sensors at locations across the rear of the sieve of a combine and the sound of the grain kernels striking the sensors is picked up by a microphone, amplified, filtered and fed to a ratio computing device which calculates the total grain loss from the sampling and displays same on a meter. A further sensor samples grain passing through the rear portion of a straw walker of a combine as this bears a direct relationship to the quantity of grain passing over the end of the walker. It can therefore be used to calculate the grain loss over the end of the walker. Once again the sound of the grain kernels striking the sensor is picked up by a microphone, amplified, filtered and fed to a ratio computing device which calculates the grain loss over the end of the walker and displays same on the meter. A switching device enables the total of the grain losses to be calculated from the two sensors by means of a summation device to which both sensor signals are connected. This switching device also enables the operator to weed out the grain loss over the sieve or the grain loss over the walker thus enabling him to determine where adjustments are required.
A grain loss monitor device for combines and the like which includes a sieve component and a straw walker assembly for separating threshed grain from straw, chaff and the like;
A method of measuring the grain loss by a combine or the like comprising the steps of constantly sampling a percentage of the grain passing over the rear end of the sieve component of the combine, electrically detecting the said percentage of grain in the form of pulses, calculating the total amount of grain passing over the rear end of the sieve from the percentage sample and displaying same in a read-out device, continually sampling a percentage of grain separated by the rear portion of the straw walker assembly of the combine, electrically detecting the said percentage of the grain in the form of pulses, calculating the total amount of grain separated by the rear portion of the straw walker from the said percentage sample and displaying same in a read-out device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.