Spout aimer

• US 4,529,348 A
• Filed: 04/06/1983
• Issued: 07/16/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Johnson, Stanley J., Gold, Gary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spar, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Millman, Stuart J.
• Application Number:
  US06/482,691
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 414/335, 414/133, 414/293, 414/294, 414/301, 414/302, 414/323, 414/345, 406/28, 406/165, 406/30, 239/659, 239/688, 198/631, 193/22, 193/23
• US Class Current: 414/335
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/07 in or into a trailer A01D43/077 takes precedence

Abstract

A spout control system permits automatic and manual control of a forage harvester spout which directs crop to a receiving wagon. Under certain conditions, the control system automatically sweeps the spout in a stepwise manner through a series of positions to achieve uniform wagon filling. This and other functions are achieved with the use of a suitably programmed microprocessor.

Claims

1. In a forage harvester having a movable crop discharge spout for directing crop to a crop-receiving wagon and a spout aiming control system, the improvement wherein the control system comprises:

a sweep mode which is operational to automatically move the spout through a plurality of sweep mode positions to achieve even filling of the wagon;

a non-sweep mode which is operational to automatically maintain a predetermined spout-wagon angular relationship to prevent crop spillage and wherein the spout is moved in response to changes in an angular relationship between the forage harvester and the wagon; and

mode selecting means for automatically making one or the other of said modes operational, depending upon sensed conditions.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the control system comprises:

a sweep mode counter having a plurality of states corresponding to the plurality of sweep mode positions;

means for sequentially selecting among the plurality of spout sweep mode positions, depending upon the status of the sweep mode counter;

means for sequentially moving the spout to the selected spout sweep mode positions; and

means for changing the state of the sweep mode counter after the spout is moved to each selected sweep mode position.

3. The invention of claim 2, further comprising:

alignment means responsive to a predetermined spout-wagon relationship for automatically aligning the spout with respect to a tongue of the crop-receiving wagon; and

means changing the state of the sweep mode counter after operation of the alignment means.

4. The invention of claim 1, further comprising:

means for preventing operation of the sweep mode whenever the spout is positioned outside of a predetermined range of positions.

5. The invention of claim 4, wherein the predetermined range comprises a central portion of a wagon crop-receiving range of spout positions.

6. The invention of claim 1, further comprising:

delay means for preventing operation of the sweep mode until a predetermined time after termination of operation of the non-sweep mode.

7. The invention of claim 1, further comprising:

manually operable means for generating spout movement command signals, the control system including means for moving the spout in response to the command signals generated by the manually operable means;

inhibit means for preventing operation of the sweep mode when the spout is manually moved outside of a predetermined range of positions; and

inhibit means for preventing operation of the sweep mode unless a predetermined delay time expires following a movement of the spout in response to the command signals generated by the manually operable means.

8. The invention of claim 1, further comprising:

manually operable means for generating spout movement command signals, the control system including means for moving the spout in response to the command signals generated by the manually operable means; and

inhibit means for preventing operation of the sweep mode when the spout is moved outside of a predetermined range of positions in response to the command signals generated by the manually operable means.

9. The invention of claim 1, further comprising:

manually operable means for generating spout movement command signals, the control system including means for moving the spout in response to the command signals generated by the manually operable means; and

inhibit means for preventing operation of the sweep mode unless a predetermined delay time expires following a movement of the spout to a position within a predetermined range of positions in response to the command signals generated by the manually operable means.

10. The invention of claim 1, further comprising:

means for preventing automatic movement of the spout among the sweep mode positions when the forage harvester and wagon are executing a turn.

11. The invention of claim 1, further comprising:

means for preventing automatic movement of the spout among the sweep mode positions following execution of a turn by the forage harvester and wagon unless the wagon is substantially aligned with the fore-and-aft axis of the forage harvester for at least a predetermined delay time after completion of the turn.

12. The invention of claim 1, wherein the sweep mode positions are comprised of a first position substantially centered with respect to the wagon, and second, third, fourth and fifth positions, wherein the second and fifth positions are on opposite sides of the first position, the third position is between the first and fifth positions and the fourth position is between the first and second positions.

13. The invention of claim 12, wherein the sweep mode sequentially moves the spout from the first to the second, to the third, to the fourth and then to the fifth position.

14. In an agricultural machine having a movable crop discharge spout for directing crop to a crop-receiving wagon, a control unit for automatically generating spout movement command signals as a function of sensed parameters, operator-actuated means for manually generating spout movement command signals and means for moving the spout in response to the manually and automatically generated command signals, the improvement wherein the control unit comprises:

means for sensing manual movement of the spout to positions outside of a wagon crop-receiving window and means for automatically returning the spout to an edge of the crop-receiving window after termination of a manual movement of the spout which leaves the spout aimed outside of the crop-receiving window.

15. The invention of claim 14 wherein the moving means comprises an electro-hydraulic valve energizable by the manually and automatically generated command signals;

and

the manual movement sensing means comprises valve sensing means for sensing the energization of the valve and logic means for determining that a command signal has been manually generated when the valve sensing means senses energization of the valve when no corresponding automatically generated command signal is generated.

16. In an agricultural machine having a movable crop discharge spout for directing crop to a crop-receiving wagon, a control unit for automatically generating spout movement command signals as a function of sensed parameters, operator-actuated means for manually generating spout movement command signals, means for moving the spout in response to the manually and automatically generated command signals including an electro-hydraulic valve means energizable by the manually and automatically generated command signals, the improvement wherein the control unit comprises:

sensing means for sensing the energization of the valve means;

logic means for determining that a command signal has been manually generated when the sensing means senses energization of a valve means when no corresponding automatically generated command signal has been generated, and

means for at least temporarily suppressing further automatic generation of command signals in response to manual generation of a command signal.

17. The invention of claim 16 wherein the control unit further comprises:

alignment means for automatically aiming the spout at a central portion of a wagon crop-receiving window and means responsive to a manually generated command signal for disabling the alignment means to permit the spout to be manually aimed outside of said central window portion.

18. The invention of claim 17, wherein the control unit further comprises:

means for automatically returning the spout to an edge of the crop-receiving window after termination of a manual movement of the spout which leaves the spout aimed outside of the crop-receiving window.

19. In an agricultural machine having a movable crop discharge spout for directing crop to a crop-receiving wagon and a control unit which automatically maintains the spout within a narrow position range when the machine is being steered through a turn, which permits the spout to move within a wide position range when the machine is not turning and which includes delay means for maintaining the spout within the narrow range for a certain time period after a turn is completed, the improvement wherein the control unit comprises:

means for distinguishing between manually and automatically produced movement of the spout and for overriding the delay means to permit manual positioning of the spout outside of the narrow range immediately upon termination of a turn of the machine.

20. In a forage harvester having a movable crop discharge spout for directing crop to a crop-receiving wagon, a spout-aiming system comprising:

sweep mode means for automatically and sequentially moving the spout to a plurality of discrete sweep mode positions and for maintaining the spout at each of said sweep mode positions for a predetermined time period;

alignment means responsive to a predetermined spout-wagon relationship for automatically aligning the spout with respect to the crop-receiving wagon; and

delay means for preventing operation of the sweep mode means until a predetermined time after termination of operation of the alignment means.

21. In a forage harvester having a movable crop discharge spout for directing crop to a crop-receiving wagon, a spout-aiming system comprising:

sweep mode means for automatically and sequentially moving the spout to a plurality of discrete sweep mode positions and for maintaining the spout at each of said sweep mode positions for a predetermined time period;

manually operable means for generating spout movement command signals, the control system including means for moving the spout in response to the oommand signals generated by the manually operable means;

inhibit means for preventing operation of the sweep mode means when the spout is moved outside of a predetermined range of positions in response to the command signals generated by the manually operable means; and

inhibit means for preventing operation of the sweep mode means unless a predetermined delay time expires following a movement of the spout in response to the command signals generated by the manually operable means.

22. In a forage harvester having a movable crop discharge spout for directing crop to a crop-receiving wagon, a spout-aiming system comprising:

sweep mode means for automatically and sequentially moving the spout to a plurality of discrete sweep mode positions and for maintaining the spout at each of said sweep mode positions for a predetermined time period;

manually operable means for generating spout movement command signals, the control system including means for moving the spout in response to the command signals generated by the manually operable means; and

inhibit means for preventing operation of the sweep mode means when the spout is moved outside of a predetermined range of positions in response to the command signals generated by the manually operable means.

23. In a forage harvester having a movable crop discharge spout for directing crop to a crop-receiving wagon, a spout-aiming system comprising:

sweep mode means for automatically and sequentially moving the spout to a plurality of discrete sweep mode positions and for maintaining the spout at each of said sweep mode positions for a predetermined time period; and

means for preventing automatic movement of the spout among the sweep mode positions when the forage harvester and wagon are executing a turn.

24. In a forage harvester having a movable crop discharge spout for directing crop to a crop-receiving wagon, a spout-aiming system comprising:

sweep mode means for automatically and sequentially moving the spout to a plurality of discrete sweep mode positions and for maintaining the spout at each of said sweep mode positions for a predetermined time period; and

means for preventing automatic movement of the spout among the sweep mode positions following execution of a turn by the forage harvester and wagon unless the wagon is substantially aligned with the fore-and-aft axis of the forage harvester for at least a predetermined delay time after completion of the turn.

25. In a forage harvester having a movable crop discharge spout for directing crop to a crop-receiving wagon, a spout-aiming system comprising:

sweep mode means for automatically and sequentially moving the spout to a plurality of discrete sweep mode positions and for maintaining the spout at each of said sweep mode positions for a predetermined time period, the sweep mode positions being comprised of a first position substantially centered with respect to the wagon, and second, third, fourth and fifth positions, wherein the second and fifth positions are on opposite sides of the first position, the third position is between the first and fifth positions and the fourth position is between the first and second positions.