Combine harvester and associated method for gathering grain

摘要

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.

主权项

1. A method for harvesting batches of harvest material using a combine harvester, the method comprising:
moving the combine harvester through harvest material, wherein the harvest material is located in a field with multiple research plots, and wherein each research plot defines at least one batch of harvest material; transporting a first batch of harvest material into a threshing area, wherein the conveyance device into the threshing area deposits the first batch of harvest material above the threshing area; threshing said first batch of harvest material prior to the entry of a second batch of harvest material into the threshing area, so that the second batch of harvest material remains separate from the first batch of harvest material; and repeating the transporting and threshing steps for successive batches of harvest material, so that each batch of harvest material remains separate from the preceding batch of harvest material.