Automatic height control for combine header

Claim 1

IN AN AGRICULTURAL COMBINE HAVING A MAIN BODY WITH A HEADER MOUNTED ON THE FORWARD END THEREOF FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT AND POWER MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE HEADER RELATIVE TO THE GROUND, AUTOMATICCONTROL MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID POWER MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONTOUR OF THE GROUND COMPRISING: A SUPPORT BAR CARRIED BENEATH THE HEADER ADJACENT THE FORWARD END THEREOF AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE COMBINE; A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED FEELER MEMBERS EACH HAVING ONE END PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT BAR, SAID FEELER MEMBERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EVENLY SPACED ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID SUPPORT BAR; A GUIDE BAR MOUNTED BENEATH THE HEADER REARWARDLY OF THE SUPPORT BAR IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH AND PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY AN REARWARDLY FROM BENEATH THE HEADER; A PLURALITY OF GUIDE RODS, EQUAL IN NUMBER TO THE FEELER MEMBERS, SLIDABLY SUPPORTED IN SAID GUIDE BAR AND SPACED ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE GUIDE BAR SUCH THAT EACH GUIDE ROD IS ALIGNED WITH ONE OF THE FEELER MEMBERS; STOP MEANS ON THE REAR ENDS OF THE GUIDE RODS FOR LIMITING THE FORWARD TRAVEL OF THE GUIDE RODS IN THE GUIDE BARS; MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING THE FORWARD ENDS OF THE GUIDE RODS WITH THE REAR ENDS OF THE OPPOSED FEELER MEMBERS WITH THE LENGTH OF THE FEELER MEMBERS AND GUIDE RODS SUCH THAT THE FEELER MEMBERS PROJECT DOWNWARDLY AND REARWARDLY BENEATH THE HEADER AND THE GUIDE RODS PROJECT DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY IN TRAILING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FEELER MEMBERS WHEREBY UPWARD MOVEMENT OF THE FEELER MEMBERS ABOUT THEIR PIVOTAL AXIS CAUSES REARWARD SLIDING MOVEMENT OF THE GUIDE RODS IN THE GUIDE BAR; AN ACTUATING ROD ROTATABLY MOUNTED BENEATH THE HEADER BETWEEN THE SUPPORT BAR AND GUIDE BAR IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH; A PLURALITY OF ACTUATING FINGERS EQUAL IN NUMBER TO THE FEELER MEMBERS PROJECTING RADIALLY FROM THE ACTUATING ROD IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER AND SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY EVENLY ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE ACTUATING ROD SUCH THAT ACTUATING FINGER IS ENGAGEABLE WITH ONE OF THE FEELER MEMBERS; MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID ACTUATING ROD WITH SAID POWER MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE POWER MEANS TO RAISE AND LOWER THE HEADER UPON ROTATION OF THE ACTUATING ROD; AD MEANS BIASING THE ACTUATING ROD TO A POSITION SUCH THAT EACH OF THE ACTUATING FINGERS ENGAGES ONE OF THE FEELER MEMBERS AND URGES THE FEELER MEMBER DOWNWARDLY TOWARD THE GROUND; SAID FEELER MEMBERS BEING INDIVIDUALLY OPERABLE UPON PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT SAID SUPPORT BAR TO ROTATE SAID ACTUATING ROD AND ACTUATE THE POWER MEANS TO RAISE AND LOWER THE HEADER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GROUND CONTOUR AS DETERMINED BY THE POSITION OF THE HIGHER OF THE FEELER MEMBERS.