Agricultural vehicle including a system for automatically moving an implement to a predetermined operating position

In an agricultural vehicle including a positioner assembly for moving an implement relative to the vehicle, a control system comprising:

• a position transducer coupled to the implement to produce position signals representative of the actual location of the implement;
• an operator switch configured to produce a first direction signal in response to a first activation motion of the switch produced by an operator;
• a control circuit including a digital processor coupled to a memory, the control circuit being coupled to the position transducer and the operator switch, the processor including;
• a storage circuit coupled to the memory to store first digital data in the memory representative of position signals produced by the position transducer when the actual location of the implement is at the desired operating location of the implement, and
• a position control circuit coupled to the memory to control the positioner assembly to move the implement to the desired operating location at a speed related to the distance between the desired operating location of the implement and the actual location of the implement in response to first direction signals occurring during a first momentary time period, the first digital data stored in memory, and the position signals, wherein the position control circuit controls the positioner assembly to move the implement at a substantially constant speed during the extended time period in response to first direction signals occurring during a first extended time period corresponding to the duration of the first activation motion and longer in duration than the momentary time period.

A combine comprising:

• a support structure for supporting the components of the combine;
• at least four wheels for movably supporting the combine on a surface and mechanically coupled to the support structure, at least one of the wheels being powered to move the combine in a first direction;
• an implement configured to harvest plant related matter when the combine moves in the first direction, the implement being movably supported by the support structure at the front-most end of the combine relative to the first direction;
• an implement positioner coupled to the support structure to move the implement relative to the combine;
• a transducer mechanically coupled to the implement to produce position signals representative of the location of the implement relative to the combine;
• an operator switch configured to produce a first direction signal in response to a first activation motion of the switch produced by an operator;
• and
• a control circuit including a digital processor coupled to a memory, the control circuit being coupled to the transducer and the operator switch, the processor including;
• a storage circuit coupled to the memory to store first digital data in the memory representative of position signals produced when the actual location of the implement is at the desired operating location of the implement, and
• a position control circuit coupled to the memory to control the implement positioner to move the implement to the desired operating location at a speed related to the distance between the desired operating location of the implement and the actual location of the implement in response to first direction signals occurring during a first momentary time period, the first digital data stored in memory, and the position signals, wherein the position control circuit controls the implement positioner to move the implement at a substantially constant speed during the extended time period in response to first direction signals occurring during a first extended time period corresponding to the duration of the first activation motion and longer in duration than the momentary time period.