Plough Assembly with Adjustable Depth for Soil Structure Preservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional ploughs destroy soil structure and result in moisture loss, and face challenges in accurately placing seeds and fertilizers due to uneven ground surfaces, leading to poor seed germination, low yields, and increased disease incidence.
Innovation Solution
A plough tool with an upper stem featuring transverse passages, such as slots or holes, allows for adjustable depth and height settings, combined with an adaptor system for secure attachment to a plough frame, enabling precise soil engagement and seed/fertilizer placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional ploughs are used to invert soil and make multiple passes, then deep tillage is achieved, but soil structure is destroyed and moisture is lost
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of inverting the soil with traditional ploughs, this patent uses a subsoiler to fracture the soil in situ without turning it over. The digging point breaks hardpan layers and compacted soil at depth while leaving the topsoil structure intact, thereby achieving deep tillage without destroying soil structure or causing moisture loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the harmful inverting action from the tillage process and replaces it with a targeted fracturing action. The subsoiler specifically removes compacted layers at depth while leaving the beneficial topsoil structure undisturbed, separating the necessary deep tillage function from the harmful soil inversion effect.
2Adaptability or versatility
If widely spaced ground rules are used to control seeding depth on uneven ground, then the plough can operate on varied terrain, but seeding depth accuracy is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs adjustable ground rules that can be dynamically positioned at multiple heights along the plough frame. This allows the ground rules to adapt to uneven terrain while maintaining accurate seeding depth control, as each ground rule can be independently adjusted to compensate for ground variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The plough frame is divided into multiple sections with individually adjustable ground rules spaced at appropriate intervals. This segmentation allows each ground rule to independently control seeding depth in its local area, enabling accurate depth control across uneven terrain without requiring widely spaced rules.
3Productivity
If seed and fertiliser are placed together on hard soil barrier, then placement efficiency is high, but seed germination is poor and plant disease increases
Solution Approach 1:
The subsoiler performs preliminary fracturing of hardpan layers and compacted soil before the seed and fertiliser are placed. By breaking down the hard soil barrier in advance, the soil becomes more receptive to seed germination and root penetration, while still allowing efficient simultaneous placement of seed and fertiliser behind the digging point.
Data Source
AI summary
A digging assembly for a plough. The digging assembly has a digging blade assembly that is moved through the soil to form a slot, and a closing tool assembly that forms a seed bed by partly closing the slot formed by the digging blade assembly. Following the closing tool assembly is a seed boot that delivers seed to the seed bed formed by the closing tool assembly.