The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 12, 1991
Filed:
Sep. 19, 1990
Robert E Fox, Minburn, IA (US);
James J Phelan, Bettendorf, IA (US);
Deere & Company, Moline, IL (US);
Abstract
A cotton path blockage detector has an acoustic output directed toward the discharge door floor on the cotton picking unit directly behind and to one side of the stream of cotton coming off a doffer. When the unit is operating properly, the floor area is generally clear of cotton and a first distance signal is provided. When a blockage occurs, the area begins to fill with cotton and debris, causing a decrease in the monitored distance. A threshold distance signal which is less than the distance signal to the floor causes an alarm to be activated to warn the operator of a plug. To prevent false alarms where the blockage may only be temporary, a slew rate limitation is built into the processing circuit. In another aspect of the invention, the signal radiated into the cotton conveying path is reflected by cotton, and a doppler circuit detects the presence of a doppler shift in frequency indicating moving cotton in the path. Absence of the doppler shaft indicates either the unit is off or the unit is plugged upstream of the detector. Detection of cotton in the path with a corresponding doppler frequency shift indicates acceptable operation, while detection of cotton with no frequency shift indicates a downstream plug.