An apparatus with a projection defining first and second openings and a channel between the openings. An interior surface adjacent the channel tapers inwardly from the first opening to the second opening, and a shearing edge is positioned adjacent the second opening. A method of using the apparatus to separate protuberances of a plant from an elongate portion of the plant by pulling the elongate portion through the channel. Another apparatus with first and second counter-rotating rollers. Each roller having alternating projecting portions and valleys and oriented so that projecting portions of one roller are aligned with valleys of the other roller as the rollers rotate. A method of using the rollers to deform an elongate portion of a plant between the projecting portions of one roller and the valleys of the other roller.

An agricultural machine system, includes: an agricultural machine; a control system operatively coupled with the agricultural machine, the control system including: a sensor configured for: sensing a cut stubble of a plant material; outputting a cut stubble signal corresponding to the cut stubble; a controller system operatively coupled with the sensor and configured for: receiving the cut stubble signal; determining a cut stubble characteristic based at least in part on the cut stubble signal; outputting an output signal based at least in part on the cut stubble characteristic.

An agricultural machine system, includes: an agricultural machine; a control system operatively coupled with the agricultural machine, the control system including: a sensor configured for: sensing a cut stubble of a plant material; outputting a cut stubble signal corresponding to the cut stubble; a controller system operatively coupled with the sensor and configured for: receiving the cut stubble signal; determining a cut stubble characteristic based at least in part on the cut stubble signal; outputting an output signal based at least in part on the cut stubble characteristic.

Mower (1), has a plurality of mowing elements (2), forming a mower bar (3), a roller conditioner (4), behind the mower bar (3), and an upper conditioning roller (5) and a lower conditioning roller (6), the lower conditioning roller (6) is rotatable about a lower, positionally fixed axis of rotation (8), wherein the upper conditioning roller (5) is rotatable about an upper, shiftable axis of rotation (9) that, as a result of shifting the upper axis of rotation (9), a gap (7) between the conditioning rollers (5, 6) is changeable, wherein the lower conditioning roller (6) and the upper conditioning roller (5) are coupled to each other via a scissors-like transmission (10), and wherein first and second transmission parts (11,12) are coupled to the lower conditioning roller (6) and the upper conditioning roller (5) respectively and are operatively connected to each other and are shiftable in a scissors-like manner.

Mower (1), has a plurality of mowing elements (2), forming a mower bar (3), a roller conditioner (4), behind the mower bar (3), and an upper conditioning roller (5) and a lower conditioning roller (6), the lower conditioning roller (6) is rotatable about a lower, positionally fixed axis of rotation (8), wherein the upper conditioning roller (5) is rotatable about an upper, shiftable axis of rotation (9) that, as a result of shifting the upper axis of rotation (9), a gap (7) between the conditioning rollers (5, 6) is changeable, wherein the lower conditioning roller (6) and the upper conditioning roller (5) are coupled to each other via a scissors-like transmission (10), and wherein first and second transmission parts (11,12) are coupled to the lower conditioning roller (6) and the upper conditioning roller (5) respectively and are operatively connected to each other and are shiftable in a scissors-like manner.

A forage harvester with at least one work assembly is disclosed. The forage harvester has a corn cracker to process grain components and a driver assistance system. The driver assistance system controls the corn cracker by adjusting the machine parameters of the corn cracker. In particular, the driver assistance system has an optimization model which includes a multidimensional characteristic map that represents a relationship between a processing quality of the grain components and at least three parameters that comprise an input parameter representing a current harvesting process state and at least one machine parameter of the corn cracker as an output parameter. Thus, the driver assistance system determines the output parameter in the control routine during the harvesting process based on the varying input parameter from the optimization model and adjusts it in the corn cracker to achieve a uniform given processing quality of the grain components during the harvesting process.

A forage harvester with at least one work assembly is disclosed. The forage harvester has a corn cracker to process grain components and a driver assistance system. The driver assistance system controls the corn cracker by adjusting the machine parameters of the corn cracker. In particular, the driver assistance system has an optimization model which includes a multidimensional characteristic map that represents a relationship between a processing quality of the grain components and at least three parameters that comprise an input parameter representing a current harvesting process state and at least one machine parameter of the corn cracker as an output parameter. Thus, the driver assistance system determines the output parameter in the control routine during the harvesting process based on the varying input parameter from the optimization model and adjusts it in the corn cracker to achieve a uniform given processing quality of the grain components during the harvesting process.

In one embodiment, a system, comprising: one or more pairs of oppositely rotatable, laterally extending rolls, wherein for each pair, at least one of the rolls is moveable relative to the other of the rolls; a hydraulic circuit, comprising: a tensioner circuit comprising: for each pair of rolls, one or more pairs of hydraulic cylinders arranged in parallel, each configured to resist movement of the at least one of the rolls at a respective end of the at least one of the rolls; an accumulator arranged in parallel to the hydraulic cylinders; and plural control valves; and a computing system configured to cause the one or more pairs of hydraulic cylinders to adjust the resistance to movement of the at least one of the rolls of the respective pair of rolls by sending signals to one or more of the plural control valves.

In one embodiment, a system, comprising: one or more pairs of oppositely rotatable, laterally extending rolls, wherein for each pair, at least one of the rolls is moveable relative to the other of the rolls; a hydraulic circuit, comprising: a tensioner circuit comprising: for each pair of rolls, one or more pairs of hydraulic cylinders arranged in parallel, each configured to resist movement of the at least one of the rolls at a respective end of the at least one of the rolls; an accumulator arranged in parallel to the hydraulic cylinders; and plural control valves; and a computing system configured to cause the one or more pairs of hydraulic cylinders to adjust the resistance to movement of the at least one of the rolls of the respective pair of rolls by sending signals to one or more of the plural control valves.

In a device and method for introducing high voltage into a substrate containing biological material, an applicator module having two or more applicators with simultaneously differently polarized applicators is used, through which the electrical high voltage is delivered in metered quantities to change the substrate. Different variants make it possible to introduce the high voltage into the substrate in controlled manner and selectively.