Combine Harvester Header Ball Joint Pivot Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
As combine harvesters become more powerful and working widths increase, existing multi-part headers face difficulties in adjusting to changing ground contours with sufficient speed and precision due to the increased weight and complexity of the fastening structures, leading to reduced responsiveness and potential damage from colliding with the ground.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of ball joints directly connecting lateral frames to the attachment frame, allowing for independent pivot movement and reduced weight on the center part, combined with motorically adjustable guide arms and force stores, enables quick and precise adjustments to ground contours without altering the belt conveyor length or increasing the header's weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the working width of the header is increased to handle more powerful combine harvesters, then the productivity is improved, but the weight of the header and fastening structure increases, making ground adaptation slower and less responsive
Solution Approach 1:
The header is divided into a center part and at least two side parts that can be independently adjusted. Each side part is connected to the attachment frame via ball joints, allowing independent ground adaptation of each segment. This segmentation enables lighter individual components while maintaining overall large working width, thus improving response time without sacrificing productivity.
2Strength
If the fastening structure is designed to transmit increasingly greater forces for larger working widths, then the strength is improved, but the weight of the fastening structure increases, further reducing responsiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The ball joints are designed to support the weight of the side parts, effectively counterbalancing the gravitational load. This allows the fastening structure to transmit high forces during operation while the supporting mechanism carries the static weight, enabling a lighter overall fastening structure that maintains both strength and responsiveness.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the center part is designed to support the bearing loads of the side parts, then the structural integrity is improved, but the center part becomes heavier, slowing down the adjustment speed
Solution Approach 1:
The function of supporting bearing loads is extracted from the center part and transferred to the ball joints on the attachment frame. Each side part is directly supported by its own ball joint, removing the burden from the center part. This allows the center part to remain lightweight and adjust quickly while the ball joints handle the load-bearing function, maintaining structural integrity without sacrificing speed.
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 solution allows for lightweight and efficient ground adaptation with fast response times, reducing the risk of damage and crop loss by enabling continuous, automated adjustment of the pivot position to match changing ground contours during harvesting, while maintaining the header's structural integrity and minimizing operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
each lateral frame (8) is connected by at least one connecting element embodied as a ball joint (16) directly to the attachment frame (10), in that the lateral frame (8) with its weight is supported at least partially by the ball joint (16) on the attachment frame (10), and the ball joint (16) forms the pivot axis about which the lateral frame (8) is pivotable
Data Source
AI summary
A header of a combine harvester has a center part connected by an attachment frame to the combine feed channel. A first side part with first lateral frame and a second side part with second lateral frame are adjustable for changing their position relative to the center part. The first and second lateral frames are connected by a first ball joint and a second ball joint to the attachment frame, respectively so that the weight of the first and second lateral frames is supported by the first and second ball joints on the attachment frame. The first and second ball joints form first and second pivot axes. An end of the first lateral frame facing away from the center part is pivotable about the first pivot axis. An end of the second lateral frame facing away from the center part is pivotable about the second pivot axis.