Electric Coupling for Split Sowing Shaft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural seed drills require manual and hazardous disconnection of partial shafts to switch off half of the sowing operation, leading to time-consuming interruptions and increased risk of injury during sowing.
Innovation Solution
An electric drive element with a clamp-like holding device and helical spring ensures remote operation of the coupling device, allowing for non-rotatable engagement of shaped elements with recesses, enabling remote switching of partial shafts without manual intervention, and a sensor detects the coupling state for display to the operator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual disconnection of the coupling device is used to switch off half of the sowing operation, then the operator can stop spreading on half of the seed drill, but the operator must leave the driver's cab and perform dangerous manual work on driven parts, increasing injury risk and time loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical coupling/disengagement system with an electric motor-driven system. The electric drive element (electric motor) automatically engages and disengages the coupling device between partial shafts, eliminating the need for manual intervention. This substitution of mechanical manual operation with an automated electromechanical system resolves the contradiction by maintaining adaptability while dramatically improving operator safety and convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling device is designed to automatically engage and disengage itself through the electric drive mechanism without requiring external manual assistance. The system serves itself by using the electric motor to perform the coupling/disengagement action that would otherwise require manual labor, thereby eliminating the safety hazards and time loss associated with manual operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual disconnection of the coupling device is used, then half of the sowing operation can be stopped, but the process requires time-consuming manual intervention and interrupts sowing operation
Solution Approach 1:
The electric motor-driven coupling device replaces manual mechanical operations, enabling rapid engagement and disengagement of partial shafts. This electromechanical system eliminates the time-consuming manual intervention required by traditional coupling devices, allowing the operator to switch between full and half sowing operations instantly without leaving the driver's cab or performing manual assembly/disassembly tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The electric drive element is pre-positioned and ready to engage or disengage the coupling device at any moment. The system maintains readiness for rapid switching by having the electric motor and coupling mechanism in place, allowing immediate response when the operator needs to switch between full and half sowing operations, thereby minimizing time loss.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual coupling disconnection is performed, then the operator can control sowing areas, but the coupling device is located in the middle of the machine making it difficult to reach
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical coupling operations with an automated electric drive system. The electric motor, which can be controlled from the driver's cab, eliminates the need for the operator to physically reach the centrally located coupling device. This substitution transforms an inaccessible manual operation into a remotely controllable automated process, maintaining area control capability while dramatically improving accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The electric drive element acts as an intermediary between the operator and the coupling device. Instead of the operator directly manipulating the coupling mechanism in the middle of the machine, the electric motor serves as a mediator that performs the coupling/disengagement action remotely, allowing the operator to control sowing areas without physical access to the central coupling device.
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 solution reduces operator risk, saves time, and enhances the efficiency and quality of sowing operations by allowing remote control of the seed drill, eliminating the need for manual coupling and reducing the likelihood of sowing errors.
Implementation Method 1
the coupling device comprises a helical spring which ensures that the shaped elements engage in the recesses
Implementation Method 2
the coupling device has an electric drive element, which displaces the first enclosing element along the sowing shaft
Data Source
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AI summary
Agricultural seed drill (1) for spreading seed and/or fertilizer, comprising a storage container (3), several metering elements (6) arranged side by side below the storage container for feeding the seed to be distributed into lines (8) leading to application elements (7), wherein the metering elements comprise metering wheels which are arranged on a rotating seed shaft (9), wherein the seed shaft is divided at least approximately in the middle of the seed drill, wherein the partial shafts (9A, 9B) of the divided seed shaft can be connected by means of a coupling device (11), the coupling device having a first enclosing element (13A) which encompasses the mutually facing ends of the two partial shafts, which is rotationally fixed to the first partial shaft and which has several shaped elements in its interior, wherein the shaped elements are provided for engagement in suitable recesses of the two partial shafts.In order to create an improved coupling device which overcomes the described disadvantages, it is provided that the coupling device has an electric drive element (15) which displaces the first enclosing element along the seed shaft, thereby establishing or disengaging the forming elements in the recesses of the second partial shaft, wherein, when the forming elements are engaged in the recesses of the second partial shaft, the first enclosing element is rotationally fixed to the second partial shaft, thereby connecting the second partial shaft to the first partial shaft in a rotationally fixed manner.