Linamar has been granted a patent for a crop harvesting header that includes a reel for controlling crop movement over the cutter bar. The header frame structure has reel mounting arms for upward and downward movement, and the reel can be moved forward and backward along the arms. The reel has bats with fingers that can pivot, and an adjustment component allows for varying the angle of the fingers based on the position of the reel along the mounting arms. GlobalData’s report on Linamar gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Linamar, battery pack swapping was a key innovation area identified from patents. Linamar's grant share as of September 2023 was 58%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Crop harvesting header with adjustable reel for controlling crop movement
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11758849B2) describes a crop harvesting header with improved functionality. The header frame structure of the harvesting equipment is designed to move across the ground in the direction of working movement, cutting the crop with a cutter bar. A cut crop transport arrangement is mounted on the header frame structure to receive and transport the cut crop for further processing. The header also includes a reel for controlling the movement of the crop over the cutter bar.
The patent claims that the header frame structure comprises at least two reel mounting arms that move in the direction of working movement. These mounting arms are mounted on the header frame structure for upward and downward movement relative to the cutter bar. Each mounting arm has a reel mounting assembly that supports the reel for rotation about a reel axis parallel to the cutter bar. The reel mounting assembly includes a component for moving the reel forward and backward along the mounting arm.
The reel itself has multiple reel bats positioned around the reel axis, with reel fingers projecting radially outward. These reel bats are pivotal about their respective bat axis, allowing for variation in the angle of the fingers as the reel rotates. The patent claims that at least one of the reel mounting assemblies includes a control component that interacts with the bats to cause pivotal movement about the bat axis.
The patent also describes an adjustment component that connects the mounting arms and the reel mounting assemblies. This adjustment component includes a guide plate fixed to the mounting arm and a guide track follower fixed to the control component. The guide track follower slides along the guide track in the guide plate, causing the control component to rotate about the reel axis.
The patent further claims that the guide track has an arcuate shape, moving the guide track follower to different laterally spaced positions relative to the arm at different longitudinal locations along the arm. This movement of the guide track follower affects the rotation of the control component and, in turn, the movement of the reel fingers.
Overall, this patent describes a crop harvesting header with improved reel functionality, allowing for better control and manipulation of the crop during harvesting. The adjustable reel mounting assemblies and the guide track system provide flexibility in adjusting the angle and position of the reel fingers, optimizing the harvesting process for different crops and conditions.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
