Ford New Holland, Inc.

Wilfried E Gunst

Marc R Jonckheere

Willy C Hollevoet

Francois Van Herpe

Jose A Carnewal

Antoon G Vermeulen

Guy H Osselaere

Bert Jf Paquet

Dirk J Desnijder

A self-propelled agricultural harvesting machine (1) is provided with a single channel network (300) for serial communication of digital data messages between programmable microprocessors (215, 218) in a multi-master configuration. The messages are encoded according to an advanced serial communications protocol and are available to all microprocessors (215, 218). The network comprises an optical transmission network with an active starpoint (230) and plastic optical fibres (231), which link the nodes which lay physically far away from each other. An RS232 socket, which is linked to the network (300), enables loading of data and programs to the microprocessors (215, 218). Thus is obtained a reliable and flexible control system for the machine settings, which comprise on-road and off-road (harvesting) parameters. The introduction of a wide range of automatic control routines simplifies to a large extent the tasks of the operator during operation.

Method and apparatus for the control of self-propelled agricultural

A combine harvester having a threshing and separating mechanism and a grain cleaning mechanism disposed beneath the threshing and separating mechanism and including a grain pan fitted with a movable divider apparatus and operable to receive grain from the threshing and separating mechanism, sieve mechanism operable to receive grain from the grain pan, and a fan operable to blow air through the sieve mechanism, is disclosed wherein an inclination sensing mechanism for sensing the lateral inclination of the combine harvester is operatively associated with an actuator operatively coupled to the grain pan divider apparatus for positionally adjusting the grain pan divider apparatus in response to the output of the inclination sensing mechanism to compensate for any given lateral inclination of the harvester. The sieve mechanism includes sieve sections pivotally mounted for lateral movement about respective fore-and-aft extending axes and operatively coupled to the actuator for positional adjustment thereof to effect a transverse leveling of the sieve mechanism when the combine harvester is laterally inclined.

Combine harvester cleaning apparatus

A combine harvester, having threshing and separating means for threshing and separating crop material and a cleaning apparatus disposed to receive threshed and separated grain from said treshing and separating means and being operable to clean unwanted residue from the threshed and separated grain is disclosed wherein the cleaning apparatus, including at least a pair of cleaning sieves arranged to be oscillated generally back-and-forth for moving threshed and separated grain therealong while permitting the passage of cleaned grain therethrough, and further including a cleaning fan operable to direct a cleaning air blast to the cleaning sieves for urging unwanted residue to the threshed and separated grain into an airborne state for discharge from the combine harvester, is provided with an agitator positioned between the cleaning sieves. During operation, the cleaning sieves are moved relative to the agitator for removing straw particles that otherwise might tend to stick to one or both sieves in a generally upright orientation.

Growing community of inventors

Koekelare, Belgium

Wilfried E Gunst