Corn Header Central Separator for Interwoven Crop Feeding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing corn headers struggle to efficiently harvest crops like corn, sorghum, or miscanthus when they are intertwined or lying horizontally, leading to inefficiencies and crop buildup within the working width.
Innovation Solution
A central separating member positioned vertically in the gap between mowing and infeed members of the corn header separates the crop within the working width before it enters the mowing and infeed members, assisted by lateral separating members if needed, to facilitate efficient crop transport and avoid buildup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional mowing and infeed members are used without a central separating member, then the device complexity is reduced, but the productivity decreases due to inefficient handling of interwoven and horizontally lying crops
Solution Approach 1:
The corn header is divided into multiple functional zones: lateral separating members at the sides and a central separating member in the middle. This segmentation allows different parts of the crop (edge crops vs. center crops) to be handled by specialized components, improving overall harvesting efficiency for both standing and interwoven/horizontal crops.
Solution Approach 2:
The central separating member acts as an intermediary element between the lateral separating members and the mowing/infeed members. It specifically addresses the crop in the center region that cannot be effectively separated by lateral members alone, facilitating smooth crop flow into the mowing zone and preventing buildup.
2Ease of operation
If the crop is actively severed by lateral separating members at the sides, then the crop separation within working width is improved, but the crop buildup in the center region increases
Solution Approach 1:
The separating function is segmented into lateral zones (handled by lateral separating members) and a central zone (handled by the central separating member). This ensures that crop separation occurs uniformly across the entire working width, preventing accumulation in the center region while maintaining effective edge separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The central separating member extends in the vertical direction above the mowing plane, creating a three-dimensional separation structure. This vertical extension allows the central member to intercept and guide interwoven and horizontally lying crops that would otherwise accumulate, directing them smoothly into the mowing zone.
3Productivity
If drum-like mowing and infeed members rotate about a vertical axis, then the crop separation in horizontal direction is achieved, but the frictionless transporting away of harvested crop in the center is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The central separating member serves as a mediator that prepares the crop in the center region for efficient transport. By actively separating and guiding the crop horizontally into the mowing zone, it prevents accumulation and ensures smooth feed to the rotating mowing members, enabling frictionless transport of harvested material.
Solution Approach 2:
The central separating member performs preliminary separation and positioning of the crop in the center region before it reaches the mowing and infeed members. This preliminary action ensures that crop material is properly oriented and positioned, facilitating efficient subsequent transport and processing by the rotating members.
Data Source
AI summary
Corn header (4) for a forage harvester (1) having a plurality of mowing and infeed units (5), having a plurality of drum-like or chain-like mowing and infeed members (6), which are rotatable about a vertical axis and are drivable in a revolving manner, for severing the crop in a substantially horizontal direction, wherein the mowing and infeed members (6) arranged in the center between two sides (4a, 4b) of the corn header (4) are drivable in a revolving manner to convey crop out of a gap (12), forwards away from an infeed (9) of the forage harvester (1), wherein a central separating member (13) for separating the crop is positioned in a substantially vertical direction in the region of the gap (12) between the mowing and infeed members (6) arranged in the center of the corn header (4).