Harvester electrical energy generation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10179511-B2
Application number	US-201715435060-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2017
Priority date	Feb 16, 2017
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

A harvester may include a reciprocating member to engage a crop, an electrical generator to convert reciprocating motion of the reciprocating member into electrical energy and an electrical storage unit storing the electrical energy. The harvester may include a first movable member to engage a crop, an electrical generator at least partially carried by the first movable member to generate electrical energy from movement of the first movable member, a second movable member carried by the first movable member and an actuator to drive movement of the second movable member using the electrical energy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A harvester comprising:
a reciprocating member to engage a crop;
an electrical generator to convert reciprocating motion of the reciprocating member into electrical energy, and
an electrical storage unit storing the electrical energy.

2. The harvester of claim 1 further comprising an actuator to adjust an operating parameter of the reciprocating member, the actuator having a movable member driven by the electrical energy.

3. The harvester of claim 2 , wherein the reciprocating member comprises one of a chafer and a sieve, having louvers, wherein the actuator is coupled to the louvers to rotatably drive the louvers using the electrical power.

4. The harvester of claim 2 further comprising:
a controller to control the actuator; and
a transceiver providing wireless communication to the control, the controller and the transceiver being powered by the electrical energy.

5. The harvester of claim 1 , wherein the electrical generator is completely carried by the reciprocating member.

6. The harvester of claim 1 , wherein the reciprocating member comprises a cleaning mechanism of the harvester.

7. The harvester of claim 1 , wherein the electrical generator comprises a slidable magnet that slides in response to reciprocation of the reciprocating member.

8. The harvester of claim 1 , wherein the electrical generator comprise a pendulum carried by the reciprocating member.

9. The harvester of claim 1 , wherein the reciprocating member comprises a cleaning mechanism having a first set of louvers and a second set of louvers and wherein the harvester further comprises:
a first actuator to rotate the first set of louvers; and
a second actuator to rotate the second set of louvers, each of the first actuator and the second actuator having a movable member driven by the electrical energy.

10. A harvester comprising:
a first movable member to engage a crop;
an electrical generator at least partially carried by the first movable member to generate electrical energy from movement of the first movable member;
a second movable member carried by the first movable member; and
an actuator to drive movement of the second movable member using the electrical energy.

11. The harvester of claim 10 , wherein the first movable member comprises a reciprocating cleaning mechanism and wherein the second movable member comprises a rotatable louver of the cleaning mechanism.

12. The harvester of claim 10 further comprising:
a controller to control the actuator, the controller carried by the first movable member, and
a transceiver providing wireless communication to the control.

13. The harvester of claim 12 , wherein the controller and the transceiver are powered by the electrical energy.

14. The harvester of claim 10 , wherein the electrical generator is completely carried by the first movable member.

15. A method comprising:
moving a first movable member of a harvester to interact with a crop,
generating electrical energy from conversion of motion of the first movable member; and
moving a second movable member carried by the first movable member using the generated electrical energy.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first movable member comprises a reciprocatable cleaning mechanism and wherein the second movable member comprises a rotatable louver of the cleaning mechanism.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first movable member comprises a reciprocatable member and wherein the electric energy is generated using a pendulum carried by the reciprocatable member.

18. The method of claim 15 adjusting positioning of the second movable member with an actuator, a transceiver that receives wireless control signals and a controller that controls positioning of the second movable member using the actuator and based upon the wireless control signals, wherein at least one of the actuator, the controller and the transceiver is powered by the generated electrical energy.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the electric energy is generated by an electrical generator completely carried by the first movable member.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising adjusting an operational parameter of the second movable member using the generated electrical energy.

Assignees

• Deere & Co
• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Schoeny Jacob G

Classifications

• A01D69/02

  electric · CPC title

• A01F12/448 Primary

  Sieve adjusting means · CPC title

• B60L1/20 Primary

  Energy regeneration from auxiliary equipment · CPC title