Patent ID: 7874132
Filing Date: 2011-01-25
Classification: A01D

Abstract:
1. A harvesting header adjustably supported on a crop harvesting machine, wherein the machine has a header height adjustment system for controlling header position relative to the ground, said harvesting header comprising: a flexible cutterbar assembly extending lengthwise in a lateral direction relative to the normal direction of travel of the header to present left and right side cutterbar assembly sections; a plurality of laterally spaced apart support arms being attached to and cooperatively supporting the flexible cutterbar assembly, with multiple support arms being associated with each of the cutterbar assembly sections; said support arms being pivotal about a laterally extending axis so that the flexible cutterbar assembly is operable to flex along the length thereof in response to changes in terrain as the header is advanced along the ground; and a header height sensing system operable to send a cutterbar position signal to the header height adjustment system of the harvesting machine so that the header height is adjusted when the cutterbar assembly flexes beyond a predetermined position, said header height sensing system including a plurality of sensors associated with each cutterbar assembly section, such that each cutterbar assembly section is associated with at least two of the sensors, each of the sensors being operably coupled to one of the support arms to sense the angular position thereof and provide an arm position signal corresponding to the position of the cutterbar assembly at the one support arm, wherein a plurality of arm position signals are provided for each cutterbar assembly section, said at least two sensors for each cutterbar assembly section including laterally outermost ones thereof which are coupled to corresponding support arms positioned closer to the lateral ends of the respective cutterbar assembly section than the lateral middle of the respective cutterbar assembly section, with there being at least one other support arm positioned between the corresponding support arms, such that at least some of the arm position signals generally correspond with the position of the lateral ends of the respective cutterbar assembly section, said header height sensing system including a pair of electrical comparator circuits, with each electrical comparator circuit operably associated with a respective one of the cutterbar assembly sections, each of said electrical comparator circuits including sensor inputs in electrical communication with the at least two sensors coupled to the respective cutterbar assembly section to receive the arm position signals associated with the respective cutterbar assembly section, such that a single cutterbar position signal is provided for each cutterbar assembly section.