Agricultural working machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9795082-B2
Application number	US-201514635036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2015
Priority date	Mar 3, 2014
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

An agricultural working machine embodying a combine harvester for processing crop includes an intake conveyor mechanism for picking up the crop, a moisture content sensor arrangement for measuring a moisture content of the picked-up crop and generating a crop moisture signal based on the measured moisture content. A throughput sensor arrangement, preferably a layer thickness sensor arrangement, determines a throughput quantity of the picked-up crop. The crop moisture content signal is corrected on a basis of the throughput quantity that is determined.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An agricultural working machine for processing crop, comprising:
an intake conveyor mechanism for picking up the crop and forming a picked-up crop flow;
a moisture content sensor arrangement comprising a capacitive sensor that generates a stray field with field lines that extend into the picked-up crop flow, for measuring a moisture content of the picked-up crop flow and generating a crop moisture signal based on the measured moisture content; and
a throughput sensor arrangement for determining a throughput quantity of the picked-up crop flow;
wherein the crop moisture content signal is corrected based on the throughput quantity of the picked-up crop flow that is determined by the throughput sensor arrangement.

2. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the crop moisture content signal is generated substantially continuously or the throughput quantity is determined substantially continuously based on the crop moisture content signal.

3. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the crop moisture content signal is corrected based on the determined throughput quantity by use of a throughput correction function.

4. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the crop moisture content signal is corrected based on the crop type determination.

5. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1 , wherein if the determined throughput quantity drops below a minimum throughput quantity, the crop moisture content signal is corrected to a value of the crop moisture content signal that existed before the value fell below the minimum throughput.

6. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1 , wherein when the determined throughput quantity exceeds a maximum throughput, the crop moisture content signal remains substantially unchanged by the correction.

7. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1 , wherein when a determined throughput quantity is located within the correction range, the crop moisture content signal is corrected such that a moisture content of the picked-up crop is related as a whole to the determined throughput quantity of the picked-up crop flow.

8. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the moisture content sensor arrangement or a layer thickness sensor arrangement or an arrangement comprising both a content sensor and a thickness sensor is disposed on the intake conveyor mechanism.

9. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
working devices at least including a threshing mechanism and a front attachment, and
a control arrangement for controlling the working devices,
wherein the control arrangement activates the working devices based on the crop moisture content signal, regulates the working devices based on the crop moisture content signal or both activates and regulates the working devices based on the crop moisture content signal.

10. The agricultural working machine according to claim 9 , wherein the control arrangement comprises automated machine setting devices, each of which is assigned to a working device of the working devices for activating the working device, and wherein the control arrangement determines operating parameters of the automated machine setting devices based on the corrected crop moisture content signal.

11. The agricultural working machine according to claim 9 , wherein the control arrangement carries out a control activity for controlling the working devices based on a change in the crop moisture content signal.

12. The agricultural working machine according to claim 11 , wherein the control arrangement triggers action of the group consisting of: an increase activity for controlling one of the working devices when the crop moisture content signal increases above an upper limit value, a decrease activity for controlling one of the working devices when the crop moisture content signal decreases below a lower limit value, a variance activity for controlling a working device when a variation limit value is exceeded by a rate of change of the crop moisture content signal and a combination thereof.

13. The agricultural working machine according to claim 9 , wherein the control arrangement provides an overload protection when controlling the working devices, wherein when an overload is detected, the control arrangement activates the working devices according to an overload protection routine, wherein a sensitivity threshold for detecting the overload is based on the crop moisture content signal.

14. The agricultural working machine according to claim 13 , wherein the agricultural working machine has a drive and a clutch for operating the threshing mechanism and wherein a slip threshold of the clutch for detecting the overload is based on the crop moisture content signal.

15. The agricultural working machine according to claim 9 , wherein the control arrangement is set up to record the crop moisture content signal for mapping purposes to relate the crop moisture content signal to position data of the agricultural working machine during the pick-up of the crop.

16. The agricultural working machine according to claim 15 , wherein the control arrangement is set up to transfer the recorded crop moisture content signal with the related position data of the agricultural working machine to a remote computer unit.

17. The agricultural working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the throughput sensor arrangement is a layer thickness sensor arrangement.

18. The agricultural working machine according to claim 5 , wherein the crop moisture content signal is held at the value of the crop moisture content signal before the value fell below the minimum throughput.

19. The agricultural working machine according to claim 7 , wherein the correction range is located between a maximum throughput and a minimum throughput.

20. The agricultural working machine according to claim 8 , wherein the arrangement is located in a feeder housing of the intake conveyor mechanism.

Assignees

• Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen Gmbh

Inventors

• Middelberg Rene
• Brune Markus
• Claussen Frank
• Diekhans Norbert

Classifications

• A01F12/18

  Threshing devices · CPC title

• A01D41/1271

  for measuring crop flow · CPC title

• A01D41/127 Primary

  Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines · CPC title

• A01F12/58

  Control devices; Brakes; Bearings · CPC title

• A01D41/1277 Primary

  for measuring grain quality · CPC title