Linear Side-Shake Control for Combine Sieve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional side-shaking mechanisms in combine harvesters are inefficient due to arc movement, requiring larger and more expensive actuators to compensate for vibrational stress, which limits the size of sieves and reduces efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A side-shaking control system with a mounting device rigidly attached to the combine chassis, featuring a lower and upper plate that rotate to provide linear motion, and pivot arms that allow the sieve to move diagonally or in a straight line, reducing the need for oversized actuators and enhancing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional side-shaking mechanisms are used with fixed chassis mounting, then the mechanism can provide side-to-side motion, but the sieve moves in arc motion (non-linear) reducing efficiency and requiring larger actuators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the actuator mounting point move together with the sieve during fore-aft and vertical motion, rather than being fixed to the chassis. This dynamic mounting ensures the actuator always pushes in the correct direction relative to the sieve's instantaneous position, eliminating arc motion and enabling linear side-shaking motion. The actuator mounting portion is coupled to the sieve or its support structure, allowing it to follow the sieve's motion轨迹.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mounting structure that couples the actuator to the sieve or its support rather than directly to the fixed chassis. This intermediary allows the actuator's force to be transmitted effectively while accommodating the sieve's fore-aft and vertical motion, converting the actuator's linear motion into the sieve's diagonal side-shaking motion without the harmful arc trajectory.
2Force
If actuators are made larger to compensate for vibrational stress from arc motion, then more force is available, but space is consumed that could be used for larger sieves
Solution Approach 1:
By making the actuator mounting dynamic rather than fixed, the actuator operates under optimal conditions with reduced vibrational stress. The actuator pushes in the correct direction relative to the sieve's motion, minimizing lateral forces and vibrational loads. This allows the use of smaller, more compact actuators that generate the same effective side-shaking force, freeing up space for larger sieves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful arc motion and vibrational stress into beneficial linear side-shaking motion. By dynamically adjusting the mounting position to follow the sieve's motion, the system eliminates the harmful components of the motion trajectory while maintaining the useful side-to-side shaking action, thereby reducing the force capacity requirements of the actuator.
3Ease of manufacture
If the actuator is rigidly fixed to the chassis, then the mounting is simple, but the actuator must handle additional vibrational stress from the sieve's fore-aft and vertical motion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic mounting system where the actuator's mounting point is coupled to the sieve or its support structure, allowing it to move fore-aft and vertically with the sieve. This dynamic coupling eliminates the accumulation of vibrational stress that would occur with a fixed rigid mounting, as the mounting naturally absorbs and accommodates the sieve's motion轨迹, thereby improving actuator durability and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system serves itself by using the sieve's own motion to define the actuator's mounting trajectory. The actuator mounting portion moves passively with the sieve's fore-aft and vertical motion, automatically adjusting its position to maintain optimal force transmission without requiring additional active control or complex mechanisms, thereby improving reliability while keeping the system relatively simple.
Data Source
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AI summary
A combine side-shaking control system includes a sieve for separating crop material from other materials and configured to move in a fore-aft direction. At least one side-shaking assembly includes a mounting device attached to a combine chassis, a lower plate configured to rotate about a lower plate axis and an upper plate configured to (i) have an upper plate rotational motion and rotate responsive to the rotation of the lower plate and (ii) have an upper plate substantially linear motion in a substantially linear direction. A fixed arm is rotatably coupled to the upper plate and attached to the sieve. An actuation device is configured to rotate the lower plate about the lower plate axis. Responsive to the rotation of the upper plate, the sieve is controlled to move diagonal to the fore-aft direction in the substantially linear direction of the upper plate substantially linear motion.