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US 6,377,058 B1Granted
Device and method for measuring hay bale moisture
AssigneeHarvest Tec, Inc.
InventorPeter Pemrick
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for sensing moisture in moving hay bales has a pair of star-shaped wheels situated to have points penetrate into the bale and be driven by the bale. The points establish electrode surfaces within the bale between which resistivity or conductivity of an electrical current may be measured and scaled to moisture content of the hay of the bale.
Claims16
A device comprising:
- a first star-shaped wheel and a second star-shaped wheel, each of the star-shaped wheels having points and each of the star-shaped wheels having means to mount the star-shaped wheel on a hay baler, such that points of each of the star-shaped wheels rotatably protrude into and are driven by hay being baled by and progressing through the hay baler;
- non-conductive means to electrically isolate the two star-shaped wheels from each other and from the hay baler;
- means to transmit direct current voltage to the first star-shaped wheel;
- means to transmit direct current voltage reaching the second star-shaped wheel through hay being baled by and progressing through the hay baler, from the first star-shaped wheel;
- means to scale the direct current voltage transmitted to the first wheel, through the hay, and then returning from the second wheel into a moisture reading;
- and,
- means for displaying the moisture reading at a readout box.
4 more elements
A sensor device for use in measuring moisture in moving compressed hay, such as hay being baled in a hay baler, comprising:
- a rotatable penetrating projection mounted adjacent to the moving compressed hay, driven by the moving compressed hay, such that the rotatable penetrating projection serves to provide a moving electrode surface situated within and in electrical contact with the moving compressed hay;
- a second electrode surface situated in electrical contact with the moving compressed hay, the second electrode surface spaced apart from the moving electrode surface provided by the rotatable penetrating projection, with moving compressed hay being interposed between the moving electrode surface and the second electrode surface, the interposed moving compressed hay providing an electrical path between the rotatable penetrating electrode surface and the second electrode surface, the conductive quality of the electrical path through the interposed moving compressed hay being a function of the moisture content of the interposed moving compressed hay.
A method of measuring hay moisture within compressed moving hay, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a rotatable penetrating electrode surface within the moving compressed hay and driven by the moving compressed hay;
- providing a second electrode surface situated in electrical contact with the moving compressed hay, the second electrode surface spaced apart from the rotatable penetrating electrode surface, with moving compressed hay being interposed between the rotatable penetrating electrode surface and the second electrode surface, the interposed moving compressed hay providing an electrical path between the rotatable penetrating electrode surface and the second electrode surface,
- providing an electrical current to the rotatable penetrating electrode surface;
- detecting the fraction of electrical current conducted through the interposed compressed moving hay;
- and
- converting the fraction of electrical current conducted through the interposed compressed moving hay into a moisture reading.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.