Hinged Agricultural Equipment for Compact Transport Folding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural equipment with larger wingspans often faces transportation challenges due to larger folded envelopes, which can be too wide or tall for standard roadways and overpasses.
Innovation Solution
A work machine design with a main section, inner and outer wings, flippers, and a height control assembly, allowing for a greater deployed wingspan while folding into a compact transport package through hinged connections and actuators, with height-controlled ground interface mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the equipment has a larger wingspan for operation, then the operational performance is improved, but the folded envelope size increases making transportation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The equipment is divided into multiple sections (main section, inner wings, outer wings, flippers) that can be folded relative to each other. The flippers are pivotable relative to the outer wings about transverse axes, allowing the wingspan to be extended during operation while enabling compact folding during transportation.
Solution Approach 2:
The flippers pivot about axes that extend in a direction transverse to the travel direction, utilizing a different spatial dimension for wing extension. This allows the wingspan to increase in one dimension while the folded envelope dimensions are controlled through the hinge mechanisms.
2Length of moving object
If the envelope is made wider to accommodate larger wingspan, then the operational wingspan is improved, but the equipment becomes difficult to transport across standard roadways
Solution Approach 1:
The equipment features dynamic hinge mechanisms that allow the wingspan to be adjusted between operational and transport configurations. The flippers are pivotable relative to the outer wings, enabling the structure to adapt its dimensions based on whether it is being operated or transported.
3Length of moving object
If the envelope is made taller to accommodate larger wingspan, then the operational wingspan is improved, but the equipment cannot be transported under lower overpasses
Solution Approach 1:
The wing structure is segmented into main section, inner wings, and outer wings with flippers that can be folded independently. This segmentation allows the wingspan to be extended during operation while enabling the structure to be compacted to fit under overpasses during transportation.
Data Source
AI summary
An example work machine generally includes a main section, a pair of inner wings, a pair of outer wings, a pair of flippers, a work assembly, a ground interface assembly, and a height control assembly. The flippers are pivotable relative to the outer wings about axes that extend in a direction transverse to the travel direction of the work machine. Each flipper includes at least one corresponding work component and at least one corresponding ground interface mechanism. The height control assembly is operable to adjust heights of the work components relative to a ground surface.