CAN in beet cleaner loader

Source: CAN Newsletter June 2011

Holmer uses the TRA multi-turn encoders by TWK in its Terra Felis 2 beet-cleaner loader. Last year, the agriculture machine manufacturer delivered 14 machines on time. The machine loads beets over a distance of 15 m and a load height of up to 6 m into the transporting vehicles via an elevator/conveyor. The multiple functions of the mobile machinery is controlled by a PLC with CAN connectivity. Also the encoders measuring the position of the conveyor are CAN-connected.
After years of no innovative changes on the concept of beet cleaner loaders, Holmer presented a consistent development in this segment with the Ter ra Felis 2 for the first time. This new approach for continuous adjustment of the cleaning intensity was tested in a first stage of development already on the basis of a prototype pick up on an experimental vehicle in the 2008 campaign. In the nearly 10‑m wide pick up three separate transmissions are installed. This allows adjusting the speed ratios of pick-up and transfer rollers, the three distributor rollers and the four collector rollers independently. This allows the cleaning path and the cleaning intensity to be adjusted continuously. The beets are promoted on the table, either first to the outside, whereby the cleaning section is nearly doubled, or directly to the middle for highest loading capacity. In this way adaptation to the loading conditions depending on the degree of dirt on the beet is possible and the only way to save unnecessary fuel consumption, wear and beet losses.
The beet-cleaner loader is driven by the MAN DO836 diesel engine with 250 kW and has already an exhaust level of EURO 3b without AdBlue. An intelligent machine control to relieve the driver and to reduce fuel consumption is reached by a CAN-based network of vehicle control computers. The touch-screen terminal with the Holmer’s „easy touch interface“ allows intuitive operation. It allows the driver a customized control layout and allows immediate access to the most frequently used controls and fades out unnecessary data for the operator.