Self-Propelled Mower with Retractable Wings for Slope Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mowers for slope faces face issues such as increased machine size, incomplete cutting due to inflexible blades, and risk of the control truck falling off, especially when dealing with curved slopes and high places.
Innovation Solution
A self-propelled mower with a simplified structure, adjustable mowing width, and a straddle-type mover body that straddles a guard rail, equipped with retractable and extendable wings, suspension ropes, and angle sensors to prevent falling, allowing for efficient cutting on curved slopes and high places.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a moving vehicle with a suspending device of a telescopic arm type is used, then the mower can operate on slope faces, but the size of the machine increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mower is divided into separate functional modules: a compact self-propelled mower body and a separate straddle-type mover body that can straddle guard rails. This segmentation allows the mower to achieve slope face operation capability without requiring a large integrated suspending device, thus reducing the overall machine size while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
A cable suspension mechanism acts as an intermediary between the self-propelled mower and the straddle-type mover. The cable transfers the propulsion force from the mover to the mower, enabling the mower to operate on slope faces without directly integrating a complex suspending device into the mower structure.
2Device complexity
If rigid blades are used for mowing, then the structure is simple, but weeds remain uncut on curved slopes
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly is designed with dynamic adjustment capability through a parallel mechanism that allows the blade to change its orientation and position in real-time. This enables the blade to adapt to curved slope surfaces while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure, achieving both structural simplicity and cutting completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade's spatial parameters (position and orientation) are dynamically changed to match the curvature of the slope surface. The parallel mechanism enables the blade to adjust its degrees of freedom, allowing it to conform to curved surfaces while maintaining cutting effectiveness.
3Productivity
If the control truck operates on steep slopes, then mowing coverage is increased, but the risk of falling off increases
Solution Approach 1:
A cable suspension mechanism serves as an intermediary safety system between the self-propelled mower and the straddle-type mover. This cable system prevents the mower from falling off steep slopes by providing a physical restraint, while still allowing the mover to operate on steep slopes to maintain increased mowing coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable suspension system provides beforehand cushioning by preventing falls before they can occur. The cable is positioned and tensioned in advance to catch the mower if it slips or loses traction on steep slopes, thus protecting against the harmful effect of falling while allowing operation on steep terrain.
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
The self-propelled mower effectively adjusts mowing width, ensures complete cutting, and prevents falling, enabling safe and efficient operation on curved slopes and high places, including pruning of standing trees.
Implementation Method 1
a pulley that is pivoted to an upper end of the suspension rope so as to be freely rotated such that the pulley moves through the spanning cable in accordance with a movement of the mover main body
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem] To provide a hard-to-fall self-propelled mower which has a relatively simplified structure and an adjustable mowing width, is usable for a curved slope face, and enables a pruning work at a high place. [Solution] A self-propelled mower includes a self-propellable mover main body (10); at least one of a battery (11), an electric generator, and an engine, provided inside; a protruding wing (19) that protrudes sideward from sides of the mover main body (10), the protruding wing (19) being retractable and an extension length of the protruding wing (19) being variable; a plurality of mowing units (30) provided protruding from a front face of the mover main body (10) and a front face of the protruding wing (19), each mowing unit (30) including a movable blade (33) that reciprocates or rotates to cut grasses driven by an electric motor (37) or an engine, provided in each mowing unit (30), the electric motor (37) being powered by the battery (11) or the electric generator. The mover main body (10) moves on a slope face while being towed, via a traction rope (61), by a straddle-type mover body (4) that moves straddling on a guard rail (90) installed on a top of a slope of a bank; or moves on the ground or in the air while being suspended by a suspension rope (73) hung from a spanning cable (71) spanning in the air.