Ctb, Inc.

Sioux Steel Company

Other

Ctb Ip, Inc.

Beard Industries

Brent J Bloemendaal

Brian Schuelke

Brandon Stephen Mullen

Ross Alan Mielke

Raymond George Benson, Jr

Morgen Benner

Raymond George Benson

A storage bin sweep system including a sweep assembly having an inboard end, an outboard end, a forward side and a rearward side and including a sweep housing extending between the inboard and outboard ends, a plurality of paddles movable on a path extending along at least a portion of the sweep assembly between the inboard and outboard ends, and an endless loop member mounted on the sweep housing and on which the plurality of paddles are mounted at spaced locations along the endless loop member. At least one of the paddles may have a front surface contoured in a manner to urge particles located forward of the paddle toward the rearward side of the sweep assembly as the paddle moves toward the inboard end of the sweep assembly.

Bin sweep system with contoured paddles

A bin ventilation apparatus and system may include a duct defining a duct interior and having an inboard end for orienting toward the bin and an outboard end for orienting away from the bin. The duct may have an inboard opening at the inboard end and a perimeter wall extending between the inboard and outboard ends. The perimeter wall may have an upper wall portion, a lower wall portion, and a pair of side wall portions about the duct interior. The apparatus may also include an air movement assembly mounted on the duct and being at least partially positioned in the duct interior between the inboard and outboard ends. The air movement assembly may include a motor and an impeller rotatable by the motor to move air through the duct.

Storage bin ventilation system and apparatus

A storage bin sweep system may include a sweep apparatus with a particulate material moving assembly configured to move particulate material toward an inboard end of the sweep apparatus and a drive unit carrying a portion of the particulate material moving assembly. The drive unit may include a surface engaging element configured to engage a surface below the sweep assembly to move the sweep apparatus with respect to the surface and a drive train configured to transmit power to the surface engaging element. The drive train may include a clutch assembly configured to transfer rotation utilizing a viscous fluid to permit a limited degree of slippage between elements of the drive train.

Bin sweep system with drive apparatus having enhanced slippage capability

A grain bin sweep apparatus includes a plurality of elongated grain impellers positioned adjacent a floor of a bin and having an inner ends rotatably supported at a central area of the bin and having an outer ends connected to an endless drive chain mounted in a guide track extending about an outer periphery of the bin and a drive motor engaged with the chain and operable to cause the chain to angularly sweep the impellers about the bin floor to thereby move the grain toward a grain exit of the bin.

Grain bin sweep apparatus

A grain drying system and process includes a controller that is electronically coupled to a variable speed fan and to a heater or a heat pump to supply air through a plenum and the grain. Also coupled to the controller are ambient temperature and humidity sensors, internal plenum temperature and a humidity sensor. The controller adjusts a fan speed in combination with operating the heater or heat pump to deliver a target equilibrium moisture temperature, during a first period when the ambient air is outside the equilibrium moisture target. The controller operates the fan at a minimum speed, during a second period when the ambient air is outside the equilibrium moisture target, and the controller is unable to obtain equilibrium moisture target air in the plenum in view of operational limits of the fan and the heater or heat pump.

Equilibrium moisture grain drying with heater and variable speed fan

A method and apparatus for forming a grain bin sensor cable including a plurality of mold members defining a mold cavity. A pre-formed cable with wires disposed therein is placed into the mold cavity, heated, and formed into a post-formed cable. The post-formed cable includes a recessed portion and a pair of end caps. Apertures are created within the recessed portion so as to expose a portion of the wires. The end caps are generally cone-shaped and include vertical walls. The post-formed cable is removed from the mold cavity and a sensor package is coupled to the wires exposed in the recessed portion and captured between the vertical walls of the end caps. A housing is coupled about the sensor package.

Grain bin sensor cable forming apparatus

Grain flow paths have an upper portion which is a mixed flow portion and which includes a preheat zone and a lower portion which is an undulating moisture equalizer portion and which includes a heat zone. Mixed flow grain diverters extend across the grain flow path substantially perpendicular to longitudinal side walls, and substantially parallel to transverse end walls of the grain flow path. Upper airflow openings are associated with each of the upper diverters. Moisture equalizer lower grain diverters extend along the longitudinal sides grain flow path substantially parallel to the longitudinal side walls, and substantially perpendicular to the transverse end walls of the grain flow path. The burner is positioned outside the airflow path to feed ambient air into the recirculating airflow path, without recirculating airflow passing through the burner.

Hybrid continuous flow grain dryer

A system for controlling the aeration of a grain bin storage device. The system comprises a grain bin storage device, a ventilation fan, a variable fan drive motor, and a controller configured to receive user input and grain bin storage device parameters. The system controls operation of the ventilation fan at various speeds to maintain a desired volumetric flow rate per bushel of grain. The controller monitors the static pressure within the grain bin storage device and adjusts the speed of the ventilation fan based on an optimal static pressure derived from the user input and grain bin storage device parameters.

Bin aeration system

Each grain bin includes a data collector coupled to multiple capacitive moisture cables, each with multiple sensor nodes spaced along it. Each sensor node includes a pair of longitudinally extending capacitive plates of the capacitive moisture sensor positioned in side-by-side, spaced-apart relationship to form a longitudinally extending gap between the capacitive plates. Positioned within the longitudinal gap between the capacitive plates is a circuit board including a microprocessor, memory, and temperature sensor. An outer housing provides a sealed enclosure that surrounds the circuit board, the capacitive plates, and a longitudinal length of the moisture cable that extends through and seals openings in each longitudinal end of the housing.

Grain bin capacitive moisture sensor system

A data collector associated with a grain bin is in communication with a plurality of capacitive moisture cables hanging within the grain bin. Each capacitive moisture cable includes a plurality of sensor nodes positioned along the moisture cable. Each sensor node includes a sensor node microprocessor and a sensor node memory coupled to a temperature sensor, a reference capacitive sensor and a capacitive moisture sensor. A main controller is in communication with the data collector. The main controller memory is configured in a data structure comprising grain type data, temperature data, raw reference capacitance data, raw moisture capacitance data, node identification data, physical node positional data, and a calculated moisture content for each sensor node. A method of determining moisture contents of grain in a grain bin related to such a system is also included.

Grain bin capacitive moisture sensor system and method

Grain bin sensor cable forming method

A controller is coupled to a plurality of moisture sensors positioned within the grain bin at various spaced-apart locations. The controller determines a grain moisture level adjacent each moisture sensor and compares the grain moisture level to a predetermined maximum moisture level. The controller is coupled to a grain spreader that is configured to selectively distribute incoming grain into the grain bin and operates the spreader to distribute incoming grain to create a shortened airflow path through the grain that encompasses the moisture sensors having determined grain moisture levels above the predetermined maximum moisture level. The controller is coupled to a fan that is coupled to the grain bin and configured to provide airflow through the grain in the grain bin. The controller operates the fan to provide greater airflow through the grain along the shortened airflow path than is provided along airflow paths outside the shortened airflow path.

Method and system to selectively dry grain in a grain bin

A Hall effect grain level switch is positioned adjacent a grain fill opening at an upper portion of a grain enclosure. A Hall-voltage generator is coupled to the housing in a fixed position. An elongate member is pivotably coupled to the housing with the magnet being mounted adjacent a proximal end of the elongate member. A grain contact member is coupled adjacent a distal end of the elongate member. The Hall-voltage generator and magnet are positioned adjacent each other to provide a first output signal state when the elongate member extends vertically in a rest position. The Hall-voltage generator and magnet are distanced from each other to provide a second output signal state when the elongate member is pivoted to a non-vertical switched position in response to grain moving the contact member.

Hall effect grain level switch

A fishing reel with dual spool spin axes includes a housing, a rotor assembly rotatably mounted on the housing, and a spool shroud assembly including a fishing line spool gimbal mounted on the rotor assembly. The shroud assembly is movable between a casting position with a spool axis parallel to a rod axis and a retrieve position with the spool axis perpendicular to the rod axis. The spool is geared to the housing in such a manner that rotation of the rotor assembly about a rotor axis to retrieve the line causes the spool to spin about the rotor axis and simultaneously about a spool axis to counteract twist in the line caused by the manner of casting the line or by line pay-out by a hooked fish.

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Zionsville, IN, United States of America

Brent J Bloemendaal