Agricultural Header Reel Control for Tine Damage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural harvesting machines face challenges in precisely controlling the relative positions of the reel and cutter bar, particularly in complex two-dimensional movements, leading to issues like tine damage and slippage, especially when dealing with varying crop heights and ground irregularities, which existing control systems fail to address effectively.
Innovation Solution
A control system comprising a feeder lift cylinder, reel lift actuator, reel fore and aft position actuator, cutter bar fore and aft position sensor, and a controller that automatically adjusts the reel and header positions in response to cutter bar movements, ensuring optimal alignment and preventing interference between the reel and cutter bar.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the reel is positioned close above the cutter bar to improve crop pickup, then the raking action is enhanced, but the risk of tine damage and slippage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reel position is made dynamically adjustable through hydraulic actuators that allow the reel to move vertically and fore-aft relative to the cutter bar. This dynamic positioning enables the system to adapt to different crop conditions while maintaining optimal clearance to prevent tine damage during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Sensors detect the relative position between the reel and cutter bar, providing feedback to the control system. This feedback mechanism allows automatic adjustment of reel position to maintain safe clearance while ensuring effective crop pickup, preventing both tine damage and reduced productivity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the cutter bar is allowed to float or flex to adapt to ground irregularities, then the cutting action is improved, but the possibility of cutter bar rising and contacting reel tines increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutter bar is designed with flexible support that allows it to float or flex vertically in response to ground irregularities, improving adaptability to varying terrain. Simultaneously, the reel position is dynamically adjusted through hydraulic actuators to maintain optimal clearance, preventing contact between the rising cutter bar and reel tines.
Solution Approach 2:
Sensors monitor the relative positions of the cutter bar and reel, providing real-time feedback to the control system. This enables automatic adjustment of reel position in response to cutter bar movement, preventing harmful contact while maintaining the floating action necessary for ground adaptability.
3Productivity
If the header width is increased to improve productivity, then more crops are harvested per pass, but the difficulty of detecting field conditions increases
Solution Approach 1:
Sensors are positioned to detect field conditions and provide feedback to the control system. This enables automatic adjustment of header components including cutter bar position and reel position, allowing the operator to maintain optimal settings across wide header widths without manually monitoring each condition.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system automatically adjusts header components in response to sensor input, enabling the system to self-regulate for optimal performance across varying field conditions. This reduces the operational burden on the operator when using wide headers.
4Device complexity
If manual adjustment of reel position is used, then the simplicity of the system is maintained, but the precision and responsiveness to rapid ground changes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Sensors provide real-time feedback on reel and cutter bar positions, enabling automatic adjustment through hydraulic actuators. This feedback-controlled system achieves precise position control and rapid responsiveness to ground changes while keeping the overall control architecture relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical adjustment is replaced with an automated hydraulic actuation system controlled by sensors and a control unit. This substitution enables precise and rapid position adjustments without complex mechanical linkages, maintaining system simplicity while dramatically improving precision and responsiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
A control system (56, 88) for a header for an agricultural harvesting machine such as a combine (20), providing features including an automatic reel position control operable to provide at least one selectable predetermined position combination of a cutter bar (30) and reel (34), and which can also automatically control height and/or fore and aft positions of the reel responsive to cutter bar movements, as required, for purposes such as for maintaining and/or optimizing the reel / cutter bar relationship for a particular crop and/or condition, and for avoiding interference between the tines or fingers of the reel and the sickle of the cutter bar, and possible damage to the tines and/or sickles, and slippage of the reel and/or sickle drive, that can result.