Draper Support Rollers Reduce Friction in Crop Harvesting Headers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional draper assemblies for crop headers face challenges in efficiently transporting heavy crop materials due to sagging and increased friction, which limits the quantity of crop that can be carried effectively.
Innovation Solution
The use of support rollers instead of skid plates to carry the upper run of the draper, with a tensioning section that includes no rollers and a center track, and an integral extruded sealing member with a flexible blade portion to prevent dirt entry and maintain seal integrity between the cutter bar and the draper.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If support plate assembly is used to support the upper run of the draper, then the draper is supported to prevent sagging, but friction increases and crop transport capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional support plate assembly with a support roller assembly. The support rollers provide the necessary support to prevent draper sagging while simultaneously reducing friction between the draper and the support structure. This mechanical substitution enables the draper to handle heavier crop materials and increases overall crop transport capacity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional guiding arrangement with bead in groove is used, then misalignment is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the conventional bead-and-groove guiding arrangement from the draper assembly. Instead, the draper is guided by its interaction with the support rollers and the cutter bar structure itself, simplifying the overall design while maintaining proper alignment functionality.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If seal between cutter bar and draper is provided, then material entry is inhibited, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the sealing function directly into the cutter bar structure through a rearwardly extending element that forms a seal with the draper. This combined structure eliminates the need for separate sealing components while effectively preventing crop material from entering between the cutter bar and draper.
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
This configuration reduces friction and allows for increased crop transport capacity while maintaining effective sealing and preventing material entry into the cutter bar, enhancing the overall efficiency and reliability of crop header operations.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible blade portion which extends rearwardly from the first portion at the cutter bar to lie over and in contact with a front edge portion of the upper surface of the draper
Data Source
AI summary
A crop harvesting header with a cutter bar and a draper assembly has a draper driven by a drive roller at one end and an idler roller at the other end. The draper is carried on a plurality of support rollers parallel to the first and second rollers for supporting the upper run of the draper at spaced positions therealong. The draper includes a front edge of the upper run of the draper arranged at a position adjacent to but spaced from the cutter bar and there is provided an integral extruded sealing member extending along the cutter bar defining a first stiffer portion attached to the cutter bar and a second flexible blade portion which extends rearwardly from the first portion at the cutter bar to lie over and in contact with a bead along a front edge portion of the draper.