Adaptive rate control for feeding grain to a grain unloader conveyor

摘要

The control of an apparatus within a grain holding device for feeding grain to an unloader conveyor operable for conveying the grain from the holding device, includes sensing a predetermined condition or conditions representative of capacity of the unloader conveyor for receiving grain, and adaptively controlling the apparatus for feeding grain to the unloader conveyor in advantageous varying manners responsive to the conditions, including to delay initiation of feeding until the receiving capacity is increased, and to match the grain feed to the capacity. The automatic control can be overridden, to allow user control of unloader speed, and can be configured to allow cleanout of the unloader conveyor.

主权项

1. A method of adaptive rate control for feeding grain to an unloader conveyor, comprising:
providing a grain holding device; providing an unloader conveyor adjacent to the grain holding device, including a housing having an inlet end including an opening for receiving grain, an opposite outlet end including a discharge opening through which the grain can be discharged, an unloader conveyor element extending through the housing between the ends and operable for conveying the grain through the housing from the inlet end and discharging the grain through the discharge opening; providing apparatus within the grain holding device operable for feeding the grain therein at a controllable rate into the opening of the inlet end of the unloader conveyor for conveyance thereby from the grain holding device; automatically sensing at least one condition representative of a capacity of the unloader conveyor for receiving the grain wherein automatically sensing comprises determining information representative of a resistance to rotation or a torque loading condition exerted against a drive of the apparatus that conveys the grain through the housing from the inlet end; automatically controllably operating the apparatus in a variable manner as a function of the information representative of the resistance to rotation or the torque loading condition to automatically adapt a delay in feeding from the apparatus based on the resistance to rotation or the torque loading condition against the drive of the conveyer when feeding the grain to the inlet end of the unloader conveyor at a rate which is a function of the sensed capacity of the unloader conveyor for receiving the grain.