Patent Description:
A typical combine header extends laterally to gather a wide swath of crop from multiple rows of plants, and the entire volume of crop material must be directed centrally to enter the feeder. Thus, increasing the width of the header requires a corresponding increase in lateral feed rate towards the central feeder in order to maintain the same ground speed.

Known headers use a variety of different conveying system to move the crop materials to the central feeder. For example, draper belts or augers may be provided to extend from the lateral end regions of the header towards the central feeder. The inventors have determined that the state of the art of such feeder systems can be improved.

This description of the background is provided to assist with an understanding of the following explanations of exemplary embodiments, and is not an admission that any or all of this background information is necessarily prior art.

In one exemplary embodiment, there is provided a header for an agricultural vehicle as in claim <NUM>. Preferred embodiments are presented in the dependent claims.

Embodiments of inventions will now be described, strictly by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accordance with the present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitations. The examples are shown in conjunction with an agricultural combine harvester, but have applicability in any similar agricultural vehicle, such as a windrower.

Referring now to the <FIG>, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of an agricultural vehicle <NUM> in the form of a combine harvester which generally includes a chassis <NUM> and a header <NUM> carried by the chassis <NUM>. The chassis <NUM> is supported on driving wheels <NUM> (e.g., tracked wheels or pneumatic tires), as known in the art. The vehicle <NUM> is configured to move in a forward direction, illustrated as arrow F, during harvesting operations.

The header <NUM> is connected to the chassis <NUM> by a feeder housing <NUM>, which includes a conveyor configured to collect crop material and direct it to a threshing and separating system <NUM> inside the vehicle <NUM>, such as known in the art. The feeder housing <NUM> may be a simple rigid connection or an articulated connection comprising one or more linkage arms and/or feeder housing actuators <NUM> (e.g., hydraulic pistons/cylinder actuators) that operate as housing position control mechanisms, as known in the art.

The header <NUM> is mounted to the feeder housing <NUM>, and extends in a lateral direction L that is transverse to the forward direction F. A frame <NUM> provides the main structural support for the header <NUM>. The frame <NUM> may comprise any arrangement of structural beams and supports, as known in the art. The frame <NUM> may comprise a single unitary section, or it may have articulated wing sections, as known in the art.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the header <NUM> comprises a so-called draper head, having left and right crop conveyors in the form of draper belts <NUM>. Each belt <NUM> is operated by a motor and drivetrain (not shown), such as a hydraulic or electric motor and associated belts, pulleys or gears, or a power take-off from the vehicle's prime mover engine. The belts <NUM> are driven such that their respective upper spans move from the lateral ends <NUM> of the header <NUM> towards the center <NUM> of the header <NUM>. It will be appreciated that each conveyor may comprise multiple belt sections that are placed end-to-end, such as in a header having articulating wing sections. The upper span of each belt <NUM> faces generally upwards (i.e., the belt surface is horizontal or close to horizontal), such that the belts <NUM> support the crop material in the vertical direction.

The header <NUM> may also include other conventional devices. For example, the header <NUM> may have a cutter bar <NUM> that is located at the forward edges of the belts <NUM> to sever crop material from the ground. The header <NUM> also may have a feeder belt <NUM> that is located in front of the feeder housing opening <NUM> and configured to pull the crop material backwards into the feeder housing opening <NUM>. Other typical devices are one or more reels <NUM> that rotate to sweep crop material towards the belts <NUM>, <NUM>, gauge wheels <NUM> or skids to support the header <NUM> on the ground, and so on.

In a typical draper head, a backsheet <NUM> is provided at the rear edges of the belts <NUM> to prevent crop material from moving further backwards as it is conveyed laterally to the feeder housing <NUM>.

<FIG> shows another agricultural vehicle <NUM> having a header <NUM>. In this case, the header <NUM> has lateral crop conveying mechanisms in the form of left and right augers <NUM>. The augers <NUM> are operated by suitable hydraulic or electric motors, or they may be powered from a power take-off from the vehicle's prime mover engine. One or more augers <NUM> may be provided on each side of the feeder housing <NUM>. The augers <NUM> also may terminate immediately in front of the feeder housing opening <NUM>, obviating the need for a feeder belt <NUM>. As with the embodiment of <FIG>, a backsheet <NUM> is located behind the augers <NUM> to prevent crop material from passing backwards as the augers rotate to convey the crop material to the feeder housing <NUM>. This header <NUM> also includes other typical features, such as crop row separators <NUM>.

In both of the foregoing cases, the static backsheet <NUM> provides a simple and inexpensive structure to contain the crop material movement during harvesting. However, it is believed that the backsheet <NUM> can limit efficiency and potentially cause crop damage. For example, crop material that becomes heavily stacked on the belts or augers can press against the backsheet <NUM>, generating friction that resists movement towards the feeder housing <NUM> and increasing power requirements for the belt or auger motors. Such packing can also lead to significant shear forces being applied to the crop material, which can lead to generating dense clumps of material that feed inconsistently into the feeder housing <NUM> and threshing and separating system <NUM>.

It is expected that header operation can be improved by replacing all or some of the static backsheet <NUM> with an active component that operates to direct the crop material towards the feeder housing <NUM>. Non-limiting examples of such devices are described in the following embodiments.

<FIG> illustrates a first example of a header <NUM>, which is shown with outer fairings and covers removed to expose the frame <NUM>. For simplicity, only the right half (as viewed from behind) of the header <NUM> is shown. The frame <NUM> extends in the lateral direction L from a first frame end <NUM> to a second frame end (see, e.g., <FIG>), and has a feeder housing opening <NUM> located between the ends <NUM>. The frame <NUM> preferably is symmetrical, with the feeder housing opening <NUM> being located at a longitudinal centerline of the header <NUM>, but this is not strictly required. The frame <NUM> may include any suitable structural assembly of parts, such as welded or fastened members having a variety of fixtures and fittings mounted thereto. The frame <NUM> also may be divided into subframes for different sections of the header <NUM>, such as separate subframes for articulated wing sections or the like. The details of a suitable frame <NUM> construction will be understood without need for further explanation herein.

The frame <NUM> extends in the forward direction F to a leading edge <NUM>, which typically comprises a cutter bar <NUM>, an arrangement of crop dividers <NUM>, and/or other known features for addressing crop material during the initial entry into the header <NUM>. The frame <NUM> also preferably includes features for securing the frame <NUM> to a feeder housing <NUM>, such as hooks, bolt holes, and the like. Such features conveniently are located proximal to the feeder housing opening <NUM>, but this is not strictly required. One or more gauge wheels, skids, actuators, height sensors, or other known header devices may be attached to the frame <NUM>.

The frame <NUM> includes one or more front conveyors <NUM>, and one or more rear conveyors <NUM>.

Each front conveyor <NUM> is attached to the frame <NUM> and extends in the lateral direction L between the first frame end <NUM> and the feeder housing opening <NUM>. The front conveyors <NUM> stop short of the feeder housing opening <NUM>, or they may extend far enough to overlap the feeder housing opening <NUM> in the forward direction F. The front conveyors <NUM> are located behind the leading edge <NUM> with respect to the forward direction F. A feeder belt <NUM> (see, e.g., <FIG>) may be located at the end of the front conveyor <NUM> and in front of the feeder housing opening <NUM>.

Each front conveyor <NUM> comprises a movable surface that is configured to move adjacent crop material towards the feeder housing opening <NUM>. In the example of <FIG>, the movable surface comprises a belt <NUM> that is supported on two or more rollers <NUM>, such as in a conventional draper belt system. The belt <NUM> may include one or more ribs <NUM> to assist with moving the crop material. The belt <NUM> is driven by an associated motor, such as a hydraulic or electric motor or a power take-off from a remote power supply. Any suitable arrangement of gears, pulleys, belts and the like may be used to transmit power from the motor to the belt <NUM>. In use, the belt <NUM> is driven such that it's operative surface (i.e., the portion of the surface facing the crop material at any given time) moves towards the feeder housing opening <NUM>.

The belt <NUM> may comprise a continuous belt that does not have any openings through it, such as shown in <FIG>. Such a continuous belt <NUM> may be formed, for example, by a band of fabric or polymeric material that extends in a continuous loop between the outermost rollers <NUM>. Alternatively, the belt <NUM> may comprise an interrupted belt formed by spaced-apart chains with paddles mounted between the chains to move along the belt path, or the like.

The front conveyors <NUM> are oriented such that their operative surfaces are facing in an upwards direction. As used herein, facing in the upwards direction means that the operative surface is oriented such that a normal vector extending orthogonally from the operative surface is oriented at an angle of less than <NUM>° from the global vertical direction (i.e., the gravitational direction). In use, the specific angle of the front conveyors <NUM> may change as the frame moves over the ground, particularly if the front conveyors <NUM> are mounted on floating suspension arms that connect the back of the frame <NUM> to the leading edge <NUM>, but in normal use the front conveyors <NUM> will remain facing in the upwards direction.

Each rear conveyor <NUM> is attached to the frame <NUM> behind an adjacent front conveyor <NUM> with respect to the forward direction F. The rear conveyors <NUM> extend in the lateral direction between the first frame end <NUM> and the feeder housing opening <NUM>, and may stop short of the feeder housing opening <NUM>, or overlap the feeder housing opening <NUM> with respect to the forward direction F.

Each rear conveyor <NUM> comprises a movable belt <NUM> that is configured to move adjacent crop material towards the feeder housing opening <NUM>. The belt <NUM> may be mounted on two or more rollers <NUM> that are attached to the frame <NUM>. The belt <NUM> also may include ribs <NUM> to assist with moving the crop material. The belt <NUM> is driven by an associated motor, such as a hydraulic or electric motor or a power take-off from a remote power supply. Any suitable arrangement of gears, pulleys, belts and the like may be used to transmit power from the motor to the belt <NUM>. In use, the belt <NUM> is driven such that it's operative surface (i.e., the portion of the surface facing the crop material at any given time) moves towards the feeder housing opening <NUM>. The belt <NUM> of the rear conveyor <NUM> may be driven at the same linear speed as the belt <NUM> of the front conveyor <NUM>, but this is not strictly required.

The belt <NUM> may comprise a continuous belt that does not have any openings through it, such as shown in <FIG>. Such a continuous belt <NUM> may be formed, for example, by a band of fabric or polymeric material that extends in a continuous loop between the outermost rollers <NUM>. Alternatively, the belt <NUM> may comprise an interrupted belt formed by spaced-apart chains <NUM> or narrow belts with paddles <NUM> mounted between them to move along the belt path, or the like. Such an embodiment is shown in the inset circled portion of <FIG>. The operative surface for embodiments having an interrupted belt is an imaginary surface extending between the chains <NUM> or belts. Because the interrupted belt has openings, backer plates or a backsheet <NUM> may be located between the operative surface and the portion of the belt traveling away from the feeder housing opening <NUM>.

The rear conveyors <NUM> are oriented such that their operative surfaces are facing in a forward direction. As used herein, facing in the upward direction means that the operative surface is oriented such that a normal vector extending orthogonally from the operative surface is oriented at an angle of less than <NUM>° from the forward direction F (i.e., the horizontal direction of movement on level ground). In use, the specific angle of the rear conveyors <NUM> may change as the frame moves over the ground, particularly if the rear conveyors <NUM> are mounted on floating suspension arms that connect the back of the frame <NUM> to the leading edge <NUM>, but in normal use the rear conveyors <NUM> will remain facing in the upwards direction.

As shown in <FIG>, the operative surface of the rear conveyor <NUM> may be located generally above the operative surface of the front conveyor <NUM> with respect to the vertical direction V. Thus, the rear conveyor <NUM> and front conveyor <NUM> provide a partially enclosed space that holds the incoming crop material from the back and the bottom. Simultaneously, the conveyors <NUM>, <NUM> move the crop material towards the feeder housing opening <NUM>. The angle between the operative surfaces of the front conveyor <NUM> and rear conveyor <NUM> may be selected according to any desired criteria. For example, increasing the angle potentially enlarges the volume of crop material that can be handled by the conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>, but may require the header <NUM> to be longer in the forward direction F. Decreasing the angle can minimize the fore-aft dimension of the header <NUM>, but might reduce the volume of space for holding the crop material. As another example, increasing the angle, such as by tilting the rear conveyor <NUM> back, can increase the amount of vertical load on the rear conveyor <NUM>, which might be beneficial to increase friction with the crop and thus movement of the crop material along the rear conveyor <NUM>. Conversely, the rear conveyor <NUM> can be oriented to face more forward, and larger ribs <NUM> or paddles <NUM> provided to increase mechanical interaction with the crop to help move the crop material along the rear conveyor <NUM>. Other alternatives and variations will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, in one embodiment, the respective operative surfaces of the first rear belt <NUM> and the first front belt <NUM> are oriented at an angle A of <NUM>° to <NUM>° relative to one another in a resting position, as viewed along the lateral direction. A partial backsheet <NUM> may be provided to cover a gap between the front conveyor <NUM> and the rear conveyor <NUM>. In addition, the frame <NUM> may comprise draper arms <NUM> that extend to a cutter bar <NUM> at the leading edge of the frame <NUM>. The draper arms <NUM> hold the front conveyor <NUM>, such that the front conveyor <NUM> can move through an arc of travel, as shown by the double-headed arrow. During use, the angle between the belts <NUM>, <NUM> may change from the resting position.

<FIG> illustrates another embodiment of a header <NUM> having a front conveyor <NUM> in the form of an auger, and a rear conveyor <NUM>. The auger is located behind the leading edge <NUM> of the header <NUM>, and comprises a central shaft <NUM> to which a helical operative surface <NUM> is attached. The shaft <NUM> and operative surface <NUM> extend generally in the lateral direction from an end of the header towards the feeder housing outlet <NUM>, such as shown in <FIG>. Rotation of the shaft <NUM> causes the helical surface <NUM> to rotate, and thereby forces crop material towards the feeder housing outlet <NUM>.

The rear conveyor <NUM> is located behind the auger, and may comprise a continuous or interrupted belt. The rear conveyor <NUM> may be located above the auger, but more preferably is located directly behind the auger so as to interact with the auger in a more direct manner to direct crop material towards the feeder housing outlet <NUM>. For example, ribs or paddles of the rear conveyor <NUM> may extend towards the helical operative surface <NUM> of the auger to cooperate to move crop material. As another example, the ribs or paddles may intermesh with the helical operative surface <NUM> (i.e. extend within the radius of the helical operative surface's outer edge). Other alternatives and variations will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, in another embodiment the front conveyor <NUM> and rear conveyor <NUM> may comprise a single unitary belt <NUM> having a front portion that wraps around front rollers <NUM> and a rear portion that wraps around rear rollers <NUM>. The rear rollers <NUM> are angled upwards relative to the rear rollers <NUM>, such that the front portion of the belt is generally horizontal, while the rear portion is angled upwards relative to the front portion. Thus, a single unitary belt <NUM> can form both a front belt and a rear belt.

It will be appreciated that embodiments may include any number of front conveyors <NUM> and rear conveyors <NUM>. For example, an asymmetrical header <NUM> may only a single front conveyor <NUM> and a single rear conveyor <NUM> located on one side of the feeder housing outlet <NUM>. have , which may be positioned on either side of the feeder housing outlet <NUM>. Embodiments also may have different numbers of front conveyors <NUM> and rear conveyors <NUM>, such as a single rear conveyor <NUM> located behind one or both of two different front conveyors <NUM>. Embodiments also may have a combination of belts and augers as the front conveyors <NUM>.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing, embodiments are expected to provide a benefit to the efficiency or operating capacity of headers by providing an "active" backsheet that helps convey crop material towards the feeder housing outlet <NUM>. Embodiments may be provided in various forms. In one instance, an embodiment may comprise an entire vehicle and header assembly, and the control system may be integrated into the header or into the vehicle. In another instance, an embodiment may comprise a segmented header and an associated control system. In another instance, an embodiment may comprise a single header wing section and an associated control system. Other configurations may be used in other embodiments.

Claim 1:
A header (<NUM>) for an agricultural vehicle (<NUM>), the header comprising:
a frame (<NUM>) extending in a lateral direction (L) from a first frame end (<NUM>) to a second frame end (<NUM>), the frame having a leading edge (<NUM>), and a feeder housing opening (<NUM>) positioned behind the leading edge with respect to a forward direction (F) and between the first frame end and the second frame end;
a first front conveyor (<NUM>) attached to the frame and extending in the lateral direction between the first frame end and the feeder housing opening and behind the leading edge with respect to the forward direction, the first front conveyor comprising a first front movable surface (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) configured to move an adjacent portion of crop material towards the feeder housing opening; and
a first rear conveyor (<NUM>) attached to the frame, the first rear conveyor comprising a first rear belt (<NUM>, <NUM>) having a respective operative surface facing in the forward direction and configured to move an adjacent portion of crop material towards the feeder housing opening;
characterized in that
the first rear conveyor (<NUM>) extends in the lateral direction between the first frame end and the feeder housing opening and behind the first front conveyor with respect to the forward direction.