Combine Harvester Chopping Device Actuator Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing combine harvesters face challenges in adjusting the knife carrier and friction bar to optimize chopping quality under varying harvest conditions, such as different crop types and moisture levels, which affects efficiency and prevents jamming.
Innovation Solution
The knife carrier and friction base can be adjusted tool-free using an actuator system, allowing independent control of the chopping device, with options for manual levers, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, and electromechanical drives, enabling adjustments without interrupting the harvesting process and allowing for automatic control based on crop properties and operating parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the knife carrier and friction bar are adjusted using traditional mechanical means, then the adjustment is stable and secure, but the adjustment process requires tools and interrupts the harvesting process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical adjustment mechanisms with an actuator system that can be controlled from the operator's cabin. This substitution eliminates the need for manual tool-based adjustment and allows the harvesting process to continue uninterrupted, as the actuator can adjust the knife carrier and friction bar positions remotely and automatically.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator system enables the chopping device to adjust its own components (knife carrier and friction bar) automatically based on operating conditions. The system serves itself by detecting the need for adjustment and executing the adjustment without requiring the operator to stop the harvesting process or manually intervene with tools.
2Reliability
If the friction bar is activated under humid conditions, then chopping quality is maintained, but energy consumption increases and jamming risk rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of the friction bar position based on real-time harvesting conditions. The actuator system can move the friction bar between different positions (activated and deactivated) depending on crop moisture content and other environmental factors. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain optimal chopping quality while minimizing energy consumption by deactivating the friction bar when conditions permit.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the friction bar based on detected harvesting conditions. When humidity or crop moisture exceeds certain thresholds, the actuator adjusts the friction bar position to deactivate it, thereby changing the friction parameter applied to the crop flow. This parameter adjustment prevents excessive energy consumption and reduces jamming risk under humid conditions while maintaining chopping quality when conditions are favorable.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the knife carrier position is fixed, then the device structure is simple, but the chopping quality cannot be optimized for different crop types and conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator system provides universal adjustability for the knife carrier position, allowing a single mechanism to handle multiple crop types and harvesting conditions. The actuator can position the knife carrier at different locations to optimize chopping quality for various crops (e.g., corn, soybeans, wheat) and environmental conditions, making the chopping device universally adaptable without requiring multiple specialized mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms with an actuator system controlled from the cabin. This substitution simplifies the overall device structure by eliminating manual adjustment linkages, levers, and locking mechanisms while providing precise and repeatable positioning of the knife carrier for different harvesting scenarios.
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
This solution allows for efficient and consistent chopping quality, reduces energy consumption, and prevents jamming by enabling real-time adjustments to the chopping device settings according to changing conditions, improving processing efficiency and maintaining optimal chopping quality or energy efficiency as needed.
Implementation Method 1
A combination of a hydraulically and a pneumatically actuated cylinder is also conceivable as an actuator for the knife carrier and the friction base.
Implementation Method 2
The actuator can be designed as a cylinder that can be acted upon by a fluid. This can be at least one hydraulically or pneumatically actuated cylinder.
Implementation Method 3
For example, a spring bolt can be used as a limiting means, which limits the adjustment path of the respective cylinder to two defined positions.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 2b
AI summary
The present invention relates to a combine harvester (1) with a chopping device (16) for chopping crops, comprising a knife drum (30) fitted with knives (31), a knife carrier (32) fitted with counter knives (33), a friction floor (35), and a friction strip (36) downstream thereof, wherein the knife carrier (32) and the friction floor (35) are each pivotable about a pivot axis so that they can be moved into a position in which the counter knives (33) and/or the friction strip (36) project at least partially into a crop flow passing through the chopping device (16), wherein the knife carrier (32) and the friction floor (35) are each adjustable without tools by means of an actuator (37).