Granted Patent B2

US 12,653,101 · App. 17/985,389 · Granted Jun 16, 2026

Inventors: Frédéric Fischer (Arnsberg, DE); Tim Lütke Harmann (Sendenhorst, DE); Bastian Bormann (Gütersloh, DE); Johann Witte (Fröndenberg, DE); Jonas Brandmeier (Harsewinkel, DE); Richard Geary (Marlborough, GB)

Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH

A01D41/1277A01D41/1208

Abstract

Claims (52)

1 . A self-propelled combine configured to collect and process harvested material, the combine comprising:

a grain elevator configured to convey a flow of harvested material from a conveying and cleaning device of the combine to a grain tank of the combine;

a bypass device positioned at or relative to the grain elevator and comprising a screw conveyor configured to guide a partial flow of the harvested material that comprises at least a part of the flow of harvested material conveyed through the grain elevator;

wherein the bypass device includes an optical measuring device configured to determine one or more harvested material properties of the partial flow of harvested material;

wherein the optical measuring device includes a tube through which the partial flow is guided in order to determine the one or more harvested material properties of the partial flow of harvested material; and

wherein the bypass device includes a cylinder device with a movable piston rod that is configured to clean the tube of the optical measuring device in order to remove at least some of the harvested material within the tube.

2 . The combine of claim 1 , wherein the one or more harvested material properties comprises one or more constituents of the partial flow of harvested material.

3 . The combine of claim 1 , wherein the bypass device has a feed tube configured to guide the partial flow of harvested material from the screw conveyor to the optical measuring device;

wherein the movable piston rod is controlled to be in one or more of:

an end face of the movable piston rod is at at least one opening position in which the screw conveyor, the feed tube, and the tube are connected, for purposes of harvested material flow, to each other in order to guide the partial flow of harvested material in such a way that the partial flow of harvested material conveyed by the screw conveyor at least partly flows into the feed tube and subsequently flows through the tube;

the end face of the movable piston rod is at an intermediate position in which the movable piston rod suppresses the partial flow of harvested material from the screw conveyor to the tube so that at least a part of the partial flow of harvested material originating from the screw conveyor does not flow into the tube of the optical measuring device; or

the end face of the movable piston rod is at at least one end position in which at least a part of the movable piston rod is positioned in an end opening of the tube of the optical measuring device.

4 . The combine of claim 3 , wherein the bypass device includes a displacement measuring device configured to determine a position of at least a part of the movable piston rod; and

wherein the bypass device includes at least one controller configured to position the movable piston rod dependent on the determined position of the at least a part of the movable piston rod.

5 . The combine of claim 4 , wherein the bypass device includes a brush-like cleaning element configured to clean the movable piston rod;

wherein the displacement measuring device is configured to determine the position of one or both of the end face or the cleaning element;

wherein the at least one controller is configured to position the movable piston rod dependent on the determined position of the one or both of the end face or the cleaning element;

wherein the bypass device includes one or both of a sensor or a switch in the feed tube configured to detect the one or both of the end face or the cleaning element in order to determine the position of one or both of the end face or the cleaning element.

6 . The combine of claim 3 , wherein the bypass device includes at least one device configured for time-controlled position change of one or both of the end face or a cleaning element of the movable piston rod.

7 . The combine of claim 3 ,

wherein the optical measuring device is configured to determine the position of one or both of the end face or a cleaning element within the tube; and

wherein the bypass device includes at least one controller configured to position at least a part of the movable piston rod dependent on the determined position of the one or both of the end face or the cleaning element.

8 . The combine of claim 7 , wherein the optical measuring device includes at least one device to sense at least one absorption spectrum; and

wherein the optical measuring device is configured to determine the position of the one or both of the end face or the cleaning element based on the at least one absorption spectrum.

9 . The combine of claim 7 , wherein the one or both of the end face or the cleaning element has a geometric variation at one or more sections; and

wherein the one or both of the end face or the cleaning element is formed at least sectionally from different materials.

10 . The combine of claim 1 , wherein the bypass device includes one or more of:

a feed opening through which the partial flow of harvested material from the grain elevator is configured to flow into the bypass device;

an outlet opening through which the partial flow of harvested material is configured to flow into the grain elevator after flowing through the optical measuring device; or

an intermediate opening through which the partial flow of harvested material is configured to flow into the grain elevator; and

further comprising a collecting container configured to collect at least a part of the partial flow of harvested material, the collecting container being formed between the feed opening and the screw conveyor.

11 . A method for performing one or both of cleaning or referencing an optical measuring device of a self-propelled combine, the method comprising:

operating the combine, the combine:

comprising a grain elevator configured to convey a flow of harvested material from a conveying and cleaning device of the combine to a grain tank of the combine; and

a bypass device positioned at or relative to the grain elevator and comprising a screw conveyor configured to guide a partial flow of the harvested material that comprises at least a part of the flow of harvested material conveyed through the grain elevator, wherein the bypass device includes the optical measuring device configured to determine one or more harvested material properties of the partial flow of harvested material, wherein the optical measuring device includes a tube through which the partial flow is guided in order to determine the one or more harvested material properties of the partial flow of harvested material, and wherein the bypass device includes a cylinder device with a movable piston rod that is configured to clean the tube of the optical measuring device in order to remove at least some of the harvested material within the tube;

determining, by the optical measuring device, whether to perform one or both of cleaning or referencing; and

transmitting, by the optical measuring device, one or both of a cleaning signal or a referencing signal to at least a part of the combine responsive to determining to perform the one or both of cleaning or references; and

responsive to detecting, by the at least a part of the combine, the one or both of the cleaning signal or the referencing signal, performing one or both of:

cleaning of the optical measuring device using the bypass device by moving the movable piston rod in order to remove at least some of the harvested material within the tube; or

configuring at least a part of the combine in order to prevent inflow of the partial flow of harvested material into the optical measuring device and performing, at least partly while the inflow of the partial flow of the harvested material is prevented, at least one operation to reference the optical measuring device.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the self-propelled combine, after detecting the cleaning signal, controls the movable piston rod so that the movable piston rod moves into an end position in order to effect cleaning of the tube of the optical measuring device.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the self-propelled combine, after detecting the referencing signal, controls the movable piston rod to be positioned in an intermediate position so that the partial flow of harvested material cannot flow into the tube of the optical measuring device.

14 . The combine of claim 1 , wherein the movable piston rod is not aligned perpendicularly to a conveying direction of the screw conveyor.

15 . The combine of claim 1 , wherein the screw conveyor is controlled so that the movable piston rod, in cleaning the tube of the optical measuring device, is moved without friction of at least a part of the screw conveyor.

16 . The combine of claim 1 , wherein the optical measuring device is configured to determine whether to clean the tube of the optical measuring device.

17 . The combine of claim 16 , further comprising a control unit;

wherein, responsive to the optical measuring device determining to clean the tube of the optical measuring device, the optical measuring device is configured to transmit at least one signal to the control unit of the combine; and

responsive to receiving the at least one signal, the control unit is configured to control the movable piston rod in order to clean the tube of the optical measuring device.

18 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the optical measuring device determines whether to clean the tube of the optical measuring device.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

responsive to the optical measuring device determining to clean the tube of the optical measuring device, the optical measuring device transmits at least one signal to a control unit of the combine; and

responsive to receiving the at least one signal, the control unit controls the movable piston rod in order to clean the tube of the optical measuring device.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (45)