Pick-Up Header Auger Speed Control for Low-Yield Crop Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pick-up headers experience inefficient chopping and vibrations due to irregular crop supply when crop yield is low, particularly at high length of cut settings, as the auger pockets are not fully filled, and adjusting auger speed manually is difficult and unsafe.
Innovation Solution
A crop pick-up header with a sensor to measure auger height and a control unit to adjust auger speed based on crop throughput, ensuring efficient filling of auger pockets by reducing speed when yield drops below a predefined level.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the auger speed is increased to match high feed roll speed for achieving larger length of cut, then the chopping efficiency is improved, but the crop supply becomes irregular and pockets are not filled when yield is low
Solution Approach 1:
The auger speed is made dynamically adjustable rather than fixed. The control system continuously monitors auger height position and adjusts auger speed accordingly - reducing speed when height drops below reference position to ensure proper pocket filling, and allowing higher speed when height is sufficient. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between maintaining high chopping efficiency and ensuring reliable crop supply.
Solution Approach 2:
A feedback control loop is implemented where the auger height position (measured by sensor) is continuously monitored and used to adjust auger speed. When the auger height drops below a reference position, indicating insufficient crop supply, the system reduces auger speed to allow pockets to fill properly. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable crop supply while maintaining optimal chopping efficiency.
2Reliability
If the auger speed is reduced to ensure proper pocket filling when yield is low, then the crop supply regularity is improved, but the chopping efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts auger speed based on real-time height position feedback rather than maintaining a fixed low speed. When yield is low and height drops, speed is reduced to ensure proper filling. When yield increases and height rises above reference position, speed can be increased to maintain high chopping efficiency. This dynamic approach resolves the contradiction by adapting speed to actual crop supply conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The auger speed parameter is changed adaptively based on the height position parameter. The control system modifies the speed parameter in response to changes in the height parameter, ensuring that when height is low (indicating low yield), speed is reduced for proper filling, and when height is sufficient, speed can be increased for optimal chopping efficiency.
3Reliability
If manual adjustment of auger speed is used to adapt to varying yield, then the crop supply regularity can be maintained, but the operation complexity and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-adjustment of auger speed without requiring driver intervention. The sensor automatically detects auger height position, and the control unit automatically adjusts auger speed based on the detected position relative to the reference position. This eliminates the need for manual monitoring and adjustment, reducing driver workload and safety risks while maintaining reliable crop supply.
Solution Approach 2:
An automated feedback control system replaces manual adjustment. The sensor provides continuous feedback on auger height position, and the control unit automatically responds by adjusting auger speed to maintain proper pocket filling. This automated feedback loop eliminates the need for driver intervention, improving ease of operation while ensuring consistent crop supply regularity.
Data Source
AI summary
A crop pick-up header (2) according to the invention comprises a frame (10) and a rotatable reel (13) configured to collect crops from the ground, as well as a rotatable auger (20) provided with two oppositely wound helicoidal flights (26). The auger is rotatable about its central axis with respect to a pair of support arms (21) which are themselves pivotable relative to the frame, so that the pivoting movement of the arms results in lowering or raising the auger. The height position of the auger (20) is a function of the crop throughput and of the auger's rotational speed. The header of the invention is equipped with at least one sensor (30) configured to measure the height position of the auger or a parameter representative thereof. The header comprises or is coupled to a control unit (31) configured to control the auger's rotational speed as a function of the detected height position, determined through the sensor (30). In particular, the auger speed is lowered when the auger drops below a predefined height, so that lower throughput is compensated by a lower auger speed, thereby ensuring efficient chopping in a harvester to which the 20 header is coupled, even when the crop yield drops below a given level.