Autonomous Tractor Swivel Plough Rotation Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Swivel ploughs are heavy and require heavy tractors, leading to increased mechanical burdens and the risk of land compaction during ploughing, especially when using tractors with wide front tires.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous tractor with a swivel plough that rotates around an upright axle, eliminating the need for a human operator cabin and reducing the mechanical constraints on both the plough and tractor, allowing for a smaller footprint and reduced weight, and enabling the tractor to be transported more efficiently by being connected to a road haulage truck.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a swivel plough is used to leave a level surface and enable efficient ploughing, then ploughing efficiency is improved, but the weight of the plough and tractor increases leading to land compaction risk
Solution Approach 1:
The plough is divided into two separate mouldboards that can be independently lifted and rotated. This segmentation allows each mouldboard to be handled separately during the turning operation, reducing the mechanical burden on the tractor while maintaining the swivel plough's ability to create level surfaces and improve ploughing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of rotating the heavy plough while it is in contact with the ground, the invention lifts the plough completely off the ground first, then rotates it in the air. This inversion of the operation sequence eliminates the mechanical constraints and weight burdens that would occur during ground-based rotation, while still achieving the same ploughing efficiency benefits.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a swivel plough with extended length is used to rotate behind the tractor, then ploughing capability is maintained, but the mechanical burden on the tractor increases and footprint is larger
Solution Approach 1:
The plough rotation is moved from the horizontal plane (behind the tractor) to the vertical plane (above the tractor). By lifting the plough vertically and rotating it in the air, the invention eliminates the need for extended horizontal reach and complex mechanical structures, reducing both footprint and mechanical burden while maintaining full ploughing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The plough uses the tractor's lifting capability to raise itself into the air for rotation. This self-service approach allows the plough to perform its own repositioning without requiring additional complex mechanical systems or extended structures, simplifying the overall device while maintaining adaptability for different ploughing tasks.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention pertains to a method for ploughing farmland, using a tractor and connected thereto a swivel plough comprising a first and a second mouldboard, extending in parallel and positioned on opposite sides of a common axle, the method comprising crossing the farmland with the tractor and swivel plough connected thereto along a line that extends in a longitudinal direction from a first location on the farmland to a second location on the farmland, while the first mouldboard is in contact with the farmland to turn its soil, and the second mouldboard is raised above the farmland, adjacent the second location, lifting the swivel plough such that the first mouldboard is raised above the farmland and thereafter rotating the swivel plough around the axle to bring the second mouldboard in the position the first mouldboard had relative to the tractor when crossing the farmland from the first location to the second location, crossing the farmland with the tractor and swivel plough connected thereto adjacent the said line, moving in opposite direction (i.e. in essence from the second location to the first location), while the second mouldboard is in contact with the farmland to turn its soil, and the first mouldboard is raised above the farmland, wherein the tractor is an autonomous tractor and that the swivel plough is rotated when the axle is in an upright position.