Agricultural Machine Conveying Channel Wall Dynamics

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Solution Overview

Problem

Agricultural machines face issues with blockages or choppers due to fluctuating crop material volumes, where increased material flow can cause clogging and reduced material flow leads to insufficient cutting, and existing solutions either fail to prevent these issues or compromise cutting quality.

Innovation Solution

The conveying channel wall is movably suspended in a linearly displaceable manner to uniformly adjust the channel cross-section along the conveying direction, preventing tilting or pivoting movements and allowing for a consistent gap change, and the cutting blades can be independently moved to coordinate with the channel wall's movement to maintain optimal cutting quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the conveying channel wall is moved away from the conveying rotor to enlarge the cross section, then blockages are prevented, but cutting quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveblockage preventionVSAvoidcutting quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The conveying channel wall is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position relative to the conveying rotor. This enables the system to adapt to varying material flow conditions - moving away to prevent blockages during high flow, and moving closer to maintain cutting quality during low flow conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the geometric parameter of the conveying channel cross-section by moving the conveying channel wall. This parameter change allows the channel to expand when material flow increases to prevent blockages, and contract when material flow decreases to maintain cutting effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If the conveying channel wall is fixed, then cutting quality is maintained, but blockages occur during high material flow

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecutting qualityVSAvoidblockage prevention
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The conveying channel wall transitions from a fixed structure to a dynamic one that can respond to material flow conditions. This allows the system to maintain cutting quality under normal conditions while automatically adjusting to prevent blockages during high material flow events.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If the conveying channel wall pivots away from the conveying rotor, then material flow path is enlarged, but choppers continue to occur in the inlet area

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial flowVSAvoidchoppers
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The conveying channel wall is designed with linear displacement capability that allows controlled movement away from the conveying rotor. This dynamic adjustment enlarges the material flow path to prevent choppers in the inlet area while maintaining proper positioning to avoid blockages downstream.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2939520B1Agricultural machine
Publication Date: 2017.11.08 ALOIS POETTINGER MASCHFAB
  • EP2939520B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2939520B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The present invention relates to an agricultural machine with a crop picker (1) for picking up crops from the ground and a conveying rotor (3) for conveying the picked-up crops through a conveying channel (4), wherein the conveying channel (4) is bounded by a movable conveying channel wall (5) such that the conveying channel cross-section changes when the conveying channel wall (5) is moved. It is proposed to movably suspend the conveying channel wall (5) such that the conveying channel cross-section increases or decreases uniformly along the conveying direction when the conveying channel wall is moved away from or towards the conveying rotor (3).