Grain processor
First Claim
1. A grain processor for separating and measuring components of a test sample of grain as well as separating impurities from the grain and separating different size impurities comprising, a motor driven rotary sieve for receiving said test sample and having at least two sieving sections, each provided with different size perforations, a plurality of densimetric separator columns, means for directing sieved portions of the sample to said densimetric separator columns, a plurality of motors, a motor driven blower associated with each column for separating the impurities from the grain or different size impurities, a weighing hopper coupled to an output of each column for weighing the separated grain and provided a weight signal, a processing unit provided with data processing and recording circuits including microprocessor means, rotation control circuits associated with said blowers and said rotary sieve coupled to said microprocessor means, means for sending said weight signals to said processing unit, a rotational speed reading device associated with each blower and the rotary sieve for providing a speed signal input to respective rotation control circuits in said unit, a motor controller connected to each motor, each of said rotational control circuits providing an input signal to a respective motor controller via said processing unit to control the speed of the respective motor and associated blower to maintain a desired air velocity int he respective densimetric separator column.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A grain processor for separating and measuring components of a sample of grain as it passes through a rotary sieve having two or more sieving sections having different perforations. The separated particles in each of the sieving sections are passed through a densimetric column containing a stream of pressure-adjustable air generated by a blower to remove impurities from the separated grain which is channeled into a weighing hopper which measures the weight of the grain or impurities and registers the information in a unit provided with data processing and recording circuits, including a microprocessor. Tachometers provide rotational speed pulses to rotation control circuits in the unit which provides an input to motor controllers associated with the motors driving the fans and the rotary sieve. Each of the rotation control circuits is provided with a motor-driven potentiometer coupled to an optical coded disc which provides an output to adjacently-positioned optical heads providing an input into the unit. Alternatively, each of the rotation control circuits may use a solid-state electronic interface between the microprocessor and the motors.
20 Citations
16 Claims
- 1. A grain processor for separating and measuring components of a test sample of grain as well as separating impurities from the grain and separating different size impurities comprising, a motor driven rotary sieve for receiving said test sample and having at least two sieving sections, each provided with different size perforations, a plurality of densimetric separator columns, means for directing sieved portions of the sample to said densimetric separator columns, a plurality of motors, a motor driven blower associated with each column for separating the impurities from the grain or different size impurities, a weighing hopper coupled to an output of each column for weighing the separated grain and provided a weight signal, a processing unit provided with data processing and recording circuits including microprocessor means, rotation control circuits associated with said blowers and said rotary sieve coupled to said microprocessor means, means for sending said weight signals to said processing unit, a rotational speed reading device associated with each blower and the rotary sieve for providing a speed signal input to respective rotation control circuits in said unit, a motor controller connected to each motor, each of said rotational control circuits providing an input signal to a respective motor controller via said processing unit to control the speed of the respective motor and associated blower to maintain a desired air velocity int he respective densimetric separator column.
Specification