US3786945A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Spout control system
Assignee: Deere and Co
•
Filing: 1973-01-15
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Granted: 1974-01-22
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Expires: 1993-01-15
Abstract
Abstract The lateral swing of a discharge spout on a forage harvester is magnetically governed such that the spout is kept in proper coordination with the crop inlet port of a trailing wagon as the harvester is negotiated through turns. A wire loop encircling the wagon, upon excitation by an AC signal, produces a magnetic field which is sensed by a signal coil mounted on the discharge spout and adapted for common movement therewith. The signal coil has an output voltage, the amplitude of which varies as the wagon swings relative to the spout. This output voltage is compared with the loop excitation signal to denote any phase differential and the resulting voltage signal, after being passed through a dead band generator, drives a bi-directional electrohydraulic unit which swivelly swings the discharge spout into proper coordination with the crop inlet of the wagon.
Inventors
- 👤 D Symonds
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 00:43
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01D; A01D43/00; A01D43/06; A01D43/07; A01D43/073
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
177 words
A control circuit for actuating the drive unit for swinging the discharge spout of a harvester in response to movement of a wagon trailing the harvester comprising: a. an excitation signal source for generating an excitation signal; b. transmitting means carried by the wagon for generating, upon energization by the excitation signal, a magnetic field; c. a magnetically responsive signal coil carried by the harvester and adapted for common movement with the discharge spout thereof; said coil having induced therein by said magnetic field a signal voltage which is a function of the angle between the axis of the coil and the magnetic flux vector at the coil; d. means for producing a reference voltage cognizant of the phase of the excitation signal; e. a phase detector for discerning the phase differential between the signal voltage and the reference voltage; said phase detector having an output signal; f. actuator means for actuating said drive unit in response to the output signal of the phase detector such that the spout is maintained in proper coordination with the wagon.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
177 words
A control circuit for actuating the drive unit for swinging the discharge spout of a harvester in response to movement of a wagon trailing the harvester comprising: a. an excitation signal source for generating an excitation signal; b. transmitting means carried by the wagon for generating, upon energization by the excitation signal, a magnetic field; c. a magnetically responsive signal coil carried by the harvester and adapted for common movement with the discharge spout thereof; said coil having induced therein by said magnetic field a signal voltage which is a function of the angle between the axis of the coil and the magnetic flux vector at the coil; d. means for producing a reference voltage cognizant of the phase of the excitation signal; e. a phase detector for discerning the phase differential between the signal voltage and the reference voltage; said phase detector having an output signal; f. actuator means for actuating said drive unit in response to the output signal of the phase detector such that the spout is maintained in proper coordination with the wagon.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
A control circuit as in claim 1 wherein said transmitting means includes at least one loop of wire wrapped around and carried by said wagon.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
A control circuit as in claim 1 wherein the axis of the signal coil is so positioned on said discharge spout that the signal voltage induced therein by the magnetic field is a function of the trigometric cosine of the angle between the axis of the coil and said magnetic flux vector.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
A control circuit as in claim 1 wherein said actuator includes dead band circuitry for stabilizing the actuation of the drive unit to prevent oscillatory movement of the discharge spout.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
A control circuit as in claim 1 wherein said means for producing a reference voltage cognizant of the phase of the excitation signal comprises squaring circuitry having an input fed from the excitation signal source by an electrical conduit and having an output which feeds the phase detector.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
90 words
A control unit as in claim 1 wherein said means for producing a reference voltage cognizant of the phase of the excitation signal comprises: a. a reference coil mounted on the discharge spout and adapted for common movement therewith, said coil having induced therein an output voltage proportional to the trigometric sine of the angle between the signal coil and said magnetic flux vector; b. squaring circuitry having an input for receiving the output voltage from said reference coil and a reference voltage which is fed to said phase detector.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
A control circuit as in claim 6 further including an amplifier between the signal coil and the phase detector and a second amplifier between the reference coil and the squaring circuit.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
A control circuit as in claim 7 further including a current gain feedback system electrically coupled to said first and second amplifiers for compensating for variations in distances between the transmitting means and the signal and reference coils.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
76 words
A control circuit as in claim 8 wherein said current gain feedback system comprises: a. a rectifier having an input coupled to the output of said second amplifier and an output; b. a current amplifier having an input connected to the output of said rectifier and having an output which is fed to said first and second gain amplifiers wherein variations in the distance between the transmitting means and the reference and signal coils are compensated.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2905843A
Cited
US3289864A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-01-21 | 1977-07-23 | 1978-01-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-01-21 | 1981-07-23 | 1982-01-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-01-21 | 1985-07-23 | 1986-01-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |