Harvester Chopper Counter-Knife Control for Power and Chop Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Chopper arrangements in agricultural harvesters consume significant power, leading to high fuel consumption and limit harvester capacity, and suffer from counter knife wear, affecting chopping quality.
Innovation Solution
A controller system that adjusts the insertion amount and angle of counter knives relative to rotating knife rows based on sensor data, optimizing chop intensity and power consumption using independent actuators for translational and rotational movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the counter knives are inserted further into the housing to increase overlap with rotating knives, then chopping intensity increases, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The counter knife bank is made dynamically adjustable through independent actuators that control both the amount of insertion (translational movement) and angle of insertion (rotational movement). This dynamic configuration allows the system to optimize chopping intensity while minimizing power consumption by adjusting the degree and angle of knife engagement based on operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes physical parameters of the counter knife arrangement by independently adjusting the insertion amount (position parameter) and insertion angle (orientation parameter). These parameter changes enable fine-tuning of the chopping action to achieve optimal performance with reduced power consumption compared to fixed full-insertion configurations.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the counter knives are retracted away from rotating knives to decrease overlap, then power consumption decreases, but chopping quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic adjustment capability allows the counter knife bank to be positioned at optimal insertion amounts and angles for different chopping requirements. This ensures high chopping quality is maintained only when necessary, while allowing power-efficient configurations when full chopping intensity is not required.
Solution Approach 2:
By independently varying the insertion amount and angle parameters, the system can maintain optimal chopping quality (when parameters are set for maximum engagement) while consuming less power (when parameters are adjusted for reduced engagement), resolving the trade-off between quality and energy consumption.
3Device complexity
If a single actuator controls counter knife position, then device complexity is reduced, but ability to independently optimize chopping intensity and power consumption is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into independent actuators: one actuator controls the translational movement (insertion amount) of the counter knife bank, while another actuator controls the rotational movement (insertion angle). This segmentation allows independent optimization of chopping intensity and power consumption without increasing overall system complexity, as each actuator handles a specific degree of freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a second degree of freedom (rotational dimension) to the counter knife adjustment mechanism. While this increases adaptability by allowing independent control of insertion amount and angle, the complexity is managed by using separate simple actuators for each dimensional adjustment rather than a complex single actuator system.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller for controlling a chopper arrangement of an agricultural harvester. The controller receives sensor data indicative of an intensity of chopping performed on crop material by the chopper arrangement, and sensor data indicative of a power consumption of the chopper arrangement. The controller has a processor to determine an actuator setting for a chopper arrangement actuator of the agricultural harvester in dependence on the received sensor data indicative of the intensity of chopping and the received sensor data indicative of the power consumption. The controller sends an actuator control signal to the chopper arrangement actuator to control the chopper arrangement actuator to operate in accordance with the associated determined actuator setting. The determined actuator setting includes an amount of insertion, and an angle of insertion, of at least one bank of counter knives of the chopper arrangement relative to rotatable knife rows of the chopper arrangement.