US Patent:
20170359953, Dec 21, 2017
Inventors:
- Hannover, DE
Douglas Gilg - Powell OH, US
Alan Echtenkamp - Waverly NE, US
Jacques Basson - Durban, ZA
International Classification:
A01D 34/00
A01D 34/40
G01B 7/04
A01D 101/00
Abstract:
A belt monitoring system for an agricultural belt arrangement, the monitoring system including an agricultural belt having a magnetic element embedded therein and a sensor. The agricultural belt arrangement defines a proper belt alignment for the belt and moves the belt. The magnetic element is polarized so as to output a magnetic signal. The sensor is configured to detect, at a reference position, the magnetic signal outputted by the magnetic element. The monitoring system further includes a circuit configured to output a signal if, for example, the agricultural belt moves more than a predetermined amount through the agricultural belt arrangement without the sensor arrangement detecting the magnetic signal outputted by the magnetic element, a predetermined amount of time passes without the sensor detecting the magnetic signal, and the circuit determines the position of the magnetic element to be outside of a permissible positional range.