Picking Rotor Shear Bars for Adjustable Feeder Slat Gaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing harvester attachments with picking rotors lack the ability to adapt to different harvesting conditions, requiring entire rotor exchanges or additional chopping devices due to wear and varying plant stalk thickness, length, and lignification, which increases operational costs and energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
The integration of detachable shear bars between feeder slats on picking rotors allows for adjustable intermediate spaces, enabling adaptation to various harvesting conditions without replacing the rotors, enhancing cutting and squeezing capabilities, and extending the service life of the attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If feeder slats are fixed on picking rotors without readjustment possibility, then structural simplicity is maintained, but working quality deteriorates with wear and cannot be adapted to different harvesting conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder slat is divided into a first portion (integrally connected to rotor) and a second portion (detachably connected), allowing selective replacement of only the wear-prone second portion while keeping the main rotor structure intact
Solution Approach 2:
The detachable connection enables dynamic adjustment of the second portion of the feeder slat, allowing readjustment of the intermediate space between feeder slats to adapt to different harvesting conditions and extend service life
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate chopping devices are added to cut plant stalks, then cutting capability is improved, but device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder slat structure with detachable second portion and adjustable intermediate space serves multiple functions: conveying plant stalks, cutting stalks when needed, and adapting to different stalk thicknesses, eliminating the need for separate dedicated chopping devices
Solution Approach 2:
By adjusting the intermediate space between feeder slats through the detachable second portion, the cutting capability is dynamically modified to handle different plant stalk conditions without adding separate chopping mechanisms
3Adaptability or versatility
If entire picking rotors are exchanged to adapt to different harvesting conditions, then adaptability is achieved, but loss of time and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder slat is segmented into replaceable portions, allowing only the worn second portion to be exchanged rather than the entire rotor assembly, significantly reducing maintenance time and costs
Solution Approach 2:
Only the worn second portion of the feeder slat is discarded and replaced, while the first portion and rotor structure are recovered and retained for continued use, minimizing material waste and replacement time
Data Source
AI summary
An attachment for connection to a harvester comprises a plurality of picking devices (2) arranged next to each other and in a distributed manner along the working width. Each picking device (2) has a picking gap (6), below which are disposed at least two picking rotors (10) which can be driven to rotate in opposite directions, the picking rotors (10) being provided with flutes (12), which project in a radial direction beyond the rotor casing (16) and the enveloping circles (20) of which mesh with each other. To propose a way of easily adapting the picking rotors to different harvesting conditions without having to replace them all, the invention proposes for one or more shear bars (18) which are releasably connected to the picking rotor (10) and/or to the flutes (12) to be inserted in the intermediate space (22) between adjacent flutes (12) of a picking rotor (10), the shear bars filling portions of said intermediate space during a rotating movement of the picking rotors (10).