Lateral Conveyor Hinge Mechanism for Compact Mower Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mowers face challenges in reducing their width during transport to fit within the maximum legal transport width, especially when they are large, which restricts their size and makes them difficult to pass through doors or store safely.
Innovation Solution
The mower incorporates a second hinge connection between the conveyor aggregate and the carrier arm, allowing the lateral conveyor to be divided into foldable parts, reducing the mower's width and height in the transport position, and utilizing four-member mechanisms for better control and balance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the mower is designed with large mowing aggregates to increase productivity, then the mowing width and efficiency are improved, but the transport width exceeds the maximum legal limit for road transport
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral conveyor is divided into multiple segments through the introduction of a second hinge connection, allowing it to be folded into compact sections for transport while maintaining its full extended function during operation. This segmentation enables the conveyor to be broken down into manageable parts that can be stored within the legal transport width limits.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier arm is designed with dual hinge connections that enable dynamic reconfiguration between working and transport positions. The first hinge allows swinging between lateral and rearward positions, while the second hinge enables additional folding of the conveyor aggregate, creating a dynamically adaptable structure that optimizes both operational and transport configurations.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the lateral conveyor is rigidly mounted to maintain structural stability, then the conveyor stability is improved, but the transport width cannot be reduced below legal limits
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier arm incorporates two hinge connections that enable dynamic reconfiguration between stable working positions and compact transport positions. The dual-hinge design maintains structural stability during operation while allowing significant width reduction during transport, resolving the contradiction between stability and compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor structure is segmented into multiple foldable sections connected by hinges, allowing it to maintain rigidity and stability when extended for operation while being capable of folding into a compact configuration for transport within legal width limits.
3Length of moving object
If the mower width is reduced for transport to fit legal limits, then the transportability is improved, but the storage space requirements and maneuverability are affected
Solution Approach 1:
The dual-hinge mechanism enables the mower to dynamically transition between a compact transport configuration for narrow passages and road transport, and a fully extended working configuration for optimal mowing performance and maneuverability in the field.
Solution Approach 2:
The segmented conveyor and carrier arm structure allows components to be nested or folded within each other during transport, reducing the overall width to fit legal limits while maintaining the capability to extend to full working width for operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The mower (1) comprises two elongated mowing aggregates (8), each at one end being hinged to a tractor frame (2), which can be connected to a tractor, for swinging in a horizontal plane between a working position in which the mowing aggregates (8) project laterally relative to a vertical centre plane extending in a running direction, and a transport position in which the mowing aggregates (8) project rearwards relative to the running direction. Each of the mowing aggregates (8) comprises a frame (10) and each has a front and a rear relative to the running direction in the working position. At least one of the mowing aggregates (8) has a lateral conveyor (16) for conveying mowed crop laterally, which lateral conveyor (16) is located behind the mowing aggregate (8) in a working position, and which lateral conveyor (16) comprises a conveyor aggregate (16a) with a front edge (16b) and a rear edge (16c) and at least one carrier arm (17) which is connected to the conveyor aggregate (16a) at its rear edge (16c) and which is hinged by a hinge connection (23) to the frame (10) of the mowing aggregate (8) for swinging of the lateral conveyor (16) between an active working position and a passive transport position. A second hinge connection (21, 22) is positioned between the conveyor aggregate (16) and the end of the carrier arm (17) which is connected to the frame (10) of the mowing aggregate (8).