A harvesting vehicle including a cleaning section including a blower and at least one sieve. The sieve is configured to transport a layer comprising a mixture of grain kernels and residue material towards an exit edge of the sieve so that kernels fall through openings of the sieve and the residue remains on the sieve until it is ejected from the sieve by crossing the exit edge. The sieve may be subject to a grain loss, including a sieve-off loss and a blowout loss. The cleaning section further includes a sensor configured to determine whether the blowout loss or the sieve-off loss is a highest contributor to the grain loss. The cleaning section may also include a grain loss detector configured to measure the sieve-off loss and at least a portion of the blowout loss and a blowout sensor mounted above the sieve for measuring the blowout loss.

A sensor assembly for attachment underneath a screen of a combine harvester is provided with a plurality of sensor units having sensor elements, a plurality of which sensor units are arranged one behind the other within a hollow profile which extends in the longitudinal direction of the screen.

A cleaning system for a combine harvester has a chaffer and a blower configured to direct air rearward and upward through the chaffer. The chaffer has a perforated base, a plurality of longitudinal lateral walls, and a plurality of airbags, each of which is disposed adjacent to a lateral wall. An air supply is configured to inflate at least one of the airbags. Another cleaning system for a combine harvester also has a chaffer and a blower configured to direct air rearward and upward through the chaffer. The chaffer has a perforated base, a plurality of longitudinal lateral walls, a plurality of rigid members disposed adjacent to a corresponding lateral wall, and at least one actuator configured to move each rigid member relative to the corresponding lateral wall. Related methods are also disclosed.

A sieve for a cleaning system of an agricultural harvester includes: a sieve frame defining a top side; adjustable louvers carried by the sieve frame and defining apertures; an adjustment bar coupled to the adjustable louvers such that displacement of the adjustment bar changes a size of at least some of the apertures; and an adjustment assembly. The adjustment assembly includes: an adjustment arm coupled to the adjustment bar and pivotable relative to the sieve frame such that pivoting of the adjustment arm about a pivot axis displaces the adjustment bar. The adjustment arm carries a locking pin. A shaft is disposed on the top side and coupled to the adjustment arm. Displacement of the shaft from a first position to a second position causes a corresponding displacement of the locking pin from a locking position to an adjustment position.

A cleaning system for a combine harvester having an adjustable throwing angle is provided. The cleaning system includes a shoe for holding a sieve of the cleaning system, a mounting surface disposed on the shoe, and a rocker arm either movably or removably connected to the mounting surface. The rocker arm is configured to be mounted to the mounting surface at at least two different locations on the mounting surface. Each location resulting in a different throwing angle of the shoe of the cleaning system.

Receivers are arranged to detect a corresponding observed phase shift, observed attenuation or other observed signal parameters for its respective microphone. An electronic data processor is adapted to estimate a distribution or quantity of material on the sieve based on the observed phase shift, the observed attenuation or the other observed signal parameters relative to a reference phase shift, a reference attenuation or other reference signal parameter. The operator can be alerted via a user interface if the material on the sieve is unevenly distributed or matches a preestablished distribution profile, or the sieve can be adjusted by an actuator to promote a generally uniform distribution.

A head assembly can be operationally mounted to the outlet of a conventional harvester extractor, such as a sugarcane harvester. The ancillary fan assemblies can generally direct suspended trash materials (that would otherwise be expelled from an extractor outlet) in a substantially upward and laterally outboard directionthat is, toward both lateral sides of a harvester. A duct assembly having an inlet and an outlet generally extends from each ancillary fan assembly to a position generally above a track of a harvester. Trash material expelled by a harvester extractor enters the head assembly and is directed by the ancillary fan assemblies into the duct assemblies, through the duct assemblies, and onto the upper surfaces of the tracks of the harvesters. The trash material is then conveyed by the tracks toward the front or forward portion of the harvester, where it falls off of the tracks generally in the path of the harvester. As the harvester continues moving forward, the harvester runs over the deposited organic trash material, plowing the organic trash material into the underlying terrain.

A louver position sensing system for a sieve and chaffer of a combine harvester. One system provides that at least one sensor is in actual, physical contact with one or more louvers of the sieve and chaffer. Another system provides that a one or more magnet holders are mounted on louvers and, spaced away, sensors sense magnets in the magnet holders to determine the rotational position of the louvers. Either system allows for accurate, on-the-fly adjustment of the louvers in order to maximize the efficiency of operation of the sieve and chaffer. Preferably, the sensing systems are configured such that sensed position of the louvers is broadcast on the CAN bus of the combine harvester. As a result, the position information can be used to dynamically adjust the openings between the louvers of the sieve and chaffer to achieve more efficient grain cleaning as the machine and field variables change.

An agricultural harvester includes a chassis; a threshing and separating system carried by the chassis and including at least one threshing rotor mounted in a longitudinal direction of the agricultural harvester; a grain pan carried by the chassis that receives crop material from the threshing and separating system, the grain pan being configured to shake in a fore-to-aft direction and a lateral direction; and a cleaning system carried by the chassis supplied with crop material from the grain pan, the cleaning system including at least one sieve configured to shake in the lateral direction out of phase with the grain pan.

A combine harvester includes one or more threshing rotors (5) mounted in the harvester, a grain pan (7) and a set of sieves (8), and a drive mechanism configured to drive a longitudinal reciprocating motion of the grain pan (7) and superimpose a lateral reciprocating motion component on the longitudinal reciprocating motion.