A cob conveying and cleaning system for use with a corn harvester, incorporating air induction in cooperation with an air flow from the harvester, for cleaning and separating lighter crop residue to be returned to the field from a mixed flow of the residue and cobs, such that the cleaned cobs can be collected, and the lighter residue optionally spread on the field. The air flow and induction are combined to cooperatively lift or draw the lighter residue from the mixed flow, and to optionally spread the removed lighter residue over a field. The induction apparatus can be located on the harvester, and used as a residue spreader when cobs are not collected.

A grain conveyor for a combine harvester capable of increasing capacity and reducing component wear is disclosed. The grain conveyor includes a grain elevator, a transition chamber and an auger assembly. The grain elevator has an inlet for receiving a flow of grain. The transition chamber includes an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the transition chamber inlet and the grain elevator inlet. The transition chamber outlet has an asymmetric non-circular opening larger than the non-cylindrical opening of the transition chamber inlet. The auger assembly is operatively connected to the transition chamber and includes an inlet for receiving a flow of grain and an outlet in fluid communication with the transition chamber inlet.

A harvesting system includes a self-propelled harvesting machine and a drivable collecting container equipped with a drive unit, which can be positioned relative to the harvesting machine and moved in parallel therewith. Crop is fed directly or indirectly to the collecting container during harvesting operation from the harvesting machine using a feed pipe equipped with an outlet chute. The collecting container is equipped with a device for loading it with crop in a uniform manner. The collecting container is moved in a constant position relative to the harvesting machine by way of a control device while the crop is being conveyed. The collecting container is preferably a filling device, by way of which uniform distribution of the crop in the collecting container (8) can be attained.

An unload auger assembly for a combine harvester includes a drive coupler configured between adjacent first and second auger segments. The coupler includes a driver component and associated driver cog coupled to the first auger segment. A driven component and associated driven cog is coupled to the second auger segment. The driven cog is rotationally engaged by the driver cog to transmit rotational drive from the first auger segment to the second auger segment. A friction clutch is configured in-line between the driver component and driven component and rotationally couples the driver component to the driven up to a release torque value wherein the friction clutch disengages the driver component from the driven component.

The invention concerns a harvested crop residue chopper and distribution arrangement for a combine (10) with a straw chopper (60) with a rotor (74) that can be brought into rotation about a horizontal axis (98) with chopper blades (76) fastened thereto that define an outer envelope (96), and with at least one impeller blower (82) arranged downstream of the straw chopper (60) with impeller blades (84) that can rotate about an axis of rotation (88) that extends vertically, in which the impeller blades (84) are provided with outer edges (94) that conform to the envelope (96) of the chopper knives (76) and follow it very closely and are not in contact with it.

The present disclosure is a handheld harvester apparatus including a threshing drum configured to rotate. The harvester may further include a plurality of teeth connected to the threshing drum and configured to strip seeds from a head of a plant. The harvester also includes a screening assembly coupled to the threshing drum. The screening assembly is configured to receive seeds and plant material from the threshing drum and to eject the plant material from the harvester and direct the seeds downward. The harvester further includes a first screen configured to receive the seeds from the screening assembly and to allow seeds sized below a predetermined threshold to pass through the first screen and to prevent plant material exceeding the predetermined threshold to pass through the first screen. The harvester may further include a collection chamber coupled to the first screen and configured to receive the seeds.

A forage harvester has an engine which is drivingly connected to a chopper cylinder via first drive belt, and to a first end of a drive shaft of a discharge accelerator. A second end of the drive shaft of the discharge accelerator is drivingly connected to a kernel processor via a second drive belt, is arranged, in the direction of harvested material flow, between the chopper cylinder and the discharge accelerator. The discharge accelerator comprises support disks which extend radially, and paddles. The support disks are attached to a hollow shaft enclosing the drive shaft, and, a sensor is arranged between the drive shaft and the discharge accelerator for the determination of the force transmitted by the drive shaft to the discharge accelerator.

A sensor for monitoring a plant population in front of a harvester and a transfer process of the crop from the harvester to a transport vehicle is arranged on an unmanned aircraft. The aircraft moves in the vicinity of the harvester in the harvesting mode and communicates in a wireless fashion with a control unit that controls an actuator for influencing an operating parameter of the harvester and/or the transport vehicle (in real time based on signals of the sensor in the harvesting mode.

An intake feeder system having a stone separator mounted between a crop elevator and the mouth of a threshing mechanism disposed longitudinally in a combine harvester. The stone separator includes a rotary feed beater and a sump disposed beneath the feed beater. The feed beater serves to advance crop raised by the elevator along a crop flow path towards the mouth of the threshing mechanism and to propel stones in the crop into the sump. A duct is provided in parallel with the crop flow path for connecting a space above the rotary feed beater to the mouth of the threshing mechanism.

A biomass conveying and distributing system for separating and distributing lighter biomass residue from heavier or denser biomass, utilizing available air flow from the cleaning system of the harvester. The harvester will discharge a flow of heavier or denser biomass with an airborne flow of lighter biomass residue. The system includes a conveyor for receiving and conveying the heavier or denser biomass, and residue distributing apparatus disposed above the conveyor in a path of at least a portion of the airborne flow of lighter residue, including at least one deflector configured and operable for redirecting the airborne flow sidewardly away from the conveyor, above a passage through which the conveyor passes carrying the heavier biomass away from the harvester.

Example embodiments relate to a combine harvester including a straw chopper having an inlet for unchopped straw, an outlet for chopped straw in an essentially horizontal direction, and a spreader fan, connected downstream of the outlet of the straw chopper and having an essentially horizontal plane of rotation, for spreading the chopped straw over a ground surface. The combine harvester further includes a guide member, which is arranged to deflect at least a part of the stream of chopped straw material to an axial intake of the spreader fan such that a part of chopped straw material meets the blades of the spreader fan in the direction of transport of the chopped straw material through the spreader fan at an acute angle (α) relative to the plane of rotation of the spreader fan.

A grain bin located atop a harvester includes upstanding walls having a substantially continuous upper edge defining an opening. A grain bin extension is deployable between extended and retracted positions to expand the capacity of the grain bin. The extension includes extension panels and a cap overlaying the opening. The cap is supported by a cap frame that is also deployable between extended and retracted positions. An extension deployment apparatus raises and lowers the extension panels. Extension deployment mechanisms located at opposing corners of the grain bin control the deployment of adjacent extension panels. Each extension deployment mechanism has a first rack and a trunnion to drive extension panels in a vertical direction and pivot the panels in an outward direction and a second rack mounted to the trunnion to drive the cap frame in a vertical direction, and a drive gear between the first and second racks.

A system for removing plant material from harvested crops includes a pinch roller conveyor including pairs of rotatable pinch rollers whose longitudinal axes are aligned with a length of the conveyor, the pinch rollers forming nips in which plant material can be caught and pulled down through the conveyor as the pinch rollers rotate, wherein first ends of the pinch rollers are laterally displaceable so that the pinch rollers can laterally separate from each other to facilitate passage of plant material.

An agricultural harvesting machine has a measurement device for investigating a crop flow conveyed through the harvesting machine. The measurement device includes at least one optical detection unit disposed at the crop flow for detecting light reflected by the crop and an evaluation unit for evaluating the spectrum of the detected light in order to derive properties of the crop. The evaluation unit is disposed at a position of the harvesting machine that is decoupled from mechanical loading by the crop flow to the greatest extent possible and is connected to the detection unit by way of at least one optical waveguide.

A system and method for controlling spreader output from a harvester includes a distribution chamber for receiving an agricultural material removed from a field. The harvester includes a spreader system configured to distribute the agricultural material onto the field, and an opening configured to receive the agricultural material from the distribution chamber. Moreover, the distribution chamber includes a first panel rotatably coupled to a first side of the distribution chamber, and a second panel rotatably coupled to a second side of the distribution chamber. The first and second panels are configured to direct the agricultural material toward the opening of the spreader system. An angle of the first panel is independently adjustable to control a first amount of agricultural material directed toward a first inlet portion. An angle of the second panel is independently adjustable to control a second amount of agricultural material directed toward a second inlet portion.

A method and device for harvesting threshed crops including a threshing assembly (3) arranged downstream of a cutting assembly (2) of a combine harvester (1) for separating the grain-chaff mixture (12) from the straw. A chaffing device (4) is arranged downstream of the threshing assembly (3) for separating the total straw fraction into a first and a second straw fraction (5.1, 5.2). A comminution device (8) is arranged downstream of the chaffing device (5) for comminuting the second straw fraction (5.2). A blower (10) having a suction pipe (9) draws in and mixes the grain-chaff mixture (12) and the second straw fraction (5.2) to form a mixture (18) of grain, chaff, and second straw fraction and conveys the mixture (18) into a silo (14).

An agricultural combine has a threshing assembly for threshing a crop to produce chaff and grain, a cleaning assembly for removing the chaff from the grain, and a control system. The threshing assembly and the cleaning assembly operate at threshing and cleaning settings, respectively, for tending to produce a balance between a threshing load applied across the threshing assembly and a cleaning load applied across the cleaning assembly that tends to have a favorable influence on grain loss. The control system is for sensing an imbalance between the threshing load and the cleaning load tending to have an unfavorable influence on grain loss, and for concurrently adjusting the threshing and cleaning settings of the threshing and cleaning assemblies, respectively, for tending to convert the imbalance between the threshing and cleaning loads to a balance between the threshing and cleaning loads tending to have a favorable influence on grain loss.

A combine harvester comprises a separating apparatus arranged to receive a threshed crop stream and convey rearwardly. The separating apparatus comprises a grate for allowing grain and chaff to fall onto an underlying separator pan, the separator pan being driven in an oscillating manner to convey a grain/chaff stream forwardly for delivery to a cleaning unit. The separator pan comprises a first portion and a second portion disposed forwardly of the first portion. A rear edge of the second portion is releasably attached to a front edge of the first portion, the second portion being pivotable around a forward mounting around a transverse axis between an operating position in which the second portion is attached to the first portion forming a continuous pan surface, and a lowered position in which the second portion is detached from the first portion giving maintenance access to the underside of the separating apparatus.

A harvester grain bin monitoring system is disclosed. The system includes a sensor that monitors the perimeter of the bin proximate to the top rim to provide a warning to an operator when the grain level reaches approaches the bin rim. The sensor may be optical or mechanical.

A cleaning system for a combine harvester that includes a cleaning shoe having a sieve, a cleaning fan, an air plenum and a pair of air diverters is provided. The cleaning fan is rotatably driven for generating a flow of air and positioned within the air plenum. The air plenum extends across the entire length of the cleaning fan and includes an inlet for the intake of air, an outlet downstream the inlet for directing the flow of air in a first direction, lateral walls forming a portion of the outlet, and a bottom wall extending between the lateral walls. The pair of air diverters extends inwardly from the lateral walls. Each air diverter is configured substantially as a pyramid having a rounded corner that extends inwardly from the lateral wall and upwardly from the bottom wall.

A filleting device and method for harvesting fillets from poultry carcasses that are moved in a conveyer-line supported on carriers is provided. In one exemplary embodiment, the first guide rails are provided to guide at least a part of the fillets so as to increase this part's distance from the carcass and break the tissue connections that connect the fillet or fillets in their natural position to the keel-bone of the carcass. Flexible elements are provided that complete the harvesting of the fillets by peeling the fillets entirely loose from the keel-bone.

The power of DC electrical sources is combined onto a DC buss, such that each source behaves independently from any other source attached to the buss. In one embodiment, a converter module is attached to each of a plurality of solar photovoltaic panels and its output is attached in a parallel manner to a common buss that forms the input to a DC AC inverter. The converter module includes a Maximum Power Point Tracking component that matches the output impedance of the panels to the input impedance of the converter module. The converter also includes a communication component that provides parametric data and identification to a central inverter. Data generated by each converter module is transmitted over the power line or by wireless means and is collected at the inverter and forwarded to a data collection and reporting system.

A system and method for combining power from DC power sources. Each power source is coupled to a converter. Each converter converts input power to output power by monitoring and maintaining the input power at a maximum power point. Substantially all input power is converted to the output power, and the controlling is performed by allowing output voltage of the converter to vary. The converters are coupled in series. An inverter is connected in parallel with the series connection of the converters and inverts a DC input to the inverter from the converters into an AC output. The inverter maintains the voltage at the inverter input at a desirable voltage by varying the amount of the series current drawn from the converters. The series current and the output power of the converters, determine the output voltage at each converter.

A combine harvester grain bulk tank and grain unloading system includes opposed bulk tank augers and an unloading auger formed in a grain bulk tank of a combine harvester. The bulk tank augers are for receiving and conveying grain through the bulk tank to the unloading auger, and the unloading auger is for receiving grain from the bulk tank augers and conveying grain to a grain unloading spout for grain unloading. A primary drive gear is coupled to the unloading auger and to an input, a secondary drive gear is drivingly coupled to the bulk tank augers, and a clutch is coupled between the primary drive gear and the secondary drive gear, which is movable between an engaged position for transferring power from the input to the unloading auger and to the bulk tank augers, and a disengaged position for isolating the bulk tank augers from the primary drive gear.

These and other objectives are obtained by a hand-held apparatus for use in harvesting earthworms using a source of electrical energy having a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The apparatus has a body which has a bottom surface. The apparatus has a positive contact connected to the positive terminal and a negative contact connected to the negative terminal. A first electrically conductive wire runs from the positive contact along the bottom surface to a first terminus point and a second electrically conductive wire running from the negative contact along the bottom surface to a second terminus point, wherein the conductive wires are exposed along the bottom surface. The first electrically conductive wire and the second electrically conductive wire are in contact with the earthworm and supply an electrical current sufficient to immobilize the earthworm.

An articulated cutting head and conveyor mount for sod harvesting machines. The invention provides a linkage design that can provide many benefits including: allowing the operator to see the cutting operation, enabling the high lifting of the cutting head for service and maneuvering, managing the vertical bending load of the ground reference roller, providing high transverse stiffness, maintaining the position of the conveyor relative to the cutting head. The linkage design can include fewer parts than previous designs while still being robust and durable. As such, cutting heads employing the linkage design of the present invention can produce higher quality slabs with less service and maintenance than when using current designs.

The present invention extends to a stacking mechanism having electrical actuators for stacking slabs of sod on a sod harvesting machine. The electrical actuators allow the stacking head to be driven in three axes. The stacking mechanism also includes position feedback sensors for reporting the position of the stacking head to enable precision when operating the stacking head at a fast rate. The stacking mechanism of the present invention also provides temporary pallet support wings to enable the continued stacking of slabs of sod on one pallet even while another pallet is being dropped from the sod harvesting machine.

A harvesting device for harvesting and/or picking up crop such as plants or plant parts located on the field is configured with a pick-up unit with a working width oriented transversely to the direction of travel (F), for picking up the crop. The pick-up unit has a multiplicity of pick-up elements, each of which can move at least partially in the vertical direction and are disposed along the working width. Outer ends of the movable pick-up elements form envelope curves during operation. A conveyor unit for further conveying the picked-up crop is provided downstream of the pick-up unit in the direction of the crop flow. The harvesting device so arranged improves the pick-up or intake of crop because the conveyor unit at least partially overhangs the envelope curves of the pick-up elements in the direction of travel (F).

A method for harvesting bast plants that have stalks, husks, and seeds. The method includes cutting the bast stalks from the bast plants and receiving the bast stalks onto a first belt. The method then orients at least a portion of the bast stalks on the first belt by moving a bar back and forth across the first belt in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction the first belt is moving, the bar elevated above the first belt and having spaced tines extending toward the first belt, the longitudinal axis of the at least a portion of the bast stalks being generally oriented in the direction the first belt is moving. The husks and seeds may be removed from the bast stalks. The bast stalks may be packaged.

A system and method for controlling a load on an agricultural harvester (100) comprising a first sensor (124, 126, 128, 130) to sense a first load, a second sensor (132, 134, 136, 138) to sense a second load, an electronic control unit (200) coupled to the first sensor and the second sensor, the electronic control unit (200) being configured to determine a difference between the first load and the second load, and to either (a) raise a harvesting head (102) or (b) stop the agricultural harvester (100), or (c) both, when the difference exceeds a threshold load.

A drive arrangement for driving a first sickle bar section (42) and a second sickle bar section (36) of a harvesting platform (20) comprises a first gearbox (54) and the second gearbox (74) having an output drivingly connected to a respective first end of a respective sickle bar section (36, 42). Drive trains connect the first gearbox (54) and the second gearbox (74) to an input drive shaft (24). At least one of the drive trains comprises a belt drive. A synchronization transmission (82) is coupled to the second ends of the sickle bar sections (36, 42) and couples them in opposite movement directions.

An agricultural work vehicle includes a vehicle body having longitudinally extending sides. An enclosed engine compartment is configured within the vehicle body. An air inlet is defined in side of the vehicle body for intake of air into the engine compartment. A grain bin forward of the engine compartment includes a grain bin extension skirt mounted above the grain bin. An intake housing is mounted over the air inlet in the vehicle body side and includes a forwardly extending portion mounted alongside the grain bin extension with an inlet opening oriented so as draw air primarily from an area forward of the engine compartment and above the vehicle body.

A harvesting system and method providing a row insensitive plant cutting and gathering capability, suitable for harvesting tall, stalky plants such as sweet sorghum, cane, and the like, in high volume, which also billet cuts the harvested plants. Multiple plants are cut simultaneously on a continuous basis at any locations across a header of the system, and the cut plants are gathered into a continuous overlapping flow having a vertical extent or thickness of several stalks or canes and their associated foliage. The flow is then vertically compacted into a mat of reduced thickness while being conveyed into a billet cutter, which cuts the stalks or canes into billets of a desired length and discharges the billets to a desired location, all while the harvester is moving through a field harvesting. The system can be incorporated into a conventional sugarcane harvester in place of conventional base cutters and row dividers.

A conditioning device for a forage harvester is equipped with a first roller, profiled in the axial direction, and a second roller, also profiled in the axial direction. The two rollers are rotated, around their axes, in opposite directions and are aligned parallel to one another. An element, profiled, in the axial direction, in a manner complementary to the profile of the first roller and adjacent to the circumference of the first roller, for the removal of crop residues from the roller, extends in a circular arc over a part of the circumference of the first roller.

A harvesting machine for threshing crop materials includes a platform supported in front of a chassis, an erecting device having a number pairs of guiding bars attached to the platform and having a channel formed between two bar members of each pair of guiding bars, a guiding element disposed between every two adjacent pairs of guiding bars for guiding a stalk of the crop materials into the channel of the guiding bars, a number of pawls extended into the channel for sending the stalk of the crop materials into the channel, and a cutting device having two or more cutting elements for cutting the stalk into a lower base segment that carries no grain and an upper straw segment that carries grains.

A combine harvester is provided that separates grain material from material other than grain using multiple processing areas, including a harvesting area, a feederhouse area, a threshing area, a cleaning area, and a grain delivery area. In a location at or prior to entering one of the processing areas, the material may be collected and held until a collection threshold is reached. Once it is determined that the collection threshold is reached, the material forming a first group of material may be transported from the location to the processing area or a subsequent processing area. The first group of material is transported from the location to the processing area or the subsequent processing area substantially simultaneously and thus simulates the gathering of a large amount of crop material even when small plots are involved. In this way, reduced cycle times may be achieved, and the efficiency benefits of large-plot harvesting may be extended to small-plot applications.

A harvester having one or more cutting blades for cutting leafy vegetables with a rotating brush for sweeping harvested leaves into a basket or enclosure. The blades are driven by an oscillatory drive mechanism. The brush may have limp bristles. The harvester may be hand-carried and operated by a motor, which drives both the brush and the cutting blades.

A distributed power harvesting system including multiple direct current (DC) power sources with respective DC outputs adapted for interconnection into a interconnected DC power source output. A converter includes input terminals adapted for coupling to the interconnected DC power source output. A circuit loop sets the voltage and current at the input terminals of the converter according to predetermined criteria. A power conversion portion converts the power received at the input terminals to an output power at the output terminals. A power supplier is coupled to the output terminals. The power supplier includes a control part for maintaining the input to the power supplier at a predetermined value. The control part maintains the input voltage and/or input current to the power supplier at a predetermined value.

An energy harvesting device includes: a first nanoporous electrode and a second nanoporous electrode, each of which is configured to which store electrical charge; a first current collector connected to the first nanoporous electrode and a second current collector connected to the second nanoporous electrode; and an enclosure that contains the first and second nanoporous electrodes and the first and second current collectors and transfers a force applied from the outside to the first nanoporous electrode and the second nanoporous electrode, wherein at least one of the first nanoporous electrode and the second nanoporous electrode comprises an ion conductive polymer.

Apparatus and methods are provided for activity accessory including an energy harvester or generator. In an example, an activity accessory can include a first enclosure and an energy generator enclosed within the first enclosure. The energy generator can include a second enclosure. The energy generator can include a spherical magnet housed within the second enclosure and windings surrounding the second enclosure. Movement of the spherical magnet within the second enclosure can induce charge movement in the windings.

The present invention relates to a triboelectric energy harvesting device and a method for manufacturing the same. The triboelectric energy harvesting device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first frictional layer provided with a first surface having first electron affinity, and a second frictional layer facing the first surface and having second electron affinity, wherein at least one of the first and second frictional layers is formed of an elastic material and is provided in an elastic structure.

Light harvesting luminescent multichromophores that are configured upon excitation to transfer energy to, and amplify the emission from, an acceptor signaling chromophore in energy-receiving proximity therewith are provided. Also provided are compositions for labelling a target. The labelling composition may include a donor light harvesting multichromophore and an acceptor signaling chromophore in energy-receiving proximity to the donor light harvesting multichromophore. Also provided is an aqueous composition for labelling a target, including: a donor light harvesting multichromophore; an acceptor signaling chromophore in energy-receiving proximity therewith; and a sensor biomolecule. Methods for using the subject compositions are also provided.

A system for adaptive cooling and energy harvesting comprising at least one thermoelectric device capable of acting as a thermoelectric cooler and as a thermoelectric generator, a hierarchical multiple-level control system, and electronics controlled by the control system and connected to the thermoelectric device. The electronics selectively configure the thermoelectric device in at least in a thermoelectric cooler operating mode and in a thermoelectric generation operating mode. The thermoelectric device can incorporate quantum-process and quantum-well materials for higher heat transfer and thermoelectric generation efficiencies. The invention provides for thermoelectric devices to additionally operate in temperature sensing mode. The hierarchical control system can comprise a plurality of control system, each of which can operate in isolation and can be interconnected with additional subsystems associated with other hierarchical levels. The hierarchical control system can comprise linear (additive) control, bilinear (additive and multiplicative) control, nonlinear control, and hysteresis.

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