Pivoting Harvester Frame with Automatic Cardan Shaft Decoupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural harvesting attachments with large working widths require manual dismounting and decoupling of the cardan shaft for folding, risking damage and complicating transport due to large folding angles, especially when space is limited.
Innovation Solution
Designing the drive train as an articulated shaft positioned behind the hinge joint, with a linkage that controls its movement sequence to lag behind the outer frame during folding, ensuring automatic decoupling and protection from overload, and reversing the process for safe re-engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cardan shaft is permanently coupled through cross couplings to enable continuous power transmission, then the drive connection remains stable, but the cardan shaft is at risk of damage during large folding angles and requires manual dismounting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a dynamic coupling mechanism where the cardan shaft connection transitions from a permanent rigid coupling to a controllable dynamic coupling. The cardan shaft is designed with a controllable release mechanism that allows it to be automatically decoupled during folding operations and automatically re-coupled during unfolding, enabling the system to adapt its coupling state based on operational requirements rather than maintaining a fixed permanent coupling
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a self-service automatic coupling and decoupling system. The cardan shaft is equipped with automatic release and engagement mechanisms that operate autonomously based on the folding/unfolding motion of the harvesting attachment. This eliminates the need for manual intervention by the operator to dismount or reassemble the cardan shaft, as the system performs the coupling and decoupling operations itself in response to structural movement
2Length of moving object
If large folding angles of around 180° are used to reduce transport width, then the transport dimensions are minimized, but the cardan shaft requires correspondingly large installation spaces and wide-angle universal joints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cardan shaft into multiple sections with intermediate universal joints. Instead of using a single wide-angle universal joint to accommodate the full 180° folding angle, the cardan shaft is divided into segments that can accommodate smaller angular changes at each joint. This segmentation allows the overall system to achieve large folding angles through cumulative small-angle movements, reducing the complexity and space requirements of individual universal joints
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested arrangement where the cardan shaft components are positioned within the structural framework of the harvesting attachment in a space-efficient manner. The cardan shaft and its universal joints are integrated into the existing structural spaces, utilizing available voids and compartments within the frame structure, thereby minimizing additional installation space requirements while still accommodating the necessary movement ranges
3Adaptability or versatility
If the cardan shaft is positioned to accommodate large folding angles, then the folding range is maximized, but the cardan shaft must be dismantled manually before folding to avoid damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by automatically decoupling the cardan shaft from the drive mechanism before the folding operation begins. The system detects the initiation of the folding sequence and preemptively disengages the cardan shaft connection, preventing any risk of damage during the folding process. This preliminary decoupling action occurs automatically as part of the folding sequence initialization, eliminating the need for manual intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical operation of decoupling and recoupling the cardan shaft with an automated mechanical system. The automatic release and engagement mechanisms are actuated through the folding/unfolding motion itself, using the structural movement to trigger and drive the coupling changes. This substitution of manual mechanical operations with automated mechanical systems eliminates the need for operator intervention while maintaining full adaptability to large folding angles
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 1a
Figure 2
AI summary
The swivel frame (2) has a central frame (3) and pivotally movable external frames (4,4') with a drive train (7). The pivotally movable part (8) of the drive train which is preferably the cardan shaft (8) is controlled by a coupling transmission (37) so that the pivotal movement of the movable part on moving into the transport position trails the pivotal movement of the external frame. The front harvester attachment is a picker for harvesting multiple fruit on stalked plants.