Palm Seed Pod Puller With Cam Grip and Pivoting Fulcrum
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tools fail to effectively grasp and remove palm seed pods due to their flexible nature, requiring excessive manual force and lacking a mechanism for mechanical advantage.
Innovation Solution
A palm seed pod puller with a lever arm, pivoting fulcrum, and gripping cam that provides mechanical advantage, allowing for easy seed pod extraction with reduced user effort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rigid shaft with tapered opening is used to grasp the stalk, then the device can effectively pull rigid stalks, but it cannot grasp flexible seed pod stalks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the rigid shaft structure into a cam mechanism that can dynamically adjust its grasping parameters. The cam's curved surface allows it to adapt to flexible stalks by changing its contact geometry, enabling reliable grasping of seed pod stalks that rigid shafts cannot handle.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces dynamics by replacing the static rigid shaft with a movable cam that can rotate and adjust its position. This dynamic mechanism allows the device to accommodate the flexibility of seed pod stalks while maintaining secure grasping, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and reliability.
2Ease of operation
If manual force is applied to pull seed pods, then the process is simple, but excessive force is required and complete extraction is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cam's curved surface provides a mechanical advantage by converting the user's pulling force into a more efficient extraction motion. The curvature allows the cam to wedge into the stalk and leveraged against the tree trunk, reducing the force needed compared to direct manual pulling.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam acts as an intermediary between the user and the seed pod stalk. It translates the user's pulling motion into a mechanical advantage system that leverages against the tree trunk, making extraction easier and more effective than direct manual force application.
3Device complexity
If a fixed fulcrum is used in the lever arm, then the structure is simple, but it cannot adapt to different tree sizes and pulling distances
Solution Approach 1:
The fulcrum is designed as a movable component that can slide along the lever arm to different positions. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the device to adapt to various tree sizes and pulling distances while maintaining mechanical advantage, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The lever arm is segmented with multiple possible fulcrum positions, allowing the user to select the optimal fulcrum location based on the specific tree and seed pod position. This segmentation provides versatility without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
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 device enables efficient removal of palm seed pods with less effort by leveraging a lever arm and gripping cam, enhancing the mechanical advantage and ensuring complete seed pod extraction.
Implementation Method 1
A palm seed pod puller with a lever arm, pivoting fulcrum, and gripping cam that provides mechanical advantage
Implementation Method 2
A person can try and grasp the seed pod and try to pull the stalk if they can exert sufficient force
Data Source
AI summary
Improvements in a palm seed pod puller that uses a lever arm operates through a pivoting fulcrum to increase the mechanical advantage of a user to pull the seed tassel more easily from the stalk with less effort. A spring directed cam applies force to clamp onto the seed tassel and can increase the gripping force as the stalk is being pulled. The cam rotates to increase the clamping force as the stalk is crushed and flattens. The cam allows the stalk to wrap around the cam to increase the contact surface for clamping. The support post is positioned within the tree and around the palm fronds where the end of the post rests against the tree to provide a base for the fulcrum and lever arm to apply forces in the opposite direction of the pulling forces on the seed tassel.