Hydraulic Support Wheel Coupling for Uneven Terrain Compensation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing agricultural tillage devices face issues with uneven ground causing support wheels to lift off, leading to uneven loads and potential damage, and existing solutions are complex, expensive, and prone to faults due to reliance on sensors and data processing systems.

Innovation Solution

Hydraulically coupling support wheels allows for compensation of uneven ground without the need for sensors, simplifying the system and ensuring even weight distribution by moving wheels in opposite directions or adjusting their height to maintain contact with the ground.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If sensors are used to detect support wheel positions and control hydraulic cylinders, then ground unevenness can be compensated, but the system becomes complex, expensive, and prone to malfunctions due to sensor contamination and data processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveground compensation reliabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates the sensors and data processing systems from the ground compensation mechanism. Instead of using sensors to detect wheel positions and control hydraulic cylinders, the invention uses a purely mechanical linkage system where the hydraulic cylinders are directly connected to the support wheels through linkages, allowing automatic compensation without electronic components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The mechanical linkage system enables the support wheels to automatically compensate for ground unevenness through their own movement. When one wheel encounters uneven terrain, the mechanical linkage automatically adjusts the hydraulic cylinders to maintain proper wheel contact, making the system self-regulating without external control systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If sensors and data processing systems are installed to level uneven ground, then compensation can be achieved, but operation and maintenance costs increase due to complex data transmission and processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveground leveling reliabilityVSAvoidoperation and maintenance ease
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the electronic control system (sensors, data transmission, processing) with a mechanical system. The mechanical linkages directly connect the support wheels to the hydraulic cylinder control mechanisms, translating wheel position changes into automatic hydraulic adjustments without requiring electronic sensing or processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses hydraulic cylinders with mechanical linkage control to achieve ground compensation. The hydraulic system responds automatically to mechanical inputs from the support wheel movements, providing smooth and controlled adjustment of wheel positions through fluid pressure changes driven by the mechanical linkage system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

3Device complexity

If support wheels are independently mounted without hydraulic coupling, then the device structure is simple, but uneven ground causes wheels to lift off creating uneven loads and potential damage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice structure simplicityVSAvoidsupport wheel reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the support wheels into a hydraulically coupled system through mechanical linkages. The hydraulic cylinders are mechanically connected to multiple support wheels, creating an integrated system where the wheels work together as a unified support structure rather than independent units, allowing them to collectively respond to ground unevenness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The hydraulic coupling system creates a counterbalancing effect where movement of one support wheel on uneven terrain is compensated by corresponding adjustment of other wheels through the hydraulic-mechanical linkage system. This distributes the load variations and prevents any single wheel from bearing excessive uneven loads that could cause damage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #8Anti-weight (Counterweight)

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 reduces the likelihood of faults, eliminates the need for complex data processing, and ensures efficient compensation for ground unevenness, maintaining even weight distribution and extending the lifespan of support wheels.

Implementation Method 1

the support wheels, at least two of which (51, 52) are hydraulically coupled to each other

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHydraulic pressure transmission: Pascal's Law

Data Source

PatentEP3022997B1Agricultural soil cultivation device
Publication Date: 2019.05.01 KVERNELAND AS
  • EP3022997B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP3022997B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6
  • EP3022997B1 patent drawingFigure 7~9

AI summary

An agricultural soil cultivation device (1) is described which has support wheels (51, 52, 53, 54) for supporting the soil cultivation device (1) on the ground, wherein at least two of the support wheels (51, 52, 53, 54) are coupled to each other via a hydraulically designed compensation device (81, 82, 83, 84) for compensating for uneven ground.