Harvester shaft speed monitoring system

Claim 2

In an agricultural machine or combination of machines having a power source, an operator''s station, a plurality of driven components, and a plurality of drive shafts driven by the engine and respectively associated with the respective driven components to transmit driving power thereto, the combination therewith: a source of electric power; a first magnetic pickup means operatively associated with one of said drive shafts for generating at least one electric pulse for each revolution of the shaft and including an actuator element attached to and rotatable with the shafts and a stationary pulse pickup adjacent to and spaced from the actuator element; an indicator means responsive to electric power; and electronic circuit means operatively connected to the source of electric power, the indicator means, and the first magnetic pickup means for connecting the indicator means to the source of electric power when the rate of electric pulses generated by the first magnetic pickup means falls below a predetermined level.

Claim 3

The invention defined in claim 1 and including a second magnetic pickup means operatively associated with a second of said drive shafts and the electronic circuit means is operative to connect the iNdicator means to the source of electric power when the rate of electric pulses generated by the second magnetic pickup means falls below a second predetermined level.

Claim 4

The invention defined in claim 2 wherein the indicator means includes first and second indicator lights disposed at the operator''s station and respectively energized by the electronic circuit means when the rates of the pulses generated by the first and second magnetic pickup means fall below their respective predetermined levels.

Claim 5

The invention defined in claim 3 wherein the indicator means includes audible signal means actuatable in response to the rate of pulse generation by any of the magnetic pickup means falling below their predetermined level.

Claim 6

The invention defined in claim 4 wherein the electronic circuit means includes manually actuatable switch means disposed at the operator''s station and selectively actuatable to disconnect the audible signal means from the power source.

Claim 7

The invention defined in claim 3 wherein the indicator means includes a third indicator light and also including a third magnetic pickup means operatively associated with a third of said drive shafts and the electronic circuit means is operative to energize the third indicator light when the rate of the electric pulses generated by the third magnetic pickup falls below a third predetermined level.

Claim 8

The invention defined in claim 3 wherein the machine includes a selectively actuatable clutch operatively associated with the drive shafts to selectively disconnect the drive shafts from the engine and including a second switch means associated with the clutch and actuatable in response to disengagement of the clutch to disconnect the source of electric power from the circuit means.

Claim 9

The invention defined in claim 7 and including time delay means operatively associated with the electronic circuit means to delay the supply of electric power to the electronic circuit means for a predetermined interval after closing of the second switch means.

Claim 10

In a combine having an engine, a source of electric power, an operator''s station, a plurality of driven components including a main separator conveyor, a tailings conveyor, a plurality of strawwalkers a clean grain elevator, and straw-handling means, a plurality of rotatable drive shafts respectively drivingly connected to said components, and means connecting the engine to said drive shafts and including a clutch means disengageable to disconnect the power source from the drive shafts, the improvement comprising: at least two electric signal generating means respectively associated with at least two of said shafts and operative to generate separate electric signals proportional to the speed of the respective shafts; a separate indicator light at the operator''s station for each signal generating means; electronic circuit means operatively connected to the electric power source, the indicator lights, and the electric signal generating means to energize the respective indicator lights in response to a predetermined signal from the signal-generating means; and switch means in the electronic circuit means operatively connected to the clutch means to open in response to disengagement of the clutch means to disconnect the electric power source from the electronic circuit means.

Claim 11

In a combine having an engine, a source of electric power, an operator''s station, a plurality of driven components including a main separator conveyor, a tailings conveyor, a plurality of strawwalkers a clean grain elevator, and straw-handling means, a plurality of rotatable drive shafts respectively drivingly connected to said components, and means connecting the engine to said drive shafts and including a clutch means disengageable to disconnect the power source from the drive shafts, the improvement comprising: at least two electric signal generating means respectively associated with at least two of said shafts and operative to generate separate electric signals proportional to the speed of the respective shafts; a separate indicator light at the operator''s station for each signal generating means; electronic circuit means operatively connected to the electric power source, the indicator lights, and the electric signal generating means to energize the respective indicator lights in response to a predetermined signal from the signal-generating means; and switch means in the electronic circuit means operatively connected to the clutch means to open in response to disengagement of the clutch means to disconnect the electric power source from the electronic circuit means.