EP0153321A1 - Commande automatique de la hauteur d'une ecimeuse - Google Patents

Commande automatique de la hauteur d'une ecimeuse

Info

Publication number
EP0153321A1
EP0153321A1 EP19840902348 EP84902348A EP0153321A1 EP 0153321 A1 EP0153321 A1 EP 0153321A1 EP 19840902348 EP19840902348 EP 19840902348 EP 84902348 A EP84902348 A EP 84902348A EP 0153321 A1 EP0153321 A1 EP 0153321A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
control
ground
control element
lever
linkage
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP19840902348
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Cedric Sharpe
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
AGCO SA
Massey Ferguson Services NV
Original Assignee
Massey Ferguson SA
Massey Ferguson Services NV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Massey Ferguson SA, Massey Ferguson Services NV filed Critical Massey Ferguson SA
Publication of EP0153321A1 publication Critical patent/EP0153321A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
    • A01D41/00—Combines, i.e. harvesters or mowers combined with threshing devices
    • A01D41/12—Details of combines
    • A01D41/14—Mowing tables
    • A01D41/141—Automatic header control

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an automatic table height control system suitable for maintaining the height of a crop cutting table of a crop harvesting machine at a predetermined level above the ground.
  • manual control can be used to over-ride automatic control by incorporating an over-ride spring in the Bowden cable con ⁇ nection so that the manual control lever can be operated to raise the table without disengaging the selection lever. Release of the manual control lever then allows automatic control to resume. Disclosure of the Invention
  • An object of the present invention is to provide an improved automatic table height control system, in particular, a simpler system than the aforesaid system, and one which provides a modified mode of automatic control that allows the table to be set at said predetermined height as for full automatic control but causes the table to be raised automat ⁇ ically and held at a higher level over rough ground condit ⁇ ions when these are sensed by the ground sensors.
  • an automatic table height control system comprising a control device adapted to control an actuator for raising and lowering the table, the control device including a movable control element that assumes a neutral position or raise and lower positions either side of the neutral position in each of which it causes the actuator to raise or lower the table, respect ⁇ ively; a ground sensor that senses the level of the ground and assumes a median position when the table is at a pre ⁇ determined set height above the ground and moves either side of the median position with changes in ground level; a link ⁇ age connecting the ground sensor to the control element so that when the ground sensor is in the median position the control element is in the neutral position, and movement of the sensor from the median position, caused by a rise in ground level, moves the control element to the raise position; an automatic mode selection lever that is movable between ON and OFF position and is connected via a spring connection to said linkage so that when in the ON position, the spring connection urges the linkage in that sense to cause the control element to move to the lower position, and when in the OFF
  • the linkage connects the ground sensor to the control ele ⁇ ment so that a RAISE signal can be transferred at all times, but full automatic control is only operative when the selection lever is set to the ON position, thereby allowing the spring connection to give a spring return action for lowering the table to said predetermined height.
  • a simplified system is provided that avoids the need for an uncoupling mechanism between the ground sensor and the control device.
  • the separate selection lever allows the return spring action on said linkage to be removed so that the table can be controlled in a uni ⁇ directional or raise mode in which it is held at a higher level over rough ground.
  • Figure 1 is a side elevation of the table at the front of a combine harvester fitted with an automatic table height control system according to the invention
  • Figure 2 is a side elevation of part of the control system of Figure 1 that is connected to the table;
  • Figure 3 is a front elevation of the control console of the combine of Figure 1;
  • Figure 4 is a side elevation of the control console of Figure 3.
  • Figure 5 is a section along the line 5-5 in Figure 3.
  • the combine harvester illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a self-propelled vehicle 1 having a forwardly projecting crop elevator 2 that carries a crop cutting and gathering table 3 across the front of the vehicle.
  • the elevator 2 is pivot- ally connected to the vehicle frame and is moved about its pivot axis 4 by hydraulic rams 5 so as to adjust the height of the table 3 above the ground.
  • a control valve 6 controls hydraulic fluid connections to the rams 5 for raising and lowering the table 3.
  • a manually operable control lever 7 is connected via a linkage 8 to the spool 9 of the control valve 6 so that the spool can be de ⁇ pressed to lower the table and lifted to raise the table.
  • Centring springs within the valve urge the spool to a neutral position in which it isolates the rams from the hydraulic supply and exhaust.
  • the height of the table above the ground can also be con ⁇ trolled automatically by a height control system comprising ground sensors 10 on the underside of the table and a mechanical linkage that connects the sensors 10 to the spool 9 of the control valve.
  • the ground sensors 10 may be of a known kind comprising a plurality of rearwardly projecting curved fingers 11 that are spaced across the width of the table and are connected to a transverse pivot rod 12 at their leading ends and are supported at their rear ends by respective guide rods 13 that are pivotally connected to the fingers 11 and extend rearwards therefrom through apertures in a transverse support member 14 on the underside of the table.
  • a stop 15 at the end of each rod 13 engages the support member 14 to support the fingers 11 in a lowermost position when the table is lifted clear of the ground.
  • a Bowden cable 19 connects the bell-crank lever 18 to the spool 9 of the control valve 6.
  • the lower end of the inner cable 20 ( Figure 2) is connected to the lever 18 via a set of pivot links 21 and the upper end of the inner cable ( Figure 3) is connected to one end of a lever 22 that is connected to the spool 9 at its opposite end.
  • the lower end of the outer cable 23 is connected to a pivot arm 24 that is mounted on the rear wall of the table and is held in posi ⁇ tion by a spring-loaded stay 25 incorporating a compression spring 26.
  • the upper end of the outer cable 23 is connected via a bracket 27 to one end of a height control lever 28 that is adjustable in a quadrant ( Figure 4) and serves to set the upper end of the outer cable in a position corresponding to a required table height above the ground. It will be appreciated that the setting of height control lever 28 determines the curvature of the cable 19 between this lever and the lower pivot arm 24, and thus the effective length of the inner cable 20 between the bell- crank lever 18 and the lever 22.
  • the length of the inner cable 20 set by the height control lever 28 determines the effective sensing position of the fingers 11 relative to the table, and thus the height of the table.
  • An automatic mode selection lever 30 is connected to the lever 22 via a tension spring 31 and serves, when in the ON position, to apply a spring bias to the lever 22 that over ⁇ comes the spool centring springs and urges the spool of the control valve 6 downwards to the "table lower" position.
  • the selection lever 30 When the selection lever 30 is in the OFF position, the lever 22 is free from the bias of spring, 31.
  • tension spring 31 and pivots lever 22 to depress the spool of the control valve 6, there ⁇ by connecting the rams 5 to exhaust so that they lower the table.
  • a rise in ground level will swing the fingers upwards and cause the spool of the control valve 6 to be lifted further beyond the neutral position to the "table raise" position in which the rams 5 are connected to pressure and thus raise the table.
  • the fingers can then swing back to their previous median position and the spring 31 returns lever 22 and the spool of the control valve to the neutral position.
  • a drop in ground level will allow the fingers to swing further downwards, releasing the tension in cable 20 and allowing the spring 31 to return lever 22 and the spool of the control valve to the "table lower” position.
  • the rams therefore lower the table until the fingers are returned to their previous median position with the cable 20 holding the lever 22 and spool of the control valve in the neutral position.
  • the automatic height control system When the automatic height control system is operating with the selection lever 30 in the ON position, the operator can still over-ride the height setting by operating the manual control lever 7. If lever 7 is operated to lower the table, the spool of the control valve is depressed through linkage 8 and causes lever 22 to pivot and tension cable 20. Additionally, cable 20 is tensioned by the upwards movement of fingers 11 as the table is lowered. This tension is accommodated by movement of the pivot arm 24 against the action of compression spring 26, which in turn allows outer cable 23 to straighten causing an effective increase in the length of the inner cable 20. On the other hand, if lever 7 is operated to raise the table, the spool of the control valve is lifted through linkage 8 and causes lever 22 to pivot and further tension spring 31. Once the manual control lever 7 is released, the automatic control system resumes control and returns the table to the preset height.
  • the spring-loaded pivot arm 24 by allowing an effective increase in the length of cable 20 against the action of compression spring 26, serves both an over-ride and a safety function in allowing the fingers 11 to pivot upwards suddenly over an obstruction.
  • the loading of the compression spring 26 being adjustable through the the lock nuts 32, provides the means to vary the sensitivity of the system in response to movement of the fingers.
  • the table will remain in its lowered state.
  • the resulting removal of tension in spring 31 may cause a minor re ⁇ adjustment of lever 22, cable 20 and fingers 11 that will cause the rams to raise the table slightly.
  • the table will be maintained at this level until the fingers are raised, whereupon the tension transmitted through the cable 20 will operate lever 22 and thereby the spool of the control valve to raise the table.
  • the spool of the control valve is returned to the neutral position by the centring springs and the fingers return to their median position.
  • the table is thus maintained at its new height.
  • the absence of the spring action 31 now leaves some slack ⁇ ness in the cable 20 and thus the fingers will not be effective in operating the lever 22 unless they are raised more than before so as to first take-up this slackness.
  • OMPI control system therefore operates in an automatic uni ⁇ directional or raise mode in which the table is lifted and held at a higher level if the fingers sense rough ground or other uneveness or obstructions.
  • the table is not repeat ⁇ edly dropped back to the predetermined set height as in the fully automatic control mode when the selection lever 30 is in the ON position.
  • the crop cutting knife 33 at the leading edge of the table is held clear of obstructions.

Landscapes

  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Harvester Elements (AREA)

Abstract

Un système de commande automatique de la hauteur d'une table permettant de maintenir à une hauteur désirée une table de coupe (3) d'une moissonneuse à un niveau prédéterminé au-dessus du sol comprend un dispositif de commande (6) adapté pour commander un organe d'actionnement (5) de manière à faire monter et descendre la table, le dispositif de commande comprenant un élément de commande mobile (9) qui prend une position neutre ou des positions montées ou descendues de part et d'autre de la position neutre et, dans chacune de ces deux positions il agit sur le dispositif d'actionnement pour faire monter ou descendre la table, respectivement; un détecteur de niveau de sol (10) qui détecte le niveau du sol et prend une position médiane lorsque la table se trouve à une hauteur prédéterminée au-dessus du sol et se déplace de part et d'autre de la position médiane selon les variations du niveau du sol; un assemblage de liaisons (16-22) reliant en permanence le détecteur de niveau de sol (10) à l'élément de commande (9) de sorte que lorsque le détecteur de niveau de sol se trouve dans la position médiane, l'élément de commande se trouve dans la position neutre, et le déplacement du détecteur depuis la position médiane, provoqué par une montée du niveau du sol, déplace l'élément de commande vers la position élevée; et un mécanisme de sélection automatique de mode (30, 31) comprenant un levier de sélection de mode (30) pouvant être déplacé entre une position ON et une position OFF, lequel levier est relié par l'intermédiaire de moyens à ressort (31) au mécanisme de liaison (22) de sorte que lorsqu'il se trouve dans la position ON, les moyens à ressort (31) sollicitent le mécanisme de liaison (22) déplacent l'élément de commande (9) vers la position basse, et lorsqu'il se trouve dans la position OFF, les moyens à ressort (31) n'agissent pas sur le mécanisme de liaison (22). Le mécanisme de liaison (16 à 22) comprend un câble de Bowden (19) comprenant des câbles co-axiaux interne et externe (20, 23), le câble interne (20)
EP19840902348 1983-05-31 1984-05-23 Commande automatique de la hauteur d'une ecimeuse Withdrawn EP0153321A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8314893 1983-05-31
GB08314893A GB2141012B (en) 1983-05-31 1983-05-31 Crop harvester

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0153321A1 true EP0153321A1 (fr) 1985-09-04

Family

ID=10543575

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19840902348 Withdrawn EP0153321A1 (fr) 1983-05-31 1984-05-23 Commande automatique de la hauteur d'une ecimeuse

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0153321A1 (fr)
AU (1) AU3016984A (fr)
FI (1) FI850391L (fr)
GB (1) GB2141012B (fr)
WO (1) WO1984004652A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6530197B1 (en) * 2000-05-16 2003-03-11 Deere & Company Ground contact height sensor
DE102006048481A1 (de) * 2006-10-11 2008-05-08 Maschinenfabrik Kemper Gmbh & Co. Kg Höhenfühler für einen Erntevorsatz
US7647753B2 (en) 2006-12-30 2010-01-19 Headsight, Inc. Header height control system and method
WO2010124316A1 (fr) * 2009-04-26 2010-11-04 Terry James Allen Procédé et dispositif pour améliorer la croissance de plante
AU2009344268A1 (en) * 2009-04-26 2010-11-18 Terry James Allen Method & device to improve plant growth
US7975458B1 (en) * 2010-08-23 2011-07-12 Cnh America Llc Control system for a crop harvesting header

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3163974A (en) * 1962-10-05 1965-01-05 Carl L Mack Automatic height control for combine header
GB1124111A (en) * 1964-09-24 1968-08-21 Massey Ferguson Perkins Ltd Improvements in or relating to harvesting machines
US3498037A (en) * 1965-07-20 1970-03-03 Seymour Mfg Co Automatic header control means
DE1582161C3 (de) * 1967-12-28 1978-07-27 Robert Bosch Gmbh, 7000 Stuttgart Hydraulische Hubeinrichtung an Mähdreschern

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO8404652A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FI850391A0 (fi) 1985-01-30
WO1984004652A1 (fr) 1984-12-06
AU3016984A (en) 1984-12-18
GB8314893D0 (en) 1983-07-06
FI850391L (fi) 1985-01-30
GB2141012A (en) 1984-12-12
GB2141012B (en) 1986-04-09

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 19841214

AK Designated contracting states

Designated state(s): DE FR GB NL

17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 19860616

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 19861203

RIN1 Information on inventor provided before grant (corrected)

Inventor name: SHARPE, CEDRIC