Electric Muck-Out Fork Vibration Decoupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric muck-out forks for animal excrement face issues with reliable contact maintenance during vibration due to shared current and mechanical coupling, leading to contact interruptions and soot buildup.
Innovation Solution
Mechanical and electrical decoupling of the electromechanical actuation element from the vibration device using damping elements or amplifiers, along with a contactless electronic switch, and strategic placement of the switch element on a grip separate from the handle to minimize vibration transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the electromechanical actuation element and vibration device share the same handle and current, then device complexity is reduced, but contact reliability deteriorates due to vibration-induced contact interruptions and soot buildup
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the handle into two separate handles: a first handle for the electromechanical actuation element and a second handle for the vibration device. This segmentation physically separates the switching mechanism from the vibration source, preventing vibration-induced contact interruptions while maintaining electrical connection through a common power supply.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a damping element as an intermediary between the two handles. This damping element absorbs and attenuates vibrations before they can affect the electromechanical actuation element, providing additional protection against contact reliability issues while allowing the system to remain compact.
2Productivity
If the contact tongues are exposed to powerful vibrations during shaking, then the fork can effectively separate excrement from bedding, but the contact tongues suffer from mechanical instability and damage
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the electromechanical actuation element from the vibration device into different handles, the patent ensures that the contact tongues remain in a stable, non-vibrating environment while the vibration device independently performs the separation function with full mechanical force.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the electromechanical switching mechanism from the vibrating environment by placing it in a separate handle. This extraction protects the sensitive contact tongues from the harmful effects of powerful vibrations while maintaining the fork's ability to separate excrement from bedding material through the vibration device.
3Device complexity
If the activation current flows through the electromechanical actuation element, then the system uses fewer components, but current and voltage peaks during switching cause damage to the actuation element
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an electronic amplifier as an intermediary in the current path. The amplifier buffers the electromechanical actuation element from harmful current and voltage peaks by providing impedance matching and controlled signal transmission, thereby protecting the actuation element while maintaining efficient power transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct electrical connection with an electronically controlled amplification stage. This substitution allows for sophisticated current management including peak suppression, soft switching, and protected commutation, thereby extending the durability of the electromechanical actuation element while maintaining system simplicity.
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
Ensures prolonged reliable operation by protecting the actuation element from current and voltage peaks and reducing vibration transmission, preventing contact interruptions and soot buildup.
Implementation Method 1
an indirect, i.e., non-direct, mechanical and/or electrical coupling is present. Such an indirect coupling would be provided, for example, via a damping element, which allows mechanical vibrations or electrical switch-on/switch-off pulses coming from the vibration device to pass through to the electromechanical switch only to the damped extent
Implementation Method 2
an amplifier, for example, could also be used as the electric decoupling device, with an actuator coupled to the output connections of said amplifier, while the electromechanical actuation element is attached to the input thereof, wherein the spikes occurring at the output are reduced only by the inverse amplification factor 1/A of the amplifier
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a fork (1) for collecting animal excrement, in particular horse droppings, comprising a handle (2) and a plurality of tines (3), which, after activation of an electromechanical actuation element (4), can be set into rapid vibration by a vibration device (5) arranged in the handle (2) so as to separate the animal excrement from shavings and other bedding material. The electromechanical actuation element (4) is mechanically and/or electrically decoupled from the vibration device (5).