Overlapping Sickle Section Fastening for Harvester Knife Assembly

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional agricultural harvester knife assemblies require numerous fasteners for securing sickle sections, leading to lengthy repair times, increased mass, and reduced harvesting efficiency due to excessive energy consumption and vibration.

Innovation Solution

The use of overlapping sickle sections with a reduced number of fasteners, where each sickle section includes a first portion in one plane and a second portion in a parallel plane, allowing for shared fastening points and a chain-like assembly that reduces the overall number of fasteners needed, thereby decreasing assembly time and mass.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional sickle sections are secured with multiple fasteners to ensure structural integrity, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase due to the large number of fasteners required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidnumber of fasteners

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple fastening functions into a single integrated fastener system. The improved sickle section uses one fastener that simultaneously secures the sickle section to the knife back and provides positioning features, eliminating the need for multiple separate fasteners while maintaining structural integrity through the integrated design including the recess and positioning protrusion features

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The single fastener is designed to perform multiple functions: securing the sickle section to the knife back, providing positioning through the recess and positioning protrusion, and enabling quick release for maintenance. This multi-functional fastener replaces what would traditionally require multiple specialized components, reducing overall device complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If multiple fasteners are used to secure sickle sections, then reliability is improved, but repair time increases due to the need to remove and replace multiple fasteners

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidrepair time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By merging multiple fastening operations into a single fastener installation/removal action, the patent dramatically reduces repair time. The single fastener design allows maintenance personnel to quickly remove one fastener to replace a sickle section, eliminating the time-consuming process of removing and replacing multiple fasteners while maintaining the same structural integrity standards

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Device complexity

If the number of fasteners is reduced to decrease assembly complexity, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability may deteriorate due to fewer securing points

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of fastenersVSAvoidstructural integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by concentrating fastening features at critical locations. The recess and positioning protrusion are strategically positioned to provide optimal mechanical engagement and structural support where needed most, ensuring that the single fastener creates sufficient structural integrity through properly located engagement points rather than relying on quantity of fasteners

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The sickle section incorporates composite structural features including the recess, positioning protrusion, and integration with the knife back and head, creating a multi-component assembly that achieves high structural integrity through the combined strength of these integrated features rather than through multiple fasteners

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

4Reliability

If more fasteners are used to secure sickle sections, then structural integrity is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to additional components

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

By merging multiple fastening functions into a single fastener, the patent reduces the total component count, simplifying the bill of materials and reducing manufacturing costs. The integrated design requires fewer individual parts to be manufactured, inventoried, and assembled, while the recess and positioning features are formed as integral parts of the sickle section, further reducing component count

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS9807927B2Overlapping sickle section for a knife assembly

Publication Date: 2017.11.07 BLUE LEAF I P INC

AI summary

An improved knife assembly for use with a header of an agricultural harvester. The assembly includes a knife head, a knife back and a plurality of sickle sections fastened to the knife head and knife back. The sickle sections include first and second portions where a second portion of one knife section overlaps a first portion of an another sickle section when the knife sections are arranged in adjacent relationship. The overlapping areas of the adjacent knife sections include aligned though holes which shared fasteners. The resultant construction reduces the overall knife assembly mass thereby leading to increased cutting speeds and corresponding harvester ground speeds. Additionally, the time and labor associated with manufacture and maintenance is reduced while the assembly strength and force distribution capability is enhanced.