Agricultural Chassis Height Adjustment via Canopy Sensor Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural vehicles face challenges in adjusting chassis height to accommodate varying crop heights, leading to potential damage to crops and instability, as existing systems require manual operator intervention and may not maintain optimal clearance.
Innovation Solution
A chassis-height adjustment system equipped with a canopy sensor and height adjustment actuators that automatically adjust the chassis height based on detected crop canopy height, allowing for precise control of clearance and minimizing operator distraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual chassis height adjustment is used, then the operator can control the height, but the operator's attention is diverted from the primary task and suboptimal height may be used resulting in crop damage or instability
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic chassis height adjustment by having the machine self-regulate its height based on sensor input from the crop canopy, eliminating the need for continuous operator intervention and allowing the operator to focus on the primary spraying task
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to detect crop canopy height and provides feedback to the control system, which automatically adjusts the chassis height to maintain optimal clearance, creating a closed-loop control system that ensures accurate height control
2Length of moving object
If high clearance vehicle is used for tall crops, then sufficient crop clearance is achieved, but the overall height exceeds highway restrictions requiring tire deflation or wheel removal for transport
Solution Approach 1:
The chassis height is made dynamically adjustable rather than fixed, allowing the vehicle to transition between high clearance mode for tall crops and low clearance mode for transport, enabling the same vehicle to adapt to different operational requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameter of chassis height to accommodate different conditions - maintaining high ground clearance during field operations on tall crops and reducing to low ground clearance during transport to comply with highway restrictions
3Adaptability or versatility
If standard height vehicle is used for short crops, then transport is easy, but insufficient ground clearance exists for tall crops
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle employs a dynamically adjustable chassis height system that can adapt to different crop heights, transforming a static standard-height vehicle into one that can provide sufficient clearance for tall crops when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable chassis height system enables a single vehicle to serve multiple functions - operating on both short and tall crops, as well as facilitating easy transport - eliminating the need for separate vehicle types for different crop conditions
Data Source
AI summary
A chassis-height adjustment system for an agricultural application machine includes support assemblies supporting a chassis on a ground-engaging elements, each having a height adjustment actuator. A canopy sensor is disposed to detect a crop canopy height relative to the chassis. The height adjustment actuators are automatically adjusted in response to the crop canopy height to maintain a desired clearance between the chassis and the crop canopy.