Corn Head Gearbox Lubrication via Splash Deflection

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing row unit gearboxes in corn harvesters face challenges in maintaining adequate lubricant levels within bushings, especially when the gearbox is oriented vertically during operation, leading to lubricant migration and difficulty in ensuring proper lubrication of the gathering chain drive shafts.

Innovation Solution

The structural housing of the gearbox includes a lubricant reservoir and strategically designed apertures and bores that facilitate the upward movement of lubricant through the gear train, using gear teeth to splash and deflect lubricant into the bushings, ensuring continuous lubrication of the gathering chain drive shafts, even when oriented vertically.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the gearbox is oriented vertically during operation, then the harvester can efficiently harvest corn rows, but the lubricant migrates downward and fails to reach the bushings, causing inadequate lubrication

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveharvesting efficiencyVSAvoidlubrication adequacy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-fills the bushings with lubricant before operation. The bushings contain absorbent materials that are saturated with lubricant in advance, ensuring that lubrication is already in place before the gearbox begins vertical operation, thus preventing lubricant migration issues

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary lubricant delivery system consisting of lubricant reservoirs, delivery channels, and absorbent materials within the bushings. This intermediary system actively transports and retains lubricant at the required locations, counteracting the harmful effect of gravitational migration during vertical operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If traditional lubrication methods are used without strategic reservoirs and apertures, then the gearbox structure remains simple, but lubricant cannot be delivered effectively to the bushings in vertical orientation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelubrication consistencyVSAvoidgearbox structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The lubrication system is segmented into multiple functional components: main lubricant reservoirs, individual bushing reservoirs, delivery channels, and absorbent materials. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, ensuring reliable lubricant delivery while maintaining a modular structure that is manageable despite the increased complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by placing lubricant reservoirs and delivery mechanisms specifically at locations where lubrication is most needed - directly within or adjacent to the bushings. The absorbent materials are localized within the bushings to retain lubricant precisely where the drive shafts contact, ensuring consistent lubrication at critical interfaces

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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 design ensures consistent lubrication of the bushings and drive shafts, preventing lubricant migration and maintaining effective lubrication levels, thereby enhancing the operational efficiency and reliability of the row unit gearbox.

Implementation Method 1

using gear teeth to splash and deflect lubricant into the bushings

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSplash lubrication:

Implementation Method 2

using gear teeth to splash and deflect lubricant into the bushings

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDeflection:

Implementation Method 3

The structural housing includes a lubricant reservoir and strategically designed apertures and bores that facilitate the upward movement of lubricant through the gear train

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCapillary action: Capillary Action

Data Source

PatentEP3150054B1Corn head row unit gearbox lubrication

Publication Date: 2018.09.26 DEERE & CO

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AI summary

A corn head row unit gearbox (100) includes an input shaft (102), that rotates about a first axis of rotation and that drives a set of bevel gears. The bevel gears transfer rotation of the input shaft into rotation of a set of gathering chain output shafts about a second axis of rotation, generally transverse to the first axis of rotation. The gathering chain drive shafts (114,116) each rotate within a bushing (122,124) mounted within a frame structure of the gearbox. The frame structure defines a bore that communicates with a bevel gear cavity, in which at least one of the sets of bevel gears rotates, and an interior of the bushings (122,124) mounted on the gathering chain drive shafts. Rotation of the bevel gears carries lubricant to an inlet aperture on the bore and drives the lubricant through the bore into the bushings.