Adjustable Rotor Weeder for Orchard Soil Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural machines for weeding in orchards and vineyards face issues with chemical herbicides damaging soil and plants, and mechanical herbicides are complex, expensive, and inefficient, particularly in tight spaces between grapevines.
Innovation Solution
Agricultural machine with a frame connected to a tractor, featuring a rotor shaft with a transmission unit, telescopic guides, and rotating cutters and blades that allow for efficient and safe weeding without damaging plants or soil, using a modular design to adjust working width and depth, and sensors for obstacle detection and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If chemical herbicides are used to remove weeds, then weeding effectiveness is improved, but soil and plant damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical herbicides with a mechanical rotor-based weeding system. The rotor equipped with cutting elements mechanically removes weeds through rotation, eliminating the need for chemical substances that damage soil and plants while maintaining effective weed control.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes weeds selectively from between crop rows using the rotor mechanism. The cutting elements are designed to target and remove only the unwanted vegetation while leaving the cultivated plants intact, separating the weeding function from harmful chemical applications.
2Productivity
If mechanical herbicides (lawnmowers) are used to remove weeds, then weeding operation is performed, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The weeding device is segmented into a simple tractor-mounted rotor assembly with cutting elements. This modular, segmented design replaces complex lawnmower mechanisms with a straightforward rotating structure that can be easily attached to and removed from standard agricultural equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor-based weeder serves multiple functions: it cuts weeds, clears vegetation between rows, and can be mounted on standard tractors. This universal design eliminates the need for specialized complex lawnmowers by adapting a simple rotor mechanism to perform multiple weeding tasks across different agricultural contexts.
3Productivity
If mechanical herbicides (lawnmowers) are used to remove weeds, then grass cutting is performed, but operation difficulty increases in tight spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor mechanism provides dynamic weeding capability, allowing the cutting elements to rotate and adapt to the space between crops. This dynamic rotation enables the device to effectively cut weeds in narrow passages between grapevines and orchard rows where static lawnmower blades would struggle to reach.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from the two-dimensional cutting action of lawnmower blades to a three-dimensional rotating rotor system. This dimensional change allows the cutting elements to access weeds in tight spaces between crops by rotating into position, providing effective weeding in areas that are difficult to reach with traditional mechanical herbicides.
Data Source
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AI summary
An agricultural machine (10) for cleaning soils used to grow orchards or vineyards, comprising a frame (11) configured to be connected to a tractor, a power connector (12) fixed to said frame (11) and configured to be connected to a power taking-off of the tractor, a rotor shaft (13) fixed to the frame (11) in a rotatable manner with respect to a transverse axis of rotation and provided with a series of cutters (33), and a transmission unit (14) fixed to the frame (11) and connected both to the power connector (12) and to a middle portion of the rotor shaft (13) to operate it. A pair of telescopic guides (17) are connected to related telescopic portions (15) mounted above the rotor shaft (13) in correspondence of respective portions (31, 32) of the rotor shaft (13). Each of said portions (31, 32) has a first end fixed at the transmission unit (14) and a second end fixed at a side plate (16), so that the side plates (16) are able to translate in order to compact or enlarge the working area of the cutters (33).