Detachable Cam Track Segments for Harvesting Reels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crop harvesting devices face challenges in adapting their cam track structures to different harvesting conditions, leading to inefficiencies and increased maintenance costs due to the lack of flexibility and clogging issues.
Innovation Solution
A crop harvesting device equipped with a partially open curved track structure consisting of detachable cam track segments, which allows for easy adaptation to varying conditions and reduces maintenance by eliminating the need for a closed channel, featuring flat profile segments and guide elements for stable and reliable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a closed cam track structure is used, then the structural integrity and continuity are improved, but the adaptability to different harvesting conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cam track structure is divided into multiple detachable segments that can be individually exchanged. Each segment can be optimized for specific harvesting conditions, allowing the system to adapt by replacing segments rather than redesigning the entire structure. This segmentation maintains structural integrity when segments are properly connected while enabling flexibility through selective replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam track structure transitions from a static, fixed design to a dynamic, adjustable configuration. By implementing detachable segments with quick-connect mechanisms, the structure can be dynamically reconfigured between harvesting operations to match different crop types and conditions, making the system adaptable without compromising structural stability during operation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a closed channel structure is used for the cam track, then the structural completeness is improved, but the maintenance effort and clogging risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The closed channel is segmented into detachable sections that can be independently accessed and maintained. This allows maintenance personnel to open specific segments for cleaning or repair without disassembling the entire structure, reducing maintenance effort while preserving the structural completeness of the overall channel system.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam track collectors and related components are extracted from the enclosed channel structure, allowing them to be easily removed, cleaned, and maintained separately. This extraction eliminates clogging issues within the channel while maintaining the structural completeness of the support framework.
3Ease of manufacture
If a one-piece closed cam track structure is used, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the adaptability and customization capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cam track is manufactured as separate modular segments using standardized connection interfaces. Each segment can be independently manufactured and optimized for specific applications, then assembled into a complete structure. This approach maintains manufacturing simplicity through standardization while enabling customization by selecting and combining different segment types.
Solution Approach 2:
The segmented cam track structure employs universal connection mechanisms that work across all segments, allowing the same basic design to serve multiple harvesting conditions. Different segment configurations can be assembled using the same connection system, providing customization capability without requiring complex specialized manufacturing for each application.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a crop harvesting device (5) with at least one rotatingly driven reel (7) which has several support stars (16) arranged at a distance from one another on a reel shaft (15) and rotatable tine carriers (17) extending over the width of the reel (7) which carry conveying tines (18), and with an adjusting device (20) with which the rotational position of the tine carriers (17) can be adjusted depending on the rotational position of the reel (7), wherein the adjusting device (20) comprises a partially open cam track structure consisting of at least two cam track segments (21) by means of which cam track sensors (28) controlling the rotational position of the tine carrier (17) are guided, wherein at least one of the cam track segments (21) is detachably arranged.