FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to combines, and more specifically to using air blowers to reduce grain loss from combine conveyor belts.

BACKGROUND

Combines are used to harvest crops in a field and often use a cutting and/or harvesting head, for example a draper head, to increase the swath cut in a single pass by the combine. As the crops are cut by the head, side belts can carry the cut material to a central feed area of the combine where the cut material is processed and collected. During this transport of cut material to the central feed area and/or during transfer of cut material from the side belts to the central feed area, grain can fall on the ground and be lost from the harvest. It would be desirable to have a grain loss prevention system that helps keep the grain from falling on the ground and being lost to the harvest.

SUMMARY

A harvesting head is disclosed for a collection machine that harvests and stores material, where the harvesting head includes one or more conveyor belts and one or more blower heads. The one or more conveyor belts are configured to transport the material towards the collection machine. The one or more blower heads are configured to help prevent the material from falling off the plurality of conveyor belts as the material is transported towards the collection machine.

The conveyor belts can include a feed belt that feeds the material towards the collection machine, and a side belt that carries the material towards the feed belt. The feed belt can have two sides and a center halfway between the two sides. One or more of the blower heads can blow air across the side belt and towards the center of the feed belt. The one or more blower heads can be located below the side belt and blow air towards the center of the feed belt. The feed belt can have a front and a rear, where the front is further from the collection machine than the rear. One or more of the blower heads can be located near the front of the feed belt and blow air towards the rear of the feed belt.

The harvesting head can also include a feed drum configured to rotate and move the material towards the collection machine, where the front of the feed belt is further from the feed drum than the rear of the feed belt. One or more of the blower heads can blow air across the feed drum and towards the feed belt. One or more of the blower heads can blow air across the feed drum and towards the collection machine.

One or more of the plurality of blower heads can be movable. One or more of the plurality of blower heads can have an adjustable flow rate. One or more of the plurality of blower heads can have an adjustable flow velocity. One or more of the plurality of blower heads can have an adjustable flow direction. One or more of the plurality of blower heads can have an adjustable spread of flow.

The plurality of conveyor belts can include a feed belt that feeds the material towards the collection machine, a right side belt that carries the material from a right side of the harvesting head towards the feed belt, and a left side belt that carries the material from a left side of the harvesting head towards the feed belt, where the feed belt has left and right sides and a center halfway between the left and right sides. One or more right blower heads can blow air across the right side belt and towards the center of the feed belt, and one or more left blower heads can blow air across the left side belt and towards the center of the feed belt. The feed belt can have a front and a rear, where the front is further from the collection machine than the rear, and one or more front blower heads located near the front of the feed belt can blow air towards the rear of the feed belt. One or more upper blower heads can blow air across the feed drum and towards the feed belt. One or more rear blower heads can blow air across the feed drum and towards the collection machine. The one or more right blower heads can be located below the right side belt and blow air towards the center of the feed belt, and the one or more left blower heads can be located below the left side belt and blow air towards the center of the feed belt.

