US 4,335,561 AGranted

Header height position control for a cotton harvester

AssigneeInternational Harvester Company

InventorsWilliam C. Swanson, Jesse H. Orsborn

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A cotton harvester (10) is provided with several independently hydraulically adjustable header units (16) that are movable in unison or completely independently responsive to ground plane elevation. A rotary flow divider (30) is positioned between a manual control valve (32) and the header units to control synchronous movement of the units. A plurality of one way check valves (44 and 104) are positioned between the manual control valve and the rotary flow divider (30) and the header units respectively for prioritizing fluid flow from the manual control valve to the adjustable header units.

Claims15

Dependent claims

In a crop harvesting machine having a crop gathering device including header units independently pivoted to said crop gathering device, the improvement comprising:

a source of hydraulic fluid and a hydraulic fluid reservoir available to said crop harvesting vehicle;
a manual control valve hydraulically communicating with said source of hydraulic fluid;
a rotary flow divider having a plurality of rotary flow divider output ports, said rotary flow divider providing equalized fluid delivery to said output ports, said rotary flow divider hydraulically communicating via a first delivery conduit with said manual control valve;
a plurality of independent single acting lift cylinders, one of each of said cylinders pivotally mounted between said crop gathering device and one of each independently pivoted header units for allowing the raising of said header units;
a first lockout check valve (44) in said first delivery conduit allowing flow from said manual control valve to said rotary flow divider;
a return line (106) providing hydraulic communication between said manual control valve and each of said single acting lift cylinders;
a second lockout check valve (104) in said return line normally preventing flow through said return line from said single acting lift cylinders to said manual control valve in communicating with said first delivery conduit, but effective to be pilot operated to allow flow when said first delivery conduit is pressurized;
and
a plurality of hydraulic ground elevation sensing units, one of said ground elevation sensing units interposed between each of said single acting lift cylinders and said return line, each of said hydraulic ground elevation sensing units having a variable orifice valve assembly and a ground variation sensor associated therewith for sensing ground plane undulations and for affecting adjustment of said variable orifice valve assembly in response to ground plane undulations whereby said single acting lift cylinders will be supplied with fluid when said ground variation sensor directs said variable orifice valve assembly to be adjusted responsive to the ground plane.

6 more elements

In a crop harvesting machine having a crop gathering device including header units independently pivoted to said crop gathering device, the improvement comprising a source of hydraulic fluid (24) and a hydraulic fluid reservoir (26) available to said crop harvesting machine;

a manual control valve (32) hydraulically communicating with said source of hydraulic fluid;
a rotary flow divider (30) having a plurality of rotary flow divider output ports, said rotary flow divider providing equalized fluid delivery to said output ports, said rotary flow divider hydraulically communicating via a first delivery conduit (42) with said manual control valve;
a plurality of independent single acting lift cylinders (78), one of each of said cylinders pivotally mounted between said crop gathering device and one of each independently pivoted header units for allowing the raising of said header units;
a first lockout check valve (44) in said first delivery conduit allowing flow from said manual control valve to said rotary flow divider;
a return line (106) providing hydraulic communication between said manual control valve and each of said single acting lift cylinders;
a second lockout check valve (104) in said return line normally preventing flow through said return line from said single acting lift cylinders to said manual control valve in communicating with said first delivery conduit to be pilot operated to allow flow when said first delivery conduit is pressurized;
and
a plurality of hydraulic ground elevation sensing units (86), one of said ground elevation sensing units interposed between each of said single acting lift cylinders and said return line, each of said hydraulic ground elevation sensing units having a variable orifice valve assembly and a ground variation sensor associated therewith for sensing ground plane undulations and for effecting adjustment of said variable orifice valve assembly in response to ground plane undulations whereby said single acting lift cylinders will be supplied with fluid when said ground variation sensor directs said variable orifice valve assembly to be adjusted responsive to the ground plane;
said manual valve (32) and return line (106) characterized wherein:
said manual control valve is a self-centering manual control valve having a detented first position allowing fluid flow from said source of hydraulic fluid to said first delivery conduit and from said return line to said hydraulic fluid reservoir;
said manual control valve having a neutral section;
said manual control valve having a non-detented third position (130) allowing fluid flow from said source of hydraulic fluid to said return line and connecting said first delivery conduit to said reservoir;
and
said return line is hydraulically connected by a branch (122) to said first delivery conduit between said first lockout check valve and said rotary flow divider, said branch having a third check valve allowing flow from said return line to said first delivery conduit when open;
and
said return line having a fourth check valve (124) between said branch and said hydraulic ground elevation sensing units allowing flow from said ground elevation sensing units when open.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

In a crop harvesting machine having a crop gathering device including header units independently pivoted to said crop gathering device, the improvement comprising:

a source of hydraulic fluid and a hydraulic fluid reservoir available to said crop harvesting vehicle;
a manual control valve hydraulically communicating with said source of hydraulic fluid;
a rotary flow divider having a plurality of rotary flow divider output ports, said rotary flow divider providing equalized fluid delivery to said output ports, said rotary flow divider hydraulically communicating via a first delivery conduit with said manual control valve;
a plurality of independent single acting lift cylinders, one of each of said cylinders pivotally mounted between said crop gathering device and one of each independently pivoted header units for allowing the raising of said header units;
a first lockout check valve (44) in said first delivery conduit allowing flow from said manual control valve to said rotary flow divider;
a return line (106) providing hydraulic communication between said manual control valve and each of said single acting lift cylinders;
a second lockout check valve (104) in said return line normally preventing flow through said return line from said single acting lift cylinders to said manual control valve in communicating with said first delivery conduit, but effective to be pilot operated to allow flow when said first delivery conduit is pressurized;
and
a plurality of hydraulic ground elevation sensing units, one of said ground elevation sensing units interposed between each of said single acting lift cylinders and said return line, each of said hydraulic ground elevation sensing units having a variable orifice valve assembly and a ground variation sensor associated therewith for sensing ground plane undulations and for affecting adjustment of said variable orifice valve assembly in response to ground plane undulations whereby said single acting lift cylinders will be supplied with fluid when said ground variation sensor directs said variable orifice valve assembly to be adjusted responsive to the ground plane.

6 more elements