Hinged Frame Auger Conveyor for Undulating Terrain
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Larger row crop harvesting heads struggle to accurately follow undulating terrain, leading to crop fouling and damage due to their inability to conform to varying field surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A row crop harvesting head design featuring a hinged frame with universal joints and auger conveyor sections that pivot and translate, allowing the head to adapt to terrain changes while minimizing stress on joints and preventing crop damage through strategic placement of bearings and seals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the harvesting head is made longer to increase harvesting width, then productivity is improved, but the ability to follow undulating terrain deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The harvesting head is divided into multiple hinged sections that can pivot independently relative to each other. Each section can adapt to local terrain variations while maintaining the overall harvesting width, thus resolving the contradiction between increased productivity and terrain following ability.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinged connections between sections allow the harvesting head to dynamically adjust its configuration to match undulating terrain. The sections can pivot and translate to conform to the ground surface, maintaining adaptability while achieving large harvesting width through multiple connected sections.
2Strength
If universal joints are positioned close to the pivot axis, then stress on joints is reduced, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The universal joint is nested within the cantilevered stub tube structure, with the bearing positioned to support the joint. This nested arrangement allows the universal joint to be located close to the pivot axis for reduced stress while integrating multiple functional elements (stub tube, bearing, seal) in a compact configuration that manages structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing acts as an intermediary element between the universal joint and the hinged frame section. It supports the universal joint and allows controlled movement while reducing stress concentrations, enabling the joint to be positioned optimally close to the pivot axis without excessive structural complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the bearing is positioned to support the auger section, then the auger can pivot and translate smoothly, but axial stress on the universal joint increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing is positioned to support the auger section in a location that allows pivoting and translating movement while the universal joint is positioned in a different spatial dimension (close to the pivot axis). This dimensional separation allows smooth operation of the auger while minimizing axial stress transmission to the universal joint through the cantilevered stub tube structure.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An auger conveyor (104) is provided for a row crop harvesting head (100) that has a hinged frame (102). The auger conveyor (104) has a first section (122) that is coupled to a second section (120, 124) with a universal joint (130).