Agricultural Receiving Device with Automatic Wheel Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural machines face challenges in adjusting their pick-up devices to accommodate varying ground conditions and crop widths, requiring manual operation to pivot support wheels from a working position to a transport position, which is inefficient and poses safety risks to operators.
Innovation Solution
A height-adjustable pick-up device with a wheel that can be automatically adjusted from a working position to a transport position using a single actuator, such as an electro-hydraulic linear actuator, allowing the wheel to move along a spatial path and be positioned behind the pick-up rotor, reducing the number of components and assembly effort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the wheel is arranged far away from the receiving device in the working position to prevent hindering crop flow, then the swing range of the wheel is increased, but the receiving device exceeds the maximum vehicle width when driving on the road
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel arrangement is made dynamic through an actuator that automatically adjusts the wheel position between a working position (arranged far away to maximize swing range and prevent crop flow hindrance) and a transport position (arranged closer to minimize vehicle width for road driving). This dynamic reconfiguration resolves the contradiction by adapting the wheel arrangement to different operational states.
2Length of moving object
If the wheel is manually adjusted from working position to transport position, then the vehicle width is reduced for road travel, but the operator must leave the driver's cab which reduces safety and efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel adjustment system performs self-service through an automated actuator that can be controlled from the driver's cab. The actuator automatically positions the wheel between working and transport positions without requiring manual intervention, thereby maintaining safety and operational convenience while achieving the required vehicle width reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical adjustment process is replaced with an automated actuator system that can be controlled from the driver's cab. This substitution eliminates the need for the operator to physically move and reposition the wheel, thereby maintaining safety and operational efficiency while achieving the required vehicle width reduction for road travel.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple components are used for wheel adjustment, then the wheel can be precisely positioned, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is designed to perform multiple functions: it adjusts the wheel position between working and transport positions, and it can also adjust the height of the receiving device. This multi-functionality reduces the overall number of components required in the system while maintaining the necessary positioning precision through a single integrated control mechanism.
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
Enables continuous adjustment of the pick-up device height and automatic wheel positioning without interrupting operation, reducing the need for manual intervention and minimizing the risk of operator injury, while maintaining a compact vehicle width for transportation.
Implementation Method 1
A height-adjustable receiving device (1) with a wheel (3) which can be automatically adjusted from a working position into a transport position and back, in particular from the driver's cab, is proposed. The receiving device (1) is height-adjustable in the working position of the wheel (3) by means of an actuator (5).
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(a)
Figure 2(b)
AI summary
The present invention relates to a receiving device for an agricultural machine, comprising a receiving rotor and a wheel, wherein the receiving rotor is provided for receiving crops from the ground, wherein the wheel is arranged laterally to the side of the receiving rotor, wherein the wheel is automatically and reversibly adjustable from a working position, in which it is provided for guiding the receiving device over the ground and in which the receiving device has a working width, to a transport position, in which the receiving device has a transport width that is smaller than the working width, wherein the receiving device is height-adjustable in the working position of the wheel by means of an actuator, wherein the actuator is configured both for adjusting the height of the receiving device in the working position and for automatically adjusting the wheel from the working position to the transport position.The present invention further relates to such a receiving device in which the wheel is adjustable from the working position to the transport position along a spatial path. The present invention further relates to an agricultural machine with such a receiving device and to a work train comprising a tractor and such an agricultural machine.