Automatic steering mechanism and method for harvesting machine
First Claim
1. In a self-propelled harvesting machine for harvesting agricultural crops and including steerable wheels, a cutterbar, a locating device which determines the crop edge and produces locating signals, a controller for receiving the locating signals, and a steering mechanism for the steerable wheels;
- the improvement comprising thatthe locating device is constructed and arranged to sense the standing crop edge in two separate distances in front of the cutterbar and produces two separate locating signals; and
the controller processes the received two locating signals together to determine the path of travel and controls the steering mechanism accordingly.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A harvesting machine with an automatic steering mechanism consists of a self-propelled machine with a cutterbar mounted in the driving direction. The harvesting machine also has generally-known locating devices to scan the crop edge, in particular, the border between the mowed and unmowed crops. The location devices produce signals that are processed by a controller and, via devices well-known in the art, are utilized by the automatic steering mechanism. The crop edge is scanned in at least two variable distances in front of the cutterbar. The controller processes at least two locating signals received in variable scanning distances in front of the cutterbar. The locating signals are used by devices well-known in the art for the automatic steering mechanism.
94 Citations
34 Claims
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1. In a self-propelled harvesting machine for harvesting agricultural crops and including steerable wheels, a cutterbar, a locating device which determines the crop edge and produces locating signals, a controller for receiving the locating signals, and a steering mechanism for the steerable wheels;
- the improvement comprising that
the locating device is constructed and arranged to sense the standing crop edge in two separate distances in front of the cutterbar and produces two separate locating signals; and
the controller processes the received two locating signals together to determine the path of travel and controls the steering mechanism accordingly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
- the improvement comprising that
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34. A method for automatically steering a self-propelled harvesting machine which has a cutter bar, steerable wheels, and a steering mechanism for the steerable wheels;
- the method including the steps of;
sensing the crop edge in front of the cutterbar in at least two separate distances and producing at least two separate locating signals; receiving and processing the two locating signals together to determine a path of travel for the machine; and controlling the steering mechanism accordingly.
- the method including the steps of;
Specification