Automatic adjustment of side-drapers on feed drum blockage

Abstract

A method is provided for preventing feed drum plugs in a header. The header includes side-draper belts for feeding crop onto a center draper belt. The header drives the side-draper belts at a draper belt speed. A feed drum transfers the crop from the center draper belt into a feeder house. The method comprises the steps of determining a speed of the feed drum, determining whether the feed drum speed is less than a threshold value, and if it is determined that the feed drum speed is less than the threshold value, reducing the draper belt speed.

Description

Docket Xe: 159031-00940AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT OF SIDE-DRAPERS ON FEED DRUM BLOCKAGEBACKGROUND

[0001] Combine headers typically cut and gather a width of standing crop which is then transported inwardly to the center of the header where a feed draper and feed drum feed the crop rearward into the combine feederhouse. The crop is then processed by the combine. On a draper header, the inward transport of crop material is typically achieved using a left-hand and a righthand side-draper.

[0002] The side-drapers, feed draper, and feed drum are driven independently of each other. Therefore, it is not uncommon for one of the side-drapers, the feed draper, or the feed drum to stall for a number of reasons, while the remainder of the drives continue to operate.

[0003] During normal operation of a combine header it is common for crop flow anomalies to overload or plug the feed drum. These anomalies can occur for a number of reasons including challenging crop conditions, or operator inexperience. Draper header feed drums are typically driven by a drive system that includes an overload or slip clutch to reduce damage to drive components in the event of a plug or blockage. The result is that the feed drum stops turning, while the remaining header system drives continue to operate normally. This means that the crop continues to be conveyed to the center by the side-drapers, resulting in a large accumulation of crop material in front of the stationary feed drum. With large width draper headers, the accumulation of crop material can be substantial.

[0004] In the event of a plug or blockage, the operator must shut down the header feeding system as soon as possible to minimize the accumulation of crop in the center. The larger the amount of crop that has accumulated in the center, the greater the probability of additional plugging during the unplugging process. The unplugging process typically involves moving the combine feederhouse and header drives in reverse to expel crop material. This adds to the amount of crop material accumulated in the center of the header. More severe plugs require the operator to exit the cab and manually remove crop material from the machine. This results in measurable down time and lost productivity.

[0005] Additionally, when the plug is being cleared the operator will engage the feederhouse and header drives (normally simultaneously with one button) to attempt to feed the material intoDocket Xe: 159031-00940 the combine without plugging. If the drum subsequently plugs again, it is necessary to shut the feederhouse and header drives off again. A method for unplugging involves engaging the feederhouse and header drives in a short burst, or several short bursts to clear the plug without conveying more material to the center. For this reason, it is desirable to include a delay so the sidedrapers do not start conveying for a period of time after the feed drum begins rotating.SUMMARY

[0006] The present invention relates to systems and methods for preventing feed drum plugs, or blockages, in an agricultural header.

[0007] According to one embodiment, there is provided a method for preventing feed drum plugs in a header. The header includes side-draper belts for feeding crop onto a center draper belt. The header drives the side-draper belts at a draper belt speed. A feed drum transfers the crop from the center draper belt into a feeder house. The method comprises the steps of determining a speed of the feed drum, determining whether the feed drum speed is less than a threshold value, and if it is determined that the feed drum speed is less than the threshold value, reducing the draper belt speed.

[0008] According to another embodiment, there is provided a system for preventing feed drum plugs in a header. The header includes side-draper belts for feeding crop onto a center draper belt. The header drives the side-draper belts at a draper belt speed. A feed drum transfers the crop from the center draper belt into a feeder house. The system comprises a sensor and a controller. The sensor is configured to determine a speed of the feed drum. The controller is configured to determine whether the feed drum speed is less than a threshold value and if the controller determines that the feed drum speed is less than the threshold value, the controller is configured to reduce the draper belt speed.

[0009] Any of the above aspects can be combined in full or in part. Any features of the above aspects can be combined in full or in part. Any of the above implementations for any aspect can be combined with any other aspect. Any of the above implementations can be combined with any other implementation whether for the same aspect or a different aspect.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Advantages of the present disclosure will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.Docket Xe: 159031-00940

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a header on a harvester in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a top view of the header of FIG. 1.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a top view of the crop feeding components on the header of FIG. 1.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the crop feeding components shown in FIG. 3.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the feed drum of the header of FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a system to control components of the header of FIG. 1.

[0017] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment for preventing feed drum plugs in accordance with the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment for preventing feed drum plugs in accordance with the present invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Referring to the Figures, where like numerals indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, a draper header for harvesting agricultural crops, is shown generally at 10. Referring to FIG. 1, the header 10 is mounted on a combine harvester 12 for movement in a forward working direction D. The header 10 includes a front portion 14 and a rear portion 16 extending laterally between opposite ends 18. Crop pick-up reels 20 are positioned generally above the front portion 14 of the header 10 for engaging the crops to be harvested. A cutter bar assembly 22 operatively extends across the front portion 14 of the header 10 between the opposite ends 18 for cutting the crops to be harvested. A rear wall 24 extends substantially vertically along the rear portion 16 of the header 10 between the opposite ends 18 thereof. Referring to FIG. 4, the rear wall 24 includes an opening 26 for transferring crops away from the header 10 for further processing by an agricultural machine such as a combine or for creation of windrows by a swather. However, it is to be appreciated that the crops may be transferred from the draper header 10 for any number of other suitable purposes without varying the scope of the invention.

[0020] Referring to FIGS. 2-3, the header 10 further includes a draper belt assembly 28 extending behind the cutter bar assembly 22. The draper belt assembly 28 includes a feed draper belt 30 in front of the opening 26, and left-hand and right-hand side-draper belts 32, 34 disposed on opposites sides of the feed draper belt 30. Each side-draper belt 32, 34 is driven by a draper motor 36, 38, and includes a speed sensor 40, 42 to monitor the speed of the draper belt 32, 34.Docket Xe: 159031-00940The side-draper belts 32, 34 transport harvested agricultural crops to the feed draper belt 30, as reflected by arrows 44, 46. The feed draper belt 30 then directs the harvested crops through the opening 26 in the rear wall 24, as reflected by arrows 48.

[0021] Referring to FIGS. 3-5, the header 10 also includes a feed drum 50 in the opening 26 of the rear wall 24 that rotates in a forward direction, as reflected by arrow 52, to assist the transfer of the crop material from the rear of the feed draper belt 30 into a feeder house 54 on the harvester 12. The feed drum 50 is connected to a drum drive shaft 56, and an overload clutch 58 connects the drum drive shaft 56 to a mechanical drive input 60, e.g., a motor. A feed drum speed sensor 62 detects the speed of the feed drum 50. The feed drum speed sensor 62 may be mounted on either end 64 of the feed drum 50. Alternatively, the feed drum speed sensor 62 may be mounted on an end 66 of the drum drive shaft 56 adjacent the overload clutch 58.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 6, a hydraulic pump 68 provides hydraulic fluid to drive both sidedraper motors 36, 38. The hydraulic fluid flows from the hydraulic pump 68 through a flow control valve 70, to the left-hand side-draper motor 36 and the right-hand side-draper motor 38 before it flows to the hydraulic return 72.

[0023] The header 10 includes an exemplary system 74 for preventing feed drum plugs. The system 74 includes a controller 76 that includes control logic 78 and a Proportional Integral Derivative (“PID”) controller 80. A user interface 81 sends control signals from the operator to the control logic 78 to set and adjust various parameters that control the operation of the header 10. Electrical signals 82, 84, 86 from the left-hand side-draper speed sensor 40, the right-hand sidedraper speed sensor 42, and the feed drum speed sensor 62 are input into the control logic 78, which uses this information to determine the target draper speed 88. The target draper speed 88 is input into the PID controller 80, which sends a signal 90 to control the flow control valve 70 to adjust the amount of hydraulic fluid driving the left-hand side-draper motor 36 and the right-hand side-draper motor 38.

[0024] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary process 92 for preventing feed drum plugs. At the start (step 94) of the process, the operator of the header uses the user interface 81 to set the desired draper speed, draperSpeedSetting (step 96). The controller 76 uses the feed drum speed sensor 62 to determine the feed drum speed and the side speed sensors 40, 42 to determine the side-draper motor speeds (step 98). The controller 76 determines whether the feed drum speed is less than a threshold value (e.g., 50 rpm) (step 100). If the controller 76 determines that the feed drum speedDocket .N 159031-00940 is less than the threshold value, the controller 76 sets a stopCommand flag to true and sets draperControllerState to DRAPER OFF, indicating that the side-drapers will be turned off (step 102). The controller 76 then sets targetDraperSpeed to 0 (step 104) and passes the targetDraperSpeed to the draper speed PID controller 80 (step 106). The PID controller 80 turns off the flow control valve 70 to stop hydraulic fluid from flowing to the side-draper motors 36, 38, thereby shutting off the side-draper belts 32, 34. Alternatively, rather than controlling the draper speed through the PID controller 80, which is susceptible to PID control ramping delays, the system 30 may simply be configured to turn off the hydraulic flow when it detects that the stopCommand flag is set to true. In addition, rather than fully stopping the side-draper belts 32, 34, the controller 76 may alternatively reduce the targetDraperSpeed to reduce the amount of crop accumulating on the feed draper belt 30 and into the feed drum 50. The controller 76 then reaches the end of the control loop (step 108) and returns to step 94 to continue monitoring the feed drum speed.

[0025] If at step 100, the controller 76 determines that the feed drum speed is not less than the threshold value, the controller 76 sets the stopCommand flag to false and sets draperControllerState to DRAPER RUNNING, indicating that the side-drapers will be on (step 110). The controller 76 then sets targetDraperSpeed to draperSpeedSetting (step 112) and passes the targetDraperSpeed to the draper speed PID controller 80 (step 106). The PID controller 80 adjusts the flow control valve 70 so that the hydraulic fluid drives the side-draper motors 36, 38 at the targetDraperSpeed. The controller 76 then reaches the end of the control loop (step 108) and returns to step 94 to continue monitoring the feed drum speed.

[0026] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative exemplary process 114 for preventing feed drum plugs, which includes a delayed side-draper startup. At the start (step 116) of the process, the operator of the header uses the user interface 81 to set the desired draper speed, draperSpeedSetting (step 118). The controller 76 uses the feed drum speed sensor 62 to determine the feed drum speed and the side speed sensors 40, 42 to determine the side-draper motor speeds (step 120). The controller 76 determines whether the feed drum speed is less than a threshold value (e.g., 50 rpm) (step 122). If the controller 76 determines that the feed drum speed is less than the threshold value, the controller 76 sets draperControllerState to DRAPER OFF, indicating that the side-drapers will be turned off (step 124). The controller 76 then sets targetDraperSpeed to 0 (step 126) and passes the targetDraperSpeed to the draper speed PID controller 80 (step 128). The PID controller 80 turnsDocket Xe: 159031-00940 off the flow control valve 70 to stop hydraulic fluid from flowing to the side-draper motors 36, 38, thereby shutting off the side-draper belts 32, 34. Rather than fully stopping the side-draper belts 32, 34, the controller 76 may alternatively reduce the targetDraperSpeed to reduce the amount of crop accumulating on the feed draper belt 30 and into the feed drum 50. The controller 76 then reaches the end of the control loop (step 130) and returns to step 116 to continue monitoring the feed drum speed.

[0027] If at step 122, the controller 76 determines that the feed drum speed is not less than the threshold value, the controller 76 determines whether draperControllerState is set to DRAPER OFF (step 132). If the controller 76 determines that draperControllerState is set to DRAPER OFF, the controller 76 sets draperControllerState to DRAPER DELAY (step 134), reaches the end of the control loop (step 130), and returns to step 116 at the beginning of the process.

[0028] If at step 132, the controller 76 determines that draperControllerState is not set to DRAPER OFF, the controller 76 determines whether draperControllerState is set to DRAPER DELAY (step 136). If the controller 76 determines that draperControllerState is set to DRAPER DELAY, the controller 76 waits during a time delay, startDelayTime (e.g., 5 second) (step 138), before it sets draperControllerState to DRAPER RIJNNING (step 140). The time delay provides sufficient time to allow the speed of the feed draper to exceed the threshold value before turning on the side-draper motors 36, 38. The controller 76 then reaches the end of the control loop (step 130) and returns to step 116 to continue monitoring the feed drum speed.

[0029] If at step 136, the controller 76 determines that draperControllerState is not set to DRAPER DELAY, the controller 76 sets targetDraperSpeed to draperSpeedSetting (step 142) and passes the targetDraperSpeed to the draper speed PID controller 80 (step 128). The PID controller 80 adjusts the flow control valve 70 so that the hydraulic fluid drives the side-draper motors 36, 38 at the targetDraperSpeed. The controller 76 then reaches the end of the control loop (step 130) and returns to step 116 to continue monitoring the feed drum speed.

[0030] Several instances have been discussed in the foregoing description. However, the aspects discussed herein are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the disclosure to any particular form. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The terminology that has been used is intended to be in the nature ofDocket Xe: 159031-00940 words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings and the disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

Docket Xe: 159031-00940CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method for preventing feed drum plugs in a header, wherein the header includes side-draper belts for feeding crop onto a center draper belt, wherein the header drives the sidedraper belts at a draper belt speed, and wherein a feed drum transfers the crop from the center draper belt into a feeder house, the method comprising the steps of: determining a speed of the feed drum; determining whether the feed drum speed is less than a threshold value; and if it is determined that the feed drum speed is less than the threshold value, reducing the draper belt speed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if it is determined that the feed drum speed is less than the threshold value, the draper belt speed is reduced to zero.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein if the controller determines that the feed drum speed is less than the threshold value, the method further comprising the step of setting a controller state for the side-draper belts to off.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein if it is determined that the feed drum speed is not less than the threshold value, the method further comprises the step of setting the side-draper speed to a target speed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises the step of receiving the target speed from a user input.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein if it is determined that the feed drum speed is not less than the threshold value, the method further comprises the steps of: determining whether a state of the side-draper belts is off; and if it is determined that the state of the side-draper belts is off, waiting a delay time period before setting the side-draper speed to the target speed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein if it is determined that the state of the side-draper belts is off, setting the state of the side-draper belts to running after waiting the delay time period.Docket Xe: 159031-009408. A system for preventing feed drum plugs in a header, wherein the header includes sidedraper belts for feeding crop onto a center draper belt, wherein the header drives the side-draper belts at a draper belt speed, and wherein a feed drum transfers the crop from the center draper belt into a feeder house, the system comprising: a sensor configured to determine a speed of the feed drum; and a controller configured to: determine whether the feed drum speed is less than a threshold value; and if the controller determines that the feed drum speed is less than the threshold value, the controller is configured to reduce the draper belt speed.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein if the controller determines that the feed drum speed is less than the threshold value, the controller is configured to reduce the draper belt speed to zero.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein if the controller determines that the feed drum speed is less than the threshold value, the controller is configured to set a controller state for the sidedraper belts to off.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein if the controller determines that the feed drum speed is not less than the threshold value, the controller is configured to set the side-draper speed to a target speed.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to receive the target speed from a user input.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein if the controller determines that the feed drum speed is not less than the threshold value, the controller is configured to: determine whether a state of the side-draper belts is off; and if the controller determines that the state of the side-draper belts is off, the controller is configured to wait a delay time period before setting the side-draper speed to the target speed.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein if the controller determines that the state of the sidedraper belts is off, the controller is configured to set the state of the side-draper belts to running after waiting the delay time period.

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