US 12,376,522 B2
Harvester header having a segment control system
Cory D. Hunt, Millersville, PA (US); Glenn Aesaert, Izegem (BE); and Jeffrey C. Trowbridge, Stevens, PA (US)
Appl. No. 17/293,952
Filed by CNH Industrial America LLC, New Holland, PA (US)
PCT Filed Nov. 12, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/060927
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 14, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/102199, PCT Pub. Date May 22, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/768,614, filed on Nov. 16, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0007576 A1, Jan. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. A01D 41/14 (2006.01); A01D 34/28 (2006.01); F15B 11/04 (2006.01); F15B 11/05 (2006.01)
CPC A01D 41/141 (2013.01) [A01D 41/145 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A header of a harvester, comprising:
a header segment comprising a cutter bar configured to cut crops, a first portion of a conveyor assembly, and a wheel configured to engage a ground;
a center section comprising a second portion of the conveyor assembly, wherein the center section is configured to receive cut crops from the header segment via the first portion of the conveyor assembly, the second portion of the conveyor assembly is configured to transport the received cut crops to a crop processing system of the harvester, and the wheel is configured to control a position of the header segment relative to the center section while the header is in a lowered position;
an actuator coupling the header segment to the center section;
a sensor configured to output a sensor signal indicative of a measured position of the header segment relative to the center section; and
a controller comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the controller, while the header is in a raised position, is configured to:
receive a target signal indicative of a target position of the header segment relative to the center section; and
control the actuator based at least in part on the measured position and the target position to adjust the header segment to the target position.