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US 12,310,289 B2Granted
Pickup belt header finger guide ramp
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsSnehalrao Jadhav, Glenn E. Pope, Aniruddha Patankar, Duane M. Bomleny, Aaron S. Ritter, Bradley K. Yanke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Pickup belt headers may include a ramp disposed in a gap formed between a first endless belt of a pickup belt assembly and a second endless belt of a transfer belt assembly. Fingers may be provided on the first endless belt, and the fingers may be deflected, such as by pivoting or bending, in response to engagement between the fingers and the ramp to avoid contact between the fingers and the second endless belt.
Claims19
A pickup belt header comprising:
- a frame;
- a pickup belt assembly coupled to the frame, the pickup belt assembly including:
- a first endless belt configured to move about a first path in a first rotational direction and a second rotational direction, opposite the first rotational direction;
- and
- a plurality of fingers extending from the first endless belt, the plurality of fingers pivotable relative to the first endless belt;
- a transfer belt assembly coupled to the frame, the transfer belt assembly including
- a second endless belt configured to move about a second path;
- a gap formed between the first endless belt and the second endless belt;
- a ramp disposed in the gap, the plurality of fingers configured to pivot in the second rotational direction in response to engagement with the ramp as the first endless belt moves along the first path in the first rotational direction and the second rotational direction.
6 more elements
A method of operating a pickup belt header that includes a frame;
- a pickup belt assembly coupled to the frame and including a first endless belt movable in a first rotational direction to recover crop material from the ground and transport the crop material to a transfer belt assembly and a second rotational direction, opposite the first rotational direction, and a plurality of fingers extending from the first endless belt;
- the transfer belt assembly coupled to the frame and including a second endless belt that is rotatable in the first rotational direction and the second rotational direction;
- a gap formed between the pickup belt assembly and the transfer belt assembly;
- and a ramp disposed in the gap, the method comprising:
- operating the first endless belt in the first rotational direction;
- engaging at least one finger of the plurality of fingers with a trailing portion of the ramp;
- one of pivoting or bending the at least one finger of the plurality of fingers in the second rotational direction in response to engagement between the at least one finger of the plurality of fingers and the ramp as the plurality of fingers is moved along the ramp when the first endless belt is rotated in the first rotational direction;
- operating the first endless belt in the second rotational direction;
- engaging the at least one finger of the plurality of fingers with a leading portion of the ramp;
- and
- one of pivoting or bending the at least one finger of the plurality of fingers in the second rotational direction in response to the engagement between the at least one finger and the ramp as the plurality of fingers is moved along the ramp when the first endless belt is rotated in the second rotational direction.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.