Forming Shield Position Control for Repeatable Windrow Shaping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing work vehicles for processing crop materials lack efficient and automated systems for configuring and controlling windrowing arrangements, leading to suboptimal windrow formation and yield measurement.
Innovation Solution
A windrowing work vehicle equipped with a control system that includes a processor, memory element, and actuator, allowing for automatic and programmable movement of forming shields to adjust their position based on stored settings, enabling precise windrow formation and yield measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If forming shield position is manually adjusted, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity decreases due to time-consuming manual reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The control system stores optimal forming shield position settings for different windrowing conditions and locations in advance. When the work vehicle returns to a previously worked location, the system automatically retrieves and applies the stored position settings, eliminating the need for manual reconfiguration and speeding up subsequent operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates and stores copies of optimal forming shield position configurations for different field locations and crop conditions. These stored configurations can be quickly recalled and applied, allowing the operator to replicate successful windrowing setups without manually recreating them, thereby improving operational efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If forming shield position is frequently changed, then adaptability to different windrowing conditions improves, but loss of time increases due to repeated adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
Optimal forming shield positions for various windrowing scenarios are predetermined and stored in the control system's memory. When the work vehicle reaches a stored location, the system automatically retrieves the pre-calculated position settings and applies them, eliminating the time-consuming process of manual adjustment while maintaining adaptability to different conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses location sensors and GPS to detect the work vehicle's position and automatically selects the appropriate forming shield configuration from stored settings. This feedback mechanism ensures the correct configuration is applied without manual intervention, reducing time loss while maintaining adaptability to different field conditions and locations.
3Manufacturing precision
If automated control system is implemented, then manufacturing precision of windrow formation improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system serves multiple functions: it stores position settings, detects work vehicle location via GPS and location sensors, retrieves appropriate configurations, and controls actuator movement. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional control unit, the system achieves precise windrow formation without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical adjustment of forming shields with automated electronic control. The processor sends electrical signals to actuators, which precisely position the forming shields according to stored settings. This substitution of mechanical manual operation with electro-mechanical automation improves positioning precision while the modular design keeps complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
A forming shield arrangement configured for a windrowing work vehicle is supported for movement by a support structure. The forming shield arrangement is configured to at least partly shape a windrow of a crop material. A method of operating the forming shield arrangement includes receiving, by a processor of a control system from a memory element, a stored position setting that corresponds to a position of the forming shield arrangement relative to the support structure. The method also includes processing, by the processor, a positioning control signal based, at least in part, on the stored position setting. Moreover, the method includes changing, with an actuator, the position of the forming shield arrangement according to the positioning control signal.