Acoustic material flow sensor
First Claim
1. A material flow sensor for a harvesting machine comprising:
- an acoustic chamber, comprising an impact plate and a housing;
a pneumatic impulse line;
a microphone;
an electronics module;
wherein the acoustic chamber and the microphone are connected by the pneumatic impulse line;
wherein the housing is shaped so as to direct sound waves created by crop matter striking the impact plate into the pneumatic impulse line;
wherein the sound waves move through the pneumatic impulse line into the microphone;
wherein the microphone detects the sound waves and converts them into an electrical signal;
wherein the electrical signal is a representation of a sound power derived from the sound waves;
wherein the microphone is electrically connected to the electronics module; and
wherein the electronics module analyzes the electrical signal and converts it into an approximate mass of crop matter striking the impact plate.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A material flow sensor for a harvesting machine comprising an acoustic chamber comprising an impact plate and a housing, microphone, a pneumatic impulse line connecting the housing and the microphone, and an electronics module, wherein the housing is shaped so as to direct sound waves created by crop matter striking the impact plate into the pneumatic impulse line, wherein the sound waves move through the pneumatic impulse line into the microphone, which detects the sound waves and converts them into an electrical signal that is a representation of the sound power derived from the sound waves, which in turn is a representation of the mass of the crop matter striking the material flow sensor.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A material flow sensor for a harvesting machine comprising:
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an acoustic chamber, comprising an impact plate and a housing; a pneumatic impulse line; a microphone; an electronics module; wherein the acoustic chamber and the microphone are connected by the pneumatic impulse line; wherein the housing is shaped so as to direct sound waves created by crop matter striking the impact plate into the pneumatic impulse line; wherein the sound waves move through the pneumatic impulse line into the microphone; wherein the microphone detects the sound waves and converts them into an electrical signal; wherein the electrical signal is a representation of a sound power derived from the sound waves; wherein the microphone is electrically connected to the electronics module; and wherein the electronics module analyzes the electrical signal and converts it into an approximate mass of crop matter striking the impact plate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system for measuring crop material flow through a harvesting machine, comprising:
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at least one material flow sensor; an acoustic chamber, comprising an impact plate and a housing; a pneumatic impulse line; a microphone; an electronics module; wherein the acoustic chamber and the microphone are connected by the pneumatic impulse line; wherein the housing is shaped so as to direct sound waves created by crop matter striking the impact plate into the pneumatic impulse line; wherein the sound waves move through the pneumatic impulse line into the microphone; wherein the microphone detects the sound waves and converts them into an electrical signal; wherein the electrical signal is a representation of a sound power derived from the sound waves; wherein the microphone is electrically connected to the electronics module; and wherein the electronics module analyzes the electrical signal and converts it into a representative mass of the crop matter striking the impact plate. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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Specification