CA1080843A - Grain loss monitor - Google Patents
Grain loss monitorInfo
- Publication number
- CA1080843A CA1080843A CA252,037A CA252037A CA1080843A CA 1080843 A CA1080843 A CA 1080843A CA 252037 A CA252037 A CA 252037A CA 1080843 A CA1080843 A CA 1080843A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- grain
- pulse generating
- generating circuit
- operatively connected
- detector means
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 239000010902 straw Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 41
- 238000005070 sampling Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 12
- 239000000306 component Substances 0.000 claims description 56
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000012544 monitoring process Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- QHGVXILFMXYDRS-UHFFFAOYSA-N pyraclofos Chemical compound C1=C(OP(=O)(OCC)SCCC)C=NN1C1=CC=C(Cl)C=C1 QHGVXILFMXYDRS-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 8
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 5
- 239000003990 capacitor Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000003306 harvesting Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 4
- 241001272996 Polyphylla fullo Species 0.000 description 2
- 239000004020 conductor Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012806 monitoring device Methods 0.000 description 2
- 241000905957 Channa melasoma Species 0.000 description 1
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002844 continuous effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002452 interceptive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 241000894007 species Species 0.000 description 1
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 description 1
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- Combined Means For Separation Of Solids (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION
A percentage of the grain lost is sampled constantly by sensors at locations across the rear of the sieve of a com-bine and the sound of the grain kernels striking the sensors is picked up by a microphone, amplified, filtered and fed to a ratio computing device which calculates the total grain loss from the sampling and displays same on a meter. A further sensor samples grain passing through the rear portion of a straw walker of a combine as this bears a direct relation-ship to the quantity of grain passing over the end of the walker. It can therefore be used to calculate the grain loss over the end of the walker. Once again the sound of the grain kernels striking the sensor is picked up by a microphone, amplified, filtered and fed to a ratio computing device which calculates the grain loss over the end of the walker and displays same on the meter. A switching device enables the total of the grain losses to be calculated from the two sensors by means of a summation device to which both sensor signals are connected. This switching device also enables the operator to weed out the grain loss over the sieve or the grain loss over the walker thus enabling him to determine where adjustments are required.
A percentage of the grain lost is sampled constantly by sensors at locations across the rear of the sieve of a com-bine and the sound of the grain kernels striking the sensors is picked up by a microphone, amplified, filtered and fed to a ratio computing device which calculates the total grain loss from the sampling and displays same on a meter. A further sensor samples grain passing through the rear portion of a straw walker of a combine as this bears a direct relation-ship to the quantity of grain passing over the end of the walker. It can therefore be used to calculate the grain loss over the end of the walker. Once again the sound of the grain kernels striking the sensor is picked up by a microphone, amplified, filtered and fed to a ratio computing device which calculates the grain loss over the end of the walker and displays same on the meter. A switching device enables the total of the grain losses to be calculated from the two sensors by means of a summation device to which both sensor signals are connected. This switching device also enables the operator to weed out the grain loss over the sieve or the grain loss over the walker thus enabling him to determine where adjustments are required.
Description
1~ 4~
BACKGROUND OF T~l~ INV~NTION
This invention relates to combine harvester~ and the like and more particularly to a device ~or monitoring the grain loss during the harvesting o~eration.
A combine harvester or simllar machine used to harvest grain is provided Wit}l mea~s to vary the ground speed so that di~ferent crop conditions may be accommodated.
There are many ~actors a~ecting the harvesting o~ the crop such as varying moisture content, varying quantity o~ grain - 10 and straw, the height o~ the crop and *he general quality - o~ the grain.
Each combine machine, o~ course, has an ideal operating speed ~or any particular crop condition and thi~
speed is determined by the ~eed rate, the conveyor rate, the co~cave width and the straw walker assembly design.
~. .
At one particular ground speed, the combine is capable o~ recovering the highest percentage o~ grain ~or that particular crop condition under which it is operating and this speed is normally determined by an operator who, depending upon his experience, visually judges the crop con-ditions and knows the various adjustments and capabilities o~ his machine.
: ' ~
~ .. ,. ~ . i ,. , . . . : , .. ... .. .
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However, it will be appreciated that crop condi-tions can vary widely in the same ~ield so that it is neces-sary ~or the operator to constantly vary the speed o~ his machine in order to attempt to maintain the machine at the mo~t e~icient gr~u~dspeed~
. '' .
`~
One method o~ measuring the e~iciency o~ the ma-chine under certain conditions, is to measure the amount o~
grain lost over the back oi the sieve component and over the straw walker assembly. Such devices, however, su~er ~rom 10 the inability to distinguish grain ~rom other threshed crop materials such as heads, cha~, s~raw and the like.
; .' ,' . SUMMARY OF T~E INVENTION
The present invention has several objects in view ; in order to enable the operator to control his machine so . 15 that the grain loss is minimal thereby ensuring that the .. harvesting is proceeding most ei~iciently.
One O~e the principal objects o~ the present device is to provide a monitoring device which constantly samples a ., .
~ percentage oi the grain passing over the rear o~ the sieve ~ 20 and automatically translat~s this to display the total amount o~ grain being lost at this particular location. Obviously, it would be desirable to measure the entire quantity o~ grain passing over the rear o~ the sieve, but this is not practical .
.
, . . . . . .
~8VI~ 3 so that -the samplin~ method is utilized.
Another aspec-t oE the invention consists of sampling the amount of grain passing over the straw walkers and in this regard, a unique approach is used. The loss sensing of grain over the straw walker assembly is more difficul-t than measur-ing the grain passing over the rear of a sieve component because putting a sensor into the flow of straw obstructs the ~ straw and may cause blockage to occur.
.~ As the grain-straw mixture is fed into the front of the straw walker, separation commences. It has been found that the majority of grain is separated at the front end of -the straw walker assembly and as the mixture of grain and straw proceeds to the rear end of the assembly, the amount of grain coming out of the mixture decreases.
.:, .
This is apparent because as the mixture proceeds - to the rear, it contains a lesser amount of grain but the quantity of straw remains constant.
. , . Tests on straw walkers have shown that the amount . 1 of grain lost over the end of the straw walker is approxima-tely equal to the amount of grain separated in the last 18 inches of the straw walker. Therefore, by sensing the amount ~`
..;
~1 .
o~ grain that is s~para-ted in the l~st 18 inches o~ th~
walker, ~n indication is ~iven o~ how much is being lost and althou~h this 18 inches distance varies with the amount o~ material being combined and the weight ratio o~ grain to straw, navertheless when operating at capacity, this length remains relatively constant and can be used to give an in-dication o~ the grain loss over the and o~ the straw walker without inter~ering with the ~low ~ straw thereover.
Both o~ the sensors used in the present apparatus utilize the sound o~ grain impinging upnn a sensing device thereby COB tantly sampling a percentage o~ thegrain passing over the sieve componepts or being separated by the rear por-tlon o~ the straw walker assembly. ~
Inso~ar as the sieve component is concerned, a plu-rality sensing ~ingers depend ~rom a common support tube in : spaced relationship and the sound o~ the grain impinging upon these sensing ~ingers, is transmitted to the tube and through a column of air therein, to an electrical transducer at one end thereo~ whereupon the sounds are ampli~ied, thereby ~orm-are ing pulses which in turn/~ed through a band-pass ~ilter, trans-~erred to square wave pulses and then connected to a measuring ~ circuit. At this point, the measuring circuit multiplies the - pulses by a pre-determined ~igure in order to calculate 100%
8~
of the grain of which a small percentage has been sampled.
This is then ~isplayed on a convenien-t meter so that the operator knows at all times the quantity of grain passing over the rear of the sieve componen-t.
The transducer measuring the amount of grain sepa-rated in the last portion of the straw walker is aLso detected and sensed by an electrical transducer and is fed through ; similar circuitry to be displayed upon the same display means or meter, one or the other being selected by means of a con-venient switch.
.
However, another advantage of the invention is to ' provide means whereby the amount of grain passing over the sieve component and the amount of grain separated by the straw walker assernbly can be added together to display a total amount of grain being lost during the combining operation at any one time.
. :
As an example, the operator can tell at all times the total amount of grain being lost, but if it exceeds a - pre-determined,amount, he can select the read-out from the `' monitoring of the sieve component or the read-out giving ' the monitoring of the straw walker assembly and may thus ~' ascertain where the excess grain is being lost and make the `
necessary adjustments in order to correct the situation.
~`', , ~ ~
' ` ~ ' .` ~ , . .
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a grain loss monitor for combines and the like which include a sieve component and a straw walker assembly; said grain loss monitor including a grain loss sensor component, said sensor component being situa-ted within said combine whereby a constant percentage of grain passing through said combine impinges upon said component, said component includ-ing a sensor tube having a column therein, and transducer means at one end of said tube~ the sound of grain impinging upon said sensor component being transmitted to said transducer means, and a measuring circuit operatively connected to said trans-ducer means.
.
A further aspect of the invention consists of a method ~ of measuring the grain loss by a combine or the like comprising : 15 the steps of constantly sampling a percentage of the grain : passing over the rear end of the sieve component of the com-bine, electrically detecting the said percentage of grain in the form of pulses, calculating the total amount of grain pass- ~ .
ing over the rear end of the sieve from the percentage sample ` 20 and displaying same in a read-out device, continually sampling a percentage of grain separated by the rear portion of the . straw walker assembly of the combine, electrically detecting .
the said percentage of the grain in the form of pulses, cal-culating the total amount of grain separated by the rear por-tion of the straw walker from the said percentage sample and displaying same in a read-out device and then adding the total : amount of grain passing over the rear end of the sieve to the :~ total amount of grain separated by the rear portion of ., : ~ - 6 the straw walker thereby monitoring on a con-tinuous basis, the total amount of grain lost over the sieve component and straw walker assembly.
. . .
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is extre-mely simple in construction and can be readily fitted to an existing combine without interfering with the operation there-of. Furthermore, the read-out device can be situated conve-niently to the operator so that at all times he can obtain 10 information as to the grain loss situation, the sampling being done on a continuous percentage basis.
' With the foregoing in view, and other such advanta-: ges as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, 15 my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and con-struction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly des-cribed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in : which:
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, . . .. .
, . . . .
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
-Figure 1 is a side elevation of the grain loss monitoring device situated at the reax end of a sieve compon- -ent which is shown schwmatically,.
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~ - 6B -: ~ .
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: ,.
Figure 2 is an end view o~ Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an enlarged ~ront elevatlon o~ the grain loss monitor ~or the sieve component.
Figure 4 is a schematic view o~ part oP a walker assembly showing the grai~ loss monitor situated beneath the walker deck.
Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevstion o~ ~the grain : loss monitor o~ ~gure 4.
Figure 6 is an isometric view o~ Figure 5.
., ;`~
10Figure 7 is a schematic side elevation o~ a typi-cal combine with the sides broken away to show the approxi- :
mate location o~ the two grain loss monitors.
' :
Figur~e 8 is a schematic block diagram o~ th~ elec-trical circuit o~ the entire monitor system.
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15Figure 9 i~ a wiring diagram o~ the rati~ computer :~
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4;~
circuit forming part o~ the schema-tic circuitry o~ Figure 8.
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In the drawings like characters of reference indi-cate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
One o~ the problems in measuring grain loss over a sieve component is that it is diffioult to determine exactly how the grain is leaving the sieve and in what direction it is travelling. The problem is further compounded when going up and down hills~or on a side hill and wh~n varying combine settings ior speed, sieve openings and the like.
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. . ,:
Undsr these circumstances, a conventional pad sen-; sor can give false loss readings for the simple reason that the percentage of the total grain that hits the pad depends on the direction o~ the grain o~i the end o~ the sie~e and the position of the pad sensor.
As mentioned previously, straw walker sensing is much more di~icult because normally a sensor cannot be placed in ~he flow of straw otherwise it causes an obstruc~
tion.
"~ ' ' 8~
Proceeding there~ore to describe the invention in detail, re~erence should ~irst be mad~ to Figure 7 in which lO illus~rates schematically a combine having an intake end 11, a straw walker assembly collectively designated 12 and a sieve component collectively designated 13, all o~ which are conventional.
At the rear and 14 o~ the sieve component 13 there is provided a constant parcentage sensor device collectively dasignated 15.
In-'this particular embodiment, it incorporates a pick-up and support tube 16 having closed ends and extending between the side wall supports 17 o~ the combine immsdiately above the raar end 14 o~ the sieve. This tube 16 is pre~er-ably made o~ a rigid plastic material and incorporates a column o~ air therein (not illustrated),.
.
A plurality o~ vertical situated sensor ~ingers 18 are secured in spaced relationship along the length of the tube 16 and depending downwardly there~rom. Various ways can be used to attach the ~ingers to the wall ~ the tube 18 ~ 20 and one such method is shown in Figure 3 in which collars l9 engage around the wall o~ the tube 16 and each sensing ~inger includes a sleeve 20 e~gaged arou~d the wall o~ the tube 16 _ g :: . .
~ 4 3 betwecn collars 19 and these collars and 61~0ve m~y olthcr be adhesivoly ~e~ur~d to the tubo or may ~orm par~ o~ the tube by screw threaded connections one with the other (not illustrated).
The sensing ~ingers 18 are also pre~erably made ~rom a rigid plastic material and it will be noted, upon rs~erence to Figure 1, that the lower end portions 21 o~
the ~ingers curve slightly towards the rear end o~ the sieve component 13 and are in the $orm o~ relatively ~lat strips.
~ .
The positioning o~ these ~ingers is such that any grain passing ~ver the end o~ the sieve 13, in the area o~
the iingers 18, impinges upon these ~ingers which are held rigidly in position by the mountlng o~ the tube between the supports 17 by any convenient means.
It will there~ore be appreciated that a constant percentage sampling o~ grain is ta~ing place at this particu-lar location.
- As an example, i~ the sleve component is 40 inches wide and ~ur strip sensors 18 are provided with an e~ect~
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: ' ' :: :
~8~ 3 ive width of 7.2 inche~ then 1~% of the total lo~t grain over the and o~ the sieve component is being sampled.
An electric transducer in the form of a microphone (indicated schematically be referance character 22) i~ situa-ted within one end of the tube 16 together with a convention-al amplifier ~hown schematically by reference character 23 in Figure 80 The amplifier 23 is reguired because the level of electrical signal produced by sound transducer 22 is too low and may be degraded by electrical pickup in the long lines ~rom the rear of the combine to the instrument which is nor-mally situated at the front of the combine. The sound of the grain impinging upon strips 18 is transmitted to t~e wall of the tube and thence through the air column within the tube, to the transducer 22 so that the total tube area or volume is being monitored by this transducer regardles9 o~ the origin of the sound~
, The sound transducer 22 and amplifier 23~which is : ~ conventional) develop voltage spikes which are transmitted ,:, 20 . from the amp:Li~ier 23 via conductor cable 24 to the electronic :~
circuitry shown in Figureq 8 and 9, and which may be situated : within a convenient package (not illustrated) in the cab o the combine.
f~3 A ~urther ampli~ier 25 modi~ies tho pulses and a lov~l d~toc~r 26, screons out ~n~anted pulses by m~ans o~
band-pass ~ilters and includes a~ pulse ~enerating circuit responsive to the detected voltage spikes, to generate square wa~e pulses. All o~ this electrical circuitry is convention-al and it is not believed necessary to describe same ~urther.
A ratio computer 27 is provided and shown in de-tail in Figure 9`which will hereina~ter be described, .;
Situated below the deck 28 of the straw walker as-sembly 12, is a straw walker sensor collectively designa-ted 29. This extends longitudinally under approximately the last 18 inches o~ the deck and is pre~erably positioned cen-trally between the two sides. It includes a ~lat strip-like portion 30 upon one end o~ which is iormed a substantially - 15 cylindrical portion 31 and a sound transducer 22A is situated within this portion 31 together with an ampli~ier 23A, both ; og which are similar to components 22 and 23 hereinbe~ore described.
.
, This sensor 29 is also hollow and operates in a manner similar t~ sensor 15. It is pre~erably manu~actured ~ .
~rom a rigid plastic material and grain impinging upon the upper sur~ace 32, is transmitted via the air column therein, .
, . . . .
, ~)8~
~o the transducor 22A ~nd ampli~led by the ~mpli~ler 23~, it bein~ understood that the sensor 29 is closod ended.
A cable or conductor 24A conveys the generated - pulses to the electronic section and ampli~ier 25A is pro-vided to am~ y the pulses at this point. A level detcctor 26A similar to level detector 26, is also provided together with a ratio computer 27A, all o~ which act in a similar manner to the components hereinbe~ore described.
~ A selector switch 33 is provided enabling either - 10the square wave pulses ~rom the sieve sensor 15 or the square - wave pulses ~rom the straw walker sensor 29, to be ged to a ; further ampli~ier 34. The switch 33 also permits the ~eeds .. , ~ ,.
~rom both sensors t~ be added together by means o~ summation circuitry 34A. The signals are fed to ampli~ier 35 and -` 15thence to a read-out device 36 which may take the ~orm o~
a meter suitably calibrated.
Summarizing, there~ore, sensors 15 and 29 monitQr a constant percentage readi~g o~ the total loss at the loca~
. . . ~
tions o~ the sensors. The electronics then determine what percentage o~ th e total loss is being mo~itored and multiply the outputs ~rom the s~eve and walker sensors by the correct .
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: : , . . . , : . ` .
factor and displ~ys -this total 105s on the meter or read-out device ~6. Switch 33 ~llows the operator to monitor the loss ~rom the walher~ and the sieve separately to accurately determine the location and amount o~ the loss.
- ' .
As mentioned previously, the ratio computer cir-cuitry is shown in Figure 9 which includes capacit~rs Cl and C2 receiving the ~eeds ~rom ampli~iers 25 and 25A. The amount o~ charge in capacitor Cl and C2 is proportional to the capacitors' value. There~ore, selecting the capacitors Cl and C2 in the correct ratio, determines what contribution each will have to the voltage on capacitor C3 ~or a certain input frequency. This, there~ore, takes lnto account tho sampling percentage o~ each o~ the sensors.
Re~erence characters 37 and 37A in ~igure 9 indi-cate schematically, typical square wave pulses which might be received in both o~ the circuits.
~'' . , ' Re~erring back to theselector switch 33, this switch is usually in the position to connect both ~eeds to the summation circuitry 34A, but i~ one or the other sensors : ~O is required, then the selector switch 33 shorts out the sen-: sor not required thus letting the other signal pass through to the read-out or meter 36, _ 14 .
, Since various modi~ications can be made in ~.~r lnvention as hereinabove described, and m~ny apparently : widely di~erent embodiments o~ same made wlthin the spirit and scope o~ the claims without departing ~rom such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying speci~ication shall be interpreted as illustra-tive only and not in a limiting senseO
~' " ' ' .
' , ~ .
.: .
. ' ' ,. . .
,. : '.
`~ .
- lS
. ~,; , , .
BACKGROUND OF T~l~ INV~NTION
This invention relates to combine harvester~ and the like and more particularly to a device ~or monitoring the grain loss during the harvesting o~eration.
A combine harvester or simllar machine used to harvest grain is provided Wit}l mea~s to vary the ground speed so that di~ferent crop conditions may be accommodated.
There are many ~actors a~ecting the harvesting o~ the crop such as varying moisture content, varying quantity o~ grain - 10 and straw, the height o~ the crop and *he general quality - o~ the grain.
Each combine machine, o~ course, has an ideal operating speed ~or any particular crop condition and thi~
speed is determined by the ~eed rate, the conveyor rate, the co~cave width and the straw walker assembly design.
~. .
At one particular ground speed, the combine is capable o~ recovering the highest percentage o~ grain ~or that particular crop condition under which it is operating and this speed is normally determined by an operator who, depending upon his experience, visually judges the crop con-ditions and knows the various adjustments and capabilities o~ his machine.
: ' ~
~ .. ,. ~ . i ,. , . . . : , .. ... .. .
,; . , , ~ ~, . .
However, it will be appreciated that crop condi-tions can vary widely in the same ~ield so that it is neces-sary ~or the operator to constantly vary the speed o~ his machine in order to attempt to maintain the machine at the mo~t e~icient gr~u~dspeed~
. '' .
`~
One method o~ measuring the e~iciency o~ the ma-chine under certain conditions, is to measure the amount o~
grain lost over the back oi the sieve component and over the straw walker assembly. Such devices, however, su~er ~rom 10 the inability to distinguish grain ~rom other threshed crop materials such as heads, cha~, s~raw and the like.
; .' ,' . SUMMARY OF T~E INVENTION
The present invention has several objects in view ; in order to enable the operator to control his machine so . 15 that the grain loss is minimal thereby ensuring that the .. harvesting is proceeding most ei~iciently.
One O~e the principal objects o~ the present device is to provide a monitoring device which constantly samples a ., .
~ percentage oi the grain passing over the rear o~ the sieve ~ 20 and automatically translat~s this to display the total amount o~ grain being lost at this particular location. Obviously, it would be desirable to measure the entire quantity o~ grain passing over the rear o~ the sieve, but this is not practical .
.
, . . . . . .
~8VI~ 3 so that -the samplin~ method is utilized.
Another aspec-t oE the invention consists of sampling the amount of grain passing over the straw walkers and in this regard, a unique approach is used. The loss sensing of grain over the straw walker assembly is more difficul-t than measur-ing the grain passing over the rear of a sieve component because putting a sensor into the flow of straw obstructs the ~ straw and may cause blockage to occur.
.~ As the grain-straw mixture is fed into the front of the straw walker, separation commences. It has been found that the majority of grain is separated at the front end of -the straw walker assembly and as the mixture of grain and straw proceeds to the rear end of the assembly, the amount of grain coming out of the mixture decreases.
.:, .
This is apparent because as the mixture proceeds - to the rear, it contains a lesser amount of grain but the quantity of straw remains constant.
. , . Tests on straw walkers have shown that the amount . 1 of grain lost over the end of the straw walker is approxima-tely equal to the amount of grain separated in the last 18 inches of the straw walker. Therefore, by sensing the amount ~`
..;
~1 .
o~ grain that is s~para-ted in the l~st 18 inches o~ th~
walker, ~n indication is ~iven o~ how much is being lost and althou~h this 18 inches distance varies with the amount o~ material being combined and the weight ratio o~ grain to straw, navertheless when operating at capacity, this length remains relatively constant and can be used to give an in-dication o~ the grain loss over the and o~ the straw walker without inter~ering with the ~low ~ straw thereover.
Both o~ the sensors used in the present apparatus utilize the sound o~ grain impinging upnn a sensing device thereby COB tantly sampling a percentage o~ thegrain passing over the sieve componepts or being separated by the rear por-tlon o~ the straw walker assembly. ~
Inso~ar as the sieve component is concerned, a plu-rality sensing ~ingers depend ~rom a common support tube in : spaced relationship and the sound o~ the grain impinging upon these sensing ~ingers, is transmitted to the tube and through a column of air therein, to an electrical transducer at one end thereo~ whereupon the sounds are ampli~ied, thereby ~orm-are ing pulses which in turn/~ed through a band-pass ~ilter, trans-~erred to square wave pulses and then connected to a measuring ~ circuit. At this point, the measuring circuit multiplies the - pulses by a pre-determined ~igure in order to calculate 100%
8~
of the grain of which a small percentage has been sampled.
This is then ~isplayed on a convenien-t meter so that the operator knows at all times the quantity of grain passing over the rear of the sieve componen-t.
The transducer measuring the amount of grain sepa-rated in the last portion of the straw walker is aLso detected and sensed by an electrical transducer and is fed through ; similar circuitry to be displayed upon the same display means or meter, one or the other being selected by means of a con-venient switch.
.
However, another advantage of the invention is to ' provide means whereby the amount of grain passing over the sieve component and the amount of grain separated by the straw walker assernbly can be added together to display a total amount of grain being lost during the combining operation at any one time.
. :
As an example, the operator can tell at all times the total amount of grain being lost, but if it exceeds a - pre-determined,amount, he can select the read-out from the `' monitoring of the sieve component or the read-out giving ' the monitoring of the straw walker assembly and may thus ~' ascertain where the excess grain is being lost and make the `
necessary adjustments in order to correct the situation.
~`', , ~ ~
' ` ~ ' .` ~ , . .
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a grain loss monitor for combines and the like which include a sieve component and a straw walker assembly; said grain loss monitor including a grain loss sensor component, said sensor component being situa-ted within said combine whereby a constant percentage of grain passing through said combine impinges upon said component, said component includ-ing a sensor tube having a column therein, and transducer means at one end of said tube~ the sound of grain impinging upon said sensor component being transmitted to said transducer means, and a measuring circuit operatively connected to said trans-ducer means.
.
A further aspect of the invention consists of a method ~ of measuring the grain loss by a combine or the like comprising : 15 the steps of constantly sampling a percentage of the grain : passing over the rear end of the sieve component of the com-bine, electrically detecting the said percentage of grain in the form of pulses, calculating the total amount of grain pass- ~ .
ing over the rear end of the sieve from the percentage sample ` 20 and displaying same in a read-out device, continually sampling a percentage of grain separated by the rear portion of the . straw walker assembly of the combine, electrically detecting .
the said percentage of the grain in the form of pulses, cal-culating the total amount of grain separated by the rear por-tion of the straw walker from the said percentage sample and displaying same in a read-out device and then adding the total : amount of grain passing over the rear end of the sieve to the :~ total amount of grain separated by the rear portion of ., : ~ - 6 the straw walker thereby monitoring on a con-tinuous basis, the total amount of grain lost over the sieve component and straw walker assembly.
. . .
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is extre-mely simple in construction and can be readily fitted to an existing combine without interfering with the operation there-of. Furthermore, the read-out device can be situated conve-niently to the operator so that at all times he can obtain 10 information as to the grain loss situation, the sampling being done on a continuous percentage basis.
' With the foregoing in view, and other such advanta-: ges as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, 15 my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and con-struction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly des-cribed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in : which:
?
, . . .. .
, . . . .
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
-Figure 1 is a side elevation of the grain loss monitoring device situated at the reax end of a sieve compon- -ent which is shown schwmatically,.
.
~ - 6B -: ~ .
; ~, .
: ,.
Figure 2 is an end view o~ Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an enlarged ~ront elevatlon o~ the grain loss monitor ~or the sieve component.
Figure 4 is a schematic view o~ part oP a walker assembly showing the grai~ loss monitor situated beneath the walker deck.
Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevstion o~ ~the grain : loss monitor o~ ~gure 4.
Figure 6 is an isometric view o~ Figure 5.
., ;`~
10Figure 7 is a schematic side elevation o~ a typi-cal combine with the sides broken away to show the approxi- :
mate location o~ the two grain loss monitors.
' :
Figur~e 8 is a schematic block diagram o~ th~ elec-trical circuit o~ the entire monitor system.
.
15Figure 9 i~ a wiring diagram o~ the rati~ computer :~
,:,': . . ~ . . . :
4;~
circuit forming part o~ the schema-tic circuitry o~ Figure 8.
:.
In the drawings like characters of reference indi-cate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
One o~ the problems in measuring grain loss over a sieve component is that it is diffioult to determine exactly how the grain is leaving the sieve and in what direction it is travelling. The problem is further compounded when going up and down hills~or on a side hill and wh~n varying combine settings ior speed, sieve openings and the like.
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Undsr these circumstances, a conventional pad sen-; sor can give false loss readings for the simple reason that the percentage of the total grain that hits the pad depends on the direction o~ the grain o~i the end o~ the sie~e and the position of the pad sensor.
As mentioned previously, straw walker sensing is much more di~icult because normally a sensor cannot be placed in ~he flow of straw otherwise it causes an obstruc~
tion.
"~ ' ' 8~
Proceeding there~ore to describe the invention in detail, re~erence should ~irst be mad~ to Figure 7 in which lO illus~rates schematically a combine having an intake end 11, a straw walker assembly collectively designated 12 and a sieve component collectively designated 13, all o~ which are conventional.
At the rear and 14 o~ the sieve component 13 there is provided a constant parcentage sensor device collectively dasignated 15.
In-'this particular embodiment, it incorporates a pick-up and support tube 16 having closed ends and extending between the side wall supports 17 o~ the combine immsdiately above the raar end 14 o~ the sieve. This tube 16 is pre~er-ably made o~ a rigid plastic material and incorporates a column o~ air therein (not illustrated),.
.
A plurality o~ vertical situated sensor ~ingers 18 are secured in spaced relationship along the length of the tube 16 and depending downwardly there~rom. Various ways can be used to attach the ~ingers to the wall ~ the tube 18 ~ 20 and one such method is shown in Figure 3 in which collars l9 engage around the wall o~ the tube 16 and each sensing ~inger includes a sleeve 20 e~gaged arou~d the wall o~ the tube 16 _ g :: . .
~ 4 3 betwecn collars 19 and these collars and 61~0ve m~y olthcr be adhesivoly ~e~ur~d to the tubo or may ~orm par~ o~ the tube by screw threaded connections one with the other (not illustrated).
The sensing ~ingers 18 are also pre~erably made ~rom a rigid plastic material and it will be noted, upon rs~erence to Figure 1, that the lower end portions 21 o~
the ~ingers curve slightly towards the rear end o~ the sieve component 13 and are in the $orm o~ relatively ~lat strips.
~ .
The positioning o~ these ~ingers is such that any grain passing ~ver the end o~ the sieve 13, in the area o~
the iingers 18, impinges upon these ~ingers which are held rigidly in position by the mountlng o~ the tube between the supports 17 by any convenient means.
It will there~ore be appreciated that a constant percentage sampling o~ grain is ta~ing place at this particu-lar location.
- As an example, i~ the sleve component is 40 inches wide and ~ur strip sensors 18 are provided with an e~ect~
`'` ' ' ' .
: ' ' :: :
~8~ 3 ive width of 7.2 inche~ then 1~% of the total lo~t grain over the and o~ the sieve component is being sampled.
An electric transducer in the form of a microphone (indicated schematically be referance character 22) i~ situa-ted within one end of the tube 16 together with a convention-al amplifier ~hown schematically by reference character 23 in Figure 80 The amplifier 23 is reguired because the level of electrical signal produced by sound transducer 22 is too low and may be degraded by electrical pickup in the long lines ~rom the rear of the combine to the instrument which is nor-mally situated at the front of the combine. The sound of the grain impinging upon strips 18 is transmitted to t~e wall of the tube and thence through the air column within the tube, to the transducer 22 so that the total tube area or volume is being monitored by this transducer regardles9 o~ the origin of the sound~
, The sound transducer 22 and amplifier 23~which is : ~ conventional) develop voltage spikes which are transmitted ,:, 20 . from the amp:Li~ier 23 via conductor cable 24 to the electronic :~
circuitry shown in Figureq 8 and 9, and which may be situated : within a convenient package (not illustrated) in the cab o the combine.
f~3 A ~urther ampli~ier 25 modi~ies tho pulses and a lov~l d~toc~r 26, screons out ~n~anted pulses by m~ans o~
band-pass ~ilters and includes a~ pulse ~enerating circuit responsive to the detected voltage spikes, to generate square wa~e pulses. All o~ this electrical circuitry is convention-al and it is not believed necessary to describe same ~urther.
A ratio computer 27 is provided and shown in de-tail in Figure 9`which will hereina~ter be described, .;
Situated below the deck 28 of the straw walker as-sembly 12, is a straw walker sensor collectively designa-ted 29. This extends longitudinally under approximately the last 18 inches o~ the deck and is pre~erably positioned cen-trally between the two sides. It includes a ~lat strip-like portion 30 upon one end o~ which is iormed a substantially - 15 cylindrical portion 31 and a sound transducer 22A is situated within this portion 31 together with an ampli~ier 23A, both ; og which are similar to components 22 and 23 hereinbe~ore described.
.
, This sensor 29 is also hollow and operates in a manner similar t~ sensor 15. It is pre~erably manu~actured ~ .
~rom a rigid plastic material and grain impinging upon the upper sur~ace 32, is transmitted via the air column therein, .
, . . . .
, ~)8~
~o the transducor 22A ~nd ampli~led by the ~mpli~ler 23~, it bein~ understood that the sensor 29 is closod ended.
A cable or conductor 24A conveys the generated - pulses to the electronic section and ampli~ier 25A is pro-vided to am~ y the pulses at this point. A level detcctor 26A similar to level detector 26, is also provided together with a ratio computer 27A, all o~ which act in a similar manner to the components hereinbe~ore described.
~ A selector switch 33 is provided enabling either - 10the square wave pulses ~rom the sieve sensor 15 or the square - wave pulses ~rom the straw walker sensor 29, to be ged to a ; further ampli~ier 34. The switch 33 also permits the ~eeds .. , ~ ,.
~rom both sensors t~ be added together by means o~ summation circuitry 34A. The signals are fed to ampli~ier 35 and -` 15thence to a read-out device 36 which may take the ~orm o~
a meter suitably calibrated.
Summarizing, there~ore, sensors 15 and 29 monitQr a constant percentage readi~g o~ the total loss at the loca~
. . . ~
tions o~ the sensors. The electronics then determine what percentage o~ th e total loss is being mo~itored and multiply the outputs ~rom the s~eve and walker sensors by the correct .
' ' ', :
- 13 - ~
;'` , ~ .
: : , . . . , : . ` .
factor and displ~ys -this total 105s on the meter or read-out device ~6. Switch 33 ~llows the operator to monitor the loss ~rom the walher~ and the sieve separately to accurately determine the location and amount o~ the loss.
- ' .
As mentioned previously, the ratio computer cir-cuitry is shown in Figure 9 which includes capacit~rs Cl and C2 receiving the ~eeds ~rom ampli~iers 25 and 25A. The amount o~ charge in capacitor Cl and C2 is proportional to the capacitors' value. There~ore, selecting the capacitors Cl and C2 in the correct ratio, determines what contribution each will have to the voltage on capacitor C3 ~or a certain input frequency. This, there~ore, takes lnto account tho sampling percentage o~ each o~ the sensors.
Re~erence characters 37 and 37A in ~igure 9 indi-cate schematically, typical square wave pulses which might be received in both o~ the circuits.
~'' . , ' Re~erring back to theselector switch 33, this switch is usually in the position to connect both ~eeds to the summation circuitry 34A, but i~ one or the other sensors : ~O is required, then the selector switch 33 shorts out the sen-: sor not required thus letting the other signal pass through to the read-out or meter 36, _ 14 .
, Since various modi~ications can be made in ~.~r lnvention as hereinabove described, and m~ny apparently : widely di~erent embodiments o~ same made wlthin the spirit and scope o~ the claims without departing ~rom such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying speci~ication shall be interpreted as illustra-tive only and not in a limiting senseO
~' " ' ' .
' , ~ .
.: .
. ' ' ,. . .
,. : '.
`~ .
- lS
. ~,; , , .
Claims
WHAT WE CLAIM AS OUR INVENTION IS:
(1) A grain loss monitor for combines and the like which include a sieve component and a straw walker assembly;
said grain loss monitor including a grain loss sensor compo-nent, said sensor component being situated within said com-bine whereby a constant percentage of grain passing through said combine impinges upon said component, said component in-cluding a sensor tube having a column therein, and transdu-cer means at one end of said tube, the sound of grain imping-ing upon said sensor component being transmitted to said transducer means, and a measuring circuit operatively connec-ted to said transducer means.
(2) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said sensor component includes at least one sensing finger secured to and extending from said tube, said grain impinging upon said finger.
(3) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said sensor component is situated below the straw walker assembly adjacent the rear portion thereof, said percentage of grain separated by said rear portion impinging upon said sensor tube.
(4) The invention according to Claim 2 in which said sensor component is situated below the straw walker assembly adjacent the rear portion thereof, said percentage of grain separated by said rear portion impinging upon said sensor tube.
(5) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said sensor component is situated adjacent the rear of the sieve component, said tube constituting pick up and support means spanning said sieve component adjacent the rear end thereof and spaced above said rear end.
(6) The invention according to Claim 2 in which said sensor component is situated adjacent the rear of the sieve component, said tube constituting pick up and support means spanning said sieve component adjacent the rear end thereof and spaced above said rear end.
(7) The invention according to Claim 3 in which said sensor component is situated adjacent the rear of the sieve component, said tube constituting pick up and support means spanning said sieve component adjacent the rear end thereof and spaced above said rear end.
(8) The invention according to Claim 4 in which said sensor component is situated adjacent the rear of the sieve component, said tube constituting pick up and support means spanning said sieve component adjacent the rear end thereof and spaced above said rear end.
(9) The invention according to Claim 1 which includes a further grain loss sensor component situated adjacent the rear end of said sieve component, said further sensor component including pick up and support means spanning said sieve compo-nent adjacent the rear end thereof and spaced above said rear end, said further sensor component including a plurality of sub-stantially vertical sensing fingers secured to said pick up and support means and depending therefrom in spaced relationship across the rear end of said sieve component, said fingers extend-ing downwardly from said pick up and support means to adjacent the rear end of said sieve component whereby the constant percent-age of grain passing over said sieve component impinges upon said fingers, further transducer means in said pick up and support means responsive to said impingement of grain, said further trans-ducer means being operatively connected to said measuring circuit.
(10) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 1 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(11) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 2 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(12) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 3 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(13) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 4 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(14) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 5 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(15) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 6 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(16) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 7 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(17) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 8 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(18) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 9 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to each of said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to each of said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a prede-termined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected voltage spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring circuit being connected to said pulse genera-ting circuit.
(19) The invention according to Claims 10, 11 or 12 in which said measuring circuit includes electric computing means connected to each of said pulse generating circuit, to compute the total grain loss from the constant percentage sam-pled by said monitor and indicating means operatively connec-ted to said measuring circuit.
(20) The invention according to Claims 13, 14 or 15 in which said measuring circuit includes electric computing means connected to each of said pulse generating circuit, to compute the total grain loss from the constant percentage sam-pled by said monitor and indicating means operatively connec-ted to said measuring circuit.
(21) The invention according to Claims 16 or 17 in which said measuring circuit includes electric computing means connected to each of said pulse generating circuit, to compute the total grain loss from the constant percentage sampled by said monitor and indicating means operatively connected to said measuring circuit.
(22) The invention according to Claim 18 in which said measuring circuit includes electric computing means connected to each of said pulse generating circuit, to compute the total grain loss from the constant percentage sampled by said monitor and indicating means operatively connected to said measuring circuit.
(23) The invention according to Claims 18 or 22 which includes means to add the percentage of grain sensed by said first mentioned sensor component to the percentage of grain sensed by said second mentioned sensor component whereby the total grain loss is calculated by said measuring circuit.
(24) A method of measuring the grain loss by a com-bine or the like comprising the steps of constantly sampling a percentage of the grain passing over the rear end of the sieve component of the combine, electrically detecting the said percentage of grain in the form of pulses, calculating the total amount of grain passing over the rear end of the sieve from the percentage sample and displaying same in a read-out device, continually sampling a percentage of grain separated by the rear portion of the straw walker assembly of the com-bine, electrically detecting the said percentage of the grain in the form of pulses, calculating the total amount of grain separated by the rear portion of the straw walker from the said percentage sample and displaying same in a read-out device and then adding the total amount of grain passing over the rear end of the sieve to the total amount of grain separated by the rear portion of the straw walker thereby monitoring on a continuous basis, the total amount of grain lost over the sieve component and straw walker assembly.
(1) A grain loss monitor for combines and the like which include a sieve component and a straw walker assembly;
said grain loss monitor including a grain loss sensor compo-nent, said sensor component being situated within said com-bine whereby a constant percentage of grain passing through said combine impinges upon said component, said component in-cluding a sensor tube having a column therein, and transdu-cer means at one end of said tube, the sound of grain imping-ing upon said sensor component being transmitted to said transducer means, and a measuring circuit operatively connec-ted to said transducer means.
(2) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said sensor component includes at least one sensing finger secured to and extending from said tube, said grain impinging upon said finger.
(3) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said sensor component is situated below the straw walker assembly adjacent the rear portion thereof, said percentage of grain separated by said rear portion impinging upon said sensor tube.
(4) The invention according to Claim 2 in which said sensor component is situated below the straw walker assembly adjacent the rear portion thereof, said percentage of grain separated by said rear portion impinging upon said sensor tube.
(5) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said sensor component is situated adjacent the rear of the sieve component, said tube constituting pick up and support means spanning said sieve component adjacent the rear end thereof and spaced above said rear end.
(6) The invention according to Claim 2 in which said sensor component is situated adjacent the rear of the sieve component, said tube constituting pick up and support means spanning said sieve component adjacent the rear end thereof and spaced above said rear end.
(7) The invention according to Claim 3 in which said sensor component is situated adjacent the rear of the sieve component, said tube constituting pick up and support means spanning said sieve component adjacent the rear end thereof and spaced above said rear end.
(8) The invention according to Claim 4 in which said sensor component is situated adjacent the rear of the sieve component, said tube constituting pick up and support means spanning said sieve component adjacent the rear end thereof and spaced above said rear end.
(9) The invention according to Claim 1 which includes a further grain loss sensor component situated adjacent the rear end of said sieve component, said further sensor component including pick up and support means spanning said sieve compo-nent adjacent the rear end thereof and spaced above said rear end, said further sensor component including a plurality of sub-stantially vertical sensing fingers secured to said pick up and support means and depending therefrom in spaced relationship across the rear end of said sieve component, said fingers extend-ing downwardly from said pick up and support means to adjacent the rear end of said sieve component whereby the constant percent-age of grain passing over said sieve component impinges upon said fingers, further transducer means in said pick up and support means responsive to said impingement of grain, said further trans-ducer means being operatively connected to said measuring circuit.
(10) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 1 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(11) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 2 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(12) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 3 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(13) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 4 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(14) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 5 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(15) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 6 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(16) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 7 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(17) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 8 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a predetermined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected volt-age spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring cir-cuit being connected to said pulse generating circuit.
(18) The grain loss monitor according to Claim 9 which includes electrical amplifying means operatively connected to each of said transducer means and detector means operatively connected to each of said amplifying means, said detector means detecting a range of amplitudes of voltage spikes above a prede-termined amplitude, the range of amplitudes including voltage spikes developed from said grain impingement, a pulse generating circuit connected to each of said detector means and responsive to the detected voltage spikes to generate square wave pulses, said measuring circuit being connected to said pulse genera-ting circuit.
(19) The invention according to Claims 10, 11 or 12 in which said measuring circuit includes electric computing means connected to each of said pulse generating circuit, to compute the total grain loss from the constant percentage sam-pled by said monitor and indicating means operatively connec-ted to said measuring circuit.
(20) The invention according to Claims 13, 14 or 15 in which said measuring circuit includes electric computing means connected to each of said pulse generating circuit, to compute the total grain loss from the constant percentage sam-pled by said monitor and indicating means operatively connec-ted to said measuring circuit.
(21) The invention according to Claims 16 or 17 in which said measuring circuit includes electric computing means connected to each of said pulse generating circuit, to compute the total grain loss from the constant percentage sampled by said monitor and indicating means operatively connected to said measuring circuit.
(22) The invention according to Claim 18 in which said measuring circuit includes electric computing means connected to each of said pulse generating circuit, to compute the total grain loss from the constant percentage sampled by said monitor and indicating means operatively connected to said measuring circuit.
(23) The invention according to Claims 18 or 22 which includes means to add the percentage of grain sensed by said first mentioned sensor component to the percentage of grain sensed by said second mentioned sensor component whereby the total grain loss is calculated by said measuring circuit.
(24) A method of measuring the grain loss by a com-bine or the like comprising the steps of constantly sampling a percentage of the grain passing over the rear end of the sieve component of the combine, electrically detecting the said percentage of grain in the form of pulses, calculating the total amount of grain passing over the rear end of the sieve from the percentage sample and displaying same in a read-out device, continually sampling a percentage of grain separated by the rear portion of the straw walker assembly of the com-bine, electrically detecting the said percentage of the grain in the form of pulses, calculating the total amount of grain separated by the rear portion of the straw walker from the said percentage sample and displaying same in a read-out device and then adding the total amount of grain passing over the rear end of the sieve to the total amount of grain separated by the rear portion of the straw walker thereby monitoring on a continuous basis, the total amount of grain lost over the sieve component and straw walker assembly.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA252,037A CA1080843A (en) | 1976-05-07 | 1976-05-07 | Grain loss monitor |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA252,037A CA1080843A (en) | 1976-05-07 | 1976-05-07 | Grain loss monitor |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1080843A true CA1080843A (en) | 1980-07-01 |
Family
ID=4105901
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA252,037A Expired CA1080843A (en) | 1976-05-07 | 1976-05-07 | Grain loss monitor |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1080843A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN116920774A (en) * | 2023-09-19 | 2023-10-24 | 福建德尔科技股份有限公司 | On-line monitoring's photoresist reation kettle |
-
1976
- 1976-05-07 CA CA252,037A patent/CA1080843A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN116920774A (en) * | 2023-09-19 | 2023-10-24 | 福建德尔科技股份有限公司 | On-line monitoring's photoresist reation kettle |
| CN116920774B (en) * | 2023-09-19 | 2023-12-19 | 福建德尔科技股份有限公司 | On-line monitoring's photoresist reation kettle |
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