Soil Opener Gathering Module Reduces Soil Displacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional furrow cutting devices experience increased soil displacement and disturbance at higher operating speeds, leading to improper seed and fertilizer placement and increased draft requirements, when pulled faster than the typical four miles per hour.
Innovation Solution
A soil opener with a soil gathering module that redirects soil rearward, featuring outward and rearward extending members with tines to push soil inward and a pivotally attached module with a damper for consistent downforce, designed to minimize soil disturbance and maintain effective seed and fertilizer placement at higher speeds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the soil opener is pulled at higher speeds (e.g., eight miles per hour), then productivity increases, but soil displacement increases causing improper seed and fertilizer placement
Solution Approach 1:
The soil opener is divided into functional segments: a furrow-forming device that cuts the furrow at high speed, and a separate soil gathering module with inwardly directed members that redirect soil. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally, with the soil gathering module specifically designed to control soil movement and maintain placement precision even at higher operating speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of allowing soil to be thrown outward by the force of forward motion at high speeds, the invention uses members that extend outward and rearward to actively redirect soil inward toward the center of the furrow. This inverted approach counteracts the natural tendency of soil displacement at high speeds and maintains proper seed and fertilizer placement.
2Productivity
If the soil opener is pulled at higher speeds, then productivity increases, but less soil is available for covering the furrow
Solution Approach 1:
The soil gathering module is a distinct segment that specifically addresses soil redistribution. Its members are positioned and shaped to gather soil that would otherwise be thrown outward and redirect it back toward the furrow center, ensuring adequate soil coverage even at higher operating speeds where natural soil availability for covering is reduced.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful effect of high-speed soil displacement into a beneficial outcome. The outward and rearward extending members utilize the kinetic energy and soil movement caused by high-speed operation to actively gather and redirect soil inward, transforming the problem of soil loss into a mechanism for ensuring adequate furrow coverage.
3Productivity
If the soil opener is pulled at higher speeds, then productivity increases, but draft requirement increases due to soil interaction
Solution Approach 1:
The soil gathering module is pivotally attached to the frog mount, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position in response to contact with field obstructions. This dynamic configuration enables the module to adapt to varying soil conditions and obstacles, maintaining efficient soil gathering while reducing excessive draft requirements that would occur with a rigid structure at high speeds.
4Manufacturing precision
If the soil gathering module is made rigid to maintain consistent soil gathering, then manufacturing precision improves, but the module cannot pivot in response to field obstructions
Solution Approach 1:
The module employs a hybrid approach with rigid structural components that maintain consistent soil gathering geometry, combined with a pivotal attachment that provides necessary flexibility. The rigid members ensure consistent inward redirection of soil for precise seed and fertilizer placement, while the pivotal connection allows the entire module to pivot when encountering obstructions, balancing precision with adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotal attachment allows the module to change its operational parameters (position and orientation) in response to field conditions. This parameter change capability enables the module to maintain effective soil gathering through a range of positions, accommodating field obstructions while preserving the geometric relationships necessary for consistent seed and fertilizer placement precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A soil opener has a frog mount adapted to be coupled to a shank or other mounting member of a farm implement. A spreader is removably coupled to the frog mount and includes forward and rearward product delivery channels that are intended to be flow-coupled to product delivery tubes or hoses of the farm implement. A tip is removably coupled to the spreader. The leading edges of the frog mount, the spreader, and the tip, as well as the geometry between these components are such that drift is minimized even when the soil opener is pulled through the soil at higher speeds, e.g., excess of 5 mph. The soil opener may be equipped with an optional soil gathering module that gathers soil lifted by the tip and redirects the soil to a position generally rearward of the opener.