Movable Bunker Alignment for High-Capacity Crop Loading

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing agricultural machines face challenges in increasing the capacity of the bunker for storing and unloading agricultural products efficiently, particularly when dealing with larger and higher-walled containers, while minimizing the risk of product damage from excessive drop heights and ensuring compliance with road dimensions.

Innovation Solution

The agricultural machine features a movable bunker with a movement mechanism that allows the bunker to displace along a transverse direction, maintaining the outlet side of the supplying conveying device within the bunker during movement, and the discharging conveying device to adjust its position for optimal loading and unloading, with components like movable rods and actuators for precise control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the bunker capacity is increased to store more agricultural products, then the storage capacity is improved, but the risk of product damage from excessive drop height increases when loading into larger containers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebunker capacityVSAvoidproduct damage from drop height

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The bunker is made movable along the transverse direction through a movement mechanism, allowing its position to be dynamically adjusted. This enables the outlet side to maintain optimal alignment with the supplying conveying device regardless of bunker fill level, thereby preventing excessive drop heights while maintaining increased capacity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The supplying conveying device acts as an intermediary element that bridges the bunker and the cart/trailer. By positioning the conveying device between these components and allowing independent movement of the bunker relative to it, the system mediates the transfer process to minimize drop damage while handling larger quantities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the bunker is made movable to optimize positioning for different operating modes, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the movement mechanism

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepositioning flexibilityVSAvoidmovement mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The movement mechanism is segmented into discrete components including movable rods and actuators that can be independently controlled. This modular approach allows the complex positioning task to be broken down into manageable segments, making the overall system more controllable and maintainable despite the increased complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The movement mechanism serves multiple functions: it positions the bunker for optimal receiving of products from the supplying conveying device, enables the bunker to extend beyond legal road width limits during harvesting operations, and allows repositioning for efficient unloading. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing versatile operational capabilities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Quantity of substance

If the bunker extends beyond legal road width limits to increase capacity, then the storage capacity is improved, but the compliance with road dimensions is violated

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebunker capacityVSAvoidroad width compliance

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The bunker's transverse position is made dynamic rather than fixed. During road transport, the movement mechanism repositions the bunker to comply with legal width limits. During harvesting operations, the bunker can extend beyond these limits to maximize capacity, thus dynamically adapting to different operational requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Object-affected harmful factors

If the outlet side of the supplying conveying device reaches into the bunker to reduce drop height, then the product damage is reduced, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct damage from dropVSAvoidconveying device configuration

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of making the conveying device complex and adjustable to reach into the bunker, the invention inverts the approach by making the bunker itself movable. This allows the outlet side to naturally reach into the bunker through relative movement, achieving the same damage reduction effect with simpler conveying device configuration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentEP4677986A1An agricultural machine comprising a movable bunker

Publication Date: 2026.01.14 AVR SA

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AI summary

An agricultural machine is described wherein the bunker (10) is arranged so as to be movable. The agricultural machine (1) furthermore comprises a movement mechanism (14, 16, 18)to cause a displacement of the bunker (10) which is smaller at the location of a supplying conveying device (200) along the transverse direction (D) than a predetermined threshold value, so that it is possible for the outlet side (210) of the supplying conveying device (200) to continue to reach into the bunker (10) while the bunker (10) is moving.