Agricultural Material Transfer Assembly for Low-Compaction Harvesting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing agricultural vehicles face inefficiencies in transferring agricultural materials, particularly in terms of power consumption and soil compaction, due to the need for extensive mechanical and hydraulic systems during material transfer, and often require large storage tanks that increase weight and operational costs.

Innovation Solution

A receiving vehicle equipped with a transfer assembly that includes a conveyor system powered by its own power sources, allowing for efficient transfer of agricultural materials without relying on the transferring vehicle's power, and minimizing soil compaction by aligning with the transferring vehicle's tram lines, thus reducing the need for on-board storage tanks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the transferring vehicle uses its own power sources and mechanical systems to unload agricultural material, then the transferring vehicle can independently transfer material, but the power consumption increases and the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveindependent material transfer capabilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The receiving vehicle acts as an intermediary by providing its own power source and transfer assembly to receive and transfer material from the harvesting vehicle. This eliminates the need for the harvesting vehicle to have its own unloading system, reducing its power consumption and complexity while maintaining independent transfer capability through the receiving vehicle's system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of the transferring vehicle performing the unloading operation using its own systems, the receiving vehicle performs the transfer operation using its own power source. This inversion of the traditional unloading approach reduces the burden on the transferring vehicle's power and mechanical systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Quantity of substance

If the transferring vehicle is equipped with large storage tanks for agricultural material, then the storage capacity increases, but the vehicle weight increases and operational costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage capacityVSAvoidvehicle weight

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The storage function is extracted from the transferring vehicle and placed in the receiving vehicle. The receiving vehicle's storage area serves as the storage location, allowing the transferring vehicle to operate with minimal or no on-board storage capacity, thereby reducing its weight and operational costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Productivity

If the transfer assembly operates extensively to transfer agricultural material, then the material transfer efficiency improves, but the soil compaction increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematerial transfer efficiencyVSAvoidsoil compaction

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces extensive mechanical movement of the transfer assembly with a more efficient transfer mechanism. The conveyor system transfers material directly from the harvesting vehicle to the receiving vehicle's storage area, minimizing the need for repeated mechanical operations that would cause soil compaction while maintaining high transfer efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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 conserves power on the transferring vehicle, reduces soil compaction, and decreases the size and weight of the transferring vehicle, leading to cost savings and improved operational efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

The conveyor can be configured to transfer the agricultural material received at the second end to the first end

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectConveyor mechanism:

Data Source

PatentUS20260007100A1Systems and methods for transferring agricultural material

Publication Date: 2026.01.08 DEERE & CO

AI summary

A receiving vehicle can include a transfer assembly for transferring agricultural material from a transferring vehicle to the receiving vehicle as the transferring vehicle is performing a harvesting operation, and while the receiving and transferring vehicles travel along a field. The transfer assembly can be selectively displaceable between a retracted, or compacted, state and an extended state. At the extended state, a transfer body of the transfer assembly can be positioned to receive agricultural material released from the transferring vehicle. The agricultural material can be released from the transferring vehicle in a variety of manners, including via reliance on gravitational forces. The transfer assembly can include one or more conveyors that are driven using power from the receiving vehicle to convey the received agricultural material along the transfer body and to a location at which the agricultural material can be dispensed into a storage area of the receiving vehicle.