Crop Residue Spreader Deflectors for Adjustable Even Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crop residue spreader arrangements on combine harvesters struggle to achieve consistent and adjustable spread width without reducing the speed of counter rotating spreader wheels, particularly affected by field terrain, cutting height, and wind direction.
Innovation Solution
A crop residue spreader arrangement with pivotally mounted shaped deflectors and a cam arrangement between each deflector and a common frame element, allowing independent adjustment of spread width and side-to-side compensation without altering the speed of the spreader wheels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the spread width is adjusted by changing the speed of counter rotating spreader wheels, then the spread width is adjustable, but the operational speed of the combine harvester must be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the spreader wheels and deflectors movable rather than fixed. The spreader wheels can rotate at variable speeds independently of the combine's forward motion, and the deflectors can pivot to adjust spread width. This dynamic configuration allows spread width adjustment without requiring the combine to slow down, as the wheel rotation speed and deflector angle can be modified while maintaining constant forward velocity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters by allowing independent control of wheel rotation speed and deflector angle. Instead of adjusting spread width through a single parameter (forward speed), the system modifies multiple parameters: the rotational speed of the spreader wheels and the pivot angle of the deflectors. This multi-parameter approach enables spread width adjustment while maintaining constant operational speed.
2Device complexity
If fixed deflectors are used to control residue distribution, then the structure is simple, but the spread width cannot be adjusted independently on each side
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the deflector system into left and right independent deflectors, each capable of independent adjustment. Rather than a single fixed deflector structure, the system divides the residue control function into separate controllable units. This segmentation allows each side to be adjusted independently to achieve desired spread width and compensation for terrain variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the deflectors dynamic by enabling them to pivot relative to the spreader wheels. This pivoting motion allows the deflectors to change their angle and position, providing adjustable spread width control. The dynamic deflector design maintains structural simplicity while adding the versatility needed for independent left-right adjustment.
3Productivity
If the spreader wheels rotate at high speed to maintain productivity, then operational efficiency is maintained, but consistent residue distribution becomes difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces deflectors as intermediary elements between the spreader wheels and the ground. These deflectors mediate the residue distribution by guiding and directing the residue flow. Even at high wheel rotation speeds, the deflectors provide control over residue placement, ensuring consistent distribution by acting as an intermediate control mechanism that refines the residue pattern before it reaches the ground.
Data Source
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AI summary
A crop residue spreader arrangement, and an agricultural vehicle fitted with such a crop residue spreader arrangement, are disclosed. The crop residue spreader arrangement comprises a frame, a pair of counter rotating residue spreader wheels carried from the frame, a common frame element, the common frame element being pivotally connected to the frame, the common frame element supporting first and second shaped residue deflectors, each residue deflector being associated with an adjacent residue spreader wheel and each of the first and second shaped residue deflectors being pivotally mounted to the common frame element about coincident horizontal axes.