Reversible Plough Hydraulic Depth Control via Merged Circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing reversible plows with support wheels adjusted via hydraulic cylinders are prone to system failures and high maintenance costs due to complex oil flow control and high-pressure hose susceptibility during the turning process, which reduces the service life of high-pressure hoses.
Innovation Solution
A support wheel system with a hydraulic cylinder featuring two pressure chambers connected by a valve unit, a pressure accumulator, and an unlockable non-return valve, allowing oil exchange only during pivoting and not during plowing, reducing the number of high-pressure lines needed and enhancing reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the support wheel is adjusted via hydraulic cylinder with sequential control during turning, then the working depth can be controlled, but the system becomes complex and susceptible to failure with multiple high-pressure lines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the support wheel hydraulic system with the plow frame lifting hydraulic system, allowing both functions to share a single hydraulic cylinder and control mechanism. This merging eliminates the need for separate high-pressure lines and sequential control systems, reducing complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic cylinder is designed to perform multiple functions: it can adjust the support wheel depth and lift the entire plow frame. By making the hydraulic system universal, the patent reduces the number of dedicated hydraulic lines and control valves needed, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple high-pressure lines are laid from attachment tower to jockey wheel for hydraulic control, then the support wheel can be adjusted during turning, but the hoses become extremely bent and twisted reducing service life
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the support wheel adjustment function with the plow frame lifting function into a single hydraulic system, the patent reduces the number of high-pressure hoses from four to one or two. This significantly reduces the bending and twisting stress on the hoses during turning operations, extending their service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential function of support wheel adjustment and integrates it into the existing plow frame lifting mechanism. This eliminates the need for dedicated high-pressure lines running from the attachment tower to the jockey wheel, removing the source of hose bending and twisting problems.
3Ease of operation
If hydraulic sequential control is used to supply oil during turning and pivoting, then the support wheel pivoting can be controlled, but the flow control increases system complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the support wheel pivoting control with the plow frame lifting control by using the same hydraulic cylinder and control valve. This eliminates the need for separate sequential control systems and flow control mechanisms, simplifying the system while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic system is designed to automatically supply oil to the support wheel during turning and pivoting operations through the shared hydraulic circuit. The system serves itself by utilizing the existing hydraulic pressure and flow paths, eliminating the need for complex external flow control mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution simplifies the hydraulic system, reduces maintenance costs, and ensures reliable depth control by minimizing oil flow during plowing, thus extending the life of high-pressure hoses and improving system reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a support wheel (3) for reversible plows, which can be adjusted via a hydraulic cylinder (4) in the working depth guide
Implementation Method 2
a pressure accumulator (6) being provided which is hydraulically connected to the annular space and via the valve unit (10) to the piston chamber
Implementation Method 3
the hydraulic cylinder (4) is connected to a valve unit (10) which hydraulically connects the annular chamber and the piston chamber to one another
Implementation Method 4
An unlockable non-return valve ensures that no oil can flow, even if there are leaks in the tractor hydraulics
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a turn-about plough with a supporting wheel (3), in which the working depth guide can be set via a hydraulic cylinder (4). During the turn-about operation, the supporting wheel (3) swings around into the opposite working position in each case. An independent hydraulic system having a predetermined quantity of oil uses a valve unit (10) and a pressure accumulator (6) to enable the supporting wheel (3) to swing around into the opposite working position and, after the swing-around operation, to resume the predetermined working depth setting thereof. During the swing-around operation, oil is exchanged between the pressure spaces of the hydraulic cylinder (5) and the pressure accumulator (6).