Remote moisture sensor and methods for the same
AssigneeRaven Industries, Inc.
InventorsJohn Earl Acheson, Stephen Filip Fjelstad, Douglas Samuel Prairie
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for measuring crop moisture content in a harvester elevator includes a receiver and processing node and one or more moisture sensing instruments coupled to one or more paddles of the harvested elevator, respectively. The moisture sensing instruments each include a moisture sensor and a transmitter in communication with a receiver and processing node. The moisture sensor is configured to dynamically measure the moisture content of a static harvested crop, relative to the sensor and corresponding paddle, at ascends in the harvester elevator.
Claims17
A system for measuring crop moisture content in a harvester elevator having ascending paddles for moving crop in an ascending segment, comprising:
- a receiver and processing node;
- one or more moisture sensing instruments, each of the one or more instruments including:
- a moisture sensor configured for coupling with a portion of the ascending paddle, and
- a transmitter in communication with the receiver and processing node;
- and
- wherein each moisture sensing instrument is coupled with a respective one of the ascending paddles of the harvester elevator so that the each moisture sensing instrument moves with the respective ascending paddle to measure a crop moisture content of a harvested crop as the harvested crop moves along the ascending segment of the harvester elevator.
A method for measuring crop moisture comprising:
- engaging a plurality of ascending paddles with a harvested crop in a trough segment of a harvester elevator;
- moving the harvested crop through an ascending segment of the harvester elevator with the plurality of ascending paddles;
- and
- measuring a crop moisture content of the moving harvested crop in the ascending segment of the harvester elevator with one or more moisture sensing instruments, each coupled to one of the plurality of ascending paddles, respectively, and
- powering down at least one of the one or more moisture sensors of the moisture sensing instrument when the at least one moisture sensors is moving along a descending segment of the harvester elevator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.