FIELD OF THE DESCRIPTION

The present description relates to a cotton harvester. More specifically, the present description relates to automatically varying drum and spindle speed on a cotton harvester, separately from ground speed.

BACKGROUND

Some current cotton harvesters have a set of row units on the front end of the harvesters. The row units act to funnel cotton plants, planted in rows, into the individual row units. Each row unit has two columns of spindles, one mounted on either side of the row, as it passes through the row unit. Each set of spindles is driven so that the spindles on one side of the row unit rotate in interdigitated fashion relative to the spindles on the opposite side of the row unit. The spindles are supported for rotation in this way, by a drum. As the drums rotate the spindles, the spindles separate the cotton flowers from the cotton plants. Each of the spindles is elongate along a longitudinal axis. The spindles also rotate about the longitudinal axis. Rotation of the spindles draws the cotton bolls into elongate fibers.

A rotatable doffer rotates in a counter rotating manner, relative to the spindles, to wipe the cotton material from the spindles. The cotton material is then transferred (such as using a vacuum tube or other conveying mechanism) into a containment area. The cotton is transferred from the containment area into a module forming area. Once a module is formed, a door opens at the rearward end of the cotton harvester, so that the module can be ejected, onto the field.

In many current cotton harvesters, the speed of the drum rotation, and the speed of the spindle rotation, is directly and mechanically linked to the forward ground speed of the cotton harvester. This can present a variety of different types of problems. Therefore, a mechanism has been developed so that the drum speed and spindle speed can be varied separately relative to the ground speed of the cotton harvester. One example of this is set out in U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,656.

The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

SUMMARY

A sensor input is detected on a cotton harvester. A performance characteristic value is identified based upon the detected sensor input. A speed control system controls cotton harvester drum speed and spindle speed, automatically, and separately from the ground speed of the cotton harvester, to improve the performance characteristic value, in a closed-loop fashion.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background.

