Crop Header Impellers for Inward Transfer and Blockage Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing crop harvesting headers with rotary cutters face inefficiencies in transferring cut crop material inwardly to the discharge opening, leading to potential blocking or collection issues, especially when conditioners are used to improve drying action.

Innovation Solution

A crop harvesting header design featuring a cutter bar with transversely spaced rotary disks, where outer disks carry impellers to direct cut crop inwardly toward a discharge opening, and additional impellers are strategically placed to converge crop material effectively, ensuring efficient transfer and preventing blockage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If conventional sickle knife systems are used for crop cutting, then the structure is simpler, but the crop transfer efficiency is lower and blocking issues occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecrop transfer efficiencyVSAvoidstructure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The device divides the crop transfer function into multiple segments: rotary cutters for cutting, impellers for initial transfer, and conditioners for final processing. Each component handles a specific portion of the crop flow, improving overall efficiency while managing complexity through functional segmentation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Impellers are introduced as intermediary elements between the rotary cutters and the discharge opening. These impellers act as mediators that actively transfer cut crop inwardly, preventing blocking by ensuring continuous movement of crop material through the discharge opening.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If crop is not transferred efficiently inwardly, then the device structure is simpler, but blockage and collection issues occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblockage preventionVSAvoidtransfer mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The impellers perform preliminary transfer action immediately after cutting, moving crop material inwardly before it can accumulate or block. This preliminary action prevents blocking by ensuring continuous movement of crop through the discharge opening, eliminating collection issues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The rotary cutters and impellers operate continuously to maintain uninterrupted crop flow. The continuous rotation of cutters and impellers ensures constant crop transfer, preventing accumulation and blocking by maintaining ongoing movement of material through the discharge opening.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Productivity

If additional impellers are added to improve crop convergence, then crop transfer efficiency increases, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecrop convergence efficiencyVSAvoidimpeller arrangement complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple impellers are combined in a coordinated arrangement to work together on crop convergence. The impellers are positioned to overlap in their action zones, creating a unified transfer system that improves crop convergence efficiency while sharing the workload across multiple components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Impellers are strategically positioned at specific locations where crop convergence is most needed. The arrangement provides localized transfer action at critical points along the crop flow path, improving overall efficiency by concentrating transfer capability where it is most required rather than uniformly distributing it.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The improved impeller arrangement enhances crop transfer efficiency, reducing the likelihood of blockages and improving the consolidation of the crop swath, ensuring effective engagement with conditioners for better drying and handling.

Implementation Method 1

The disks are mounted for rotation about a vertical axis standing upwardly from the cutter bar. The disks carry at a point on their outer edge a plurality, generally two, of flail type blades which rotate with the disk around the vertical axis in a cutting action.

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRotational motion:

Implementation Method 2

Each of the outermost disks carries a generally cylindrical impeller in the form of an upright cylindrical cage. In front of the discharge opening is a series of disks arranged in counter-rotating pairs.

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMechanical conveyance:

Data Source

PatentUS8341927B2Crop harvesting header with rotary disks and impellers for transferring the crop inwardly to a discharge opening

Publication Date: 2013.01.01 MACDON INDS

AI summary

A crop header has generally horizontal flail disks mounted for driven rotation about generally upright axes. A pair of conditioner rolls is mounted in a discharge opening and a transfer roller is mounted behind the disks and in front of the nip. At each end, two disks are mounted outwardly of the discharge opening each rotating so that its blade moves inwardly and each carries an impeller to carry the crop inwardly. A third disk is arranged so that a line forward of the end of the discharge opening intersects the third disk inward of the axis of the third disk. The third disk rotates so that its blade moves outwardly so that the crop tends to pass between the second and third disks. A pair of impellers are mounted behind the second disk and move inwardly to carry the cut crop to the discharge opening.