Abstract:
A manually operated bale wrapping apparatus for a round baler having a wrapping apparatus position indicator device which is visually observable by an operator that enables the operator to manually monitor and manipulate the wrapping apparatus, thereby reducing the need for an electronic control system on the baler to manage the operations of the bale wrapping process.
Abstract:
Under the control of a microprocessor first and second motors alternately drive first and second ends of a shear bar for adjusting the position of the shear bar relative to cutter head. The shear bar is adjusted so that it is substantially parallel to the cutter head even though the cutter head and shear bar may not be parallel at the time the adjustment is initiated. A knock sensor is provided for sensing impacts between the cutter head and shear bar, the knock sensor output signal being converted to a digital value for controlling the adjusting sequence. A knocker is provided for inducing vibrations in the shear bar to thereby test the operability of the knock sensor and its output circuitry. The sensitivity of the adjustment system to the output of the knock sensor is set automatically before an adjustment sequence begins to account for variations in the knock sensor, its output circuitry, and "noise" vibrations induced in the shear bar by normal machine operation.
Abstract:
Under the control of a microprocessor first and second motors alternately drive first and second ends of a shear bar for adjusting the position of the shear bar relative to cutter head. The shear bar is adjusted so that it is substantially parallel to the cutter head even though the cutter head and shear bar may not be parallel at the time the adjustment is initiated. A knock sensor is provided for sensing impacts between the cutter head and shear bar, the knock sensor output signal being converted to a digital value for controlling the adjusting sequence. A knocker is provided for inducing vibrations in the shear bar to thereby test the operability of the knock sensor and its output circuitry. The sensitivity of the adjustment system to the output of the knock sensor is set automatically before an adjustment sequence begins to account for variations in the knock sensor, its output circuitry, and "noise" vibrations induced in the shear bar by normal machine operation.
Abstract:
An agricultural baler for forming and wrapping cylindrical packages of crop material. The baler includes a sledge assembly moveable between a starting position and full bale position. A plurality of rollers on the sledge assembly cooperate with an apron to define a bale forming chamber. Wrapping is accomplished via a system that includes a dispensing mechanism carried on the sledge assembly for dispensing sheet material, such as net or the like, into the bale forming chamber whereupon it is wrapped circumferentially around a formed cylindrical package of crop material as it is rotated in the chamber. The net wrapping system includes means for controlling the position of the dispensing mechanism relative to the sledge assembly by continuously sensing its position.
Abstract:
In a forage harvester having a motor driven sharpening stone driven back and forth along a path parallel to the axis of a rotating cutterhead to sharpen the knives of the cutterhead, and a door which normally prevents access to the knives, a control circuit is provided for controlling the opening of the door, the movement of the sharpening stone to sharpen the knives, and the closing of the door after the knives have been sharpened. The circuit is controlled by switches located at an operator's control panel and accessible to the operator while he is in the driver's seat of the harvester so that the operator does not have to leave his driving position to accomplish the knife sharpening operation. The circuit includes visual indicators located on the control panel for indicating the status of the circuit during the entire operation. The circuit includes a sensor circuit for sensing the rate of rotation of the cutterhead, the sensor circuit preventing knife sharpening from taking place unless the cutterhead is rotating at a rate greater than the rate required for proper sharpening of the knives.
Abstract:
A manually operated bale wrapping apparatus for a round baler having a wrapping apparatus position indicator device which is visually observable by an operator that enables the operator to manually monitor and manipulate the wrapping apparatus, thereby reducing the need for an electronic control system on the baler to manage the operations of the bale wrapping process.
Abstract:
In a forage harvester having a motor driven sharpening stone driven back and forth along a path parallel to the axis of a rotating cutterhead to sharpen the knives of the cutterhead, and a door which normally prevents access to the knives, a control circuit is provided for controllig the opening of the door, the movement of the sharpening stone to sharpen the knives, and the closing of the door after the knives have been sharpened. The circuit is controlled by switches located at an operator's control panel and accessible to the operator while he is in the driver's seat of the harvester so that the operator does not have to leave his driving position to accomplish the knife sharpening operation. The circuit includes visual indicators lcoated on the control panel for indicating the status of the circuit during the entire operation. The circuit includes a sensor circuit for sensing the rate of rotation of the cutterhead, the sensor circuit preventing knife sharpening from taking place unless the cutterhead is rotating at a rate greater than the rate required for proper sharpening of the knives.
Abstract:
A forage harvester having an automatic grinding mechanism for the knives of the cutterhead, the grinding mechanism comprising a carriage carrying grinding means and being reciprocated back and forth across the cutterhead in the griding mode by endless drive means. The carriage is coupled to the endless drive means by a coupling member which is attached to the endless drive means chain and pivotally attached to the carriage. The coupling member is shaped and dimensioned such that the pivot axis of the connection to the carriage is substantially coaxial with the axis of rotation of each of the two sprockets which define the extent of the two runs of the endless drive means when the connection of the coupling member to the chain passes around that sprocket in moving from one run of the chain to the other. The drive means is provided with control means having means for commanding the termination of the grinding mode, and carriage-position-sensing means operable to deenergize the drive means at the end of the grinding mode such as to dispose the carriage in substantially the same home position at the end of each grinding mode irrespective of the position of the carriage at the instant of commanding termination of the grinding mode.
Abstract:
Apparatus and a method for monitoring the performance of control algorithms, providing a safeing subsystem for a vehicle, particularly an agricultural windrower, for determining when a controlled system such as the propulsion system is no longer tracking a reference input signal sufficiently well. An appropriate action can then be executed, such as outputting a fault signal and/or shutting down the controlled system. An exponentially decaying integrator can be used to monitor the tracking errors.
Abstract:
In a two-channel magnetic metal detector having first and second mutually inductively coupled detection coils connected to first and second detection channels, respectively, the inductance of the coils is tested by applying a square wave test signal to the first detection coil and determining if the resulting output signal from the second detection channel has a magnitude falling within a range of magnitudes defined by two threshold values stored in a non-volatile memory. A microcomputer applies digital signals to a digital to analog converter to generate the square wave. The output signal from the second detection channel is repetitively sampled and digitized and the digital values are transferred to the microcomputer which includes means for comparing the digital values with the threshold values. If a comparison determines that the magnitude of the output signal from the second detection channel does not fall within the range of magnitudes defined by the threshold values, the microcomputer generates an error indication.