Patent Application
20240196774
The present disclosure relates generally to an agricultural header and, more specifically, to controlling a speed and direction of a lateral conveyor of an agricultural header.
A harvester may be used to harvest crops, such as barley, beans, beets, carrots, corn, cotton, flax, oats, potatoes, rye, soybeans, wheat, or other plant crops. During operation of the harvester, the harvesting process may begin by removing a portion of a plant from a field using a header of the harvester. The header may cut the plant and transport the cut crops to a processing system of the harvester.
Certain headers include a cutter bar assembly configured to cut a portion of each crop (e.g., a stalk), thereby separating the cut crop from the soil. The cutter bar assembly may extend along a substantial portion of a width of the header at a forward end of the header. The header may also include one or more conveyors (e.g., belts) positioned behind the cutter bar assembly relative to a direction of travel of the harvester. The belt(s) are configured to transport the cut crops to an inlet (e.g., central inlet) of the processing system. For example, lateral belts laterally transport cut crops towards a centrally located infeed belt that transports the crop rearward into the harvester's feeder.
Certain headers may also include a reel assembly, which may include a reel having multiple fingers extending from a central framework. The central framework is driven to rotate, such that the fingers move in a circular pattern. The fingers are configured to engage the crops, thereby preparing the crops to be cut by the cutter bar assembly and/or urging the cut crops to move toward the belt(s).
Occasionally, during harvesting, a large slug of crop can feed onto the center section and lodge itself there or between the lateral belts and the infeed belt. Typically, to remove the slug of crop, an operator operates the harvester in a “de-slug” mode where all of the belts (lateral belts and infeed belt) are reversed in direction and the reel may also be reversed. However, this “de-slug” mode is time consuming since the entire threshing system of the harvester needs to be slowed to a stop before reversing directions.
Certain embodiments commensurate in scope with the originally claimed subject matter are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter, but rather these embodiments are intended only to provide a brief summary of possible forms of the disclosure. Indeed, the disclosure may encompass a variety of forms that may be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below.
In certain embodiments, an agricultural system includes a header. The header includes a frame, a first lateral conveyor coupled to the frame, and a second lateral conveyor coupled to the frame. The first and second lateral conveyors are configured to laterally transport crop material towards a central crop-receiving aperture in a first direction. The header also includes actuators configured to adjust a speed and a direction of the first and second lateral conveyors. The agricultural system also includes a controller configured to receive an input from an input device that causes the controller to automatically link the speed and the direction of the first and second lateral conveyors to a vehicle speed and a vehicle direction of an agricultural vehicle that the header is coupled to. The controller is also configured to provide, when receiving the input, a control signal to the actuators that alters the speed and the direction of the first and second lateral conveyors in response to changes in the vehicle speed and the vehicle direction.
In certain embodiments, a method for operating lateral conveyors on a header of an agricultural vehicle includes receiving an input from an input device that causes a controller to automatically link a speed and a direction of both a first lateral conveyor and a second lateral conveyor to a vehicle speed and a vehicle direction of the agricultural vehicle. The first and second lateral conveyors are coupled to a frame of the header and are configured to laterally transport crop material towards a central crop-receiving aperture in a first direction. The method also includes providing, when receiving the input, a control signal to actuators coupled to the first and second lateral conveyors that alters the speed and the direction of the first and second lateral conveyors in response to changes in the vehicle speed and the vehicle direction.
In certain embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium includes executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, are configured to cause the processor to perform acts. The acts include receiving an input from an input device to automatically link a speed and a direction of both a first lateral conveyor and a second lateral conveyor to a vehicle speed and a vehicle direction of an agricultural vehicle. The first and second lateral conveyors are coupled to a frame of a header coupled to the agricultural vehicle and the first and second lateral conveyors are configured to laterally transport crop material towards a central crop-receiving aperture in the first direction. The acts also include providing, when receiving the input, a control signal to actuators coupled to the first and the second lateral conveyors that alters the speed and the direction of the first and second lateral conveyors in response to changes in the vehicle speed and the vehicle direction.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Any examples of operating parameters and/or environmental conditions are not exclusive of other parameters/conditions of the disclosed embodiments.
The process of farming typically begins with planting seeds within a field. Over time, the seeds grow and eventually become harvestable crops. Typically, only a portion of each crop is commercially valuable, so each crop is harvested to separate the usable material from the remainder of the crop. For example, a harvester may cut agricultural crops within a field via a header. The header may also gather the cut agricultural crops into a processing system of the harvester for further processing. The processing system may include a threshing machine configured to thresh the agricultural crops, thereby separating the crops into certain desired agricultural materials, such as grain, and material other than grain (MOG). The desired agricultural materials may be sifted and then accumulated into a tank. When the tank fills to capacity, the materials may be collected from the tank. The MOG may then be discarded from the harvester (e.g., via a spreader).
The header may cut crops from the field that are encompassed within a width of the header. The header may include a cutter bar assembly that extends along at least a portion of the width of the header, and the cutter bar assembly may use blades to cut the crops. The cut crops may fall onto the header, and the cut crops may be gathered together, such as via conveyors (e.g., belt(s)) that run across the header. For example, lateral belts laterally transport cut crops towards a centrally located infeed belt that transports the crop rearward into the harvester's feeder. The gathered agricultural crops may then be transported into the processing system of the harvester.
Occasionally, during harvesting, a large slug of crop can feed onto the center section and lodge itself there or between the lateral belts and the infeed belt. Typically, to remove the slug of crop, an operator operates the harvester in a “de-slug” mode where all of the belts (lateral belts and infeed belt) are reversed in direction and the reel may also be reversed. However, this “de-slug” mode is time consuming since the entire threshing system of the harvester needs to be slowed to a stop before reversing directions.
Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments relate generally to systems and methods that enable a speed and a direction of the lateral conveyors (e.g., lateral belts) of a header to be automatically linked to a vehicle speed and a vehicle direction of an agricultural vehicle (e.g., harvester) having the header. Thus, the speed and the direction of the lateral belts will alter in response to changes in the vehicle speed and the vehicle direction when automatically linked. For example, in order to “de-slug” a slug of crop from the center section, an input may be received from an input device (e.g., depression of and holding of a button such as a shift button on a multi-function handle in an operator station of the agricultural vehicle) that causes the automatic linkage. During the automatic linkage, if the agricultural vehicle reverses, the lateral belts reverse direction; if the agricultural vehicle stops, the lateral belts stop; if the agricultural vehicle changes speed, the lateral belts change speed. Once the crop is dislodged, the input from the input device may cease (e.g., pressing of the button stopped) and the operator can return the agricultural vehicle to normal operation (where both the speed and the direction of the laterals belts will not be automatically linked to both the vehicle speed and the vehicle direction). The disclosed embodiments enable an operator to perform the automatic linkage function while simultaneously slowing the agricultural vehicle to a stop to enable the reversal of the lateral belts.
With the foregoing in mind,
As discussed in detail below, the header 200 includes a cutter bar assembly 210 configured to cut the crops within the field. The header 200 also includes a reel assembly 220 configured to engage the crops to prepare the crops to be cut by the cutter bar assembly 210 and/or to urge crops cut by the cutter bar assembly 210 onto a conveyor system that directs the cut crops toward the inlet 106 of the agricultural crop processing system 104. The reel assembly 220 includes a reel having multiple fingers extending from a central framework. The central framework is driven to rotate such that the fingers engage the crops and urge the crops toward the cutter bar assembly 210 and the conveyor system. Additionally, the reel may be supported by multiple arms (e.g., reel arms) that are coupled to a frame 201 of the header 200. Each of the arms may be coupled to the frame 201 via a respective pivot joint. For example, one pivot joint is configured to enable a first arm of the multiple arms to pivot (e.g., about the lateral axis 140) relative to the frame 201, and another pivot joint is configured to enable a second arm of the multiple arms to pivot (e.g., about the lateral axis 140) relative to the frame 201.
In the illustrated embodiment, the header 200 includes a first conveyor section 202 (e.g., lateral belt or lateral conveyor belt) on a first lateral side of the header 200 and a second conveyor section 203 (e.g., lateral belt or lateral conveyor belt) on a second lateral side of the header 200 opposite the first lateral side. The conveyor sections 202 and 203 are coupled to the frame 201 of the header 200. The conveyor sections 202, 203 may be separate from one another. For instance, the first conveyor section 202 may extend along a portion of a width of the header 200 and the second conveyor section 203 may extend along another portion of the width of the header 200. Each conveyor section 202, 203 is driven to rotate by a suitable drive mechanism (e.g., actuator), such as an electric motor or a hydraulic motor. The first conveyor section 202 and the second conveyor section 203 are driven such that a top surface of each conveyor section 202, 203 moves laterally inward (e.g., in a direction indicated by arrows 205) to a center conveyor section 204 (e.g., infeed belt or infeed conveyor belt) positioned between the first conveyor section 202 and the second conveyor section 203 along the lateral axis 140. The center conveyor section 204 is coupled to the frame 201 of the header 200. The center conveyor section 204 may also be driven to rotate by a suitable drive mechanism (e.g., actuator), such as an electric motor or a hydraulic motor. The center conveyor section 204 is driven such that the top surface of the center conveyor section 204 moves rearwardly relative to the direction of travel 146 toward the inlet. As a result, the conveyor sections 202, 203, 204 transport the cut crops through the inlet to the agricultural crop processing system for further processing of the cut crops. Although the illustrated header 200 includes two conveyor sections 202, 203 configured to direct crops laterally toward the center conveyor section 204, there may be any suitable number of conveyor sections in additional or alternative embodiments directing the crops toward the center conveyor section.
In the illustrated embodiment, the crops cut by the cutter bar assembly 210 are directed toward the conveyor sections 202, 203 at least in part by the reel assembly 220, thereby substantially reducing the possibility of the cut crops falling onto the surface of the field. The reel assembly 220 includes a reel 221 having multiple fingers or tines 222 extending from a central framework 223. The central framework 223 is driven to rotate such that the fingers 222 move (e.g., in a circular pattern). The fingers 222 are configured to engage the crops and urge the cut crops toward the conveyor sections 202, 203 to facilitate transportation of the cut crops to the agricultural crop processing system.
In certain embodiments, during normal operations of an agricultural vehicle, a speed of the lateral belts 202, 203 and/or the reel 201 may be linked to a ground speed of the agricultural vehicle. However, even if the vehicle is slowed to a stop, the lateral belts 202, 203 and the reel 201 maintain a minimum set threshold speed that keeps the laterals belts 202, 203 and the reel 201 moving. This keeps the reel 201 and the lateral belts 202, 203 from stopping with the agricultural vehicle, while still tracking to the optimal speed during harvesting operations.
As discussed below, in order to dislodge crop near the center section, a speed and a direction of the laterals belts 202, 203 (not the infeed belt 204) of the header 200 may be automatically linked to a vehicle speed and a vehicle direction of an agricultural vehicle having the header 200. Thus, the speed and the direction of the lateral belts 201, 202 will alter in response to changes in the vehicle speed and the vehicle direction when automatically linked. For example, in order to “de-slug” a slug of crop from the center section, an input may be received from an input device (e.g., depression of and holding of a button such as a shift button on a multi-function handle in an operator cabin (e.g., operator cabin 101 in
The controller 302 is configured to control a direction and a speed of the laterals belts 202, 203 via control signals sent to actuators 308, 310 coupled to the laterals belts 202, 203, respectively. In certain embodiments, during normal operations, the controller 302 may operate the laterals belts 202, 203 under an automatic belt speed mode. In the automatic belt speed mode, the speed of the lateral belts 202, 203 is linked to the ground speed of the agricultural vehicle. However, during the automatic belt speed mode, if the agricultural vehicle is slowed to a stop, the controller 302 will keep the lateral belts moving at a set minimum threshold speed. The set minimum threshold speed keeps the lateral belts 202, 203 from stopping with the agricultural vehicle, while still tracking to the optimal speed during harvest operations.
In certain embodiments, in response to a received input, the controller 302 automatically links the speed and the direction of the laterals belts 202, 203 (but not the infeed belt) of the header 200 to a vehicle speed and a vehicle direction of an agricultural vehicle having the header 200. Thus, the speed and the direction of the lateral belts 201, 202 will alter in response to changes in the vehicle speed and the vehicle direction when automatically linked. For example, in order to “de-slug” a slug of crop from the center section, an input may be received that causes the automatic linkage. During the automatic linkage, if the agricultural vehicle reverses, the lateral belts 202, 203 reverse direction (e.g., away from the center section); if the agricultural vehicle stops, the lateral belts 202, 203 stop; if the agricultural vehicle changes speed, the lateral belts 202, 203 change speed. Once the crop is dislodged, the received input may cease and the operator can return the agricultural vehicle to normal operation (where both the speed and the direction of the laterals belts 202, 203 will not be automatically linked to both the vehicle speed and the vehicle direction).
In some embodiments, an operator may provide an input (e.g., via an input device 312 coupled to the controller 302) that causes the automatic linkage of the speed and the direction of the laterals belts 202, 203 (but not the infeed belt) of the header 200 to the vehicle speed and the vehicle direction of an agricultural vehicle having the header 200. For example, as depicted in
Returning to
The method 320 includes receiving an input from an input device (e.g., button 314 on the multi-function handle 316 in
The method 320 include, once the crop is dislodged, ceasing the input from the input device (e.g., ceasing the pressing and holding of the button 314 in
It should be noted that the techniques disclosed above may apply to other lateral conveyors for laterally transporting crop material. For example, a rotational direction (e.g., affecting the direction of travel of the crop material) and speed of one or more augers (lateral conveyors) may be automatically linked to the vehicle speed and the vehicle direction as described above.
While only certain features have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the disclosure.
The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and applied to material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claims appended to the end of this specification contain one or more elements designated as “means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ” or “step for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ”, it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claims containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US22/26502 | 4/27/2022 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63180844 | Apr 2021 | US |
