Mower-conditioner header speed control based on forward travel speed

• US 10,080,328 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2015
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Kraus, Timothy J
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John
• Application Number:
  US14/876,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20160021820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 56 102 R, 56 102 A, 56 102 G, 56 102 H, 56 108- 111
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/006 Control or measuring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1274 for drives
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/14 Mowing tables
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/00 Mowers combined with apparatus performing additional operations while mowing A01D37/00, A01D39/00, A01D41/00, take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/085 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 61/00 Elevators or conveyors for binders or combines
• CPC Class Codes: A01F 29/14 Drives

Abstract

A self-propelled mower includes a rotary cutter bar that feeds cut crop to a driven crop conveying arrangement which delivers the crop to a windrow forming arrangement. The speed at which the crop conveying arrangement delivers crop to the windrow forming arrangement is controlled so as to be a predetermined ratio of the ground speed.

Claims

1. A mower having a frame supported for traveling over a field of crop at a variable ground speed, a header supporting a driven crop cutting arrangement across a forward region of the header, a windrow forming arrangement located at a rear region of the header and a driven crop conveying arrangement located for receiving cut crop from the cutting arrangement and delivering the cut crop to the windrow forming arrangement, a crop conveying arrangement speed control, comprising:

a ground speed sensor providing an electrical ground speed signal indicative of the forward ground speed of the mower; and

an electronic controller coupled for receiving the ground speed signal and being coupled for sending a control signal to a controllable drive device of the conveying arrangement;

the electronic controller being configured to send a first control signal to the controllable drive device of the conveying arrangement in response to a sensed decrease in a first ground speed to decrease the speed of the conveying arrangement by a first pre-selected adjustable ratio of the speed of the conveying arrangement to the forward ground speed, and the electronic controller being configured to send a second control signal to the controllable drive device of the conveying arrangement in response to a sensed decrease in a second ground speed, which is slower than the first ground speed, to decrease the speed of the conveying arrangement by a second pre-selected adjustable ratio of the speed of the conveying arrangement to the forward ground speed, which is larger than the first pre-selected adjustable ratio.

2. The mower of claim 1, wherein a pre-selected minimum of the speed of the conveying arrangement is programmed into the electronic controller;

and the controller being responsive for preventing the conveying speed from being reduced below the pre-selected minimum speed value at which the conveying arrangement must be driven to reduce plugging.

3. The mower of claim 2, wherein the pre-selected minimum speed is approximately two mph.

4. The mower of claim 1, the crop conveying arrangement comprising a controllable drive device speed sensor to detect the speed of the controllable drive device and to provide electrical controllable drive device signals indicative to the speed of the controllable drive device to the electrical controller.

5. The mower of claim 1, comprising:

a ratio selecting device configured to pre-select variable speed ratios including the first pre-selected adjustable ratio and the second pre-selected adjustable ratio.