Pivotable Protective Device for Agricultural Mower Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
The mechanical realization of pivoting agricultural working devices on self-propelled machines is becoming increasingly difficult due to space constraints, especially during transport, as the frame and drive components occupy more space, and existing solutions do not effectively reduce dimensions for transport while maintaining a larger working width.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural mower design with a protective device that can be pivoted about an angled pivot axis, allowing it to be easily stowed for transport, thereby reducing the implement's dimensions and enabling a larger working width, with options for manual or motor-driven pivoting and various pivot configurations to accommodate different designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the protective device is made rigid and extends around the frame with safety distance, then the working width can be increased, but the transport width and transport height are enlarged
Solution Approach 1:
The protective device is made dynamically positionable between a working position where it extends around the frame with safety distance for increased working width, and a retracted position where it is folded back along the frame to reduce transport dimensions. This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction by allowing the protective device to adapt its configuration based on operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective device is divided into multiple segments or sections that can be independently positioned. Each segment can be folded back along the frame during transport, allowing the overall structure to be compacted while maintaining protection capabilities during work. This segmentation enables the protective device to achieve both extended coverage during work and compact storage during transport.
2Productivity
If the protective device extends around the frame with safety distance, then the working width is increased, but the transport height is enlarged when in vertical position
Solution Approach 1:
The protective device incorporates dynamic positioning mechanisms that allow it to transition from an extended vertical configuration during work to a retracted horizontal configuration during transport. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by enabling the protective device to optimize its spatial footprint based on whether the priority is working width or transport height constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective device utilizes dimensional transformation by folding segments from a vertical extension into a horizontal arrangement along the frame. This dimensional change allows the protective device to maintain its protective function while switching between occupying horizontal space during work and minimizing vertical space during transport.
3Reliability
If mechanical pivoting mechanisms are added to the frame for protective devices, then the protective function is improved, but the space required for pivoting increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective device is segmented into multiple independently pivotable sections, each with its own compact pivoting mechanism. This segmentation allows each section to move through a limited arc without requiring large overall space, while collectively providing comprehensive protective coverage. The segmented approach reduces the total space required compared to a single large pivoting mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivoting mechanisms are designed to operate in multiple dimensions, with sections capable of rotating about vertical axes and horizontal axes. This multi-dimensional pivoting capability allows the protective device to achieve comprehensive coverage while keeping each individual pivoting mechanism compact, as each axis handles a portion of the required motion range.
Data Source
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AI summary
Agricultural implement (1) with an elongated frame (20) designed to be picked up by a machine, several working elements (30, 31) held on the frame so that they define a working plane (AE) parallel to the first surface side, and a protective device (40, 50) pivotably mounted on the frame (20) about a pivot axis (S1, S2, S3) extending perpendicular to the working plane, such that a protective section (43, 53) of the protective device can be pivoted between a protective position in which the protective section at least partially covers a longitudinal end side (3, 4) of the implement (1) and a stowage position in which the protective section is arranged along the length of the frame, exposing the longitudinal end side. The pivotability according to the invention allows the protective device to be easily moved into a compact stowage position for transport.