Seed Drill Boom Pivot Adjustment for Uneven Terrain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural machines with rigid or drop booms face challenges in adapting to uneven terrain, leading to poor ground contour following and inconsistent row spacing, particularly on hills and dips, forcing users to choose between two suboptimal configurations.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural machine with a swivel limiting device that allows adjustable translational displacement of the pivot point of the actuator relative to the axis of rotation, enabling the boom to rotate selectively to either a horizontal or angled position, using a mechanism with a flange plate and screw bracket or a length-adjustable connecting rod, to enhance ground contour following and maintain consistent row spacing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid boom configuration is used, then the boom maintains a fixed horizontal position, but it cannot adapt to uneven terrain and exhibits poor ground contour following
Solution Approach 1:
The boom configuration is changed from a fixed rigid structure to a dynamic adjustable system. The actuating element enables the pivot point position to be changed, allowing the boom to adapt between rigid and angled positions. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction by providing both stability when needed and adaptability when terrain varies.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a drop boom configuration is used, then the boom can adapt to terrain by rotating beyond horizontal, but the working units do not maintain preset row spacing when booms meet
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the boom system by allowing adjustment of the pivot point position along the longitudinal axis. This parameter change enables the boom to achieve terrain adaptation while maintaining proper row spacing, as the adjusted pivot position alters the rotation geometry to prevent the row spacing issue that occurs with conventional drop booms.
3Device complexity
If the pivot point position is fixed, then the structure is simple, but the boom cannot be adjusted to different working positions for different terrain conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The pivoting device is segmented into adjustable components, specifically the actuating element that can be positioned at different locations along the longitudinal axis. This segmentation allows the system to maintain relative simplicity while gaining adjustability, as the actuating element can be repositioned to create different functional configurations without requiring a completely different device structure.
Data Source
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AI summary
Agricultural machine, in particular a precision seed drill (1), with at least one boom (2) and a swiveling device (4) with at least one axis of rotation (D) which is horizontal and in the direction of travel (F) at least in the working position of the agricultural machine, wherein the boom is rotatably arranged about the horizontal axis of rotation on a central frame, wherein an actuator (6) is arranged between the central frame and the boom by means of which the boom can be rotated about the axis of rotation.In order to provide an adjustment option for the rotation of the boom about the axis of rotation in at least one direction, a swivel limiting device (7) is provided, comprising an actuating element (8) via which the actuator (6) is connected to the boom at a pivot point (9), wherein the swivel limiting device is configured to allow a translational displacement of the pivot point of the actuator along the longitudinal axis (2A) of the boom relative to the axis of rotation by making the actuating element movable to at least two different positions relative to the boom.