Multi-Segment Header Tilt Control for Steep-Slope Cutting Height
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural harvesters face challenges in maintaining a consistent cutting height across uneven terrain due to the limited range of motion of header wings, which cannot rotate to position the cutter bar assembly at the target height on steep slopes.
Innovation Solution
A control system that includes a controller receiving wing angle and height signals, outputting tilt and lift signals to actuators to maintain the wing distance from the soil surface within a target threshold, allowing the center section of the header to tilt and lift in conjunction with wing movement to maintain the target cutting height.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the wing actuator rotates the header wing to maintain cutting height on uneven terrain, then the cutting height can be adjusted on moderate slopes, but the wing cannot rotate beyond its limited range of motion on steep slopes
Solution Approach 1:
The header is divided into multiple independent segments: the center section and at least one wing section. Each section can be controlled independently by its own actuator, allowing the wing section to rotate within its limited range while the center section tilts to compensate for terrain variations that exceed the wing's rotation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution adds a second degree of freedom by introducing tilt actuation of the center section in addition to wing rotation. This creates a two-dimensional control space (wing rotation angle + center section tilt angle) that allows the cutter bar assembly to maintain target height on terrain variations that would otherwise exceed the single-dimension wing rotation range.
2Reliability
If the wing actuator is used alone to maintain target cutting height, then the system is simple to operate, but the target cutting height cannot be maintained on steeply sloped terrain
Solution Approach 1:
The wing actuator and tilt actuator are merged into a coordinated control system. The controller receives terrain information and simultaneously commands both actuators to work together - the wing actuator rotates the wing within its range while the tilt actuator adjusts the center section angle, combining their effects to maintain the cutter bar assembly at the target height on terrain that would be impossible to handle with either actuator alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller continuously monitors the actual cutting height and adjusts both the wing actuator and tilt actuator commands based on feedback from height sensors and terrain data. This closed-loop control ensures that the combined action of both actuators maintains the target cutting height despite terrain variations and actuator interaction effects.
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural harvester includes a controller configured to receive at least one wing angle signal indicative of an angle at least one wing with respect to a center section of a header. The controller is also configured to receive a wing height position signal indicative of a distance between the at least one wing and a soil surface, determine whether the angle of the at least one wing exceeds an angle limit threshold based at least in part on the wing angle signal, and output a tilt signal to a tilt actuator in response to determining the angle of the wing exceeds the angle limit threshold. The tilt signal is indicative of instructions to maintain the distance between the at least one wing and the soil surface within a target distance threshold.