Discharging residue from a combine harvester

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11240958-B2
Application number	US-201916414890-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2019
Priority date	May 17, 2018
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

An embodiment includes a combine including a sensor positioned to detect a physical characteristic of a windrow produced by the combine or an operational state of the combine, a windrow door for expelling the residue from the combine, a windrow door actuator coupled to the windrow door to position the windrow door at a windrow door angle, a windrow chute for receiving the expelled residue from the windrow door and guiding the residue into a windrow, a windrow chute actuator coupled to the windrow chute to position the windrow chute at a windrow chute angle, a controller configured to determine a physical characteristic of the windrow or the operational state of the combine based on an output of the sensor, and adjust at least one of the windrow door angle or the windrow chute angle based on the determined physical characteristic or operational state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A combine comprising:
a feeder housing for receiving harvested crop;
a separating system for threshing the harvested crop to produce grain and residue;
a windrow door for expelling the residue from the combine;
a windrow door actuator coupled to the windrow door to position the windrow door at a windrow door angle;
a windrow chute for receiving the expelled residue from the windrow door and guiding the residue into a windrow;
a windrow chute actuator coupled to the windrow chute to position the windrow chute at a windrow chute angle;
an inclinometer that senses an inclination of the combine and provides the inclination in an output;
a controller coupled to the inclinometer, the windrow door actuator, and the windrow chute actuator, the controller configured to:
increase the windrow door angle or decrease the windrow chute angle when the inclination indicates that the combine is leaning towards a front of the combine, and
decrease the windrow door angle or increase the windrow chute angle when the inclination indicates that the combine is leaning towards a rear of the combine.

2. The combine of claim 1 ,
wherein the windrow door actuator is configured to adjust the windrow door to multiple predetermined windrow door angles,
wherein the windrow chute actuator is configured to adjust the windrow chute to multiple predetermined windrow chute angles.

3. The combine of claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is further configured to adjust at least one of the windrow door angle or the windrow chute angle based on at least one of a type of the crop being harvested, moisture of the crop being harvested or a speed of a rotor expelling the residue through the windrow door.

4. The combine of claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is further configured to determine the windrow door angle and the windrow chute angle based on outputs of respective multi-positional encoders on the windrow door actuator and the windrow chute actuator.

5. A method for controlling a combine including a feeder housing for receiving harvested crop, a separating system for threshing the harvested crop to produce grain and residue, a windrow door for expelling the residue from the combine, a windrow door actuator coupled to the windrow door to position the windrow door at a windrow door angle, a windrow chute for receiving the expelled residue from the windrow door and guiding the residue into a windrow, a windrow chute actuator coupled to the windrow chute to position the windrow chute at a windrow chute angle, an inclinometer that senses an inclination of the combine and provides the inclination in an output, and a controller coupled to the inclinometer, the windrow door actuator, and the windrow chute actuator, the method comprising:
determining, by the controller, an inclination of the combine based on the output of the inclinometer;
adjusting, by the controller, at least one of the windrow door angle or the windrow chute angle based on the determined an inclination of the combine;
increasing, by the controller, the windrow door angle or decreasing the windrow chute angle when the inclination indicates that the combine is leaning towards a front of the combine; and
decreasing, by the controller, the windrow door angle or increasing the windrow chute angle when the inclination indicates that the combine is leaning towards a rear of the combine.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
adjusting, by the windrow door actuator, the windrow door to multiple predetermined windrow door angles,
adjusting, by the windrow chute actuator, the windrow chute to multiple predetermined windrow chute angles.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
adjusting, by the controller, at least one of the windrow door angle or the windrow chute angle based on at least one of a type of the crop being harvested, moisture of the crop being harvested, or a speed of a rotor expelling the residue through the windrow door.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining, by the controller, the windrow door angle and the windrow chute angle based on outputs of respective multi-positional encoders on the windrow door actuator and the windrow chute actuator.

9. The combine of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to set an initial position of the windrow door angle or the windrow chute angle based on the inclination.

10. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
setting, by the controller, an initial position of the windrow door angle or the windrow chute angle based on the inclination.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Isaac Nathan E
• Jackson Austin
• Dilts Mark

Classifications

• A01D41/1243 Primary

  Devices for laying-out or distributing the straw · CPC title

• A01D41/127

  Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines · CPC title

• A01F12/40

  Arrangements of straw crushers or cutters · CPC title

• A01F12/44

  Grain cleaners; Grain separators · CPC title