Mower Combination Automated Conveyor Control for Uniform Swath Tapering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of mower combinations face stress and fatigue due to the need to constantly monitor and adjust conveyor units to achieve compact swaths in varying field shapes and sizes, as existing systems lack automated control for uniform tapering.
Innovation Solution
A control unit that receives and compares signals for crop boundary data, field boundary data, and conveyor unit displacement, allowing for automated adjustment of conveyor units to achieve uniform tapers, reducing operator intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the operator manually monitors and adjusts conveyor units to create compact swaths, then the swath quality is improved, but the operator stress and fatigue increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit automatically monitors and adjusts the conveyor units based on received signals, enabling the system to self-regulate swath formation without continuous operator intervention. The system serves itself by comparing actual conveyor positions with target positions and making automatic corrections.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit receives signals representing conveyor unit positions and field boundary data, compares these with target values, and uses this feedback to automatically adjust conveyor unit positions. This closed-loop control ensures consistent swath quality without requiring operator monitoring.
2Manufacturing precision
If the conveyor units are manually adjusted throughout multiple fields, then the swath uniformity is maintained, but the working time and operator effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The automated control system continuously monitors and adjusts conveyor units without operator intervention, maintaining swath uniformity across multiple fields while eliminating the time operators would spend on manual adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit operates continuously throughout the mowing process, constantly receiving signals, comparing positions, and adjusting conveyor units to maintain uniform swath formation without interruption or manual intervention.
3Manufacturing precision
If the conveyor units are displaceable to create tapers, then the swath compactness at ends is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit receives feedback signals about conveyor unit positions and field boundaries, automatically calculating and executing the precise displacements needed to create tapers at swath ends, managing the complexity through automated control logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary between the sensors detecting field boundaries and the conveyor units requiring adjustment, processing information and coordinating the complex interactions between multiple components to achieve tapered swath formation.
Data Source
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Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
A mower combination comprises an agricultural vehicle and a number of mowing units suitable for cutting a standing crop connected to the agricultural vehicle, including a front mowing unit and two lateral mowing units located behind and to the sides of the front mowing unit, each of the lateral mowing units being provided with conveyor units to deposit the cut crop as a swath. The mower combination further comprises a control unit receiving a plurality of signals representing unprocessed crop boundary data, field boundary data, and data relating to the lateral displacement of each of the lateral mowing unit. The control unit compares the signals against a predetermined target set of values and can adjust the lateral displacement of at least one conveyor unit based on this comparison. This allows for production of repeatedly uniform tapers of a desired configuration.