Patent ID: 6397570
Filing Date: 2002-06-04
Classification: A01D,A01F

Abstract:
In a stopping device in combination with a crop transport mechanism of a harvesting machine wherein the transport mechanism includes a rotatable crop feed device, and said stopping device includes a toothed wheel coupled for rotation with said crop feed device and a moveable blocking element which is mounted for movement between a first position in which it engages said toothed wheel, whereby the crop transport mechanism is stopped and a second position in which it is disengaged from said toothed wheel such that the crop transport mechanism is movable, and a device to move the blocking element, the improvement, comprising: said device for movement of the blocking element includes a single-acting hydraulic cylinder coupled to said blocking element and being selectively pressurized for moving the blocking element to its first position; a two-position solenoid valve being coupled between said cylinder and a source of fluid pressure and a sump and being biased to a first position connecting said cylinder to said source of fluid pressure in an absence of an electrical control signal being connected to said solenoid valve, and being selectively shifted to a second position coupling said cylinder to said sump in response to receiving said control signal; resilient biasing element coupled to said blocking element for moving the latter to its second position whenever said cylinder is coupled to said sump; and a control system including a foreign object detector located for sensing a foreign object entrained in crop material located upstream from said crop feed device; said control system being coupled to said solenoid valve and operable for sending said control signal to said solenoid valve in an absence of a foreign object being detected by said foreign object detector and said foreign object detector being operable for effecting a condition in said control system for terminating said control signal to said solenoid