Individually Controlled Harvesting Element Drive
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural harvesting machines, such as corn picker heads, face issues with blockages during the cutting and conveying process, leading to interruptions and significant debris left behind, especially with wider working widths, as all cutting and conveying elements are driven during reversing, causing harvested goods to be conveyed back and remain on the field.
Innovation Solution
The attachment allows for independent control of each cutting and conveying element's drive, enabling switching, reversing, or disabling of individual elements from the driver's stand, using separate clutches or dedicated motors, and a central control unit with preselectable algorithms for targeted operation during blockages, along with a dedicated hydraulic system for efficient energy use and overload protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all cutting and conveying elements are driven during reversing, then the blockage can be eliminated by reversing the drive, but the harvested goods are conveyed back and remain on the field as debris
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cutting and conveying elements into individually controllable segments. Each element can be independently driven or stopped via separate clutches, allowing selective operation during reversing to prevent debris formation while eliminating blockages in affected areas only.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different operational states to different parts of the system during reversing. Instead of uniformly driving all elements, the control system selectively activates only those elements necessary for blockage elimination, maintaining local operational quality and preventing unnecessary debris.
2Productivity
If the working width of the attachment is increased, then the harvesting productivity is improved, but the amount of debris remaining on the field during reversing increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the control of each cutting and conveying element, the patent enables selective operation across the working width. This allows the attachment to maintain wide working capability while minimizing debris by activating only the necessary elements during reversing operations.
3Ease of operation
If a mechanical drive train with angular gear mechanisms is used, then the cutting and conveying elements can be driven from the internal combustion engine, but blockages require interruption of travel movement and reversing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic control capabilities to the mechanical drive train through individually controllable clutches for each cutting and conveying element. This allows the system to adapt its operation in real-time, enabling selective stopping and reversing of specific elements to eliminate blockages without requiring complete system shutdown or travel interruption.
Data Source
AI summary
An attachment for agricultural harvesting machines for cutting, picking up and further conveying of stalk-like goods that flow into an intake gap of an intake housing of the harvesting machine for further processing, having in each case at least two cutting and conveying elements, which are spaced apart on both sides of a vertical longitudinal center plane and are driven rotationally about vertical axes, wherein the rotational direction of at least one cutting and conveying element can be changed independently of the other cutting and conveying elements of the attachment.