US 9,169,032 B2Granted

Load fill sensor system for grain storage vessels

AssigneeS7 IP Holdings, LLC

InventorShawn L. Gengerke

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A system for remotely indicating the level of grain being loaded into a grain trailer. Plural vertically oriented sensing strips are affixed to a trailer's hopper(s) sidewall of the trailer's hopper(s) at spaced locations. Signals from transducer elements on the strips are delivered to an electronics module on the trailer's forward wall. The electronics module includes a multiplexer for sampling the state of the strip transducers and a wireless transmitter for relaying the state data to a receiver and microprocessor in the cab of a towing vehicle. The microprocessor presents a visual display of height reached by the grain in a hopper as loading continues. Following system calibration where a pixel count of the load being displayed and a measured net weight of the load are determined using a scale, a calibration factor corresponding to the weight-per-pixel is stored for use in computing the weight and volume of subsequent loads.

Claims6

Dependent claims

The method for monitoring the volume of grain being stored in a grain storage bin comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of cables of a length sufficient to reach from a support member proximate a roof to a location proximate a floor of a grain storage bin, the cables each having a plurality of proximity sensors affixed thereto at regularly spaced intervals along the length of the cables;
(b) suspending each of the cables to a support structure disposed proximate the roof of the grain storage bin so the cables extend downward a predetermined distance toward the floor thereof at predetermined, spaced-apart locations there within;
(c) providing an electronic circuit coupled to receive input signals from said proximity sensors and for telemetering proximity sensor state information to a remote computing and display device;
(d) programming the remote computing and display device to compute and display at least one of a level of grain contained within the grain storage bin and a volume measured in bushels of the grain.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/700,542Filed 30 Apr 2015 · division
Priority: 17 Feb 2012
Published: US 2015/0259083 A117 Sep 2015
Granted: 27 Oct 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B65B 1/30
Packaging fluent solid material, e.g. powders, granular or loose fibrous material, loose masses of small articles, in individual containers or…:…
B65B 1/32
Devices or methods for controlling or determining the quantity or quality or the material fed or filled: by weighing
B65B 1/48
Devices or methods for controlling or determining the quantity or quality or the material fed or filled: checking volume of filled material
G01D 7/00
Indicating measured values

Family

Application13/398,931Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 17 Feb 2012
Application13/571,867Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 10 Aug 2012
Application13/916,762Parent of this division · filed 13 Jun 2013
US 2015/0259083 A1Pre-grant publication · published 17 Sep 2015
US 8,085,381 B2Parent of this division
Application13/916,762Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2013/0269832 A1Published application
US 9,085,381 B2Related patent
US 9,169,032 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.