Pivoting Conveyor Rollers for Draper Header Belt Tension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Draper headers with wider widths fail to follow ground contours accurately, leading to uneven conveyor belt tension and excessive wear due to the pivoting arms, which causes the conveyor belt to be highly tensioned at one edge and not at the other.
Innovation Solution
The conveyor belt is supported on rollers that can pivot vertically on their mounts, allowing both rollers to pivot in the same direction, thereby equalizing tension across the belt as the arms pivot up and down, and driven by a motor to maintain consistent operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the width of the draper header is increased, then the harvesting width is improved, but the ability to follow ground contours deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The header frame is divided into multiple hinged sections that can flex relative to each other, allowing the wide header to follow ground contours while maintaining overall harvesting width. The segmentation of the frame structure enables adaptive deformation without compromising the total cutting width.
2Manufacturing precision
If the arms are pivotally coupled to the frame, then the ability to follow ground contours is improved, but conveyor belt tension uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Roller mounts are introduced as intermediary components between the arms and the conveyor belt rollers. These roller mounts pivot about vertical axes to equalize belt tension, acting as mediators that decouple the pivotal arm motion from direct belt tension variations. This intermediary mechanism allows ground following while maintaining belt tension uniformity.
3Ease of operation
If the conveyor belt is highly tensioned at one edge, then the belt follows the arm pivot motion, but belt wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The roller mounts are designed to dynamically pivot about vertical axes in response to differential belt tensions. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to automatically equalize tension across the belt width during arm pivot motion, preventing excessive localized tension that would cause premature belt wear while maintaining proper belt following characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
A draper header has an endless belt conveyor supported on two arms that pivot with respect to the frame of the draper header. Both ends of the conveyor belt are supported on the arms such that the ends of the conveyor belt can rotate about respective generally vertical axes to thereby reduce uneven tension across the fore and aft width of the conveyor belt and reduce wear on the conveyor belt.