Method of controlling a threshing mechanism of a combine harvester

• US 7,001,267 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2004
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH (CLAAS KGaA mbH)
• Original Assignee: Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH (CLAAS KGaA mbH)
• Inventors: Behnke, Willi, Dammann, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): FABIAN-KOVACS, ARPAD
• Application Number:
  US10/869,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20040259610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 460/1, 460/4, 460/5, 460/6, 56/102.R, 56/102.C, 701/50, 382/156
• US Class Current: 460/6
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines

Abstract

For controlling a threshing mechanism of a combine harvester parameters of the threshing mechanism are adjusted with respect to a nominal crop throughput determined for corresponding harvesting conditions to an optimal value, the changing automatically and the adjustment includes automatically determining a deviation of an actual crop throughput from the nominal crop throughput, and adjusting at least one threshing mechanism parameter for adaptation to the actual crop throughput; also a combine harvester with the control device for performing the method is proposed.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a threshing mechanism of a combine harvester, comprising the steps of adjusting parameters of the threshing mechanism with respect to a nominal crop throughput determined for corresponding harvesting conditions to an optimal value, said adjusting including automatically determining a deviation of an actual crop throughput as an input value at a beginning of a harvesting process from the nominal crop throughput, and adjusting at least one threshing mechanism parameter for adaptation to the actual crop throughput only when the deviation occurs.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said adjusting includes adjusting the threshing mechanism by adjusting at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of a threshing drum rotary speed, a threshing concave distance, and both, for adaptation to the actual crop throughput.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein said adjusting includes reducing the threshing drum rotary speed with increasing crop throughput.

4. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein said adjusting includes reducing the threshing concave distance with reducing crop throughput.

5. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein said adjusting includes adjusting the threshing concave distance in accordance with a predetermined function depending on an actual threshing drum rotary speed.

6. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein said adjusting includes adjusting the at least parameter selected from the group consisting of the threshing drum rotary speed, threshing concave distance, and both, depending on a crop property.

7. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising the measuring the actual crop throughput in a crop feed.

8. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising determining a deviation of the actual crop throughput from the nominal crop throughput by measuring a drive parameter selected from the group consisting of a rotary moment on a drive shaft, a driven moment, and both.

9. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising determining a deviation of the actual crop throughput from the nominal crop throughput based on a broken corn content.

10. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising determining a deviation of the actual crop throughput from the nominal crop throughput based on a loss quantity at a location selected from the group consisting of a rotary moment on a drive shaft, a driven moment, and both.

11. A method as defined in claim 10;

and further comprising adjusting the adjustable threshing mechanism parameter automatically to the optimal value back when the actual crop throughput again corresponds to the nominal crop throughput or deviates from the nominal crop throughput by less than a predetermined threshold value.

13. A method of controlling a threshing mechanism of a combine harvester, comprising the steps of adjusting parameters of the threshing mechanism with respect to a nominal crop throughput determined for corresponding harvesting conditions to an optimal value, said adjusting including automatically determining a deviation of an actual crop throughput as an input value at a beginning of a harvesting process from the nominal crop throughput, and adjusting at least one threshing mechanism parameter for adaptation to the actual crop throughput only when the deviation occurs, wherein said adjusting a threshing mechanism parameter includes performing the adjusting when a situation occurs selected from the group consisting of a deviation of the actual crop throughput by a predetermined threshold value, a deviation of a predetermined first time period, and both from the nominal crop throughput.

12. A method as defined in claim 13;

and further comprising, after elapsing a predetermined second time period in which the nominal crop throughput is not reached or deviates more than a predetermined threshold value, performing an action selected from the group consisting of automatically performing a new adjustment of further adjustable parameters by different working elements of the combine harvester, suggesting to an operator to adjust these adjustable parameters optimally with respect to the actual crop throughput as a new nominal crop throughput, and both.

14. A combine harvester, comprising a threshing mechanism, and a control device for adjusting parameters of said threshing mechanism with respect to a nominal crop throughput determined for crop conditions to an optimal value, said control device having a crop throughput control unit which automatically recognizes a deviation of an actual crop throughput as an input value at a beginning of a harvesting process from the nominal crop throughput, said control device being formed so that only in the case of such a deviation it adjusts at least one threshing mechanism parameter for adapting to the actual crop throughput.

15. A combine harvester as defined in claim 14;

and further comprising a sensor device arranged in a crop feed for determining the actual crop throughput.

16. A combine harvester as defined in claim 14, wherein said sensor device includes a sensor for determining a crop layer height in the crop feed.

17. A combine harvester as defined in claim 14;

and further comprising at least one loss quantity sensor arranged at a location selected from the group consisting of an output of a separating device, an output of a cleaning device, and both.

18. A combine harvester as defined in claim 14;

and further comprising a broken corn sensing device.

19. A combine harvester as defined in claim 14;

and further comprising a measuring device selected from the group consisting of a measuring device for determining a rotary movement on a drive shaft, a measuring device for determining a driven moment of a drive motor, and both.