Harvesters – Motorized harvester – With condition-responsive operation
Reexamination Certificate
2003-06-17
2004-12-07
Kovács, Árpád F. (Department: 3671)
Harvesters
Motorized harvester
With condition-responsive operation
C701S050000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06826894
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims foreign priority under 35 USC §119 to prior foreign application 102 27 484.3 filed in Germany on Jun. 19, 2002.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to agricultural harvesting machines and, more specifically, to an apparatus and a method for position control of a crop pickup device.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Agricultural harvesting machines generally pick up crop by a crop pickup device. The crop pickup device has the function of picking up the crop to the ground without crop losses and without damage to the crop pickup device or to the ground.
Crop pickup devices are commonly referred to as headers, such as grain headers, forage headers, and corn headers. Crop pick devices generally cut the crop from the field before picking up the crop. Some crop devices, such as corn pickers and grain strippers, separate the cobs or the ears from the crop and then pick them up. Other crop devices pick up the crop previously cut from the field and gather the cut crop into a swath.
To avoid damage to the crop pickup device or the ground, as well as to provide efficient pickup of the crop, the maintenance of a given distance from the crop pickup device to the ground is required. For this purpose, the feeder housing, which carries the crop pickup device, can be pivoted by means of hydraulic cylinders linked to the frame of the agricultural harvesting machine. In this manner, the working height of the crop pickup device can be adjusted. It has proved particularly advantageous to detect the distance from the crop pickup device to the ground by a mechanical ground sensor. Through the use of a subsequent control device, a constant working height of the crop pickup device above the ground can be maintained.
If the crop pickup device has a huge working width, it is necessary to determine the distance to the ground at several points distributed across the working width for satisfactory vertical guiding. For this purpose several ground sensors can be arranged on the crop pickup device, as is known for example from DE 38 07 610, on the lower side of a grain header.
The grain header disclosed in DE 38 07 610 has ground sensors mounted in pairs at the outer ends of the bottom of the header and behind the finger bar. Each pair of ground sensors delivers one distance value to the ground. The two ground distance values are processed by a control device in such a way that the mean value determines the adjustment of the feeder housing, and hence the working height of the grain header above the ground. The grain header shown in DE 38 07 610 is carried by two vertical lifting cylinders arranged on the sidewalls of the feeder housing. A controlled movement of the lifting cylinders can pivot the grain header about a central axis of the harvester. The ground distance values determined by the ground sensors are used in return by a control device to control the transverse inclination of the grain header by means of lifting cylinders, so that a uniform working height of the grain header is obtained; and hence, providing a uniform cutting height of the finger bar. Unilateral sinking of a front wheel or a change of inclination of the field terrain is detected by the ground sensors and the crop pickup device is automatically leveled out. However, the ground sensors detect the ground profile only after picking up the crop, with the result that automatic ground simulation is triggered too late, and there can be damage to the finger bar as well as to the ground. Further, it is not possible to maintain a uniform cutting height, particularly when the ground contour or profile has changed. For instance, when cutting against a slope, too short a cutting height can be achieved with this arrangement of the ground sensors.
DE 295 19 842 U1 discloses a hillside combine harvester having a swinging adapter at the front end of the feeder housing. A hydraulic control device can pivot the grain header mounted thereon about a horizontal axis. Lifting cylinders engaging the swinging adapter can effect suitable adaptation of the cutting angle of the grain header. Thus, it is also possible to adjust the cutting angle of the header for adaptation to different cutting heights. However, this kind of set up does not allow for instantaneous adjustment relative to the slope of the ground. Therefore, particularly when the height of the ground has changed, the cutting angle cannot be optimally adjusted.
It is further known, for example from DE 44 06 892 A1, that the distance from a crop pickup device to the ground can be sensed contactlessly by a ground distance sensor arranged in a crop divider. By this means, a rapid reaction of ground simulation to ground variation becomes possible as different cutting heights of the headers are necessary, particularly when the ground is rising or falling in the direction of travel. This may lead to early lowering of the header which can lead to placement of the header trough on the ground and hence damage the header.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a position control apparatus for a crop pickup device; means for mounting the crop pickup device for vertical movement relative to an agricultural harvesting machine; measuring means for determining distances from the crop pickup device to the ground at a plurality of points spaced from each other in a direction of travel of the agricultural harvesting machine; a control device for adjusting a position of the crop pickup device relative to the ground as a function of the determined distances.
In accordance with another aspect there is provided a method for position control of a crop pickup device mounted on an agricultural harvesting machine for at least vertical movement relative thereto, and with at least one measuring device for determining the distance from the crop pickup device to the ground, the method comprising the steps of measuring a distance to the ground at a plurality of points spaced apart from each other in the direction of travel; and automatically adjusting a position of the crop pickup device relative to the ground as a function of the measured distances and in conjunction with at least one nominal working position.
The measuring device determines the distance to the ground at two or more points spaced from each other in the direction of travel. As a result, determination of the inclination of the crop pickup device in relation to the slope of the ground is possible. Thus, a control device connected to the measuring device can determine the variation in inclination of the ground profile and use this data for optimum control of the cutting height. Furthermore, sinking of the machine in difficult ground conditions or the use of different tire diameters on the agricultural harvesting machine can be detected with reference to altered distances to the ground. Too low or too high a setting of the crop pickup device relative to the ground is reliably detected, and damage to the crop pickup device or to the ground is advantageously avoided. Further, crop losses are reduced.
With a corresponding movable arrangement of the crop pickup device about a longitudinal or central axis of the agricultural harvesting machine, the transverse inclination of the crop pickup device can be advantageously adjusted automatically by a control device as a function of at least two measured distances in conjunction with a nominal working position.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention arises if the crop pickup device is arranged to be movable about a transverse axis in relation to the agricultural harvesting machine, and automatic adjustment of the longitudinal inclination of the crop pickup device about the transverse axis as a function of two offset measured distances in conjunction with at least one nominal working position.
In particular, the cutting height of a crop pickup device constructed as a header can
Dammann Ludwig
Thiemann Holger
Uhlending Hubert
CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
Haldiman Robert C.
Husch & Eppenberger LLC
Kovács Árpád F.
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