Pivoting Chassis Tool Holder for Trunk Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inter-row tillage machines for woody crops face challenges in avoiding damage to plant trunks during plowing, as conventional designs often require complex mechanisms and multiple types of movements to retract tools safely, leading to increased complexity and potential performance reduction.
Innovation Solution
A simplified inter-row tillage device utilizing a radial-displacement type tool-holder support, where a pivoting chassis with a side feeler and drive mechanism allows the tool holder to pivot radially away from the plant trunk when contacted, connected to a tractor frame via a pivoting longitudinal axis, ensuring tool safety without compromising performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional inter-row tillage machines use complex retraction mechanisms with multiple types of movements to avoid plant trunks, then tool safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The chassis is divided into a fixed part rigidly attached to the frame and a movable part connected via a pivoting longitudinal axis, allowing independent movement of the tool-holder support while maintaining overall structural integrity. This segmentation enables simplified radial displacement without compromising tool safety.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex multi-axis retraction mechanisms that move tools away from trunks through multiple movement types, the invention inverts the approach by using a single pivoting longitudinal axis that enables radial displacement of the entire movable part. This simplified mechanism achieves the same protective function with fewer components.
2Device complexity
If inter-row tillage machines use simplified displacement mechanisms, then device complexity is reduced, but the risk of damage to plant trunks may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tool-holder support is designed to dynamically pivot on the longitudinal axis in response to feeler contact with plant trunks. This dynamic adjustment allows the simplified mechanism to automatically adapt to obstacle positions, maintaining effective trunk protection without complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
A feeler element acts as an intermediary between the tool-holder support and the plant trunk. When the feeler contacts the trunk, it triggers the pivoting mechanism to displace the tool radially outward, providing indirect protection that is more reliable than direct sensor-based control systems.
3Productivity
If radial-displacement type tool-holder support is used, then operational effectiveness is maintained, but the mechanism requires precise pivoting control
Solution Approach 1:
The pivoting mechanism is designed to be self-regulating through the mechanical linkage between the feeler, the drive mechanism, and the movable part. Once the feeler contacts the trunk, the mechanical advantage of the pivoting axis automatically provides sufficient displacement without requiring complex control systems or high-precision actuators.
Data Source
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AI summary
Device for inter-row tillage of woody crops connectable to a frame attached to the rear of a tractor which moves along tramlines defined between two contiguous rows following a direction of travel (DA), the device comprising: - a rigid chassis (1), removably attachable to the frame; - a pivoting chassis (2), linked to the rigid chassis (1) via a pivoting longitudinal axis (3); and - a drive mechanism (4) for pivoting the pivoting chassis (2) relative to the rigid chassis (1). The pivoting chassis comprises: - a self-supporting side feeler (5) comprising a multi-positional oscillating rod (7); and - a tool holder support (6) for attaching accessories and soil tillage tools.