Conveyor Drive Device Retention Spring Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing driver devices for conveyors in harvesting machines are prone to breaking when encountering foreign objects, leading to potential damage within the harvesting machine, and prior solutions, such as complex cotter pin designs, are costly and difficult to produce.
Innovation Solution
A driver device with a resilient helical tension spring connecting first and second fastening sections, where the spring deflection is limited by a delimiting element, allowing the broken-off section to be securely pulled back into the conveyor, preventing damage and simplifying production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex cotter pin design is used to lock the driver and enclose it above the breaking point, then the driver can be securely retained, but the production complexity and manufacturing cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The driver is divided into two separate fastening sections (first and second fastening sections) located at different positions along its length. Each section can be independently fastened to the control shaft, allowing the driver to remain retained even if one section fails or breaks. This segmentation eliminates the need for a complex single-piece cotter pin design while maintaining reliable retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The function of the complex cotter pin (which served both to lock and enclose the driver) is extracted and replaced by simpler, separate fastening mechanisms. The first fastening section uses a first retaining means while the second fastening section uses a second retaining means, removing the need for an elaborately shaped single component and simplifying manufacturing.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the driver is designed with a predetermined breaking point to prevent deformation, then the driver breaks cleanly instead of deforming, but the broken-off section may still fall into the crop flow and cause damage
Solution Approach 1:
The driver is pre-equipped with two fastening sections at different positions along its length, each capable of being fastened to the control shaft. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when the driver breaks at the predetermined breaking point, at least one fastening section remains attached to the control shaft, preventing the broken-off section from falling into the crop flow and causing damage to harvesting machine components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the driver have different functions: the first fastening section is optimized for secure attachment to the control shaft, while the second fastening section provides additional retention capability. This local differentiation of function allows the driver to maintain structural integrity at critical locations while providing redundancy against breakage hazards.
3Ease of manufacture
If a simple retaining means is used to hold the driver sections, then the production cost decreases, but the reliability of preventing broken sections from separating may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The first and second retaining means can be designed as identical or similar simple components (such as clips, clips, or other straightforward retention elements), allowing for standardized manufacturing and reduced production costs. The redundancy of having two such simple retaining means provides reliable retention without requiring complex individual components, achieving both ease of manufacture and reliability.
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
The solution effectively prevents the broken-off driver parts from entering the crop flow, reducing damage to harvesting machine components and simplifying production by using a robust and inexpensive helical tension spring with limited deflection, ensuring reliable operation and easy assembly.
Implementation Method 1
the first fastening section and the second fastening section are connected to one another by a resiliently elastic connecting element and the connecting element is designed as a helical tension spring
Implementation Method 2
the spring deflection of the connecting element can be limited by a limiting element. The limitation of the spring deflection of the connecting element ensures that the broken-off section of the driver can only cover a limited distance in the radial direction outwards during the rotation of the conveyor due to the centrifugal force
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a drive device (22) of a conveying device (4), in particular a feed finger assembly of a screw conveyor of a harvesting device, comprising a drive device (11) arranged inside the conveying device (4), a pivot bearing (15) for supporting the drive device (11) on a control shaft (12), a first fastening section (16) associated with the pivot bearing (15) and a second fastening section (18) spaced apart from the first fastening section (16), between which a predetermined breaking point (21) is arranged on the drive device (11), wherein the first fastening section (16) and the second fastening section (18) are connected to each other by a resiliently elastic connecting element (17).