Adjustable Stiffness Shaker Arm for Grape Harvesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current grape harvesting machines face challenges with shaking systems that are either too stiff, causing mechanical stress and reducing harvesting efficiency, or too flexible, leading to inefficient fruit detachment and increased mechanical complexity, along with difficulties in adjusting stiffness without affecting amplitude or requiring complex dismantling processes.
Innovation Solution
A shaker arm with adjustable stiffness, featuring a hairpin-shaped design with movable stiffening rods and a flange assembly that allows for precise adjustment of stiffness without altering amplitude, and a neutralization system to render inactive shakers when not needed, simplifying the attachment process and reducing mechanical inertia.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the shaker is made stiffer to improve fruit detachment efficiency, then harvesting efficiency is improved, but mechanical stress on vines increases and causes damage
Solution Approach 1:
The shaker's stiffness is made adjustable through a mechanism that allows the shaker arm to change its rigidity dynamically. The stiffness adjustment mechanism enables the shaker to adapt its mechanical properties based on operating conditions, allowing operators to optimize between harvesting efficiency and vine protection by selecting appropriate stiffness levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameter of stiffness is made variable through an adjustment mechanism that changes the shaker's rigidity. By modifying the stiffness parameter, the system can operate at different levels - higher stiffness for efficient fruit detachment when needed, and lower stiffness to reduce mechanical stress on vulnerable vines, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and harm reduction.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the shaker is made more flexible to reduce mechanical stress on vines, then vine damage is reduced, but fruit detachment efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The shaker arm incorporates a dynamic stiffness adjustment mechanism that allows it to transition between flexible and rigid states. This enables the system to be flexible when working with delicate vines to minimize stress, while maintaining the capability to become stiffer when high detachment efficiency is required, thus resolving the trade-off between reducing harm and maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffness parameter of the shaker is made adjustable, allowing operators to select appropriate rigidity levels based on vine condition and harvesting requirements. When vines are delicate, lower stiffness reduces mechanical stress; when vines are robust, higher stiffness improves fruit detachment efficiency, thereby resolving the contradiction between protecting vines and maintaining productivity.
3Device complexity
If fixed stiffness shakers are used to simplify the system, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to varying vine conditions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The shaker system incorporates a dynamic adjustment mechanism that allows stiffness to be varied based on operating conditions. While this adds some complexity to the shaker design, it enables the system to adapt to different vine types, growth stages, and harvesting conditions, thereby improving versatility and adaptability despite the increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaker's stiffness parameter is made adjustable to allow adaptation to varying vine conditions. Different stiffness settings can be selected depending on vine robustness, fruit firmness, and harvesting requirements, providing the versatility needed for different agricultural scenarios while maintaining a relatively simple overall system architecture.
4Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable stiffness mechanism is added to adapt to different vine conditions, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shaker incorporates a dynamic stiffness adjustment mechanism that enables adaptation to different vine conditions. The mechanism allows operators to modify the shaker's rigidity based on vine type and harvesting requirements, providing necessary adaptability while keeping the adjustment process relatively simple through user-friendly controls and mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
An adjustment mechanism is integrated into the shaker design that allows the stiffness parameter to be varied. This provides the adaptability needed for different agricultural conditions while attempting to minimize the increase in device complexity through efficient mechanical design and straightforward adjustment procedures.
5Productivity
If shakers are kept permanently attached to maintain readiness, then harvesting continuity is improved, but mechanical inertia increases and reduces system responsiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The shaker system incorporates a quick-attach/quick-detach mechanism that allows shakers to be rapidly connected and disconnected from the harvesting machine. This enables operators to quickly deploy shakers when needed and remove them when not required, maintaining harvesting continuity through rapid reconfiguration while minimizing the negative effects of permanent attachment such as excessive mechanical inertia.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaker system is designed as a modular, segmented assembly where individual shaker units can be independently attached or detached. This segmentation allows the system to be configured with only the necessary number of shakers for each harvesting task, reducing unnecessary mechanical inertia while maintaining the ability to quickly assemble a complete harvesting system when needed, thus preserving harvesting continuity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The shaker (5) has an animation branch (5a) and an active branch (5b) connected by a curved portion (5c), where a fixation end (5d) of the animation branch is connected to an actuation system while an end (5e) of the active branch is attached to a fixed support. The animation branch has a modification unit formed of an upper rigidification rod (5g) and an assembling unit (9), permitting to modify degree of stiffness or flexibility of the animation branch on a portion of its length, and to regulate degree of stiffness or flexibility of the shaker, where the shaker is in form of a hairpin loop. An independent claim is also included for a berry harvesting machine including a chassis provided with neutralization elements permitting establishment of connection between the chassis and the branch.