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.

An adjustable vane system for use with a rotor cage of a threshing system of an agricultural harvester. The vane system includes a vane having a generally helically curved inner profile; a surface being an outer profile that is opposite the inner profile and is generally helically curved over a portion of the vane; a first flat portion proximate an end of the vane on the outer profile; and a second flat portion proximate to another end of the vane on the outer profile.

A threshing system including a rotor cage with a plurality of slots therein, a first bank of vanes and a second bank of vanes arranged within the cage. An adjustable vane control system is coupled to the rotor cage and the banks of vanes. a first and second member are respectively pivotally coupled the vanes in the first bank and the vanes of the second bank through corresponding slots. Linkages couple an arm to the members. The first and second members each having a range of travel defined by the slots. The members each having a surface facing the outer surface of the rotor cage, the surfaces of the first member and the second member each remain tangent to the outer surface of the rotor cage as the first member and the second member are moved within their range of travel.

An agricultural harvester includes a chassis, a cleaning system carried by the chassis, and a crop material elevator for receiving crop material that has passed through the cleaning system. The crop material elevator has a top-most end, a bottom-most end, a first inlet between the top-most end and the bottom-most end, and a second inlet between the top-most end and the first inlet. The agricultural harvester also includes an auger system for supplying crop material from the cleaning system to the crop material elevator. The auger system includes a first auger defining an auger axis for supplying crop material to the first inlet, a second auger defining a second auger axis, and a crop material conveyor for supplying crop material from the second auger to the second inlet.

A system for leveling grain on a return pan (128) of an agricultural combine (102), including a plurality of sensors (S1, S2, S3) coupled to the return pan (128) to detect a quantity of grain on the return pan (128) at a corresponding plurality of locations; a plurality of grain steering devices (156, 158) disposed on the return pan (128) to steer grain sliding down the return pan (128); and at least one ECU (192) coupled to the plurality of sensors (S1, S2, S3) and to the plurality of grain steering devices (156, 158); wherein the at least one ECU (192) is programmed to read the plurality of sensors (S1, S2, S3), to determine a side-to-side (lateral) distribution of grain on the return pan (128), to calculate a preferred position of the grain steering devices (156, 158) that will more evenly distribute the grain on the return pan (128), and to command an actuator coupled to the grain steering devices (156, 158) to steer them to the preferred position.

A tailings conveyance including a housing having a front plate, a back plate, and a wall, and is adapted to recycle tailings through a cleaning system of a combine using at least one impeller. The wall of the housing describes an arc near the impeller paddles over a segment of a circle described by the circumference of the impeller. The wall further continues on a tangent away from the circle at a point of tangency. A sensor is positioned proximate to the point of tangency, and senses whether a space between the front plate and the back plate directly adjacent to the sensor is obscured by tailings as the impeller rotates. A controller or control system connected to the sensor calculates an amount or percentage of time the space between the front plate and the back plate directly adjacent to the sensor is obscured by tailings as the impeller rotates.

A cleaning device includes a first frame plate, a shaking plate, a second frame plate, a sieve body, a driving mechanism, a throwing rod, and a crank and connecting rod mechanism. The shaking plate is mounted in the first frame plate, forms an angle of inclination with a horizontal plane, and is connected to a shaking device. The second frame plate is mounted below the first frame plate, and is connected to the first frame plate through a crank mechanism. The sieve body is mounted in the second frame plate. The driving mechanism is connected to the shaking device and the second frame plate, and configured for driving the shaking device to cause the shaking plate to shake and driving the second frame plate to cause the sieve body to perform a sieving motion. A harvester including the cleaning device is further provided.

A threshing and separating system includes a concave; a shaft defining an axis of rotation which is parallel to the concave and transverse to a longitudinal axis; and a plurality of slats rotated by the shaft and configured to move crop material against the concave. The slats have a helical shape winding around the axis of rotation. The slats include a first set of slats being predominantly on a left side of the shaft and having a left-handed helical shape, and a second set of slats being predominantly on a right side of the shaft and having a right-handed helical shape. At least one slat of said first set of slats is staggered relative to a closest slat of said second set of slats, such that a portion of a slat length of said at least one slat is overlapped with one or more adjacent slats of said second set.

A harvester includes a measuring device for detecting a grain number of a crop flow, in which a sensor of the measuring device detects via a measuring signal kernels impacting an impact surface of the measuring device, and a processing unit of the measuring device is arranged to detect and calculate the grain number by using the measuring signal, wherein the rising edges of the measuring signal are recorded and form a measurement for the grain number. Furthermore, the measuring device for detecting a grain number and method for detecting a grain number are also provided.

A sensor unit for use in the multiphase flow of a harvesting machine, wherein the sensor unit exhibits sensors for transmitting and/or receiving electromagnetic radiation. In addition, the sensor unit has at least one device for acquiring flow parameters of the multiphase flow. The measuring values of the sensor unit can advantageously be used for controlling the operating mode of the harvesting machine.