RONALD J SHEEHAN
Vehicle Board in Lancaster, PA

4466231, Aug 21, 1984

Aug 30, 1982

6/413193

E. William Rowland-Hill - Lancaster PA
Ronald T. Sheehan - Lancaster PA

Sperry Corporation - New York NY

A01D 4500, A01D 7500

56 102

In a combine harvester, a microprocessor controls the adjustment of the cleaning sieve or sieves and/or chaffer sieve or sieves in response to information keyed into a keyboard by the combine operator. If the actual setting of a device (sieve or chaffer) is greater than the desired setting the device is first fully opened and maintained in that position for a predetermined period of time to allow foreign objects and crop material to clear itself from the device by normal combine operation. This avoids damage to the control linkage, sieve slats, and so forth. After the device is fully opened and maintained open for the predetermined interval of time it then closes beyond the desired setting by some predetermined amount after which the device is opened to the desired setting. This arrangement insures that the approach to the final adjustment is always made as the device is being opened, thereby allowing for compensation of play or backlash in the mechanical linkages which adjust the device.

4527241, Jul 2, 1985

Aug 30, 1982

6/413196

Ronald T. Sheehan - Lancaster PA
E. William Rowland-Hill - Lancaster PA
Carl E. Bohman - New Holland PA

Sperry Corporation - New York NY

A01D 4100

364424

The adjustment of operating parameters such as the sieve opening, concave opening, chaffer opening, rotor speed and/or fan speed is/are accomplished under the control of a microprocessor operating in response to the striking of keys on a keyboard. The combine harvester operator may select a particular parameter for adjustment by striking a key corresponding to that parameter. The desired setting of the selected parameter is then keyed into the keyboard and an ADJUST key struck to activate the adjustment process. Alternatively, the operator may strike a key corresponding to the crop to be harvested, a further key corresponding to the ambient moisture level of the crop, and then the ADJUST key. In this case the microprocessor reads from a stored table the values for adjusting all parameters so as to obtain a satisfactory sample and a maximum yield for the crop being harvested. The microprocessor sends signals to actuators for adjusting the various parameters and transducers sense the various parameters and provide information to the microprocessor for determining when the parameters have been adjusted to the selected values.

4557276, Dec 10, 1985

Oct 11, 1984

6/659934

Myles Hyman - Lancaster PA
Ronald T. Sheehan - Lancaster PA
E. William Rowland-Hill - Lancaster PA

Sperry Corporation - New Holland PA

A01F 1232

130 27AE

A cleaning apparatus for a combine harvester is disclosed wherein the grain pan and chaffer sieve are mounted for pivotal leveling movement about both a transversely extending axis and a longitudinally extending axis. The grain pan and chaffer sieve are mounted in a subframe pivotally supported by a shaker shoe such that the subframe is pivotable about a longitudinally extending axis relative to the shaker shoe, which in turn is pivotally supported on the combine main frame for pivotal movement about a transversely extending axis. A pair of inclinometers disposed to sense the inclination of the combine are utilized to control the flow of hydraulic fluid to hydraulic actuators arranged to pivotally move the shaker shoe and the subframe in response to a sensing of a non-horizontal inclination by the inclinometers. A combination of the fore-and-aft and transverse pivotal movements permits the grain pan and chaffer sieve to be maintained in an overall horizontal orientation irrespective of the attitude of the combine main frame.

4825495, May 2, 1989

Aug 5, 1988

7/228424

Robert M. VanGinhoven - Lancaster PA
John B. Crego - New Holland PA
Ronald T. Sheehan - Lancaster PA

Ford New Holland, Inc. - New Holland PA

E01H 104

15 5

A leaf loading machine has a rotary beater and a rotary broom extending transversely of a mobile frame. The broom is disposed rearwardly of and in tandem relation to the beater. The beater and the broom have lower sides thereof disposed adjacent the ground and they are operable to counterrotate relative to one another so as to deliver material from the ground upwardly therebetween. A shroud mounted on the frame fully covers an upper side of the beater and partially covers an upper side of the broom. The shroud is open at its front and rear ends, and includes a top wall and a pair of side walls. A housing is also mounted on the frame overlying and enclosing the broom and an auger disposed rearwardly of the broom. The housing is closed at its rear end but is open at its front end where it communicates with the rear end of the shroud to guide material delivered between the beater and the broom to the auger. The housing includes a top wall, a pair of side walls, and a rear wall.

4918910, Apr 24, 1990

Feb 22, 1989

7/313427

Ronald T. Sheehan - Lancaster PA
Shaun A. Seymour - New Holland PA
Mark K. Chow - Leola PA
Richard P. Strosser - Akron PA

Ford New Holland, Inc. - New Holland PA

A01D 3900, A01F 1508

56341

Apparatus for dispensing a preservative or other substance, in solid or liquid form, onto a crop material being baled, the substance being dispensed onto the crop material before it is baled at a rate which is dependent on the moisture content of the crop material and the bulk rate of flow of crop material through the baler. The apparatus, which may be mounted on a square baler or a round baler, includes a first sensor for sensing the moisture content of the crop material and producing a first signal, a second sensor for producing an output signal indicative of the bulk rate of corp flow through the baler, and a control circuit responsive to the first signal and the second signal for producing a pulse width modulated signal for controlling the speed of a motor. The motor controls the rate at which the substance is dispensed from a container onto the crop material.

4914774, Apr 10, 1990

Aug 5, 1988

7/228644

Ronald T. Sheehan - Lancaster PA
Robert M. VanGinhoven - Lancaster PA
John B. Crego - New Holland PA

Ford New Holland, Inc. - New Holland PA

E01H 104

15 5

A leaf loading machine designed for use in combination with a towing vehicle includes a mobile frame with a tongue extending forwardly thereof for connection to the towing vehicle. The machine has a rotary beater and a rotary broom extending transversely of the mobile frame. The broom is disposed rearwardly of an in tandem relation to the beater. The beater and the broom have lower sides thereof disposed adjacent the ground and they are operable to counterrotate relative to one another so as to deliver material from the ground upwardly therebetween. The machine also includes an auger extending transversely of the frame rearwardly of the broom for receiving material from the broom, and a thrower mounted on the frame for receiving material from the auger and for discharging the material into the towing vehicle.

4750323, Jun 14, 1988

Apr 13, 1987

7/037372

Ronald T. Sheehan - Lancaster PA
Robert M. VanGinhoven - Lancaster PA
Stephen C. Schlotterbeck - New Holland PA

Ford New Holland, Inc. - New Holland PA

A01D 3900

56341

A bale forming method for use with round balers is disclosed. Typically round balers are operated in a manner whereby crop material is fed into only one side of the bale forming chamber at a time. The disclosed method includes positioning a round baler so that crop material is fed into the right side of the bale forming chamber, generating a signal in a first indicator light in response to a predetermined expansion of the bale forming chamber, repositioning the round baler so that crop material is fed into the left side of the bale forming chamber, and generating a signal in a second indicator light in response to a further predetermined expansion of the bale forming chamber.

4748801, Jun 7, 1988

Apr 13, 1987

7/037490

Ronald T. Sheehan - Lancaster PA
Robert M. VanGinhoven - Lancaster PA
Stephen C. Schlotterbeck - New Holland PA

New Holland Inc. - New Holland PA

A01D 3900

56341

A bale shape controlling system for round balers is disclosed. The system includes first and second indicator lights, and bale shape monitor apparatus for alternately generating signals in the indicator lights in response to predetermined expansion of the bale forming chamber of round balers. Typically round balers are operated in a manner whereby crop material is fed into only one side of the bale forming chamber at a time. The system also includes apparatus for automatically positioning round balers so that crop material is alternately fed into the right or left side of the bale forming chamber when signals are alternately generated in the indicator lights.

5155984, Oct 20, 1992

Apr 24, 1991

7/690576

Ronald T. Sheehan - Lancaster PA

Ford New Holland, Inc. - New Holland PA

A01D 4700, A01D 7528

56 102

An implement, such as a cutterbar on an agricultural harvesting machine, is automatically position-controlled to maintain a reference position relative to the ground surface. The implement is mounted so that it may be raised, lowered or tilted and the control is such that tilting movements are preceded by, or are carried out concurrently with, a raising or lowering movement when one end of the implement is at the reference position and the other end is between the reference position and the ground surface. Manually operated UP and DOWN switches not only control up and down movements of the implement but also inhibit and restore automatic control of implement positioning. A set/reset switch enables manual selection of a predetermined reference position or the selection of the present implement position as the reference position.

4930530, Jun 5, 1990

Aug 5, 1988

7/228427

John B. Crego - New Holland PA
Ronald T. Sheehan - Lancaster PA
Robert M. VanGinhoven - Lancaster PA

Ford New Holland, Inc. - New Holland PA

B08B 700

134 6

In a leaf loading method, leaves are picked up from the ground by operating a rotary beater and a rotary broom. The leaves are then delivered between the beater and the broom by rotating the beater and the broom in opposite directions. Next, the leaves are guided from between the beater and the broom toward an auger disposed rearwardly of the broom. Finally, the leaves are transferred from the auger into a thrower by rotating the auger and then the leaves are discharged by operating the thrower.