Patent ID: 7483780

Claim:
A method of calibrating a reel of an agricultural windrower, comprising steps of: providing a windrower including a fluid pump operable by a signal controlled device for controlling pressurized fluid flow to a reel of a header of the windrower for rotating the reel; providing a programmable control module in connection with the signal controlled device and operable for outputting control signals thereto having variable signal values; and wherein the control module is programmed as part of a calibration routine for automatically: outputting a predetermined first control signal having a first signal value to the signal controlled device to rotate the reel; counting rotations of the reel for a predetermined time interval during the outputting of the first control signal to the signal controlled device; determining information representative of a speed of rotation of the reel resulting from the first control signal; outputting a predetermined second control signal having a second signal value different from the first signal value to the signal controlled device to rotate the reel; counting rotations of the reel for a predetermined time interval during the outputting of the second control signal; determining information representative of a speed of rotation of the reel resulting from the second control signal; and determining an algorithm predictive of speeds of rotation of the reel for a range of control signal values as a function of the information representative of the speeds of rotation of the reel resulting from the first and second control signals.