An agricultural vehicle includes a chassis, a threshing and separating mechanism supported by the chassis and configured for threshing and separating a crop material, a cleaning system positioned downstream of the threshing and separating mechanism in a direction of crop material flow, and an auxiliary processing system positioned downstream of the threshing and separating mechanism in the direction of crop material flow. The auxiliary processing system has an inlet and an outlet, and includes a discharge chopper having an end and a first direction of rotation about an axis of rotation. The auxiliary processing system also includes at least one rethreshing element coaxially aligned with the discharge chopper and adjacent to the end of the discharge chopper and having a second direction of rotation opposite to the first direction of rotation of the discharge chopper.

A cleaning system for a combine harvester. The cleaning system includes a sieve assembly, a sieve drive, and a louver drive. The sieve assembly includes at least one sieve for receiving a flow of harvested and threshed crop. The sieve includes a plurality of spaced apart louvers forming apertures for separating grain from the flow of the harvested crop, the louvers extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the flow of the harvested crop. The sieve drive is arranged to apply a reciprocating back and forth sieve movement, at a first frequency f1, to the sieve for propagating the flow of crop from a front end of the sieve to a back end of the sieve. The louver drive is configured to apply a reciprocating louver movement to the louvers at a second frequency f2, whereby f2f1.

An agricultural grain cleaner includes an inlet chute having an inlet end and an outlet end positioned below the inlet end. A crop distribution member is positioned adjacent the outlet end of the inlet chute. The crop distribution member includes a distribution disc rotatable relative to the inlet chute about a vertical central axis to impart a horizontal trajectory, away from the central axis, to crop material supplied to the distribution disc from the inlet chute. A fan is operable to generate an air stream from below the crop distribution member, across the horizontal trajectory, to an air-chaff outlet. A grain collection chute has an inlet to receive grain that is cleaned of chaff by the air stream. A tailings collection chute is positioned adjacent to the grain collection chute on a radially inner side thereof.

An airflow system for a rotary harvester includes a cleaning charge fan assembly, a cleaning fan assembly, and bonus sieves with fan assemblies. Each of the fan assemblies is powered by a hydraulic motor. By linking the charge fan motor, the left/right tailings fan motors, and the cleaning fan motor in a series hydraulic circuit, each of the motors will increase/decrease in speed at the same time and by the same proportional amount.

A grain separating apparatus (1) for a combine harvester (2). The grain separating apparatus (1) has at least a first walker-sieve (3) and a second walker-sieve (4) arranged side by side, wherein the first walker-sieve (3) and the second walker-sieve (4) are suspended in at least two suspension points (5,6) in the combine harvester (2) and wherein at least one of the two suspension points (5,6) is arranged to describe a rotational motion. A rotational motion drive (7) is arranged to drive the rotational motion of the first walker-sieve (3) out of phase with the rotational motion of the second walker-sieve (4), wherein each of the at least two walker-sieves (3,4) include a straw walker (8) comprising drivers (9) for conveying a straw material (10) and wherein grain (11) and debris (12) are separated from the straw material (10) through walker apertures (13) arranged in the straw walker (8). Furthermore, the straw walker (8) is arranged on top of at least one sieve (14,15) which is arranged to separate grain (11) from the debris (12) and wherein the straw walker (8) and the at least one sieve (14,15) are rigidly connected. Furthermore, a method for separating grain (11) from straw material (10) in a combine harvester (2) by a grain separating apparatus (1) as described above.

The present invention is in particular related to an agricultural harvesting vehicle, such as a combine harvester for gathering crops from a field and processing the crops in order to separate grain kernels from residue material such as stalks and leaves. The harvesting vehicle of the invention is provided with a cleaning section comprising a blower (10) and at least one sieve (3, 5), usually a set of an upper and lower sieve. The sieves (3, 5) are configured to transport a layer comprising a mixture of grain kernels and residue material towards an exit edge (16) of the sieve so that kernels fall through the sieve's openings and residue remains on the sieve until it is ejected from the sieve by crossing the exit edge (16). The sieve (3, 5) may be subject to a grain loss, consisting of a sieve-off loss and a blowout loss, said losses being respectively due to grain kernels being ejected together with the residue across the exit edge (16), or becoming airborne and being blown out of the cleaning section by the blower (10). In a harvester according to the invention, the cleaning section is further equipped with sensing means (20, 21, 37) configured to determine whether the blowout loss or the sieve-off loss is the highest contributor to the total grain loss. The sensing means (20, 21, 37) may further be equipped with a grain loss detector (15) configured to measure the sieve off loss and at least a portion of the blowout loss. The invention is in particular related to embodiments wherein the sensing means (20, 21, 37) is configured to measure a differential pressure obtained by a suitable pressure sensing configuration (20, 21) or a measurement of the blowout loss, relative to the total grain loss or to the sieve-off loss, by an impact sensor (37) mounted above the sieve (3).

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.

An agricultural harvester includes a threshing and separating system for separating grain from non-grain crop material, and a residue handling system for receiving at least a portion of the non-grain crop material. The residue handling system includes a chopper and a windrow arrangement, each having an inlet. A door is movable between a closed position which directs the non-grain crop material to the chopper and an open position which directs the non-grain crop material to the windrow arrangement. A feed roller is positioned adjacent to and between the inlet of the chopper and windrow arrangement. The feed roller is rotatable in a first direction which directs the non-grain crop material to the chopper when the door is in the closed position, and a second direction which directs the non-grain crop material to the windrow arrangement when the door is in the open position.

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 grain pan arranged to catch a crop stream, the grain pan being driven in an oscillating manner to convey the crop stream rearwardly to a rear edge. A cleaning unit includes a fan for generating a cleaning airstream which is directed under the rear edge. The grain pan includes a floor profile which defines a transverse profile having ridges and troughs. The troughs provide a plurality of longitudinal channels, wherein the ridge-to-trough height increases in the direction of conveyance. Crop material conveyed by the grain pan experiences channels that deepen towards the rear edge of the pan.