Agricultural Baler Feeder Duct Volume Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Agricultural balers face inefficiencies in bale formation due to limitations in adjusting the volume and cross-sectional profile of the feeder duct, leading to suboptimal crop material compression and bale quality.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a position adjuster that displaces the leading face of scrapers and the top and bottom walls of the feeder duct relative to each other, allowing for adjustable volume and cross-sectional area configurations, including funnel and reverse-funnel shapes, to optimize crop flow and compression.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the feeder duct volume is fixed, then the structure is simple, but the crop material compression and bale quality are suboptimal

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebale qualityVSAvoidfeeder duct structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the feeder duct volume adjustable through movable top and bottom walls. The position adjuster enables the feeder duct to change its cross-sectional area dynamically, allowing optimization of crop material compression for different bale quality requirements while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Productivity

If the scraper position is fixed, then the conveying channel is simple, but the crop flow and compression are suboptimal

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebale formation efficiencyVSAvoidconveying channel structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The position adjuster dynamically changes the scraper position relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom, enabling optimization of the conveying channel cross-sectional profile. This dynamic adjustment improves crop flow and compression efficiency without requiring complex separate mechanisms for each component.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges the adjustment functions for the feeder duct walls and scraper position into a single position adjuster mechanism. This combined approach coordinates the movement of multiple components simultaneously, improving bale formation efficiency while minimizing the number of separate control systems needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Quantity of substance

If the feeder duct volume is increased, then the crop material capacity is improved, but the mechanical load on the rotor feeder unit increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecrop material capacityVSAvoidmechanical load
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The position adjuster enables dynamic optimization of the feeder duct volume, allowing the system to increase crop material capacity when needed while reducing volume to minimize mechanical load on the rotor feeder unit. This dynamic control allows the system to adapt to different operational conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3662743B1An agricultural baler
Publication Date: 2023.02.08 CNH IND BELGIUM NV
  • EP3662743B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3662743B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3662743B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An agricultural baler (1), comprising: a bale chamber (609); a plunger (7); a feeder duct (623); and a rotor feeder unit (631). The rotor feeder unit (631) comprises: a rotor feeder unit bottom (642) distant from a rotor feeder (633) forming a lower boundary of a conveying channel (645) through the rotor feeder unit (631); and scrapers (657) placed in a conveying direction behind the rotor feeder (633), the scrapers (657) extending in between the tines (643) and having a leading face (659) cooperating with the tines (643). The agricultural baler (1) further includes a position adjuster (640) configured to: displace the leading face (659) of the scrapers (657) relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom (642), and displace a top wall and / or the bottom wall (635, 637) of the feeder duct (623), in order to adjust the volume of the feeder duct (623).