Powered Clearing Disks With Adjustable Speed and Position
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural machines face challenges in efficiently clearing crop residue and debris due to the need to adjust the rotational speed and position of clearing-disks, particularly when driven by soil, which can lead to inefficiencies and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
The agricultural row unit incorporates a drive clearing-disk and a driven clearing-disk with offset axes, allowing for independent rotation and adjustment of speed and position, along with a gear assembly and slip clutch for varying disk-to-disk and disk-to-soil angles, and includes a clearing brush with a lateral and knock-off shield for effective residue removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If clearing-disks are driven by soil as the machine moves over the soil, then the clearing-disks can rotate and clear residue, but it becomes difficult to adjust the rotational speed or position of the clearing-disks
Solution Approach 1:
The clearing system is divided into multiple independent clearing-disks (drive clearing-disk and driven clearing-disk) that can rotate at different speeds and positions. Each disk is independently controllable, allowing separate adjustment of rotational speed and position without affecting the other disks, thus resolving the difficulty of adjusting speed and position while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
A gear assembly is introduced as an intermediary mechanism between the drive clearing-disk and the driven clearing-disk. This gear assembly transmits and modifies rotational motion, enabling independent speed control of the driven clearing-disk relative to the drive clearing-disk, thereby facilitating speed adjustment without direct soil contact driving.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the clearing-disks extend into the soil to be rotated by soil movement, then residue clearing is effective, but the system lacks adaptability to change rotational speed or position
Solution Approach 1:
The clearing-disks are designed with dynamic adjustability, allowing their rotational speed and position to be changed during operation. The drive clearing-disk and driven clearing-disk can rotate at different speeds and can be positioned at different heights relative to the soil surface, enabling the system to adapt to varying soil conditions and residue amounts while maintaining ease of operation through independent control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows independent variation of key parameters including rotational speed (different speeds for drive and driven disks), position (height above or below soil surface), and disk-to-soil angle. These parameter changes enable adaptation to different operating conditions without requiring complete system redesign or complex adjustment mechanisms.
3Productivity
If a single clearing-disk is used, then the structure is simple, but the clearing efficiency and adaptability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple clearing-disks (drive clearing-disk and driven clearing-disk) are combined in a single clearing assembly, with the driven clearing-disk positioned to work in conjunction with the drive clearing-disk. This merging of multiple disks in one assembly increases clearing efficiency by covering a wider area and providing redundant clearing action, while the integrated design minimizes the increase in overall structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural row unit adapted to be moved over soil by an agricultural planter to clear crop residue includes a residue clearing disk or brush. The row unit may include a motor to drive rotation of a crop residue disk or brush. The agriculture row unit may also include a controller configured to adjust the operating speed of the motor in response to factors internal and/or external to the agricultural row unit. The factors may include at least one of a speed of the agricultural planter along the row, a height of crop residue disk or brush the relative to a surface of the soil, a height of the crop residue disk or brush relative to a surface of the soil, amount of crop residue in the row, and a downforce pressure on the row unit.