Crop Elevator Measurement Section Friction Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crop elevator systems in combine harvesters provide unreliable weight measurements due to friction between the measurement paddles and the housing, leading to inaccurate calibration of yield sensors, especially when multiple harvesters supply crops to a common grain cart or truck.
Innovation Solution
A crop elevator with a measurement section having a lower friction interface between the paddles and the housing, utilizing a weighing system with sensors like load cells or strain sensors, and potentially a larger cross-section or low-friction coatings to minimize contact and enhance accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the gap between paddles and housing is reduced to avoid crop spillage, then crop containment is improved, but friction between paddles and housing increases causing unreliable weight measurements
Solution Approach 1:
The ascending section is divided into a measurement section and a non-measurement section. The measurement section is specifically designed with a larger cross-sectional area to reduce friction during weighing, while other sections maintain the standard narrow gap for crop containment. This segmentation allows different functional requirements to be met in different zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing cross-sectional area is locally increased in the measurement section compared to other sections. This local modification creates a low-friction zone specifically where weight measurements are taken, without affecting the overall crop containment effectiveness in other sections of the elevator.
2Productivity
If multiple harvesters supply crop to a common grain cart, then productivity is improved, but calibration complexity increases due to inability to easily measure actual crop amounts
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-calibration by using the weighing system's direct measurements as reference values. The yield sensor readings are automatically compared with and calibrated against the actual weight measurements from the weighing system, eliminating the need for external calibration equipment like scales or manual weighing procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual calibration process using external scales is replaced by an automated electronic weighing system with sensors. The system substitutes mechanical weighing operations with electronic measurement and automatic data processing, enabling seamless calibration even when multiple harvesters are operating simultaneously.
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 enables more accurate and reliable weighing of harvested crops, allowing for precise calibration of yield sensors and improved efficiency in crop transport systems.
Implementation Method 1
a weighing system configured to determine a weight of the harvested crop that is present on a measurement paddle of the plurality of paddles during an ascending movement of the measurement paddle in the ascending section, the weighing system comprising a weight sensor that is mechanically coupled to the measurement paddle and is configured to output a weight signal representative of the weight of the harvested crop
Data Source
AI summary
A crop elevator for a combine harvester includes an ascending section and a descending section and a housing enclosing the ascending section and the descending section. The elevator further comprises an elevator loop arranged inside the housing which includes a plurality of paddles for elevating a harvested crop. The elevator also includes a weighing system configured to determine a weight of harvested crop that is present on at least one of the paddles during an ascending movement of the at least one of the paddles in the ascending section. The weighing system includes a weight sensor configured to output a weight signal representative of the weight of the harvested crop. The ascending section of the elevator comprises a measurement section, wherein the weighing system is configured to retrieve the weight signal when the at least one of the paddles is in the measurement section of the elevator.