Side-Shifting Rear Mower Using Front-Hitch Load Cells
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural vehicles with triple mowers experience crop missed during turns due to lack of overlap between front-mounted and rear-mounted mowers, as measuring steering angle alone does not account for ground speed, leading to inaccurate side-shifting adjustments.
Innovation Solution
A system using load cells on the front-mounted mower to measure lateral load, converting it into steering angle and speed to determine the required side-shift amount for rear-mounted mowers, ensuring full mowing coverage during turns and inclines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If steering angle measurement is used to determine side-shift amount, then the control system can respond to turning, but the measurement is inaccurate because it does not account for ground speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses load cell sensors as an intermediary measurement approach. Instead of directly measuring steering angle or ground speed separately, the load cells measure the lateral force on the front-mounted mower, which serves as a proxy indicator that naturally incorporates both steering angle and ground speed effects into a single measurable parameter for controlling rear mower side-shift.
2Productivity
If the front-mounted mower is positioned ahead of the front axle, then the mower configuration allows for better mowing coverage, but it causes high side-loading on the front-mounted mower during turns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful side-loading force into a useful measurement signal. The lateral force that was previously a problem (causing inaccurate steering angle measurement and potential mechanical stress) is now measured by load cell sensors to provide accurate information for controlling the rear mower side-shift, thereby improving overall mowing coverage and accuracy.
3Productivity
If rear-mounted mowers are not side-shifted during turns, then the system operates simply, but crop is missed due to lack of overlap between mowers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system where load cell sensors continuously measure lateral force on the front mower, and this measurement is fed back to the control system to automatically adjust the side-shift position of rear mowers. This closed-loop feedback ensures complete mowing coverage during turns while maintaining ease of operation through automatic control.
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
Accurately adjusts rear-mounted mowers laterally to maintain overlap with the front-mounted mower, ensuring complete crop mowing coverage during turns and inclines, improving mowing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the sensor is a load cell
Data Source
AI summary
A system including an agricultural vehicle, a rear-mounted mower coupled to the agricultural vehicle by a rear hitch, a front-mounted mower coupled to the agricultural vehicle by a front hitch, and a control system. The control system is configured to control the rear-mounted mower by obtaining a signal from a sensor positioned on the front hitch coupled to the front-mounted mower. Then assigning a value to the signal, determining if the value exceeds a threshold, transmitting an instruction to adjust the rear-mounted mower laterally, and executing the instruction by adjusting the rear-mounted mower laterally to a lateral position.