Three-Tool Mowing Device with Height-Adjustable Central Strip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mowing devices for agricultural settings between plant rows cut all vegetation, including flowering plants, which is undesirable as it eliminates essential pollinators and pest control, and cannot adjust height or be used between adjacent rows effectively.
Innovation Solution
A mowing or mulching device with three cutting tools, where a third cutting tool is height-adjustable and positioned to create a vegetation strip, allowing for variable cutting height and retention of flowering vegetation, and can be attached to an agricultural machine for targeted mowing or mulching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If all vegetation between rows of plants is cut off to prevent nutrient competition, then nutrient management is improved, but ecological benefits (pollination and pest control) are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the vegetation management into three distinct segments: a first mowing device cuts vegetation in a first strip adjacent to the first row, a second mowing device cuts vegetation in a second strip adjacent to the second row, and a central vegetation strip remains untouched between them. This segmentation allows selective management where edge vegetation is controlled for nutrient reasons while central flowering vegetation is preserved for ecological benefits.
2Device complexity
If a single mowing position parallel to the ground is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to different row configurations and heights is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs height-adjustable support frames that allow the mowing devices to adapt to different ground levels and plant row configurations. The support frames can be adjusted vertically to accommodate varying row spacings and cutting height requirements, transforming a static single-position system into a dynamic multi-position system.
Solution Approach 2:
The mowing device is designed with universal applicability through adjustable support frames and multiple cutting tools that can handle different vegetation heights and row configurations. The same device can serve multiple functions: mowing edge strips at different heights, preserving central strips, and adapting to various agricultural settings without requiring multiple specialized devices.
3Productivity
If outer supporting frames cantilever to maximize mowing surface area, then productivity is improved, but usability between adjacent rows is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The support frames are designed to be height-adjustable rather than fixed cantilevered structures. This allows the frames to be lowered or repositioned when operating between narrow rows of plants, enabling the device to adapt to constrained spaces while maintaining effective mowing capability in wider areas.
Data Source
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AI summary
In a mowing or mulching device (1) for cutting vegetation (4) protruding from a substrate (2), which in particular forms a vegetation area between two adjacent rows of plants (3), consisting of: a support frame (5) movable in a direction of movement (7), at least two cutting tools (8, 9) rotatably supported on the support frame (5), which are arranged parallel to the substrate (2) in an adjustable height position and by which the vegetation (4) is cut to a predetermined cutting width (10), and at least one motor (6) by which the respective cutting tool (8, 9) is set in rotation, a strip of vegetation (14) should be retained in the middle and the vegetation (4) on the front sides of the rows of plants (3) should be mowed or mulched without leaving a vegetation strip (14).Furthermore, the vegetation strip (14) should be mowed or mulched at a predetermined height, preferably after flowering. This task is accomplished by providing a clearance (12) transverse to the direction of movement (7) between the first and second cutting tools (8, 9), the width of which, when in operation, creates a vegetation strip (14) on the substrate (2) separated from the vegetation area; by attaching a support rod (11) to the support frame (5), at the free end of which a third cutting tool (13) is arranged in the area of the vegetation strip (14) and whose cutting width (10) corresponds at least to the width of the clearance (12) between the two cutting tools (8, 9); and by allowing the distance between the third cutting tool (13) and the substrate (2) to be variably adjusted by means of the support rod (11).