Adjustable Inlet Segment for Axial Rotor Crop Flow Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Self-propelled combine harvesters experience crop jams at the inlet end of the separating device due to inadequate crop flow management, leading to inefficiencies and increased stress on the crop and machinery.
Innovation Solution
The combine harvester features an exchangeable and adjustable inlet segment with sensors to measure crop passage, allowing for real-time adjustments to prevent jams and optimize crop flow, including the use of guide elements, ramps, and knives, and an overload protection mechanism to maintain optimal gap sizes between the feed drum and inlet segment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the inlet segment is fixed and non-adjustable, then the device structure is simple, but crop jams occur at the inlet end of the separating device
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet segment is made adjustable rather than fixed, allowing it to adapt to different operating conditions. The segment can be positioned at different locations and angles to optimize crop flow into the separating device, preventing jams while maintaining manageable structural complexity through controlled adjustability.
Solution Approach 2:
The inlet segment is designed as a separate, exchangeable component that can be independently adjusted or replaced. This segmentation allows the specific problematic segment to be modified without redesigning the entire feed drum assembly, resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity.
2Productivity
If the gap between the feed drum and inlet segment is reduced, then crop flow improvement is achieved, but greater stress is placed on the crop and machinery
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet segment's position and orientation are made dynamically adjustable, allowing the gap between the feed drum and inlet segment to be optimized for each specific crop type and harvesting condition. This enables improved crop flow without consistently maintaining excessive stress on the machinery and crop.
Solution Approach 2:
The geometric parameters of the inlet segment (position, angle, gap distance) are made variable rather than fixed. By changing these parameters according to the specific crop and operating conditions, the system achieves improved crop flow while avoiding excessive stress that would result from a permanently reduced gap.
3Productivity
If guide elements are added to the inlet segment, then crop flow into the separating device is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Guide elements are implemented as separate, attachable components on the inlet segment rather than integrated into the main structure. This allows the guide elements to be added only when needed for specific crop types, improving crop flow into the separating device while keeping the base inlet segment relatively simple and the overall device complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide elements act as intermediary components that facilitate crop flow without requiring fundamental redesign of the inlet segment or separating device. These intermediate structures guide the crop flow smoothly into the separating device, improving productivity while adding only minimal complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the inlet segment is made exchangeable, then adaptability to different crops and conditions is improved, but ease of operation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet segment is designed as a modular, exchangeable component with standardized attachment mechanisms. This segmentation allows different segment configurations to be quickly swapped depending on crop type and conditions, improving adaptability while the standardized interfaces maintain reasonable ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than requiring complex adjustments, the system allows operators to change operational parameters by simply exchanging pre-configured inlet segments designed for specific crop types or conditions. This approach improves adaptability while maintaining ease of operation through simple replacement rather than complex adjustment procedures.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
The present invention relates to a self-propelled combine harvester (1) with a separation device (6) comprising at least one axial rotor (63) and a feed drum (43) arranged upstream of the separation device (6) and designed to feed a crop flow into the separation device (6), wherein the feed drum (43) is associated with an inlet segment (62), and wherein the inlet segment (62) and/or parts thereof are arranged interchangeably and/or adjustably in the combine harvester (1). The present invention further relates to a self-propelled combine harvester (1), in particular such a self-propelled combine harvester (1) comprising a sensor (9) for measuring the crop flow, which is arranged on the inlet segment (62). The present invention further relates to a method for controlling such a combine harvester.