Yield monitoring system for grain harvesting combine
First Claim
1. A grain flow monitor for measuring volume flow rate of grain discharged by a power driven conveyor in a grain harvester, comprising a hopper having an open top and an open bottom, said hopper disposed to receive all grain discharged by said conveyor, a rotatable paddlewheel disposed below said hopper and covering said open bottom of said hopper, said paddlewheel having a multiplicity of compartments circumferentially mounted thereon, each compartment of predetermined volume, a height sensor disposed upon said hopper above said paddlewheel, said height sensor generating a control signal responsive to the height of grain in said hopper, said paddlewheel selectively controlled by said control signal to rotate sufficiently rapidly to maintain grain at a predetermined height within said hopper, an angular displacement monitor responsive to the rotation of said paddlewheel generating a first data signal responsive to the rotation of said paddlewheel over unit of time, a computer receiving said first data signal and calculating therefrom a volume flow rate of grain exiting said conveyor
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Abstract
A yield monitoring system for a grain harvesting combine includes a volume monitor, a moisture monitor, a test weight monitor, a ground speed monitor, and a computer which receives signals from each monitor and continuously derives harvested grain yield rates from those signals, displays the yield rates on a visual display and records the yield rate information for later recall and transfer to other computers. A GPS receiver linked to the system enables it to map yields geographically in the harvested field. The volume monitor receives all grain exiting the clean grain elevator of the combine and passes it through a paddlewheel, the angular displacement of which is monitored over time. The moisture monitor and test weight monitor are mounted to the exterior of the clean grain elevator and receive samples of grain from the lift side of the clean grain elevator.
77 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A grain flow monitor for measuring volume flow rate of grain discharged by a power driven conveyor in a grain harvester, comprising
a hopper having an open top and an open bottom, said hopper disposed to receive all grain discharged by said conveyor, a rotatable paddlewheel disposed below said hopper and covering said open bottom of said hopper, said paddlewheel having a multiplicity of compartments circumferentially mounted thereon, each compartment of predetermined volume, a height sensor disposed upon said hopper above said paddlewheel, said height sensor generating a control signal responsive to the height of grain in said hopper, said paddlewheel selectively controlled by said control signal to rotate sufficiently rapidly to maintain grain at a predetermined height within said hopper, an angular displacement monitor responsive to the rotation of said paddlewheel generating a first data signal responsive to the rotation of said paddlewheel over unit of time, a computer receiving said first data signal and calculating therefrom a volume flow rate of grain exiting said conveyor
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5. The grain flow monitor of claim i wherein
said paddlewheel is driven by a variable speed motor responsive to said control signal.
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8. A test weight monitor for use within a grain harvester comprising
a container for receiving a predetermined volume of grain, the container suspended by a first load cell, the first load cell generating a first voltage responsive to the weight of said container, a dummy weight of known weight suspended by a second load cell, the second load cell generating a second voltage responsive to the weight of the dummy weight, a voltmeter coupled to said first load cell and said second load cell to measure the potential difference between said first voltage and said second voltage.
Specification