Rotatable Central Roller Baffle for Draper Platform Crop Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing draper platforms for combine harvesters are not well-suited for all crop conditions, as the top cross auger can result in crop loss or damage due to either excessive or insufficient aggressiveness in interacting with cut crops.
Innovation Solution
A draper platform with a rotatable central roller baffle that allows for the selective mounting of crop drivers in different orientations, providing adjustable levels of aggressiveness to accommodate varying crop conditions by interchanging plates or structures with varying cross-sectional shapes and configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single top cross auger with fixed feeding elements is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it cannot adapt to different crop conditions and may cause crop loss or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The top cross auger is divided into multiple independently rotatable sections (first top cross auger, second top cross auger, third top cross auger) that can be selectively positioned. Each section can be independently controlled to provide different levels of crop driving aggressiveness, allowing adaptation to various crop conditions without requiring a completely different structure for each condition.
Solution Approach 2:
The feeding elements are made dynamically adjustable through multiple mechanisms: (1) The central roller baffle can be rotated to different angular positions to change its interaction with crops; (2) The baffle plate can be moved between retracted and extended positions; (3) The crop driver orientation can be changed by rotating the rotatable support. These dynamic adjustments allow the same structure to adapt to different crop conditions.
2Productivity
If the top cross auger interacts aggressively with cut crops, then crop driving efficiency is improved, but crop loss and damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the top cross auger system have different functions and levels of aggressiveness. The first top cross auger section provides gentle crop handling, while the second and third sections can provide more aggressive driving when needed. The central roller baffle with its adjustable baffle plate allows localized adjustment of aggressiveness at the point where crops are directed onto the central conveyor, enabling high productivity without excessive crop damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changing the operational parameters of crop driving aggressiveness through multiple adjustable elements. The central roller baffle can be rotated to change the angle of crop engagement, the baffle plate can be extended or retracted to change the degree of crop confinement, and the crop driver orientation can be adjusted. These parameter changes enable the system to optimize between productivity and crop preservation based on specific harvesting conditions.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the top cross auger interacts gently with cut crops, then crop damage is reduced, but crop driving efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented auger design allows gentle interaction in the first section to preserve crops while the second and third sections can provide additional driving force when needed. This segmentation enables the system to achieve both low crop damage and high productivity by distributing different functions across multiple sections rather than relying on a single aggressive or gentle element.
Solution Approach 2:
The central roller baffle serves multiple functions: it directs crops onto the central conveyor, provides adjustable aggressiveness through rotation, and can extend the baffle plate to increase crop confinement when high driving efficiency is needed. This multi-functionality allows a single structure to adapt to conditions requiring either gentle or aggressive crop driving, eliminating the need to choose between productivity and crop preservation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A draper platform (30) for mounting on a feeder house of an agricultural combine may include a frame (32), a center belt conveyor (34) to carry cut crop material rearwardly towards a center opening (50) in the frame (32) through which crop may be fed into a feeder house, a left side belt conveyor (36) to carry cut crop material to the center belt conveyor (34), a right side belt conveyor (38) to carry cut crop material to the center belt conveyor (34), at least one elongate reciprocating knife assembly (42) extending along a front edge of each of the center belt conveyor (34), the left side belt conveyor (36) and the right side belt conveyor (38), a conveyor drum (48) above the center belt conveyor (34) and a central roller baffle (80). The central roller baffle (80) may include a rotatable support rotatably supported above the conveyor drum (48) and a crop driver (82) removably mounted to the rotatable support.