Combine Harvester Flow Control for Crop Blockage Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Combine harvesters experience crop build-up and blockages due to slowed or stopped crop processing arrangements, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage to machinery.

Innovation Solution

A control system that monitors flow rates through crop processing arrangements, identifies affected arrangements, and adjusts the operation of upstream and downstream systems to prevent blockages by reducing flow rates upstream and maintaining flow rates downstream, allowing for safe manual intervention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If crop processing arrangements operate at high flow rates continuously, then productivity is improved, but crop blockages and build-up occur leading to machinery damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecrop processing efficiencyVSAvoidmachinery operational reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The control system performs preliminary actions by reducing flow rates through upstream crop processing arrangements before blockages occur. When a flow-affected arrangement is detected, the system proactively reduces flow rates of upstream arrangements to prevent crop build-up and blockages, thereby maintaining machinery reliability while preserving overall productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The control system continuously monitors flow rates through crop processing arrangements and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust operations. When flow rate measures indicate a flow-affected arrangement, the system automatically modulates upstream and downstream arrangements to prevent blockages, resolving the contradiction between maintaining high productivity and preventing machinery damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If flow rate through a crop processing arrangement is reduced to prevent blockage, then reliability is improved, but productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblockage preventionVSAvoidcrop processing rate

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The control system dynamically adjusts flow rates based on real-time conditions. Rather than maintaining a fixed low flow rate, the system continuously monitors flow rate measures and dynamically modulates upstream and downstream arrangements to prevent blockages while minimizing productivity loss. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain high productivity during normal operation and only reduce flow rates when necessary to prevent blockages.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes operational parameters (flow rates) of upstream and downstream crop processing arrangements based on detected flow-affected conditions. By selectively adjusting parameters of specific arrangements rather than shutting down the entire system, the system maintains productivity while preventing blockages through parameter optimization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If manual intervention is required to clear blockages, then reliability can be maintained, but loss of time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblockage preventionVSAvoidintervention time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The control system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring flow rates and proactively reducing flow through upstream arrangements before blockages develop. This preventive approach eliminates the need for manual intervention to clear blockages, thereby maintaining reliability while eliminating time loss associated with stoppages and manual clearing operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20250359513A1Control Arrangement for a Combine Harvester

Publication Date: 2025.11.27 AGCO CORP

AI summary

A mechanism for controlling crop processing arrangements of a combine harvester. One or more flow rate measures are produced for a crop processing arrangement, which are processed to identify whether the flow rate of crop through the crop processing arrangement has been affected. If the flow rate has been affected, any upstream crop processing arrangements are slowed or stopped and any downstream crop processing arrangements are slowed or maintained (without reducing to zero).