Movable Door Grain Cart for Breakthrough Unloading

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Solution Overview

Problem

During agricultural harvesting, grain carts face challenges in accommodating the unloader of a combine harvester during breakthrough passes, where there is inadequate space for the grain cart to travel alongside the harvester while allowing the unloader to fully extend, leading to difficulties in offloading grain efficiently.

Innovation Solution

The grain cart design includes movable doors that can open to accommodate a partially extended unloader, allowing it to pass beyond the cart's side, with actuation systems to pivot or slide doors to expose openings, ensuring the unloader can extend and unload grain effectively even in tight spaces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the grain cart travels closer to the combine harvester during breakthrough passes, then harvesting efficiency is improved and grain transfer time is reduced, but the unloader cannot fully extend due to inadequate space

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveharvesting efficiencyVSAvoidunloader extension length

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The door is made movable between a closed position (when unloader is retracted) and an open position (when unloader extends), allowing the grain cart to dynamically adapt its configuration based on the unloader's extension state. This enables the grain cart to travel closer to the harvester during breakthrough passes while accommodating the unloader's full extension when space permits.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the door is kept closed to maintain bin integrity, then grain containment is improved, but the unloader cannot extend fully during breakthrough passes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegrain containmentVSAvoidunloader extension capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The movable door transitions between closed and open states based on operational requirements, maintaining grain containment when the unloader is retracted and allowing full extension when space permits during breakthrough passes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The door is opened in advance before the unloader extends during breakthrough passes, ensuring that the unloader can fully extend without interference from the closed door, while maintaining grain containment during normal operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If the door opens to accommodate the unloader, then the unloader can extend and unload grain effectively, but the bin opening is exposed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveunloader extensionVSAvoidbin opening area

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The door dynamically opens only when the unloader needs to extend during breakthrough passes, and closes when the unloader is retracted, minimizing the exposed bin opening area while maintaining operational capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4321415A1Agricultural vehicles for collecting grain or other agricultural material

Publication Date: 2024.02.14 DEERE & CO

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AI summary

Grain carts have movable doors to provide access to an interior cavity. Grain carts may have more than one door, and the one or more doors are movable between an open position to expose one or more openings and a closed position to conceal one or more openings formed in one or more sides of a bin of the grain cart.