Adjustable Feed Roll Precompression for Consistent Forage Cutting Length
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Solution Overview
Problem
Forage harvesters face challenges in maintaining a consistent cutting length across varying crop mat heights, leading to undesired excess lengths during chopping, which affect silage production and biogas production efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A self-propelled forage harvester with a feed device featuring adjustable contact pressure via a hydraulic system, controlled by driving parameters such as speed, acceleration, and GPS data, ensures consistent pre-compression of the crop mat, maintaining optimal cutting length regardless of crop height changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the precompression force is increased to maintain cutting length consistency, then the cutting precision is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase due to additional pressure elements
Solution Approach 1:
The spring force is made dynamically adjustable through electronic control systems that modify the precompression force in real-time based on detected crop conditions. This allows the system to adapt to varying mat heights and densities without requiring multiple fixed-pressure mechanisms, thereby maintaining cutting consistency while avoiding the complexity of multiple static pressure elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameter of spring force dynamically by using electronic control to adjust the precompression pressure. This parameter change allows the same mechanical structure to operate effectively across different crop conditions, eliminating the need for additional pressure elements and reducing overall device complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If the spring force is increased to compensate for small mat heights, then the cutting precision is improved, but the crop compression becomes excessive for normal throughput conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The precompression force is dynamically adjusted based on real-time detection of mat height and density. When mat height is sufficient, the system reduces spring force to maintain normal throughput efficiency. When mat height decreases, the system increases spring force to maintain cutting precision. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between maintaining consistent cutting length and preserving throughput efficiency under varying crop conditions.
3Manufacturing precision
If additional pressure elements are added to maintain precompression, then the cutting precision is improved, but the device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The existing spring-loaded upper feed rollers are made multi-functional by enabling electronic control of their precompression force. This allows the same components to serve both normal throughput functions and precision cutting functions under varying conditions, eliminating the need for additional dedicated pressure elements and reducing overall system cost.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the controllable parameter of spring force through electronic control, the system achieves precise cutting length consistency without adding more physical pressure elements. This parameter-based control approach is more cost-effective than adding hardware components.
4Manufacturing precision
If the feed rollers are made rigid to hold the crop strand, then the cutting precision is improved, but the adaptability to varying crop conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The feed rollers maintain their mechanical rigidity for structural stability while introducing dynamic control through electronically adjustable spring force. This combination allows the rollers to adapt to varying crop conditions by modifying the precompression force, thereby maintaining both cutting precision and adaptability to different mat heights and densities.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution allows for consistent cutting length across changing crop conditions, reducing excess lengths and improving the efficiency of both silage production and biogas production without the need for additional sensors or increased costs.
Implementation Method 1
The strength of the contact pressure of the at least one loading means is adjustable and can be controlled by the control device as a function of at least one driving parameter of the forage harvester
Implementation Method 2
two upper feed rollers forming a gap with them, the upper feed rollers being mounted so as to be height-adjustable against a preloading force of a spring
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The device (10) has a housing device (2), lower and upper feed rolls (3, 4, 13, 14) and a controller (5). Where the lower feed rolls and the upper feed rolls are prestressed against each other by a loading unit (6). An intensity of contact pressure of the loading unit is adjustable, and is controllable by the controller based on a driving parameter. The contact pressure of the loading unit is partially applied over a hydraulic system (8) or a hydraulic accumulator as spring element. An independent claim is also included for a field chopper comprising a housing.