Combine harvester and grain yield management system for combine harvester

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10945368-B2
Application number	US-201615776370-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2016
Priority date	Dec 25, 2015
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

A combine harvester includes: a grain conveyance mechanism for conveying grains from a threshing apparatus to a grain tank; a grain discharge apparatus provided in an end area of the grain conveyance mechanism, the grain discharge apparatus having a discharge case provided with a grain discharge opening, and a discharge rotor rotatably arranged in the discharge case; a pressed portion that is subjected to a pressing force applied by grains immediately before the grains are discharged by the discharge rotor; a load detector for detecting the pressing force exerted on the pressed portion; and a yield evaluator for evaluating the amount of conveyed grain based on a detection signal from the load detector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A combine harvester comprising:
a threshing apparatus;
a grain tank for accumulating grains threshed by the threshing apparatus;
a grain conveyance mechanism for conveying grains from the threshing apparatus to the grain tank;
a pressed portion that is subjected to a pressing force applied by grains in a conveyance path in the grain conveyance mechanism;
a load detector for detecting the pressing force exerted on the pressed portion;
a yield evaluator for evaluating an amount of conveyed grain based on a detection signal from the load detector,
a grain discharge apparatus provided in an end area of the grain conveyance mechanism, the grain discharge apparatus having a discharge case provided with a grain discharge opening, and a discharge rotor rotatably arranged in the discharge case,
wherein the pressed portion is subjected to a pressing force applied by grains before the grains are discharged by the discharge rotor, and
wherein the yield evaluator evaluates the amount of conveyed grain per rotation cycle of the discharge rotor, based on the detection signal from the load detector in the rotation cycle.

2. The combine harvester according to claim 1 , wherein the pressed portion is subjected to a pressing force applied by grains before the grains are discharged by the discharge rotor.

3. The combine harvester according to claim 2 , wherein a plate-shaped member that serves as the pressed portion is attached to the discharge case at a position forward of the grain discharge opening in a direction in which grains are conveyed, and
wherein the pressing force applied by grains passing between the discharge rotor and the pressed portion is exerted on the pressed portion.

4. The combine harvester according to claim 3 , wherein the plate-shaped member is formed as a pressure sensitive plate extending in a rotational direction of the discharge rotor, and the load detector is a load cell provided in the pressure sensitive plate.

5. The combine harvester according to claim 3 , wherein the plate-shaped member spans one end portion and another end portion of the grain discharge opening in a rotation axis direction of the discharge rotor.

6. The combine harvester according to claim 2 , wherein the discharge case is a cylindrical body having a cylindrical portion with a center that is a rotation axis of the discharge rotor,
the cylindrical body extending along the rotation axis, the grain discharge opening is provided in a portion of an inner circumferential face of the cylindrical body, and
the pressed portion is provided in a circumferential face portion of the inner circumferential face, the circumferential face portion being located forward of the grain discharge opening in a rotational direction of the discharge rotor.

7. The combine harvester according to claim 1 , wherein the yield evaluator evaluates the amount of conveyed grain per unit of travel distance by integrating a largest value of the detection signal from the load detector obtained every rotation cycle, during a period of time it takes for the combine harvester to travel the unit of travel distance.

8. The combine harvester according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge rotor is a rotary blade constituted by a rotary shaft and a blade provided on the rotary shaft, and the rotary blade has a grain pushing face for pushing out grains in a rotational direction.

9. The combine harvester according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a rotation angle sensor for detecting a rotation angle of the rotary blade,
wherein the rotation angle sensor is a sensor that detects a specific point in a circumferential direction of the rotary blade, and
the yield evaluator calculates a rotation cycle of the discharge rotor based on the specific point in the circumferential direction, and regards a period, in which a largest value of the detection signal from the load detector is generated in the rotation cycle of the discharge rotor, as a periode valuated by the yield evaluator.

10. The combine harvester according to claim 9 , wherein, at a time point near a middle point in a period from when a pulse signal that is based on the detection signal from the rotation angle sensor is generated until the next pulse signal is generated, the blade passes the pressed portion, and the detection signal from the load detector takes its largest value.

Assignees

• Kubota Kk

Inventors

• Ueda Mao
• Takahara Kazuhiro
• Ando Yoshimasa

Classifications

• B60Y2200/222

  Harvesters · CPC title

• G01G11/003

  Details; specially adapted accessories (details of weighing apparatus in general G01G21/00; auxiliary devices for weighing apparatus in general G01G23/00) · CPC title

• A01D41/1208 Primary

  Tanks for grain or chaff (for threshing machines A01F12/60) · CPC title

• A01F12/46

  Mechanical grain conveyors · CPC title

• A01D41/127 Primary

  Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines · CPC title