Shoe load and distribution sensing for combine harvester

1. A combine harvester sensing system for use with a combine harvester, comprising:

a thresher rotor, the thresher rotor having a transverse rotation axis with respect to a forward direction of travel of the combine harvester;

plural distribution augers disposed beneath the thresher rotor and being controllable to deflect grain falling from the thresher rotor;

plural accelerator rolls disposed beneath the plural distribution augers;

a shoe comprising a pan, the pan disposed beneath the plural accelerator rolls; and

plural sensors disposed between the plural accelerator rolls and the pan positioned in an arrangement parallel to said transverse rotation axis and extending into a stream of crop material that impacts the pan so as to sense said stream of crop material and generate a signal indicative of a transverse loading of said crop material on the pan.

2. The combine harvester sensing system of claim 1 , wherein the plural sensors are of the same type.

3. The combine harvester sensing system of claim 1 , wherein the plural sensors are secured to a frame of a combine harvester.

4. The combine harvester sensing system of claim 1 , wherein the plural sensors are located closer to the plural accelerator rolls than to the pan.

5. The combine harvester sensing system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller, the controller configured to receive signals from the plural sensors.

6. The combine harvester sensing system of claim 5 , further comprising a user interface coupled to the controller, the controller configured to provide feedback to an operator of a combine harvester via the user interface, the feedback based on the signals received by the controller from the plural sensors.

7. The combine harvester sensing system of claim 6 , wherein the user interface comprises a display screen, the display screen providing a graphic of transverse crop material load distribution on the shoe.

8. The combine harvester sensing system of claim 7 , further comprising one or more operator controls that enable the operator to adjust a manner in which crop material is discharged from the thresher rotor based on the graphic.

9. The combine harvester sensing system of claim 5 , wherein the controller automatically causes an adjustment in a manner in which crop material is discharged from the thresher rotor based on the signals received from the plural sensors.

10. A combine harvester sensing method for use with a combine harvester, the method comprising:

propelling crop material between plural accelerator rolls;

sensing transverse loading of the propelled crop material with a plurality of sensors positioned in a transverse arrangement with respect to the direction of travel of the combine harvester; and

providing feedback of shoe load distribution based on the sensed crop material.

11. The combine harvester sensing method of claim 10 , wherein providing the feedback comprises providing a graphic of the transverse shoe load distribution on a display screen.