Header Height Control System for Agricultural Harvesters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural harvesters struggle to accurately follow ground contours due to their inability to respond effectively to changes in terrain, leading to inconsistent ground clearance and potential damage from protrusions or depressions.
Innovation Solution
A header height control system that uses sensors to adjust the height of the harvesting head in anticipation of or response to changes in ground terrain, employing actuators to lower the header over protrusions and raise it over depressions, ensuring consistent clearance and preventing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the harvesting head follows the ground by being raised or lowered to maintain constant ground clearance, then the harvesting head can adapt to ground contours, but the system cannot respond in anticipation of protrusions or depressions, leading to inconsistent clearance when wheels encounter terrain irregularities
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is positioned forward of the drive wheels to detect protrusions or depressions before the wheels encounter them. The control system uses this advance information to proactively adjust the harvesting head height, performing the height adjustment action before the terrain irregularity affects ground clearance, thereby eliminating response delay and maintaining consistent clearance throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs a closed-loop feedback mechanism where the sensor continuously monitors ground terrain conditions and provides real-time information to the control system. The control system processes this feedback and dynamically adjusts the harvesting head height to compensate for detected terrain irregularities, ensuring consistent ground clearance through continuous monitoring and adjustment.
2Reliability
If sensors are positioned to detect terrain changes in advance, then the system can respond proactively to protrusions or depressions, but the system complexity increases due to additional sensors and control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the terrain detection function into separate components: a forward-positioned sensor for early detection, a control system for processing sensor data, and an actuator for height adjustment. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, improving overall terrain response accuracy while keeping individual components relatively simple and manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural harvester comprises an agricultural harvester vehicle and a harvesting head mounted on the vehicle, the header height control system including at least one sensor disposed to sense the height of the ground in the path of a drive wheel of the agricultural harvester vehicle, and a header height control system including an electronic circuit configured to lower the harvesting head as a wheel or wheels approach or engage a protrusion on the ground indicated by the sensor, and to raise the harvesting head as the wheels approach or engage a depression in the ground indicated by the sensor.