Corn head clutch monitor
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorRyan P. Mackin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for determining slippage of row unit or chopping unit slip clutches of a corn head includes a microcomputer coupled to at least one vibration sensor and a display or aural annunciator. A slipping clutch or group of clutches including a slipping clutch may be identified by recognizing a speed dependent predominant frequency. A slipping clutch or group of clutches including a slipping clutch may be identified by comparing magnitudes or times of receipt of vibrations from a pair of sensors. A slipping clutch or group of clutches including a slipping clutch may also be identified by comparing vibrations received from a single sensor with known location identifying magnitudes.
Claims20
An agricultural harvesting machine, comprising:
- a feeder housing;
- and
- a corn head having a frame attached to said feeder housing, said corn head including a plurality of row units, a common drive shaft, a like plurality of slip clutches each coupling an individual row unit with said drive shaft, at least one vibration sensor fixed to said frame for providing signals indicative of sensed vibrations, and a drive shaft speed sensor for providing a drive shaft rotational speed output, said processing unit utilizing the rotational speed output to band pass filter the sensed signals in a frequency range spanning an integral multiple of the rotational speed;
- and
- a processing unit for receiving and processing the vibration sensor signals to indicate slipping of at least one slip clutch.
A corn head for use in an agricultural harvesting machine, comprising:
- a frame;
- a plurality of row units fixed to said frame;
- a common drive shaft;
- a plurality of slip clutches each coupling an individual row unit with said drive shaft;
- at least one vibration sensor fixed to said frame for providing signals indicative of sensed vibrations;
- a processing unit for receiving and processing the vibration sensor signals to indicate slipping of at least one slip clutch;
- and
- a drive shaft speed sensor for providing a drive shaft rotational speed output, said processing unit utilizing the rotational speed output to band pass filter the sensed signals in a frequency range spanning an integral multiple of the rotational speed.
A method of monitoring a plurality of slip clutches in the drive mechanism of a agricultural implement, comprising:
- detecting mechanical vibrations in an implement frame member;
- band pass filtering the detected vibrations;
- examining the band pass filtered vibrations for an indication of a slipping clutch event;
- and
- providing an indication of the occurrence of a slipping clutch event.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.