Header Bar Assembly with Moveable Wings for Compact Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural harvesting vehicles with wide header bar assemblies face impracticality when traveling on roads due to their excessive width, leading to potential fouling and obstruction issues, and existing folding solutions either require high energy, result in weight and maneuverability issues, or complicate vehicle design and regulation compliance.
Innovation Solution
A header bar assembly with moveable wings that pivot vertically and rotate horizontally to lie adjacent to a central fixed section, allowing for compact stowage without inverting the wings, reducing power and weight requirements, and maintaining a consistent center of mass for safe road travel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the header bar assembly is made wide to harvest multiple rows simultaneously, then harvesting efficiency is improved, but the vehicle becomes impractical for road travel due to excessive width and obstruction
Solution Approach 1:
The header bar assembly is divided into a fixed central section and two moveable wing sections. The wings can be independently moved relative to the central section, allowing the header to be segmented for compact storage during transport while maintaining full width during harvesting operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The wing sections are made moveable relative to the fixed central section through vertical movement on pillars and horizontal rotation. This dynamic configuration allows the header bar to transition between a wide harvesting position and a compact transport position, adapting to different operational requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the wings are inverted to fold over the central section, then the header bar width is reduced for road travel, but high energy is required and the drive mechanism becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of inverting the wings upward over the central section, the invention rotates the wings horizontally so they lie adjacent to the central section. This reverse approach achieves compact width reduction without requiring the wings to be lifted against gravity, significantly reducing energy requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The folding mechanism transitions from vertical movement (inversion) to horizontal rotation. By changing the dimension of movement from vertical to horizontal, the system eliminates the need to overcome gravitational force, reducing the energy and power requirements for the drive mechanism.
3Strength
If the wings are made heavy with robust support components, then the structure can support the wing mass, but the overall weight increases affecting maneuverability
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is designed to accommodate dynamic movement of the wings through vertical and horizontal motion rather than providing static support for inverted wings. This reduces the need for overly robust, heavy components while maintaining structural integrity during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the folding motion from vertical inversion to horizontal rotation, the support structure no longer needs to bear the full weight of the wings during the folding operation. This dimensional change allows for lighter support components while maintaining adequate strength for the new motion path.
4Ease of operation
If the header bar assembly is kept wide during road travel, then deployment is simple, but the vehicle fouls on roadside objects and impedes other vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The wing sections are designed to be moveable relative to the central section, allowing them to be positioned in a compact configuration during road travel to avoid roadside objects and other vehicles. The same dynamic mechanism enables quick deployment to full width when entering the field, maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral dimension of the header bar assembly is dynamically changed by moving the wings from an extended position during harvesting to a retracted position during transport. This parameter change allows the vehicle to adapt its width to different operational contexts, avoiding obstruction while maintaining harvesting capability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A header bar assembly (10) comprises a row of header bar elements (12) mounted on a fixed header bar section (16). The assembly includes at at least a first end of the fixed header bar section (16) a first moveable wing (14) having mounted thereon one or more further header bar elements (12), the fixed header bar section (16) supporting at the first end a first pillar (18) extending generally perpendicular to the fixed header bar section (16) and via which the first moveable wing (14) is retained moveably captive relative to the fixed header bar section (16). The first moveable wing (14) is moveable relative to the first pillar (18) vertically and rotatably from an operative, deployed position in which it extends generally parallel to the fixed header bar section (16) to a stowed position through vertical movement on the first pillar (18) and rotation such that the first moveable wing lies adjacent the fixed header bar section inboard of the first pillar (18).