Pick-Up Rotor Tine Inversion for Crop Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural machines face issues with efficient and gentle pickup and transfer of crops, leading to damage and disruption in the flow of crops during processing, due to the movement of pick-up rotors and transfer to downstream devices, resulting in pile-ups and contamination.
Innovation Solution
A field processing machine with a pick-up rotor and a transfer rotor, both rotating in the same direction, where the pick-up rotor raises crops vertically and transfers them to the transfer rotor, which conveys them to a downstream device, with overlapping movement areas of the tines to prevent pile-ups and damage, and a stripping device to ensure smooth transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the pick-up rotor moves tines against the direction of travel to collect crop, then the crop can be gathered from the ground, but the crop is pushed or flung forwards causing pile-ups and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The pick-up rotor tines are configured to move in the direction of travel during the crop pickup phase, rather than against it. This inversion of the traditional tine movement direction eliminates the forward pushing and flinging of crop, preventing pile-ups and contamination while maintaining effective crop collection from the ground
2Productivity
If an additional transfer rotor is used to transfer crop to downstream device, then the transfer capability is improved, but crop may adhere to the rotor and not be transferred, causing buildup and damage
Solution Approach 1:
A stripper device is introduced as an intermediary element between the transfer rotor and the downstream device. This stripper actively removes crop from the transfer rotor tines, ensuring complete and consistent transfer to the downstream device while preventing crop buildup and adhesion issues on the rotor
3Productivity
If the crop is transferred multiple times through the machine, then the processing is thorough, but the risk of crop damage increases with each contact
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed to achieve complete crop transfer and processing in a single continuous pass through the machine. The pick-up rotor, transfer rotor, and stripper work together to ensure all crop is moved from the ground to the downstream device without requiring multiple cycles or repeated handling, thereby minimizing cumulative damage while maintaining thorough processing
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a field cultivation machine (1) with at least one receiving device (10) comprising a receiving rotor (11) and a transfer rotor (14), which can be driven in the same direction about axes of rotation (A, B) extending at least predominantly along a transverse axis (Y), wherein the receiving rotor (11) is configured to pick up agricultural crops from the ground (70) by means of receiving tines (12), to lift them with respect to a vertical axis (Z) and to transfer them to the transfer rotor (14), which is configured to take up the crops with means of transfer tines (15) and to transfer them to a downstream device (30), which is arranged at least partially behind the receiving device (10) with respect to a longitudinal axis (X), wherein the transfer tines (15) engage between the receiving tines (12) in such a way that the movement ranges (C, D) of the transfer tines (15) and of the receiving tines (12), viewed along the transverse axis (Y), overlap,wherein the receiving device (10) has a scraper device (20) with receiving tine scraper sections (23) and receiving tine gaps (25) formed between them with respect to the transverse axis (Y), through which the receiving tines (12) project at least partially. In order to enable efficient and gentle collection and transfer of crop lying on the ground, the invention provides that the scraper device (20) has transfer tine scraper sections (24) and transfer tine gaps (26) formed between them, through which the transfer tines (15) project at least partially, wherein the transfer tine scraper sections (24) are designed such that the transfer tines (15) dip between them in accordance with a rotation of the transfer rotor (14).