Beet Crop Heap Divider with Mobile Dividing Member

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pick-up apparatuses for sugar beets are limited by a maximum pick-up width of 10 meters, making it difficult to efficiently and damage-free handle crop heaps wider than this, and they lack efficiency in crop handling.

Innovation Solution

A pick-up apparatus with a heap divider and enlarged pick-up section that includes a mobile heap dividing member and a loading screw, allowing for the division and conveyance of wider crop heaps without damage, using a rotatable transport screw and adjustable mounting device to guide crops into the pick-up area.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the pick-up width is increased to handle wider crop heaps, then the productivity is improved, but the crop damage increases due to inability to properly divide and convey the crop

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepick-up capacityVSAvoidcrop damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The heap divider divides the wide crop heap into multiple sections using a mobile heap dividing member that can be positioned at different locations. This segmentation allows the pick-up apparatus to handle wider crop heaps by processing them in divided portions, preventing crop damage that would occur with monolithic handling of wide heaps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile heap dividing member acts as an intermediary element between the wide crop heap and the pick-up rollers. It conveys crop from the outer region into the pick-up area, enabling the system to handle widths exceeding the original pick-up width without directly stressing the crop structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a fixed pick-up width is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to different crop heap widths is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepick-up width adaptabilityVSAvoidapparatus structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile heap dividing member is designed to be movable along the pick-up apparatus, allowing its position to be dynamically adjusted based on the crop heap width. This dynamic positioning capability enables the apparatus to adapt to different crop heap widths without requiring multiple fixed configurations or complex reassembly procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile heap dividing member serves multiple functions: it divides the crop heap, conveys crop into the pick-up area, and can be positioned at different locations to accommodate various heap widths. This multi-functionality increases adaptability without proportionally increasing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3058801B1Beet crop heap divider apparatus

Publication Date: 2019.01.09 EXEL INDUSTRIES

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AI summary

The pick-up apparatus (2) for picking up harvested root crop, in particular sugar beets, from a root crop heap, comprises a pick-up section (8) which defines a pick-up direction PD a pick-up plane PL and a first lateral outward direction LOD1, comprises a pick-up member (24), and a pick-up frame (20), the pick-up frame (20) having a first lateral side (36), a second lateral side (38) and forming a pick-up opening (42), the pick-up opening (42) and the pick-up direction PD defining a pick-up area PA on the pick-up plane PL. The pick-up apparatus (2) comprises a heap divider (10) adapted for dividing the root crop heap and comprising a mobile heap dividing member (100), the mobile heap dividing member is adapted to convey root crop which is situated outside the pick-up area PA into the pick-up area PA.