Electric Drives for Agricultural Cutting Units
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural working machines with cutting units face challenges in efficiently transferring drive power and controlling cutting unit working units, particularly due to complex and costly mechanical and hydraulic drive systems, which are prone to vibrations and require additional sensors for precise control, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural working machine equipped with electric drives for cutting unit working units, featuring a control and regulation unit that generates load signals from existing sensor measurements to derive operating states and adapt harvest control strategies, eliminating the need for additional sensors and simplifying monitoring and control, thereby optimizing crop flow and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If mechanical drive systems are used to transfer drive power to cutting unit working units, then drive power can be transferred, but structural effort increases and the system is exposed to strong vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical drive systems with electric motors to eliminate cardan shafts, gears, and transmissions. Each cutting unit working unit is equipped with its own electric drive, converting mechanical power transfer to electrical power distribution, thereby reducing structural complexity and vibration exposure.
2Measurement precision
If additional sensors are installed for precise control of cutting unit working units, then control precision is improved, but costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes existing sensors serve multiple functions: they monitor both the electric motor operation and the cutting unit working unit performance. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for additional dedicated sensors, maintaining control precision while reducing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The existing sensor systems and control units automatically provide the necessary measurement and control functions for cutting unit working units without requiring additional specialized sensors. The system uses its own existing resources to achieve precise control.
3Adaptability or versatility
If hydraulic motors are used to drive cutting unit working units, then drive flexibility is achieved, but the ratio of supplied and output power is unfavorable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces hydraulic motor systems with electric motors, eliminating hydraulic fluid power transmission. Electric motors directly convert electrical energy to mechanical energy with higher efficiency, improving the power ratio while maintaining the flexibility to independently control each cutting unit working unit.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2c
AI summary
The invention relates to an agricultural machine (1) with a cutting unit (2) and a control unit (14), wherein the cutting unit (2) has electric drives (8) for operating cutting unit working units (3), wherein the agricultural machine (1) has at least one power conversion system (12) for operating the electric drives (8), wherein the electric drives (8) and/or the power conversion system (12) have at least one sensor system (15) required for operating and controlling the respective electric drive (8) of the cutting unit working units (3), wherein the control unit (14) is configured to generate load signals (19) from measurement signals (18) of the sensor system (15) and to derive operating states (20) of the cutting unit working units (3) from the load signals (19).and to control the cutting unit working units (3) based on the operating state (20) and/or to adapt a harvesting control strategy (21) of the agricultural working machine (1) to the operating state (20).