An apparatus, a system and a method indirectly detect the operational state of a machine among a plurality of operational states and track the movement of a material through a plurality of machines.

An apparatus, a system and a method indirectly detect the operational state of a machine among a plurality of operational states and track the movement of a material through a plurality of machines.

A conveying and metering device with an endless apron belt that is movable by rollers on guide rails, wherein sections of the guide rail that are opposite one another are separated from the adjacent sections and, for determining the mass of the conveyed material, are supported on weighing devices that are connected to an electronic analysis device. Provision is made that the sections of the guide rail to be weighed, together with longitudinal members and transverse struts that are perpendicular to the longitudinal members, form a weighing frame, and this weighing frame is supported at each of its four corners on a separate weighing device, wherein an adjustable centering device is provided between the weighing frame and each of the weighing devices.

A conveying and metering device with an endless apron belt that is movable by rollers on guide rails, wherein sections of the guide rail that are opposite one another are separated from the adjacent sections and, for determining the mass of the conveyed material, are supported on weighing devices that are connected to an electronic analysis device. Provision is made that the sections of the guide rail to be weighed, together with longitudinal members and transverse struts that are perpendicular to the longitudinal members, form a weighing frame, and this weighing frame is supported at each of its four corners on a separate weighing device, wherein an adjustable centering device is provided between the weighing frame and each of the weighing devices.

A sensor assembly for determining yield of grain harvested by a harvesting machine during harvesting operations. The sensor assembly includes a sensor housing, a displaceable sensor member and a displacement sensor. The sensor housing is mounted to the grain elevator housing above an upper sprocket of a conveyor disposed within the grain elevator housing. The sensor member is displaceably supported via the sensor housing within the elevator housing above the upper sprocket and along a direction of travel of the grain piles thrown by the conveyor flights rotating around the upper sprocket. The thrown grain piles produce a grain force on the sensor member causing a displacement of the sensor member in relation to the grain force. The displacement sensor generates a grain force signal corresponding to the displacement of the sensor member.

A sensor assembly for determining yield of grain harvested by a harvesting machine during harvesting operations. The sensor assembly includes a sensor housing, a displaceable sensor member and a displacement sensor. The sensor housing is mounted to the grain elevator housing above an upper sprocket of a conveyor disposed within the grain elevator housing. The sensor member is displaceably supported via the sensor housing within the elevator housing above the upper sprocket and along a direction of travel of the grain piles thrown by the conveyor flights rotating around the upper sprocket. The thrown grain piles produce a grain force on the sensor member causing a displacement of the sensor member in relation to the grain force. The displacement sensor generates a grain force signal corresponding to the displacement of the sensor member.

A flow rate measurement device improves the flow rate measurement accuracy without increasing the size of the metering tank. The flow rate measurement device includes a metering tank having a supply port at its upper portion and a discharge port at its lower portion, an on-off valve that opens and closes a flow channel inside the metering tank, a weight measurement unit that measures a weight of the metering tank, and flow rate computing unit that supplies powders and/or grains continuously from the supply port to the metering tank, computes a flow rate of the powders and/or grains multiple times in a temporally-overlapped state on the basis of the weight of the metering tank measured by the weight measurement unit in a state where the on-off valve is closed, and computes an average flow rate of the powders and/or grains on the basis of the flow rate computed multiple times.

A flow rate measurement device improves the flow rate measurement accuracy without increasing the size of the metering tank. The flow rate measurement device includes a metering tank having a supply port at its upper portion and a discharge port at its lower portion, an on-off valve that opens and closes a flow channel inside the metering tank, a weight measurement unit that measures a weight of the metering tank, and flow rate computing unit that supplies powders and/or grains continuously from the supply port to the metering tank, computes a flow rate of the powders and/or grains multiple times in a temporally-overlapped state on the basis of the weight of the metering tank measured by the weight measurement unit in a state where the on-off valve is closed, and computes an average flow rate of the powders and/or grains on the basis of the flow rate computed multiple times.

In a method and apparatus for length measurement of a flat good in a goods processing system having first and second stations, each having a sensor in the transport direction of the flat good, a control processor implements a path control and counts encoder pulses of an encoder in the first station. An event is determined by the sensor of the second station, and an associated numerical value Z1 of the encoder pulses is stored in the control processor, as is a numerical value Z2 for a distance between the two sensors is also stored. An additional event is determined by the sensor of the first station, and an associated numerical value Z3 of the encoder pulses is stored. As soon as both events are present, Z2 and the difference Δ=Z3−Z1 are added by the control processor, and the sum is used to designate the length.

In a method and apparatus for length measurement of a flat good in a goods processing system having first and second stations, each having a sensor in the transport direction of the flat good, a control processor implements a path control and counts encoder pulses of an encoder in the first station. An event is determined by the sensor of the second station, and an associated numerical value Z1 of the encoder pulses is stored in the control processor, as is a numerical value Z2 for a distance between the two sensors is also stored. An additional event is determined by the sensor of the first station, and an associated numerical value Z3 of the encoder pulses is stored. As soon as both events are present, Z2 and the difference Δ=Z3−Z1 are added by the control processor, and the sum is used to designate the length.