Lateral Offset Biomass Transfer Device with Intermediate Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for collecting and transporting stalk-like biomass, such as straw or grass, often result in downtime and crop loss due to the need to stop harvesting when switching transport vehicles and the inability to collect crops while navigating tight bends.
Innovation Solution
A transfer device with a pivotable unit for lateral crop pickup and comminution, an intermediate store, and a conveying device that allows continuous collection and transfer of crops to a transport vehicle, enabling uninterrupted operation and efficient loading even around tight curves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a forage wagon collects and transports crops directly, then the collection and transport function is integrated, but the wagon cannot be used to collect further crops while transporting, resulting in downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional units: a stationary transfer device for continuous collection and shredding, and mobile transport vehicles for conveyance. This segmentation allows the transfer device to operate continuously while multiple transport vehicles can be sequentially loaded, eliminating downtime associated with integrated wagon operations.
Solution Approach 2:
A transfer device acts as an intermediary between the crop collection area and transport vehicles. This intermediate facility with its intermediate storage unit enables continuous collection operations while transport vehicles are loaded or repositioned, resolving the conflict between collection continuity and transport mobility.
2Productivity
If the transfer device includes an intermediate storage unit, then continuous collection and transfer is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate storage unit receives and temporarily holds shredded crop material before transfer to the transport vehicle. This preliminary storage action enables the collection and shredding operations to continue uninterrupted while the transport vehicle is positioned or loaded, achieving continuity without requiring complex real-time coordination systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate storage unit maintains continuous operation by buffering the output of the shredding unit from the loading process. This ensures that the collection and shredding functions can operate continuously without interruption for vehicle loading or repositioning, achieving uninterrupted useful action through simple storage buffering.
3Ease of operation
If the pivotable unit is folded downwards for crop pickup, then lateral offset collection is achieved, but the device occupies more space during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable unit is designed with dynamic positioning capability, allowing it to be folded downwards laterally during crop collection operations to achieve offset pickup, and folded upwards when not in use to minimize space occupation. This dynamic reconfiguration resolves the contradiction between operational lateral access and static space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotable unit transitions between different spatial configurations by folding in the lateral dimension. When deployed, it extends laterally to collect crops offset from the main vehicle path; when stowed, it folds upward and inward to minimize the footprint. This dimensional transformation allows the system to accommodate both lateral collection needs and space constraints.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a load transfer device (2) for the laterally offset collection and transfer of harvested material (4), in particular of stalk-like biomass, to a transport vehicle, comprising a pivotable unit (3) for picking up the harvested material (4) from the ground in a laterally offset manner and for conveying the harvested material (4) to a shredding unit (5) designed to shred the harvested material, wherein the pivotable unit (3) is pivotable between a use position folded out downward in the direction of the ground and laterally and a stowing position folded in upward and laterally; an intermediate store (6) for receiving the shredded harvested material (4); a conveying device (7) arranged in the intermediate store (6) for conveying the shredded harvested material (4) out of the intermediate store (6) to a load transfer unit (8) of the load transfer device (2), by means of which the shredded harvested material (4) can be conveyed into a load compartment of the transport vehicle arranged laterally beside the load transfer device (2), in particular over a load compartment wall of the load compartment.