Header Reel Gap Control for Headland Grain Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
During a headland sequence in agricultural harvesting, crop material on the cutter bar of a combine harvester's draper header falls off when the header is raised, leading to inefficiencies due to the lack of a system to capture and process this material.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that adjust the gap between the reel and cutter bar on the header, allowing the tines to sweep crop off the cutter bar onto the belt or auger during the headland sequence by changing the distance between the reel and cutter bar, and positioning the tines to capture grain before raising the header.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the header is raised during the headland sequence, then the combine can turn at the field boundary, but crop material on the cutter bar falls off and grain is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by adjusting the reel-to-cutter bar gap to a reduced second distance before the header is raised during the headland sequence. This causes the reel tines to sweep the crop material off the cutter bar and onto the conveyors in advance, ensuring grain capture occurs before the header elevation change that would otherwise cause material to fall to the ground.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies dynamics by making the reel-to-cutter bar gap adjustable and variable. The gap can be dynamically changed between a first distance during normal harvesting and a second reduced distance during the headland sequence. This dynamic adjustment allows the reel tines to effectively engage and sweep the cutter bar of crop material only when needed, preventing grain loss during header raises while maintaining normal harvesting operation otherwise.
2Loss of substance
If the gap between the reel and cutter bar is reduced to sweep crop during headland sequence, then grain capture is improved, but the complexity of the system increases due to gap adjustment mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The gap adjustment mechanism serves multiple functions: it controls the reel-to-cutter bar distance for both normal harvesting operations and headland sequence grain capture. The same mechanical system that positions the reel for standard crop engagement also enables the reduced-gap sweeping action during headland transitions, eliminating the need for a separate dedicated mechanism and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameter of the reel-to-cutter bar gap distance based on operational mode. By adjusting this single geometric parameter between two defined states (first distance for harvesting, second distance for headland sequence), the system achieves grain capture functionality without requiring complex additional components. The parameter change is implemented through existing adjustable mechanisms in the header design.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for capturing grain on a header of an agricultural vehicle either before, during or after raising the header in a headland sequence. The header includes (i) a cutter bar, (ii) either an auger or belt positioned adjacent the cutter bar, (iii) a reel positioned at an elevation above the cutter bar, and (iv) a device that is configured to adjust a gap between the reel and the cutter bar. During a harvest mode, the gap is set to a first distance, and, during the headland sequence, the gap is set to a second distance that is less than the first distance. At the second distance, tines on the reel are positioned to sweep crop off the cutter bar toward either the belt or the auger.