Patent ID: 8676453

Claim:
A method for controlling a crop separating process of a combine harvester ( 1 ) comprising a controller ( 27 ), a separation device ( 4 , 18 ), from which the crop is transferred to a cleaning device ( 5 ), the cleaning device comprising at least one sensor and at least one sieve ( 15 , 16 ) with adjustable opening widths that is driven in an oscillating manner to separate grain in the crop from non-grain components, and a fan ( 14 ) that provides an air flow acting upon the at least one sieve ( 15 , 16 ) to loosen the crop located thereon, wherein substantially three different loosening phases (F, S, W) occur during the loosening of the crop, the method comprising the steps of: determining current separation curves ( 33 A, 34 A) of the crop across a width of the cleaning device ( 5 ) at points separated from each other in the conveyance direction (FR), evaluating the current separation curves ( 33 A, 34 A), detecting one loosening phase of the three different loosening phases (F, S, W) that is present in a conveyance direction (FR) by comparing the current separation curves ( 33 A, 34 A), and based on the one detected loosening phase (F, S, W) controlling any of the separating device, the cleaning device or the fan to optimize the loosening of the crop on at least one section of the cleaning device ( 5 ).