One-Way Crop Saver Flaps for Harvester Header
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural headers experience crop loss during harvesting due to the inefficiency of existing ear savers, which either allow weak stalks to bend instead of bending themselves or fail to resist snapped corn ears rolling forward.
Innovation Solution
A header with a crop material saver system featuring pair of saver flaps that act as a one-way pass-through, allowing crop material to flow in the admission direction while inhibiting reverse flow, reducing crop loss by positioning the flaps to deflect easily with incoming material and return to a closed position when no longer contacted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional ear savers are used, then crop loss is reduced, but weak stalks bend instead of the ear saver bending, causing crop loss
Solution Approach 1:
The saver flaps are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing them to dynamically respond to the force of incoming crop material. The flaps can deflect backward when contacted by stalks or ears, converting a static rigid barrier into a dynamic adaptive structure that accommodates both weak and strong stalks without causing crop loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state or property of the ear saver from a rigid fixed structure to a flexible movable flap system. This parameter change allows the saver flaps to alter their position and orientation based on the force applied by passing crop material, thereby preventing crop loss while accommodating stalks of varying strength.
2Reliability
If traditional ear savers are used, then crop loss is reduced, but snapped corn ears roll forward and are lost
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of trying to physically block snapped ears from moving forward, the saver flaps are positioned and oriented to allow forward-moving crop material to pass through while using their orientation and the one-way flow dynamics to prevent backward movement of snapped ears. The flaps act as a rectifier, permitting motion in one direction while blocking motion in the opposite direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The saver flaps serve as an intermediary element between the snapping mechanism and the collection area. They mediate the flow of crop material by allowing forward passage of stalks and ears during the snapping process while simultaneously acting as a barrier to prevent snapped ears from rolling backward, thus resolving the conflict between allowing material flow and preventing loss.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If high stiffness is used in saver flaps, then reverse flow is inhibited, but incoming crop material cannot easily pass through
Solution Approach 1:
The saver flaps are designed with appropriate flexibility to dynamically respond to incoming crop material. When stalks or ears approach, the flaps can deflect backward to allow easy passage. When crop material has passed and snapped ears attempt to roll backward, the flaps return to their original position to inhibit reverse flow. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between allowing easy forward passage and preventing backward flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The saver flaps undergo periodic motion, alternating between a deflected position that allows incoming crop material to pass and a restored position that prevents reverse flow of snapped ears. This periodic action between two states (deflected and restored) enables the flaps to fulfill both functions of facilitating forward flow and inhibiting backward flow at different moments in the harvesting cycle.
Data Source
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AI summary
A header (110) for an agricultural vehicle (100) includes a header frame (111), at least two row dividers (130, 330, 340) carried by the header frame (111) and defining a gap (G) therebetween, and a crop material saver (250) disposed in the gap (G). The header (110) is characterized in that the crop material saver (250) comprises a pair of saver flaps (251, 252), each of the saver flaps (251, 252) being positioned such that the saver flaps (251, 252) co-act as a one-way pass-through to allow crop material flow (C) past the saver flaps (251, 252) in an admission direction (A) and inhibit crop material flow (C) past the saver flaps (251, 252) in an inhibited direction (I) opposite the admission direction (A). An agricultural vehicle (100) incorporating such a header (110) is also provided.