Remotely Adjustable Row Divider for Agricultural Harvester
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural harvesters with increasing numbers of row dividers require significant time and pose safety hazards when manually preparing headers for transport, as operators must manually pivot each divider, which is inefficient and risky, especially when operating from an elevated cab.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a divider lifter system that can be remotely activated using a controller to pivot and raise or lower row dividers, allowing for convenient and on-the-go adjustments, reducing the need for manual operation and enhancing safety by enabling pivoting while the harvester is in motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual pivoting of row dividers is used to prepare header for transport, then the header can be transported, but the time required increases significantly and safety hazards arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical system of pivoting row dividers with a hydraulic actuation system. The hydraulic cylinder (actuator) provides automated mechanical force to pivot the row dividers, eliminating the need for manual operation and associated safety hazards while reducing preparation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The header becomes self-sufficient in preparing for transport by incorporating the hydraulic actuator system that can automatically pivot row dividers without requiring external manual intervention. The system uses the harvester's existing hydraulic power source to drive the actuator, enabling the header to service itself.
2Productivity
If the number of row dividers is increased to handle wider headers, then harvesting capacity improves, but the time to manually prepare for transport increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operation with automated hydraulic actuation. The hydraulic cylinder can simultaneously or sequentially pivot multiple row dividers, allowing wider headers with more row dividers to be prepared for transport quickly without increasing manual labor time.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic actuator system serves multiple functions: it can pivot individual row dividers or multiple dividers simultaneously, adjust them to different positions, and operate with headers of varying widths and numbers of row dividers, making the system universally applicable regardless of header configuration.
3Ease of operation
If manual operation of row dividers is used, then device complexity remains low, but ease of operation deteriorates due to safety risks and physical effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes manual mechanical operation with a hydraulic actuation system controlled from the cab. This replaces direct physical manipulation with remote electronic-hydraulic control, dramatically improving ease of operation while the added complexity is confined to the control system rather than the overall header structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic actuator serves as an intermediary between the operator's control input from the cab and the physical row divider components. This intermediary translates electronic control signals into mechanical motion, allowing the operator to control heavy, awkward components from a safe, comfortable position without direct physical contact.
Data Source
AI summary
A header for an agricultural vehicle includes: a header frame; at least one crop remover carried by the header frame; a plurality of row dividers pivotably carried by the header frame; and at least one divider lifter coupled to at least one of the row dividers and configured to activate in order to pivot the coupled at least one row divider relative to the header frame. The at least one divider lifter is configured to be selectively activated by a remote controller.