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US 4,599,809 AGranted
Grain dryer system
AssigneeShivvers, Inc.
InventorDonald H. Parkes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A computer controlled grain dryer system includes a grain drying bin, a solenoid valved burner, a blower, and an arrangement of grain unloading augers. An air temperature sensor for the drying airflow provides a temperature signal. A grain moisture sampling system receives a grain sample from the grain unloaders and conveys the sample to a capacitive sample cell. A grain moisture meter senses grain moisture content as a function of the dielectric constant of the sample in the cell. A digital computer is interfaced with the temperature sensors, the moisture meter, the burner valves, the blower, and the auger motors and is programmed to automatically control the grain sampling and the drying process according to a set temperature limit and moisture content for the particular grain to be processed.
Claims30
A method of drying grain comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a grain drying apparatus including grain dryer chamber means for holding grain, grain conveyor means to urge grain into and out of said chamber means, a heater unit to communicate heated air to said chamber means to dry said grain, grain moisture meter means for measuring the moisture content of said grain, and dryer control means having said grain conveyor means, said heater unit, and said moisture meter means interconnected thereto;
- (b) conveying grain into said chamber means;
- (c) communicating heated air to said chamber means to dry said grain;
- (d) periodically directly measuring the moisture content of said grain from a drying zone near whereat said heated air first communicate with said grain such that the mositure content of the grain from near the inlet of the heated air is measured and generating a grain moisture signal representative of the moisture content of said grain by said moisture meter means;
- (e) communicating said grain moisture signal to said control means;
- and
- (f) controlling the operation of said heater unit by said dryer control means in response to the moisture content represented by said grain moisutre signal and controlling the operation of said conveyor means to withdraw grain from said drying zone in response to said grain moisture content being near a preselected level.
4 more elements
In a method of drying grain in a grain dryer apparatus including grain dryer chamber means for holding grain, grain conveyor means to urge grain into and out of said chamber means, a heater unit to communicate heated air to said chamber means to dry said grain, grain moisture meter means for measuring moisture content of said grain, and dryer control means having said grain conveyor means, said heater unit, and said moisture meter means interconnected thereto;
- said method including conveying grain into said chamber means and communicating heated air thereto to dry said grain;
- the improvement comprising the steps of:
- (a) periodically measuring, by said grain moisture meter means, the moisture content of the grain in close proximity to the location whereat the heated air first communicate with the grain;
- (b) generating a grain moisture signal representative of the moisture content of said grain in close proximity to the location whereat the heated air first communicates with the grain by said moisture meter means;
- (c) communicating said grain moisture signal to said control means;
- and
- (d) controlling the operation of said grain conveyor means by said control means in response to the moisture content represented by said grain moisture signal such that grain dried near a preselected moisture content is conveyed away from said location whereat the heated air first communicates with the grain.
4 more elements
In a method for drying a free flowing grain in a bin having a ventilated floor, conveyor means for moving a lower portion of grain from the bin floor to a grain storage bin, and means for supplying heated air upwardly through the ventilated floor, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- (a) utilizing said conveyor means to remove grain from said bin floor near whereat said heated air is supplied through said floor into said grain and removing at predetermined time intervals a portion of grain from said conveyor means downstream from the drying bin;
- (b) delivering the grain portion into an upright elongated tubular cell means having a grain moisture testing zone intermediate the ends thereof;
- (c) generating a grain moisture content electrical signal representative of the moisture content of the volume of grain in the moisture testing zone;
- and then
- (d) controlling the operation of said conveyor means and heated air supply means in response to the generated grain moisture content signal such that said heated air dries said grain to near a preselected moisture content and such that said conveyor means conveys grain having a moisture content near said preselected moisture content away from near said floor.
2 more elements
In a method for drying a free flowing grain in a drying bin having a ventilated floor, conveyor means for moving a lower portion of grain from the bin floor to a grain storage bin, and means for supplying heated air upwardly through the ventilated floor, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming an upright grain moisture meter cell means with an outer wall having non-conductive end portions and an intermediate conductive portion;
- (b) locating a conductive core centrally within the intermediate conductive portion;
- (c) removing at predetermined time intervals a sample of grain from the drying bin in close proximity to the bin floor whereat said heated air is first communicated with the grain by said conveyor means;
- (d) delivering the grain sample into said cell means;
- (e) generating a grain moisture content signal representative of the direct moisture content of the volume of grain between the central core and the intermediate outer wall portion;
- and then
- (f) controlling said conveyor means so as to remove grain from near said bin floor when the moisture content of the grain near the bin floor is at or below a preselected moisture level and controlling heated air supply means in response to the generated grain moisture content signal such that said grain becomes dried to near said preselected moisture content.
4 more elements
A method of drying grain comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a grain drying bin, bin loading means, and bin unloading means;
- (b) loading a quantity of grain into said bin;
- (c) communicating heated air to said bin to dry the grain therein;
- (d) periodically, mechanically withdrawing a grain sample from the grain in said bin near whereat said heated air is communicated with said grain;
- (e) measuring the moisture content of said grain sample;
- (f) generating a grain moisture signal representative of the measured moisture content of said grain sample;
- (g) communicating said grain moisture signal to said bin unloading means;
- and
- (h) activating said unloading means to unload grain from said bin in response to a selected grain moisture content represented by said grain moisture signal.
6 more elements
A grain drying system comprising:
- (a) a grain drying chamber means adapted for holding a quantity of grain to be dried;
- (b) grain drying means operable to communicate heated air to grain in said chamber means to dry said grain;
- (c) grain moisture measuring means operative to withdraw a grain sample of said grain in said chamber means from close proximity to the location whereat said heated air is communicated to said grain and measure the moisture content of said grain sample;
- (d) grain chamber unloading means operable to transfer dried grain from said chamber means;
- and
- (e) a digital computer means having said grain drying means, said grain moisture measuring means, and said chamber unloading means interfaced thereto, said computer means controlling the withdrawal of grain samples and the measurement of the moisture content thereof and controlling said drying means and said unloading means by activating said unloading means to withdraw grain from close proximity to the location whereat said heated air is communicated with said grain in response to the measured moisture content of said grain samples so as to control the moisture content in the grain transferred by said unloading means.
3 more elements
In a grain drying system including a grain drying chamber means for holding a quantity of grain to be dried, grain drying means for communicating heated air to said chamber means to dry said grain, and grain chamber unloading means for transferring dried grain from said chamber means, the improvement comprising:
- (a) a capacitive grain sample cell for holding a grain sample;
- (b) chamber unloading means for unloding grain from said chamber means near whereat heated air is first directly communicated to said grain and grain sample means communicating with said chamber unloading means for withdrawing said grain sample from said chamber unloading means and transferring said grain sample to said sample cell;
- (c) grain moisture meter means connected to said sample cell for generating a grain moisture signal representative of the moisture content of said grain sample from near whereat heated air is communicated to said grain, said grain moisture signal being related to the dielectric constant of said grain sample;
- and
- (d) digital computer means having said grain drying means, said grain moisture meter means, and said chamber unloading means interfaced thereto;
- said computer means controlling the withdrawal of grain samples, the measurement of the moisture content thereof, and controlling said drying means and said unloading means in response to the moisture signals respectively of said grain samples such that said grain is unloaded from said chamber and taken out of direct communication with said heated air when said grain approaches a desired predetermined moisture content.
3 more elements
A grain drying system comprising:
- (a) a grain drying bin for holding a quantity of grain to be dried;
- (b) grain drying means for communicating heated air to said bin to dry said grain;
- (c) bin unloading means for transferring dried grain from near the location whereat said heated air is first communicated with said grain in said bin;
- (d) a capacitive grain sample cell for holding a grain sample and including:
- (1) a cylindrical conductive outer electrode heated opposite ends, said outer electrode having an axis which is positioned vertically;
- (2) a cylindrical conductive inner electrode having opposite ends and positioned coaxially within said outer electrode with the ends of said inner electrode in vertically spaced relation to the ends of said outer electrode to define an annular active region of said sample chamber;
- (3) cylindrical nonconductive wall means extending beyond the ends of said outer electrode beyond the ends of said outer electrode and said active region of said sample cell at least to a distance such that when said sample cell is filled, the grain sample therein extends beyond electric field fringe regions at the ends of said inner and outer electrodes;
- and
- (4) a sample cell dump valve positioned at a lower end of said sample cell and including a valve motor for closing said sample dump valve to allow the filling of said sample cell with grain and for opening said dump valve to empty said grain sample from said sample cell;
- (e) grain sample means communicating with said bin unloading means for withdrawing said grain sample from near whereat heated air is first communicated to said grain from said bin unloading means and transferring said grain sample to said sample cell;
- (f) a grain moisture meter connected to said sample cell for generating a grain moisture signal representative of the moisture content within the kernals of said grain sample, said grain moisture signal being related to the dielectric constant of said grain sample;
- and
- (g) digital computer means having said grain drying means, said grain moisture meter, said bin unloading means, and said valve motor interfaced thereto;
- said computer means controlling the withdrawal of grain samples and the measurement of the grain moisture content thereof and controlling said drying means and said unloading mens in response to the moisture signals respectively of said grain samples such that said grain is unloaded from said bin from near whereat heated air is communicated to said grain thereat becomes near a preselected moisture content.
11 more elements
A method of drying grain comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a grain drying apparatus including grain dryer chamber means for holding grain, grain conveyor means to urge grain into and out of said chamber means, a heater unit to communicate heated air to said chamber means to dry said grain, moisture meter means for measuring the moisture content of said grain, and dryer control means having said grain conveyor means, said heater unit, and said moisture meter means interconnected thereto;
- (b) conveying grain into said chamber means;
- (c) communicating heated air to said chamber means to dry said grain;
- (d) periodically measuring the moisture content of said grain being dried and generating a moisture signal representative of the moisture content of said grain by said moisture meter means;
- (e) communicating said moisture signal to said control means;
- (f) controlling the operation of at least one of said heater unit and said grain conveyor means by said dryer control means in response to the moisture content represented by said moisture signal;
- (g) entering a desired grain moisture content into said control means;
- (h) entering a desired drying air temperature into said control means;
- (i) controlling the operation of said heater unit by said control means to normally maintain said desired drying air temperature;
- (j) upon said moisture signal representing a moisture content which is not greater than said desired moisture content, controlling said conveyor means by said control means to unload grain from said chamber means;
- and
- (k) upon said moisture signal representing a moisture content which is drier than said desired moisture content by a selected moisture content percentage increment, controlling said heater unit by said control means to maintain a drying air temperature which is coller than said desired air temperature by a selected temperature increment.
9 more elements
A method of drying grain comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a grain drying apparatus including grain dryer chamber means for holding grain, grain conveyor means to urge grain into and out of said chamber means, a heater unit to communicate heated air to said chamber means to dry said grain, moisture meter means for measuring the moisture content of said grain, and dryer control means having said grain conveyor means, said heater unit, and said moisture meter means interconnected thereto;
- (b) conveying grain into said chamber means;
- (c) communicating heated air to said chamber means to dry said grain;
- (d) periodically measuring the moisture content of said grain being dried and generating a moisture signal representative of the moisture content of said grain by said moisture meter means;
- (e) communicating said moisture signal to said control means;
- (f) controlling the operation of at least one of said heater unit and said grain conveyor means by said dryer control means in response to the moisture content represented by said moisture signal;
- (g) entering a desired grain moisture content into said control means;
- (h) entering a desire drying air temperature into said control means;
- (i) controlling the operation of said heater unit by said control means to normally maintain said desired drying air temperature;
- (j) upon said moisture signal representing a moisture content which is not greater than said desired moisture content, controlling said conveyor means by said control means to unload grain from said chamber means;
- (k) averaging, by said control means, each moisture content reading with a selected number of previous moisture content readings resulting in an average moisture content;
- and
- (l) upon said moisture signal representing a moisture content wetter than said desired moisture content and the current average moisture content being not greater than said desired moisture content, controlling said heater unit by said control means to maintain a drying air temperature which is warmer than said desired drying air temperature by a selected temperature increment.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.