Patent ID: 7993187

Claim:
A foreign object detection and removal system of a combine harvester comprising: a feederhouse that includes a door attached to the feederhouse, an actuator operatively engaged with the door, and at least one acoustic element positioned within an interior of the feederhouse to detect the presence of a foreign object, a chopper assembly that includes a chopper grate assembly including a knife bank operatively engaged with the chopper grate assembly and movable between at least a partially disengaged position and a fully engaged position, and an actuator operatively engaged with the knife bank to move the knife bank between the at least partially disengaged and the fully engaged positions; and a controller operatively connected to the acoustic element and the actuator operatively engaged with the door, the controller operatively connected to the actuator operatively engaged with the knife bank, and the controller configured to receive an input signal generated from the acoustic element and to activate the actuator operatively engaged with the door to open the door, the controller further configured to activate the actuator operatively engaged with the knife bank of the chopper grate assembly after a time delay from the receipt of the input signal so that a retained foreign object has time to reach the chopper grate assembly, the actuator of the chopper grate assembly activated to move the knife bank into at least the partially disengaged position to permit movement therethrough of any retained foreign object while crop continues to enter the feederhouse.