Trapezoidal Header Frame for Visibility and Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional combine headers are cumbersome, limiting operator visibility and causing crop knockover during turns due to their large, heavy rectangular shape and inadequate ground clearance.
Innovation Solution
A header frame with trapezoidal profiles that taper from the center to the outer ends, reducing weight and increasing visibility and ground clearance by angling the bottom leg towards the longitudinal axis, thereby minimizing crop disturbance during turns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a traditional rectangular header shape is used, then the header provides sufficient structural strength, but it limits operator visibility and causes crop knockover during turns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by transitioning from a traditional symmetric rectangular header shape to an asymmetric design where the header width varies along its length. The header is narrower at the rear end and wider at the front end, creating an asymmetric profile that improves operator visibility while maintaining structural integrity through strategic material distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dimensionality change by modifying the header's cross-sectional dimensions along its longitudinal axis. Instead of maintaining constant width and height, the header's width dimension varies progressively from front to rear, creating a tapered profile that resolves the contradiction between visibility and structural strength.
2Strength
If a large, heavy rectangular header is used, then the header provides sufficient structural strength, but it increases ground disturbance and crop knockover during turns
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric header design distributes structural strength differently across the header length, concentrating material where needed for support while reducing width at the rear. This asymmetric configuration reduces the header's overall mass and ground contact area at the rear, minimizing crop disturbance during turns while preserving necessary structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by varying the header's cross-sectional dimensions at different locations along its length. The front portion maintains greater width and structural mass for strength, while the rear portion tapers to a narrower profile that reduces ground disturbance and crop knockover, optimizing each section's properties for its specific functional requirements.
3Ease of operation
If a tapered header design is used, then operator visibility and ground clearance are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tapered header design modifies the width dimension along the longitudinal axis, creating a gradual transition from front to rear. This dimensional variation improves operator visibility and ground clearance while the tapering geometry itself simplifies manufacturing compared to complex curved profiles, as it can be achieved through standard machining or forming processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A header of an agricultural harvester is provided. The header includes a frame having a centerline defining a first side and a second side of the frame. A first portion of either the first side or the second side of the frame has a first trapezoidal profile that includes a first pair of legs that run along a longitudinal axis of the frame and a first pair of bases that form a height of the frame. The first pair of legs include a first top leg and a first bottom leg, and the first bottom leg is angled toward the longitudinal axis.