Self-adjusting concave clearance for combine harvesters

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Solution Overview

Problem

Agricultural harvesters face challenges in optimizing rotor/concave spacing and force application due to varying crop conditions and types, leading to inefficient grain harvesting and potential seed damage, as existing systems lack responsiveness to different crop requirements.

Innovation Solution

An agricultural combine equipped with an electronic control unit (ECU) that uses sensors to adjust the gap and force between the rotor and concave based on real-time crop conditions, following pre-defined economic operating curves specific to different crops, allowing for dynamic adjustment of the rotor/concave spacing and force application.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the rotor/concave gap is reduced to increase threshing efficiency, then grain separation improves, but seed damage increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegrain separation efficiencyVSAvoidseed damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The concave is made dynamically adjustable through actuators that change the gap between the rotor and concave in real-time based on crop conditions. This allows the system to optimize the gap for each specific crop type and thickness, achieving effective threshing without excessive seed damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes physical parameters (gap size and applied force) based on detected crop conditions. Different crop types and thicknesses trigger different parameter settings, allowing optimal threshing efficiency while preventing seed damage through appropriate parameter selection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the rotor/concave gap is increased to reduce seed damage, then grain separation efficiency decreases, but seed damage reduces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseed damageVSAvoidgrain separation efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The concave gap is dynamically adjusted based on real-time crop detection. When thin crop is detected, a smaller gap is used for efficient separation; when thick crop is detected, a larger gap prevents seed damage while maintaining adequate threshing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses crop thickness detection as feedback to automatically adjust the rotor/concave gap. This closed-loop control ensures the gap is optimized for each specific crop condition, balancing separation efficiency and seed protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Device complexity

If fixed rotor/concave spacing is used to simplify system design, then system complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different crop conditions deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol system simplicityVSAvoidcrop condition adaptability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically detects crop thickness and type, then self-adjusts the rotor/concave gap and applied force without operator intervention. This self-service capability provides adaptability to different crops while keeping the operator interface simple.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

A single adjustable concave system serves multiple crop types and conditions through automated adjustment. The same hardware configuration can handle corn, soybeans, wheat, and other crops by changing parameters based on detection, providing universal adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Adaptability or versatility

If manual adjustment of rotor/concave gap is used to accommodate different crops, then adaptability improves, but operation complexity and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecrop type adaptabilityVSAvoidadjustment operation ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically detects crop conditions and adjusts the rotor/concave gap without requiring manual operator intervention. This eliminates the time and complexity of manual adjustment while maintaining full adaptability to different crop types and conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Manual mechanical adjustment is replaced with automated sensor-based detection and actuator-driven adjustment. This substitution eliminates manual operation complexity while preserving the ability to adapt to different crops through electronic control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS9980435B2Self adjusting concave clearance system

Publication Date: 2018.05.29 DEERE & CO

AI summary

An agricultural combine (102) includes a rotor (114), a concave (116), a force sensor (134) to indicate the force applied to a crop mat located between the rotor and the concave, a position sensor (132) to indicate the size of a gap (130) between the rotor (114) and the concave (116), an actuator (122, 124) to position the concave (116) with respect to the rotor (114), and an ECU (144) coupled to the sensors (132, 134) and the actuator (122, 124). The ECU (144) contains an economic operating curve (154, 156, 158) that relates the force to the size of the gap. The ECU (144) is configured to receive a signal from the force sensor (134) and a signal from the position sensor (132), and based upon those signals, to control the actuator (122, 124) to change the force and the size of the gap (130) to a point on the economic operating curve (154, 156, 158).