Apparatus and method providing a propulsion safeing sub-system in an agricultural windrower

1. Apparatus for safeing a FNR lever movable for controlling a propulsion driveline of an agricultural windrower, comprising:

a FNR lever assembly including a FNR lever having a neutral position and movable in relation to the neutral position in a first direction and in a second direction opposite the first direction, and a sensor disposed and simultaneously operable for sensing positions of the FNR lever as the lever is moved in the first and second directions and outputting a signal representative thereof;

a propulsion cylinder assembly including a propulsion cylinder movable for effecting operation of the propulsion driveline, and two sensors configured and operable for sensing positions of the propulsion cylinder and outputting signals representative thereof, wherein the two sensors are configured such that sums of the signals representative of the positions of the propulsion cylinder outputted thereby are to equal a predetermined value;

a programmable control module in connection with the sensor of the FNR assembly for receiving the signals outputted thereby, the control module being connected in operative control of the propulsion cylinder and operable for outputting control signals thereto for causing movements thereof which track the signals representative of the positions of the FNR lever, the control module being programmed and operable for receiving and summing the signals outputted by the two sensors for sensing positions of the propulsion cylinder and comparing the sums to the predetermined value, and if any of the sums does not equal the predetermined value, then determining that a fault condition exists.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the signals are voltages and the predetermined value is 5 V.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control module is programmed to disable the propulsion driveline responsive to a determination that a fault condition exists.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control module is programmed to compare the signals representative of the positions of the propulsion cylinder to the signals representative of the positions of the FNR lever for determining existence of tracking errors therebetween.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the control module is programmed to integrate the tracking errors using an exponentially decaying integrator, and then to determine whether the integrals of the tracking errors exceed predetermined values therefor.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the control module is additionally programmed to monitor rates of change of values of the signals representative of the positions of the propulsion cylinder and rates of change of values of the signals representative of positions of the FNR lever, for determining if velocities of movements of the propulsion cylinder or the FNR lever exceed predetermined values or if the sensor signals are changing rapidly due to some other anomaly, and if yes, then determining that an error condition exists.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the control module is additionally programmed to compare rates of change of values of the signals representative of the positions of the propulsion cylinder as the cylinder moves from a full extent of movement thereof, to rates of change of values of the signals representative of positions of the FNR lever as the lever is moved from a position fully moved in the first or the second direction, for determining if the propulsion cylinder is sticking at the full extent of movement thereof.

8. A method for safeing a FNR lever movable for controlling a propulsion driveline of an agricultural windrower, comprising steps of:

providing a FNR lever assembly including a FNR lever having a neutral position and movable in relation to the neutral position in a first direction and in a second direction opposite the first direction, and a sensor disposed and simultaneously operable for sensing positions of the FNR lever as the lever is moved in the first and second directions and outputting a signal representative thereof:

providing a propulsion cylinder assembly including a propulsion cylinder movable for effecting operation of the propulsion driveline, and two sensors configured and operable for sensing positions of the propulsion cylinder and outputting signals representative thereof, wherein the two sensors are configured such that sums of the signals representative of the positions of the propulsion cylinder outputted thereby are to equal a predetermined value for any position of the propulsion cylinder;

providing a programmable control module in connection with the sensor of the FNR assembly for receiving the signals outputted thereby, the control module being connected in operative control of the propulsion cylinder and operable for outputting control signals thereto for causing movements thereof which track the signals representative of the positions of the FNR lever, wherein the control module is programmed and operable for:

receiving and summing the signals outputted by the two sensors for sensing positions of the propulsion cylinder;

comparing the sums to the predetermined value, and

if any of the sums does not equal the predetermined value, then determining that a fault condition exists.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the signals are voltages and the predetermined value is 5 V.

10. The method of claim 8 , comprising a further step of:

disabling the propulsion driveline responsive to a determination that a fault condition exists.

11. A method for safeing a FNR lever movable for controlling a propulsion driveline of an agricultural windrower, comprising steps of:

providing a FNR lever assembly including a FNR lever having a neutral position and movable in relation to the neutral position in a first direction and in a second direction opposite the first direction;

providing at least one sensor disposed and operable for sensing positions of the FNR lever as the lever is moved in the first and second directions and outputting signals representative thereof;

providing a programmable control module connected to the sensor and in operative control of a propulsion cylinder of the propulsion driveline and operable for outputting control signals thereto having electrical current values for causing movements of the propulsion cylinder which track the signals representative of the positions of the FNR lever;

providing at least one sensor configured and operable for sensing positions of the propulsion cylinder and outputting signals representative thereof to the control module;

and wherein the control module is programmed for performing steps of:

comparing the signals representative of the positions of the propulsion cylinder to the signals representative of the positions of the FNR lever for determining any tracking errors therebetween;

comparing the signals representative of the electrical current to the propulsion cylinder control solenoids to the command signals for the electrical current for determining any tracking errors therebetween;

integrating the tracking errors using an exponentially decaying integrator, and then

comparing the integrals of the tracking errors to predetermined values therefor, for both the electrical current and position; and

if the integrals of the tracking errors are greater than the predetermined values therefore, then determining that a fault condition exists.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the control module is programmed for automatically performing an additional step of:

monitoring rates of change of values of the signals representative of the positions of the propulsion cylinder and to rates of change of values of the signals representative of positions of the FNR lever to determine if velocities of movements of the propulsion cylinder or the FNR lever exceed predetermined values or if the sensor signals are changing rapidly due to some other anomaly, and if yes, then determining that an error condition exists.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the control module will perform an additional step of:

comparing rates of change of values of the signals representative of the positions of the propulsion cylinder as the cylinder moves from a full extent of movement thereof, to rates of change of values of the signals representative of positions of the FNR lever as the lever is moved from a position fully moved in the first or the second direction, for determining if the propulsion cylinder is sticking at the full extent of movement thereof.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the control module will perform additional steps of:

providing two of the sensors disposed and operable for sensing positions of the propulsion cylinder and outputting signals representative thereof;

summing the signals outputted by the two sensors; and

comparing the sums to a predetermined value, and if any of the sums does not equal the predetermined value, then determining that a fault condition exists.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the signals outputted by the two sensors comprise voltages and the predetermined value is 5 V.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the control module will perform a step of:

disabling the propulsion driveline responsive to a determination that a fault condition exists.