Combine Harvester Residue Spreader with Pivotable Deflectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current straw spreaders for combine harvesters struggle to maintain even distribution of crop residue across sloped terrain, leading to uneven spread patterns due to uneven feed from the chopper, which existing adjustments cannot fully compensate for.
Innovation Solution
A residue spreader with pivotable inlet and outlet deflectors that can be manually or actuator-controlled to adjust the flow of crop residue, ensuring even distribution by directing material centrally or laterally depending on feed conditions, and compensating for side winds and uneven material streams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gravity acts on separated straw in sidehill conditions, then straw is pushed to one side before reaching the chopper, but this causes uneven feed to the chopper and adverse impact on spread pattern evenness
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet deflectors are positioned to preliminarily redirect the straw flow before it enters the chopper, compensating for the gravitational pull that causes uneven feeding. By adjusting the inlet deflectors, the system pre-corrects the material distribution to ensure even feed to the chopper despite sidehill conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The inlet deflectors are made pivotable rather than fixed, allowing dynamic adjustment of their angle to counteract the gravitational effect. This dynamic element enables the system to adapt to varying sidehill conditions and maintain even feed distribution to the chopper
2Adaptability or versatility
If individual deflector plates are adjusted to change spread width, then spread width can be modified, but this cannot fully compensate for uneven feed from the chopper in sidehill conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet deflectors perform a preliminary redistribution of straw flow before it reaches the chopper, ensuring even feed. This preliminary action works in conjunction with the outlet deflectors' spread width adjustment capability, allowing both adaptability and evenness to be achieved simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The deflector system is segmented into two independent controllable elements: inlet deflectors for feed evenness and outlet deflectors for spread width. This segmentation allows each element to perform its specific function optimally without compromising the other
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 spreader achieves a more even distribution of crop residue across the ground, improving the spread pattern and nutrient distribution, even in sidehill conditions, by dynamically adjusting the deflectors to counteract uneven feed and wind effects.
Implementation Method 1
each outlet deflector being mounted on said body in juxtaposed position and configured to laterally deflect the crop residue between the inlet side and the outlet side
Implementation Method 2
Gravity acts to push the separated straw within the combine to one side or the other before it reaches the chopper
Data Source
AI summary
A residue spreader for receiving crop residue from a residue chopper of a combine harvester and spreading crop residue onto the ground. The spreader includes a body having an inlet side and an outlet side, a plurality of outlet deflectors, each outlet deflector mounted on the body in juxtaposed position and configured to laterally deflect the crop residue between the inlet side and the outlet side, and a plurality of inlet deflectors, each inlet deflector pivotally mounted on the body in juxtaposed position and extending forwards from a respective pivot axis towards the inlet side and each configured to laterally deflect the crop residue between the inlet side and the outlet side upstream of the outlet deflectors.