Drive Wheel With Passage Openings For Grain Elevator Seed Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drive units for grain elevators in agricultural machines are noisy, prone to seed damage, and experience material wear, leading to reduced reliability and increased maintenance due to the friction and wear between chains and chain sprockets, as well as seed accumulation and jamming.
Innovation Solution
A drive unit with a drive wheel featuring passage openings that allow seeds to flow through with minimal resistance, combined with a cam belt or flat belt system that reduces noise and wear, ensuring reliable and efficient seed conveyance by using arms and bolts to securely engage the traction means while minimizing seed jamming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If chain sprockets are used to drive the chains in the grain elevator, then the chains can be driven and seed can be conveyed, but the chain sprockets create resistance for the flowing seed and cause seed accumulation and jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the chain sprockets from the seed conveying path by using an open drive wheel design with passage openings. The drive wheel directly drives the chains through entrainment means positioned on its circumference, eliminating the intermediate chain sprockets that caused seed accumulation and jamming.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive wheel is segmented with multiple passage openings that allow seed to flow through the wheel structure. This segmentation creates clear pathways for seed movement, preventing accumulation while still providing sufficient structural support for the entrainment means.
2Power
If chain sprockets are positioned in the seed conveying path, then the chains can be driven, but seed can get between the chain sprocket and chain and be crushed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the chain sprockets from the seed conveying path and replaces them with an open drive wheel design. The entrainment means are positioned on the circumference of the drive wheel where they engage the chains without creating pinch points that could crush seed.
3Power
If material pairings of chains and chain sprockets are used, then the chains can be driven, but wear occurs which limits service life and reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the chain sprocket mechanical system with a drive wheel and entrainment means system. This substitution eliminates the high-wear interface between chain sprockets and chains, significantly reducing wear and extending service life while maintaining reliable power transmission.
4Strength
If a solid drive wheel is used to drive the endless traction means, then the entrainment means can be securely positioned, but the drive wheel creates resistance for the flowing seed
Solution Approach 1:
The drive wheel is designed with non-uniform local quality: the rim area has sufficient mass and structure to securely position the entrainment means, while the center area contains passage openings to minimize resistance to seed flow. This local differentiation allows both functions to coexist.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive wheel incorporates passage openings that create a porous structure, allowing seed to flow through the wheel rather than around it. This reduces resistance and prevents accumulation while the remaining solid portions provide adequate support for the entrainment means.
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 significantly reduces noise, enhances the reliability and service life of the grain elevator by minimizing seed damage and wear, and decreases maintenance efforts through improved seed flow and reduced resistance, ensuring efficient and durable operation.
Implementation Method 1
seed conveyed by the conveyor screw into the grain elevator can flow through the drive wheel
Implementation Method 2
conveyor screw driving the drive wheel
Implementation Method 3
carried along by them with a friction fit and/or form fit in order to transmit torque
Implementation Method 4
entrainment means which can be positively and/or frictionally engaged with an endless traction means
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a drive unit (1) for a grain elevator, particularly for agricultural machinery, comprising a drive wheel (5) operatively connected to a screw conveyor (3) for conveying seed into the grain elevator, wherein the drive wheel (5) has driving elements (11) which can be engaged positively and/or frictionally with an endless traction element of the grain elevator having several paddles to drive the endless traction element. According to the invention, several passage openings (13) are provided in the drive wheel (5) between the arms (10) holding the driving elements (11) such that the flow of seed conveyed by the screw conveyor (3) into the grain elevator (2) along a conveying direction (F) through the drive wheel (5) is enabled and/or facilitated.