Harvester Automatic Depth and Level Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural implements, such as sugar beet harvesters, face challenges in maintaining optimal harvesting depth and levelness on uneven terrain, leading to inefficiencies and increased maintenance due to uneven ground surfaces, which result in reduced productivity and crop yield.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a crop harvesting assembly with independently adjustable left and right sides, equipped with ground contacting sensors and hydraulic cylinders, automatically adjusts the vertical position of the assembly to maintain consistent depth and levelness relative to the ground surface, using a computer and user interface to actuate the necessary adjustments based on real-time terrain data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the harvester operates on uneven terrain without level control, then the harvesting process continues without interruption, but the digging depth becomes inconsistent causing excessive dirt pickup and clogging
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses level sensors to continuously monitor the terrain and provides feedback to the control system, which automatically adjusts the harvester frame angle to maintain consistent digging depth. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures reliable operation on uneven terrain by compensating for ground variations in real-time.
Solution Approach 2:
The harvester frame is made dynamically adjustable through independent left and right side elevation mechanisms. The frame angle can be automatically changed in response to terrain conditions, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one that adapts to maintain optimal digging depth across varying ground surfaces.
2Productivity
If the digging depth is increased to harvest crops effectively, then crop harvesting is improved, but excessive dirt and clods are pulled up leading to increased clogging and maintenance downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The level control system provides continuous feedback on digging depth through sensor measurements, allowing the control system to make precise adjustments to maintain optimal digging depth. This prevents both excessive digging that causes clogging and insufficient digging that reduces harvest effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters by automatically adjusting the frame angle and digging depth based on real-time sensor data. This dynamic parameter adjustment ensures consistent optimal digging depth, maximizing crop harvest while minimizing dirt pickup and subsequent maintenance requirements.
3Device complexity
If manual level adjustment is used, then the system structure remains simple, but the operator cannot continuously adapt to terrain changes reducing harvesting precision
Solution Approach 1:
The automatic level control system uses level sensors and a control unit to continuously monitor and adjust the harvester frame angle. This feedback-based automatic control maintains precise digging depth consistency on uneven terrain without requiring complex manual intervention, balancing automation benefits with manageable system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical level adjustment with an automated control system that uses sensors and electronic control. This substitution of mechanical manual operation with automated sensing and control achieves superior digging depth precision while keeping the overall system complexity manageable through modern control technology.
4Manufacturing precision
If the harvester frame is tilted to compensate for uneven terrain, then consistent digging depth is achieved, but the structural complexity and adjustment mechanism complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The frame adjustment system is segmented into independent left and right side elevation mechanisms. This segmentation allows independent control of each side, enabling precise tilt adjustment to compensate for uneven terrain while maintaining manageable complexity through modular, independent adjustment units rather than a single complex mechanism.
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 ensures consistent and efficient harvesting by maintaining the desired depth and levelness of the harvesting assembly, reducing tare, downtime for maintenance, and enhancing overall productivity by automatically adapting to uneven terrain conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a first sensor that relays information pertaining to a first distance between a left reference point of the line of implements and the ground surface and a second sensor that relays information pertaining to a second distance between a right reference point of the line of implements and the ground surface
Implementation Method 2
a first device for adjusting a vertical position of a left side of the apparatus; a right ground contacting element; and a second device for adjusting a vertical position of a right side of the apparatus
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, the disclosure describes an apparatus that harvests crops as the apparatus moves in a direction of travel across a field. The apparatus includes a crop harvesting assembly configured as a line of implements, the line being transverse to the direction of travel. First and second devices for adjusting a vertical position of left and right sides of the apparatus, respectively, are independently operable. Adjustment of a vertical position of at least one of the left and right sides of the apparatus results in tilting the line of implements relative to a horizontal plane defined at a ground surface under left and right ground contacting elements. In other aspects, a method and system are disclosed for automatically positioning a line of implements of an apparatus to follow a ground surface proximate the line of implements.