Pivotable Lateral Cutterbar Section for Width-Limited Mowing Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mowing machines face challenges in achieving an enlarged working width while maintaining transport dimensions below legal limits, particularly due to issues with cutterbar pivoting and potential tool collisions during transport.
Innovation Solution
A mowing machine design featuring a joint and drive assembly at the ends of the cutterbar, allowing for a pivotable additional lateral cutterbar section, which can be aligned within the cutterbar plane to increase working width and reduce transport width by pivoting behind the outer cutting members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the working width of the mowing machine is enlarged by adding lateral cutterbar sections, then the productivity is improved, but the transport width exceeds legal limits
Solution Approach 1:
The cutterbar is divided into a central section and additional lateral sections that can be independently positioned. The lateral sections are connected via joint and drive assemblies that allow them to be pivoted between a working position (extending the working width) and a transport position (retracting behind the outer cutting members to comply with transport width limits)
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral cutterbar sections are made dynamically adjustable through pivotable connections. The joint and drive assemblies enable the lateral sections to change their position relative to the central cutterbar, transitioning from an extended configuration during work to a retracted configuration during transport, thus adapting the machine's width according to operational requirements
2Productivity
If lateral cutterbar sections are added to increase working width, then the productivity is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The joint and drive assemblies serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide the pivot connection for the lateral cutterbar sections, transmit rotational drive power from the central cutterbar to the lateral sections, and enable the repositioning mechanism. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall structure despite the added capability
3Length of moving object
If the cutterbar is pivoted into vertical transport position, then the transport height is reduced, but the cutting tools of neighboring cutterbars may strike each other
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cutterbar into independently controllable central and lateral sections, the patent enables the lateral sections to be repositioned (pivoted behind the outer cutting members) before or during the pivoting of the central cutterbar to vertical transport position. This segmentation prevents the cutting tools of neighboring cutterbars from striking each other while still achieving reduced transport height
Data Source
AI summary
A mowing machine has a cutterbar oriented transverse to a travel and working direction of the mowing machine and provided with first and second ends spaced apart from each other in longitudinal direction. First cutting members are rotatably mounted on a top side of the cutterbar and rotatably driven about a vertical axis by a drive assembly within the cutterbar. A joint and drive assembly is connected to the first end of the cutterbar. A lateral cutterbar section is connected to the joint and drive assembly and has a second cutting member driven by the joint and drive assembly. The joint and drive assembly has first and second holding elements mounted relative to each other such that pivoting of the lateral cutterbar section in a cutterbar plane of the cutterbar is enabled. The first and second holding elements are arranged in planes positioned at a minimal spacing above each other.