Case Corporation

Cnh America LLC

Cnh Amercia LLC

Cnh Industrial Belgium Nv

George H Hale

Michael J Covington

Keith Walter Wendte

Paul W Haack

William L Schubert

Gary R Gallens

Brian T Adams

Timothy A Meeks

Jimmy Ray Hargett

Thomas Karlmann

Abraham Orbach

Jesse H Orsborn

Alan D Berger

Jeffrey S Milender

Yun Ren Ho

John F Link

Curtis A Halgrimson

Kenneth Brown Hood

Frank C Dupire

Andrew P Milleville

Johnnie W Oswald, Jr

A remote control system and apparatus enabling safely accessing the interior of a cotton compacting chamber and other regions of a cotton harvester, and also operating aspects of the compacting apparatus contained therein and thereabout, and which system is optionally operable for operating other aspects of the harvester, for inspection, maintenance and/or service, as well as other purposes. The system requires initial steps, including to safely neutralize or lock out operating systems of the harvester, then enables accessing designated interior locations of the compactor and the ability to operate systems therein, including aspects of the compacting apparatus.

Remote control system and apparatus for enabling accessing the interior of a chamber of a harvester

A cotton module building apparatus, utilizing imaging apparatus operable for capturing real-time images of the module building process, including accumulated cotton in the module building chamber, cotton inflow, and the in-process cotton module, and a method for building a cotton module using the images. The imaging apparatus includes a camera or cameras disposed at advantageous locations about the module building chamber, and cotton is distributed and moved within the chamber responsive to the images, for advantageous placement and distribution for forming a module having a desired consistency and top shape. Imaging apparatus can also be provided for observing unloading of a module from the chamber, and for facilitating maneuvering and positioning the unloading apparatus.

Apparatus and method using imaging in building a cotton module

A system and method for calibrating a cotton module builder having a compactor frame, the system including an electronic controller configured to move the compactor frame to a plurality of positions, to read a compactor frame position sensor or sensors in the first and second positions, and to calibrate the sensor or sensors based on the sensor readings.

Cotton module builder calibration

A cotton packager for mounting on a chassis of a cotton harvester interchangeably with a cotton basket, allowing for pivotal movement of the packager between an operating position and a tilted unloading position. The packager includes a pivotable fluid cylinder which attaches to the chassis in place of a fixed front lift cylinder of the basket, and a rear pivot which attaches to the chassis in place of a rear lift cylinder. As a result, a rear open end of the packager can be lowered closer to a surface onto which cotton is to be unloaded, and drivers for an unloader door of the packager can be subjected to less damaging loads.

Cotton packager and unloader door arrangement for mounting on a chassis of a cotton harvester

Bellows structure for a cotton module builder or packager, for enclosing or covering slots or passages through walls of a cotton module builder, for preventing entry of cotton into the slots or passages, to allow free movement of cross members therethrough of apparatus for distributing and compacting cotton within the module builder. The bellows can include telescoping rigid members below the cross members, and more flexible bellows thereabove.

Bellows structure for a cotton module builder or packager

Compactor apparatus for an on-board module builder, including single cylinders and guide members on opposite sides of the module builder for guiding and effecting a cotton compacting process. The compactor apparatus includes a frame disposed in a cotton module builder chamber, movable downwardly within the chamber against the cotton for compacting the cotton against the floor and walls of the chamber. The frame includes cross members which extend across the chamber and protrude outwardly therefrom through upwardly and downwardly extending slots or passages through the sides of the module builder. The ends on each side are connected together by an exterior side structure which is movable upwardly and downwardly by a suitable driver, guided by at least one vertically extending guide member.

Compactor apparatus including single cylinders and guide members on the sides of an on-board module builder of a cotton harvesting machine

A folding door or gate arrangement and method of operation thereof for a mobile cotton harvesting machine including a tiltable cotton module builder. In one embodiment, folding door or gate arrangement includes primary and secondary folding door segment pivotal between a folded or closed position in at least partially closing relation to an open end of the module builder and an unfolded or open position at least substantially parallel to a floor thereof, and a door driver arrangement connected between the primary door segment and the secondary door segment including a pivoting link element that facilitates pivotally moving the secondary door segment while the module builder is pivoted to an unloading position without exerting binding or potentially damaging loads against the door segments or the drivers to provide a straight inclined path for unloading or loading cotton onto of from a surface lower than the module builder. Folding door arrangements are also disclosed which work in concert with rearward movement and tilting of the of module builder.

Folding door arrangement for an onboard cotton module builder of a cotton harvester and method of operation of the same

An apparatus for measuring at least one parameter of material and generating multiple frequency signals having frequencies selectable by control signals, combining the multiple frequency signals into a combined frequency signal having multiple frequency components, and applying the combined frequency signal as an excitation signal to a sensing element. The frequency response of the material is determined at each of the multiple frequencies using output signals from the sensing element, and a frequency analysis is performed to determine the parameters of the material. The sensing element may include a capaciflector sensor located non-intrusively along the surface of a conveyor. However, other sensing elements such as capacitive, resistive and inductive elements may be used. The parameters being measured may include mass flow rate and moisture content. The apparatus includes a frequency generating circuit for generating a frequency signal having multiple frequency components, a sensing circuit which applies the frequency signal as an excitation signal to a sensing element, a signal conditioning circuit which determines the frequency response of the material at the multiple frequencies based upon output signals from the sensing element, and a signal processing circuit for performing a frequency analysis. The apparatus may be used to measure parameters of material being moved by a vehicle-mounted conveyor. A pink or white noise generator may be used for the frequency generating circuit.

Apparatus for measuring parameters of material

Method for building a cotton module on a mobile cotton harvester

A method and apparatus for measuring at least one parameter of material are disclosed herein. The method includes generating multiple frequency signals having frequencies selectable by control signals, combining the multiple frequency signals into a combined frequency signal having multiple frequency components, and applying the combined frequency signal as an excitation signal to a sensing element. The frequency response of the material is determined at each of the multiple frequencies using output signals from the sensing element, and a frequency analysis is performed to determine the parameters of the material. The sensing element may include a capaciflector sensor located non-intrusively along the surface of a conveyor. However, other sensing elements such as capacitive, resistive and inductive elements may be used. The parameters being measured may include mass flow rate and moisture content. The apparatus includes a frequency generating circuit for generating a frequency signal having multiple frequency components, a sensing circuit which applies the frequency signal as an excitation signal to a sensing element, a signal conditioning circuit which determines the frequency response of the material at the multiple frequencies based upon output signals from the sensing element, and a signal processing circuit for performing a frequency analysis. The apparatus may be used to measure parameters of material being moved by a vehicle-mounted conveyor. A pink or white noise generator may be used for the frequency generating circuit.

Method and apparatus for measuring parameters of material

Method and apparatus measuring parameters of material

A combine for processing crop materials includes a frame, a main body, ground support devices, a device for propelling the combine at a ground speed, an operator's station, a header including a reel rotatable at a reel speed, a feeder portion including a conveyor movable at a feeder speed, a threshing portion including a rotor rotatable at a rotor speed, a grain cleaning portion including a cleaning air fan rotatable at a cleaning air fan speed with adjustable outlet restrictions, and chaffer and grain sieves. An instrument and control system, which includes a data processing unit (DPU), a memory apparatus, an input device, an actuator, and a machine vision apparatus, monitors processing of crop materials and automatically adjusts combine settings in response thereto. A method of controlling the operations of a combine includes (a) viewing crop materials with a machine vision apparatus, (b) generating an image signal corresponding to an image of the crop materials, (c) transmitting the image signal to a DPU, (d) comparing the image signal to a setpoint within the DPU and generating an output signal corresponding to the difference therebetween, and (e) transmitting the output signal to an actuator configured to change a combine setting.

Combine setting autoadjust with machine vision

A method and apparatus for measuring at least one parameter including mass flow rate or moisture content of material moved by a conveyor are disclosed herein. The method includes the steps of applying an electric field to the material using a non-intrusive sensor assembly, generating signals related to the dielectric value of the material, and processing the signals to determine the parameter. The apparatus includes a capaciflector sensor assembly located along a surface of the conveyor to generate an electric field applied to the material and a processing circuit to determine the parameter based upon the signals output from the sensor assembly. The sensor assembly includes a first conductor spaced between a stationary member of the conveyor and the material, and a second conductor spaced between the first conductor and the stationary member to act as a shield for reducing parasitic capacitance between the first conductor and a reference plane. The first conductor forms a first electrode of a sensor capacitor and the material forms a second electrode, and the capacitance depends on the parameters of the material. A cover may be located between the sensor assembly and material. The processing circuit performs a frequency analysis over any number of frequencies to determine the mass flow rate, moisture content or type of material, and the conveyor's speed.

Method for measuring yield and moisture

A field mapping system for an agricultural vehicle such as a combine, planter or cultivator is disclosed herein. The system includes a circuit for determining the position of the vehicle relative to a field, and a sensor for sensing a characteristic (e.g., grain moisture content, grain harvest yield, soil compaction, altitude, etc.) at locations of the vehicle within the field. The system also includes an electronic display controlled by a control circuit coupled to the position determining circuit and the sensor. The control circuit produces display signals applied to the electronic display to generate a map of an area of the field at a desired scale which includes indicia of the current vehicle location and of the characteristic data being gathered. The map is dynamically redrawn at the desired scale to keep the visual indicia displayed when the vehicle has moved such that the vehicle location no longer corresponds to the displayed area.

Growing community of inventors

Naperville, IL, United States of America

George H Hale