Weed seeds are destroyed in the chaff from a combine harvester by repeated high speed impacts caused by a rotor mounted in one of a pair of side by side housings which accelerate the discarded seeds in a direction centrifugally away from the rotor onto a stator including angularly adjustable stator surfaces around the axis. Thus the discarded seeds rebound back and forth between the rotor and the stator to provide a plurality of impacts. The seeds are carried axially of the rotor by a controlled airstream so that they move to an axial discharge location where a discharge fan is mounted. The angle of the discharge around the rotor axis can be changed to direct the seeds to the side of the combine away from a straw chopper, towards the guide fins of the tailboard of the chopper, or into the housing of the straw chopper.

Weed seeds are destroyed in the chaff from a combine harvester by repeated high speed impacts caused by a rotor mounted in one of a pair of side by side housings which accelerate the discarded seeds in a direction centrifugally away from the rotor onto a stator including angularly adjustable stator surfaces around the axis. Thus the discarded seeds rebound back and forth between the rotor and the stator to provide a plurality of impacts. The seeds are carried axially of the rotor by a controlled airstream so that they move to an axial discharge location where a discharge fan is mounted. The angle of the discharge around the rotor axis can be changed to direct the seeds to the side of the combine away from a straw chopper, towards the guide fins of the tailboard of the chopper, or into the housing of the straw chopper.

A combine harvester includes a housing, a separating system mounted within the housing for separating a seed material from a straw material, a cleaning system including a cleaning fan configured to produce a motive flow of air, a straw chopper operable to chop the straw material from the separating system into a chopped straw material, a spreading system positioned downstream of the straw chopper and configured to disperse the chopped straw material outside of the housing of the combine harvester, and an air discharge channel located downstream of the straw chopper and above the spreading system and configured to discharge a portion of the motive flow of air produced by the cleaning fan.

A combine harvester includes a housing, a separating system mounted within the housing for separating a seed material from a straw material, a cleaning system including a cleaning fan configured to produce a motive flow of air, a straw chopper operable to chop the straw material from the separating system into a chopped straw material, a spreading system positioned downstream of the straw chopper and configured to disperse the chopped straw material outside of the housing of the combine harvester, and an air discharge channel located downstream of the straw chopper and above the spreading system and configured to discharge a portion of the motive flow of air produced by the cleaning fan.

A threshing apparatus 1 includes a threshing unit 41 that has a receiving net 23 and threshes crops, and a sorting unit 42 that is provided below the threshing unit 41 and sorts grain from a threshed product that has leaked from the receiving net 23. The sorting unit 42 includes a sorter 24 that sorts grain as a sorted product from the threshed product, a first product collector 26 that collects the sorted product as a first product, a second product collector 27 that collects, as a second product, the threshed product that was not sorted as the sorted product, a second product returner 32 that returns the second product collected by the second product collector 27 to the sorter 24, and a return amount detector 71 that detects the return amount of the second product to be returned to the sorter 24.

A threshing apparatus 1 includes a threshing unit 41 that has a receiving net 23 and threshes crops, and a sorting unit 42 that is provided below the threshing unit 41 and sorts grain from a threshed product that has leaked from the receiving net 23. The sorting unit 42 includes a sorter 24 that sorts grain as a sorted product from the threshed product, a first product collector 26 that collects the sorted product as a first product, a second product collector 27 that collects, as a second product, the threshed product that was not sorted as the sorted product, a second product returner 32 that returns the second product collected by the second product collector 27 to the sorter 24, and a return amount detector 71 that detects the return amount of the second product to be returned to the sorter 24.

A harvester cleaning fan system having a cross flow fan rotor, an inlet, an outlet and an inlet cover. The rotor rotates about a fan axis and has vanes defining a cylindrical rotation volume. The inlet extends around the rotor from an inlet leading edge to an inlet trailing edge. The outlet extends from the inlet trailing edge to the inlet leading edge. The inlet cover is adjacent the inlet, radially spaced from the rotor, and extends from a cover leading edge to a cover trailing edge. The cover leading and trailing edges are between the inlet leading and trailing edges. A first inlet passage is between the cover leading edge and the inlet leading edge, and a second inlet passage is between the inlet trailing edge and the cover trailing edge. An agricultural vehicle having a cleaning fan is also provided.

A harvester cleaning fan system having a cross flow fan rotor, an inlet, an outlet and an inlet cover. The rotor rotates about a fan axis and has vanes defining a cylindrical rotation volume. The inlet extends around the rotor from an inlet leading edge to an inlet trailing edge. The outlet extends from the inlet trailing edge to the inlet leading edge. The inlet cover is adjacent the inlet, radially spaced from the rotor, and extends from a cover leading edge to a cover trailing edge. The cover leading and trailing edges are between the inlet leading and trailing edges. A first inlet passage is between the cover leading edge and the inlet leading edge, and a second inlet passage is between the inlet trailing edge and the cover trailing edge. An agricultural vehicle having a cleaning fan is also provided.

A system to automate the separation of agricultural products. The system includes an enclosure, sealed with permeable mesh to permit airflow and walled with non-porous material to prevent agricultural material from escaping the enclosure while allowing for flow to pass freely. This system is capable of separating material without mechanical interaction, such as with grippers or end effectors, and relies on air flow through the enclosure to create separation between the desired and undesired material using ballistic coefficient as a fundamental differentiator between constituent material of the agricultural products. This is accomplished with a variable speed fan which blows air through the enclosure, lifting and separating material based on the ballistic coefficient of that material and the flow settings. Dividers are used to separate and capture the products for retrieval at the conclusion of operation.

A system to automate the separation of agricultural products. The system includes an enclosure, sealed with permeable mesh to permit airflow and walled with non-porous material to prevent agricultural material from escaping the enclosure while allowing for flow to pass freely. This system is capable of separating material without mechanical interaction, such as with grippers or end effectors, and relies on air flow through the enclosure to create separation between the desired and undesired material using ballistic coefficient as a fundamental differentiator between constituent material of the agricultural products. This is accomplished with a variable speed fan which blows air through the enclosure, lifting and separating material based on the ballistic coefficient of that material and the flow settings. Dividers are used to separate and capture the products for retrieval at the conclusion of operation.