US 12,284,930 B2
Crop divider with automatic height control
David Hilbig, St. Brieux (CA); and Gerry Miller, St. Brieux (CA)
Assigned to BOURGAULT INDUSTRIES LTD., St. Brieux (CA)
Filed by Bourgault Industries Ltd., St. Brieux (CA)
Filed on Apr. 5, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/713,296.
Prior Publication US 2023/0309432 A1, Oct. 5, 2023
Int. Cl. A01B 63/00 (2006.01); A01B 63/10 (2006.01); A01B 63/12 (2006.01); A01D 65/08 (2006.01)
CPC A01B 63/008 (2013.01) [A01D 65/08 (2013.01); A01B 63/10 (2013.01); A01B 63/12 (2013.01)] 30 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
17. A method of operating crop divider apparatus attached in front of a wheel of an agricultural implement operating on a field surface with crop plants growing on the field surface, the method comprising:
providing a divider member comprising a diversion member tapering laterally from a front end of the divider member to a rear end of the divider member and operative to push the crop plants away from a path of the wheel;
operatively connecting an actuator to the divider member, the actuator operative to move the divider member up and down;
locating a control adjacent to an operator's station on the agricultural implement and connecting the control to the actuator, and operating the control to activate the actuator to selectively move the divider member up and down; and
providing a sensor system operative to sense a divider height of at least one of the divider members above the field surface, wherein the sensor system is connected to the control such that the control, when in a field mode, is operative to specify a desired divider height for the at least one of the divider members that is between a minimum divider height and a maximum divider height and operate each actuator to maintain the desired divider height for the at least one of the divider members.