GB2193871A - Checking and monitoring equipment for a harvesting machine - Google Patents

Description

1 GB2193871A 1

SPECIFICATION of machine.

According to the present invention there is Checking and monitoring equipment for a provided checking and monitoring equipment harvesting machine for a harvesting machine, comprising signal 70 transmitting means for transmitting signals The present invention relates to checking and representing instantaneous operating data of monitoring equipment for a harvesting ma- such a harvesting machine, storage means chine, especially equipment by which technolo- storing constants for use in calculation of gical data can be checked and monitored dur- monitoring data for harvesting machine vari- ing the use of the machine, for example shakants, input-output means connected to the ing and cleaning losses in the case of a com- storage means, switching means connected to bine harvester. the input-output means for input of constants In agriculture, cereal and grain maize crops to be used in calculation of monitoring data are harvested almost exclusively by combine for a harvesting machine variant equipped with harvesters. In order to be able to harvest with 80 the equipment, indicating means connected to low losses and operate harvesters at the per- the input-output means, and electronic pro formance limit, checking devices have been cessing means to calculate such monitoring used in order to determine, for example, shak- data from the operating data and input con ing and cleaning losses, travel speed, specific stants.

area performance and harvesting time. Thus, a 85 In a preferred embodiment of the equip- checking device is described in DD-PS 216 ment, the constants specific to a harvester 845 which provides an indication of shaking can be preset individually before the start of a and cleaning losses referred to harvest area or harvesting operation, so that only one type of yield. Fed to a computer in that case are - a checking device need be produced. All con pulses which are produced by a part of the 90 stants which are required for determination of loss grains through pulse generators at shak- for example, shaking and cleaning losses, har ing and cleaning equipment. Also fed to the vest area, travel speed and harvesting time, computer are pulses from a pulse generator are stored in an electronic processing unit for for travel speed as well as constants conall variants of the harvester. This processing tained in stores and activated by operating 95 unit comprises a microprocessor, storage elements. These constants concern the kind switching circuits for programs, storage of crop to be harvested and mass per thous- switching circuits for data, a data rescue de and grains, the yield referred to the crop area vice for voltage failure, and input and output and the working width given by the width of switching circuits, which are all connected by the cutting mechanism of the harvester. The 100 way of a bus. An inputoutput unit is wired mentioned constants are manually input by way of lines to a switch panel. At this through detenting switches. Further constants, switch panel, constants are activated through dependent on the type of harvester, must be electrical contacting and coded into logic infor included for computation. These constants are mation. Arranged downstream of the switch specific to the kind of crop, the wheel variant, 105 panel is an amplifier which in turn is con from which the effective radius is derived, and nected by its output with an indicating unit. A the number of pulse vanes at the wheel. switch can be provided for the new choice of The constants which are specific to the kind constants specific to the harvester in the case of crop and to the harvesting machine are of change in the type of harvester.

present as fixed values in stores and individu- 110 An embodiment of the present invention will ally coded dually in diode matrices. now be more particularly described by way of It is disadvantageous in this checking device example with reference to the accompanying that the constants dependent on the type of drawings, in which:

harvester are fixed in each checking device. Fig. 1 is a schematic elevation of a har- This has the consequence that a checking de 115 vester with equipment embodying the inven vice is fixedly associated with each type of tion; harvester. With the multiplicity of the possible Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic variants of harvesters, just as many variants processing unit in the equipment; of checking devices, must be produced. Con- Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of input and out- sequently, the production effort is very high. 120 put switching circuit of the equipment, with There is therefore a need for checking and data lines, electrical contacting arrangements, monitoring equipment for harvesting machines, an amplifier and an indicating unit; and which can be employed universally for differ- Fig. 4 is a flow diagram showing individual ent types of machine with different constants. program steps during the reading-in of the Such equipment should preferably, on commisconstants in the equipment.

sioning of the machine at the start of harvest Referring now to the drawings,thereis and without manual input by operating person- shown in Fig. 1 a harvester with a checking nel, be able to recognise coded information and monitoring unit 3 comprising a data store and automatically read into a computer the in which corresponding constants for the har constants corresponding to the particular type 130 vester type are recorded at the beginning of a 2 GB2193871A 2 harvesting operation. In connection with representing instantaneous operating data of pulses from a shaker loss transmitter 4, a such a harvesting machine, storage means cleaning loss transmitter 5 and a travel indica- storing constants for use in calculation of tor 6, the corresponding technological data are monitoring data for harvesting machine vari indicated at an indicating unit with an ampli- 70 ants, input-output means connected to the fier. storage means, switching means connected to The equipment, as shown in Fig. 2, com- the input-output means for input of constants prises a data bus 14 to which are connected to be used in calculation of monitoring data a microprocessor 7, an erasable programmable for a harvesting machine variant equipped with readonly memory 8, a random access memory 75 the equipment, indicating means connected to 9, a data rescue unit 10, a first peripheral the input-output means, and electronic pro input-output unit (PIO) 11 and a second per- cessing means to calculate such monitoring ipheral inputoutput unit (PIO) 12. Connected data from the operating data and input con by a bus to the unit 11 is a sevensegment stants.

indicator 13, with an amplifier, and a switch 80 2. Equipment as claimed in claim 1, the sig- panel with switches and wire bridges 15 to nal transmitting means comprising pulse gen 22 (see Fig. 3). erators.

With reference to the diagram shown in Fig. 3. Equipment as claimed in either claim 1 or 3 of the unit 11 and indicator/amplifier 13 claim 2, the processing means comprising a and the flow chart shown in Fig. 4, after 85 microprocessor connected by bus means to switching of voltage to the unit 3 at the in- data rescue means, storage switching circuit stant "start", the input part of the unit 11 is means and input and output switching circuit excited in the program step 23 and records means.

the present occupancy of the switch panel 15 4. Equipment as claimed in any one of the to 22 in the form of a bit pattern, designated 90 preceding claims, the indicating means being information byte in the following, in the pro- connected to the input- output means by way gram step 24. One bit of the identification of amplifier means.

byte, for example bit 3, in that case repre- 5. Equipment as claimed in any one of the sents the logic state of a data line A3, which preceding claims, the switching means com is connected with a switch 18 in the panel. 95 prising a switch selectably actuable to initiate Through the data line A3, it can be signalled input of constants respective to a harvesting by operating personnel to record constants machine variant.

anew, as will be the case on failure of the 6. Equipment substantially as hereinbefore data rescue device, beginning of a harvesting described with reference to the accompanying operation and change in the constants at the 100 drawings.

switch panel.

In these cases, actuation of the switch 18 is Published 1988 at The Patent Office, State House, 66/71 High Holborn, London WC 1 R 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from recorded in the program step 25. Taking place The Patent Office, Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3 RD.

thereafter in the program step 28 is a new Printed by Burgess & Son (Abingdon) Ltd. Con. 1/87.

programming in the first run-through or a re programming when changes have taken place.

Thereafter, the acknowledgement for orderly reading-in takes place in program steps 29 to 3 1. The excitation of the output part of the unit 11 then takes place only in the program step 32. If it is recorded in the program step that no actuation of the switch 18 took place, thereby signifying that the originally read-in constants were not changed, the out put unit is excited directly thereafter in the program step 32. In that case it is acknow ledged in the program steps 26 and 27 that the earlier reading-in of the constants by way of the process steps 28 to 31 was performed in orderly manner. After the program step 32, the indicator 13 is driven by the amplifier.

Indicated on this is at first the harvester type and thereafter the wheel variant. Only then is the checking and monitoring unit 3 ready for operation.

Claims (1)

1. Checking and monitoring equipment for a harvesting machine, comprising signal transmitting means for transmitting signals