Beet Harvester Two-Rotor Assembly Unified Conveying Flow

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current beet harvesting machines face inefficiencies in cleaning beet heads, leading to incomplete utilization of plant leaves and increased yield loss, with existing systems causing damage to the beets during the cleaning process and resulting in adverse conditions for the scalper.

Innovation Solution

A self-propelled beet harvesting machine with a compact chopping and lifting unit featuring a two-rotor assembly where tools rotate in opposite directions, creating a unified conveying flow for optimal cleaning and minimizing turbulence, allowing for complete removal of beet leaves without damaging the beets, thus enabling a loss-free harvest.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple individual conveying flows are generated by leaf chopper, cleaner and scalper, then the beet leaves and head disks can be conveyed, but parts of the chopped material are conveyed to the arable soil or into the topping device area, adversely affecting the topping device function

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconveying capabilityVSAvoidadverse effect on topping device
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the conveying functions of the leaf chopper, cleaner, and scalper into a single unified conveying flow system. The tools are arranged to work in an overlapping group where the conveying flows merge together, allowing all tools to contribute to one collective flow that transports both beet leaves and head disks to the topping device without creating separate flows that would cause material to be conveyed to the arable soil or adversely affect the topping device area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Productivity

If tools rotate in overlapping working groups with different rotation directions, then conveying capability is improved, but the complexity of the device increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconveying efficiencyVSAvoidtool arrangement complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the tool assembly into distinct functional groups: a leaf chopper with tools rotating in one direction and a cleaner with tools rotating in the opposite direction. These segmented tool groups are arranged in an overlapping working configuration, allowing each group to perform its specific function while contributing to the unified conveying flow. This segmentation enables different rotation directions to be used strategically for optimal conveying efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Quantity of substance

If a second conveying flow is generated by the leaf chopper, then more material can be conveyed, but the area of the topping device is adversely affected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial conveyance volumeVSAvoidadverse effect on topping device area
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the conveying flows from multiple tool groups into a single unified flow path. By arranging the leaf chopper and cleaner tools in an overlapping configuration with coordinated rotation, the system creates one collective conveying flow that efficiently transports all relevant material (beet leaves and head disks) directly to the topping device area, eliminating the need for separate conveying flows that would otherwise create adverse effects on the topping device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The machine achieves complete cleaning of beet heads with reduced damage and increased yield, allowing for efficient transportation and storage of beets with minimal sugar loss and reduced rot, while optimizing the scalper's operation by minimizing residual plant material.

Implementation Method 1

two rotors rotating in opposite directions in their active phase on the beet head and only building up a common flow rate... a vertical conveying flow running between them is built up from partial flows that are specifically combined

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCentrifugal force: Centrifugal Force

Data Source

PatentEP2238821B1Beet harvester
Publication Date: 2011.12.21 GRIMME LANDMASCHINENFABRIK GMBH & CO KG
  • EP2238821B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2238821B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2238821B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The harvester (1) has a leaf chopper (7) with a rotating chopping tool (8), and a rotor component (10) acting as a fettling unit in a driving direction behind the chopper for removing parts of beet heads (K) from harvesting goods (E) before a clearing process of beet leaves. The chopping tool of the chopper acts at the beet heads opposite to the driving direction, and the fettling unit has another tool (9) that acts at the beet heads in the driving direction. The mutually rotating tools remove the harvesting goods in the area of the beet heads.