Loss catch and recirculation system for draper head

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11224167-B2
Application number	US-201916689585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2019
Priority date	Nov 20, 2019
Publication date	Jan 18, 2022
Grant date	Jan 18, 2022

Abstract

Example draper heads may include an endless belt conveyor and a catch pan disposed adjacent to the endless belt conveyor to collect crop material and defining a uniform gap formed between at least a portion of the catch pan and a portion of an endless belt of the endless belt conveyor located adjacent to the catch pan. A cleat formed on the endless belt cooperates with the catch pan to transport the collected crop material onto the endless belt. The catch pan may include a contoured end that conforms to a shape formed by the endless belt at an end of the endless belt conveyor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A draper head for a crop harvester, the draper head comprising:
a frame;
a first endless belt conveyor coupled to the frame, the first endless belt conveyor comprising:
a first endless belt operable to circulate in a first direction, the first endless belt comprising:
a first portion; and
a second portion located adjacent to the first portion, the first portion and the second portion attached to each other to form a continuous strip; and

at least one cleat located on the first endless belt and movable with the first endless belt;

a second endless belt conveyor coupled to the frame, the first endless belt conveyor operable to deposit crop material onto the second endless belt conveyor; and
a catch pan disposed adjacent to the second portion of the first endless belt and comprising:
a planar portion extending along a length of the first endless belt;
a contoured portion located at an end of the planar portion, the contoured portion configured to follow a shape of the first endless belt, the catch pan offset from a surface of the second portion of the first endless belt and configured to collect crop material and, in cooperation with the at least one cleat, convey the collected crop material along at least a portion of the catch pan and deposit the collected crop material onto the first portion of the first endless belt; and
at least one rib extending from the planar portion towards the first endless belt, the at least one rib extending across a surface of the planar portion and defining an oblique angle with respect to an edge of the catch pan.

2. The draper head of claim 1 , wherein the first endless belt conveyor further comprises:
a first end;
a second end opposite the first end; and
a plurality of rollers,
wherein the first endless belt is operable to circulate around the plurality of rollers,
wherein the first endless belt conforms to a shape one of the rollers at the first end of the first endless belt conveyor, and
wherein the contoured portion of the catch pan is configured to follow the shape of the first endless belt at the first end of the first endless belt conveyor.

3. The draper head of claim 1 , wherein the first endless belt defines a semicircular shape at a first end of the first endless belt conveyor, and wherein the contoured portion of the catch pan is configured to follow the semicircular shape along an angular range of 90° to 180° of the semicircular shape.

4. The draper head of claim 1 , wherein the contoured portion of the catch pan extends along a portion of the first portion of the first endless belt and a portion of the second portion of the first endless belt.

5. The draper head of claim 1 , wherein the at least on cleat extends from a surface of the first endless belt, and wherein a gap formed between an end of the at least one cleat and the catch pan is within a range of 0 millimeters (mm) to 11 mm.

6. The draper head of claim 1 , wherein the planar portion extends along an entirety of a width of the first endless belt conveyor and is parallel with a plane defined by the second portion of the first endless belt.

7. The draper head of claim 1 , wherein the planar portion comprises a first planar portion and a second planar portion angularly offset from the first planar portion.

8. The draper head of claim 7 , wherein the first planar portion has an orientation that is parallel with a plane defined by the second portion of the first endless belt, and wherein the second planar portion is nonparallel with the plane defined by the second portion of the first endless belt.

9. The draper head of claim 1 , wherein an end of the catch pan opposite the contoured portion is disposed within a gap formed between the first endless belt conveyor and the second endless belt conveyor.

10. A draper head for a crop harvester, the draper head comprising:
a frame extending laterally relative to a first direction in which the draper head is moved during a harvesting operation;
a first lateral endless belt conveyor coupled to the frame and extending laterally outwardly in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first lateral endless belt conveyor comprising:
a plurality of rollers; and
a first endless belt arranged to encircle the plurality of rollers, the first endless belt comprising:
a first portion extending along a first side of the plurality of rollers;
a second portion extending along a second side of the plurality of rollers, the first portion and the second portion combined to form a continuous strip; and
at least one cleat extending from an outer surface of the first endless belt;

a catch pan disposed adjacent to the second portion of the first endless belt and comprising:
a planar portion;
a contoured portion, the contoured portion configured to follow a contour of the first endless belt at an outboard end of the first endless belt conveyor, the catch pan and the at least one cleat being configured to cooperate to convey crop material located on the catch pan between the catch pan and the second portion of the first endless belt and deposit the crop material onto the first portion of the first endless belt; and
a plurality of ribs extending towards the first endless belt, the plurality of ribs extending from a position adjacent to a first edge corresponding to the first side of the first endless belt conveyor towards the outboard end of the first endless belt conveyor;

a second lateral endless belt conveyor coupled to the frame and extending laterally outwardly in a third direction opposite the second direction; and
a central endless belt located between the first lateral endless belt conveyor and the second lateral endless belt conveyor, the central endless belt conveyor operable to receive crop material from the first endless belt conveyor and the second lateral endless belt conveyor.

11. The draper head of claim 10 , wherein the endless belt defines a semicircular shape at the outboard end of the first endless belt conveyor and wherein the contoured portion of the catch pan extends between 90° and 180° around the semicircular shape.

12. The draper head of claim 10 , wherein the catch pan defines a uniform gap between the catch pan and the endless belt for at least a portion of a width of the first endless belt.

13. The draper head of claim 10 , wherein a first side of the first endless belt conveyor extending in the lateral direction is located at a first elevation that is less than a second elevation of a second side of the first endless belt conveyor opposite the first side.

14. The draper head of claim 13 , wherein the catch pan further comprises at least one rib extending from a surface of the catch pan adjacent to the first endless belt, the at least one rib extending towards the first endless belt.

15. The draper head of claim 13 , wherein a distance between the first side and the second side define a width of the first endless belt conveyor, and wherein the planar portion of the catch pan further comprises:
a first planar portion extending from the first side of the first endless belt conveyor along a first portion of the width of the first endless belt; and
a second planar portion extending at an angle from the first planar portion along a second portion of the width of the first endless belt conveyor, the second endless portion diverging from the first endless belt along the second portion of the width of the first endless belt conveyor.

16. The draper head of claim 15 , wherein the first planar portion is oriented parallel to a plane defined by the second portion of the first endles

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• White Matthew R
• Hoffman Daniel S
• Puryk Corwin M
• Freehill Justin C
• Modak Shreyas
• Yanke Bryan R

Classifications

• A01D61/002

  transversal conveying devices · CPC title

• A01D34/13 Primary

  Cutting apparatus · CPC title

• A01D61/02 Primary

  Endless belts · CPC title

• A01D57/20 Primary

  with conveyor belts · CPC title

• A01D41/142

  Header drives · CPC title