Patent ID: 6442916
Filing Date: 2002-09-03
Classification: A01D,A01F

Abstract:
In a rotary combine harvester with a front end and an opposing rear end and having a source of motive power affixed to a wheel-supported frame for movement across a field of standing crop material, a crop threshing and separating assembly supported by said frame and powered by said source of motive power, a harvesting header attached to a feeder housing affixed to the front of said combine such that standing crop material is harvested by said header, consolidated and fed into said feeder housing and delivered to said threshing and separating assembly, said threshing and separating assembly having a generally fore-and-aft extending rotor housing of generally cylindrical cross section, an elongate rotor including a generally cylindrical main body portion having a longitudinal axis and substantially uniform diameter, said rotor being rotatably mounted in said rotor housing and co-operable with said rotor housing upon rotation to provide flow of crop material through said rotor housing in a generally spiral path, an elongate grate mechanism adjustably supported within said rotor housing and extending lengthwise along and adjacent the bottom side of said rotor and partially wrapped therearound, said grate mechanism having perforated openings therethrough of such size to allow grain and other fine material to pass through and away from said rotor housing, a plurality of adjustable reciprocating sieves supported by said frame of such a size and positioned below said grate mechanism to receive the grain and other fine material passing through said perforated openings, and a transport mechanism to move the grain passing through said sieves to a storage tank on said frame, the improvement comprising:a plurality of sensor units within said rotor housing generally equally spaced along the longitudinal axis of said rotor; each said sensor unit located adjacent said grate mechanism between said grate mechanism and said sieves and extending along the curved surface of said grate mechanism in a plane generally perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said rotor, to sense the flow of crop materials passing through said grate mechanism and onto said sieves; each said sensor unit providing an electrical output signal representative of the flow of crop material; and a control unit in electrical communication with said sensor units to receive said electrical output signals.