Self adjusting concave clearance system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9980435-B2
Application number	US-201414529346-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2014
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

An agricultural combine ( 102 ) includes a rotor ( 114 ), a concave ( 116 ), a force sensor ( 134 ) to indicate the force applied to a crop mat located between the rotor and the concave, a position sensor ( 132 ) to indicate the size of a gap ( 130 ) between the rotor ( 114 ) and the concave ( 116 ), an actuator ( 122, 124 ) to position the concave ( 116 ) with respect to the rotor ( 114 ), and an ECU ( 144 ) coupled to the sensors ( 132, 134 ) and the actuator ( 122, 124 ). The ECU ( 144 ) contains an economic operating curve ( 154, 156, 158 ) that relates the force to the size of the gap. The ECU ( 144 ) is configured to receive a signal from the force sensor ( 134 ) and a signal from the position sensor ( 132 ), and based upon those signals, to control the actuator ( 122, 124 ) to change the force and the size of the gap ( 130 ) to a point on the economic operating curve ( 154, 156, 158 ).

First claim

We claim:

1. An agricultural combine comprising:
a rotor; a concave extending about the rotor and defining a gap therebetween;
at least one actuator coupled to the concave, wherein the at least one actuator is configured to change the gap when said at least one actuator is actuated;
at least one force sensor configured to provide a force signal indicative of a force applied by the rotor and the concave to a crop mat disposed in the gap;
at least one position sensor configured to provide a position signal indicative of a magnitude of the gap; an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the at least one actuator, to the at least one force sensor and to the at least one position sensor, wherein the ECU contains at least one economic operating curve that correlates a single force value applied to the crop mat with a single magnitude of the gap, wherein the ECU is configured to read the force signal and the position signal, wherein the ECU is configured to actuate the at least one actuator to drive the force signal and the position signal to a point on the at least one economic operating curve.

2. The agricultural combine of claim 1 , further comprising:
an operator input device configured to generate an operator signal made by an operator of the agricultural combine, wherein the operator signal is indicative of a desired economic operating curve, wherein the operator input device is coupled to the ECU and further wherein the ECU is configured to receive the operator signal and wherein the ECU through that is configured to select the at least one economic operating curve based at least upon the operator signal.

3. The agricultural combine of claim 1 , wherein the ECU comprises an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and at least one digital memory circuit, and further wherein the at least one digital memory circuit contains the at least one economic operating curve as at least one digital value.

4. The agricultural combine of claim 3 , wherein the at least one digital memory circuit contains at least two operating curves, and further wherein the at least two operating curves are individually selectable by an operator of the agricultural combine using an operator input device.

5. The agricultural combine of claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuator is a hydraulic cylinder.

6. The agricultural combine of claim 5 , wherein the at least one force sensor is disposed to sense hydraulic fluid pressure in the at least one actuator.

7. The agricultural combine of claim 1 , wherein the at least one force sensor is disposed to sense a mechanical load on the concave.

8. The agricultural combine of claim 7 , wherein the concave is supported for pivotal movement about a hinge, and further wherein the at least one force sensor is disposed at the hinge.

9. The agricultural combine of claim 1 , wherein the ECU is coupled to the at least one actuator by a valve arrangement, and further wherein the valve arrangement is configured to control the flow of hydraulic fluid to and from the at least one actuator under control of the ECU.

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Mackin Ryan P
• Pope Glenn E

Classifications

• A01D41/127

  Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines · CPC title

• A01F12/28 Primary

  Devices for adjusting the concaves · CPC title