Sprayer Boom Guidance via Segmented Four-Bar Chains
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for guiding and damping spray booms of field sprayers face challenges in managing large restoring forces due to the mass of the boom, leading to difficulties in smooth guidance during yawing and rolling movements, and fail to maintain the boom parallel to the ground on uneven terrain.
Innovation Solution
The use of four-bar chains and pivoting frames with hydraulic spring dampers, including a lifting mast and carriage, allows for the absorption of restoring forces by the links and dampers, while ball joints and universal joints restrict forward/backward movement, ensuring the boom remains parallel to the ground using adjustable hydraulic accumulators and pressure chambers in synchronous cylinders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If spring dampers are used to compensate for rolling movements and yaw of the sprayer boom, then vibrations are dampened and movements are compensated, but large restoring forces arise due to the large mass of the sprayer boom, making it difficult to guide the sprayer boom smoothly
Solution Approach 1:
The sprayer boom is divided into two decoupled spray boom units (front and rear units), each with its own suspension system. This segmentation reduces the mass that each spring damper must handle, thereby reducing the restoring forces while maintaining vibration damping capability. The decoupling allows independent suspension of each unit, solving the problem of large restoring forces generated by the total boom mass.
2Reliability
If spring dampers are designed to compensate for the large mass of the sprayer boom, then the boom can be supported, but the lifting device is heavily loaded with restoring forces, increasing the force acting on the lifting part
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the boom into two independently suspended units, the restoring forces are distributed and reduced for each suspension system. This segmentation directly reduces the force burden on the lifting device while maintaining adequate support capability for each boom unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The suspension function is extracted from the lifting device and implemented as independent spring dampers for each boom unit. This extraction allows the lifting device to focus on elevation control while the suspended units handle vibration damping and restoring forces independently, reducing the overall force load on the lifting mechanism.
3Reliability
If the sprayer boom is designed as a single unit on vertically arranged links, then lateral movement is compensated for rolling movements, but large spring dampers with large dimensions are required due to the large mass
Solution Approach 1:
The single boom unit is segmented into two separate spray boom units that are decoupled and independently suspended. This segmentation reduces the mass that each suspension system must handle, allowing for smaller, less complex spring dampers while maintaining lateral movement compensation capability for each unit.
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
This design reduces restoring forces, allows for compact and height-adjustable guidance, and maintains the sprayer boom parallel to the ground even on slopes, using GPS and terrain data for precise positioning.
Implementation Method 1
spring dampers, which compensate for rolling movements of the field sprayer
Implementation Method 2
The rolling movements are cushioned and dampened by spring dampers
Implementation Method 3
at least one spring damper is designed as a hydraulic cylinder with a hydraulic accumulator
Implementation Method 4
the degree of damping of the spring damper can be changed
Implementation Method 5
the oil pressure in the pressure chambers can be changed, preferably by remote control
Implementation Method 6
each pressure chamber is assigned at least one hydraulic accumulator
Data Source
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AI summary
The apparatus has a lifting device comprising a lifting part (4) with a cross frame (7). Left and right supports (20, 21) are pivotable around two longitudinal axes transverse to a working direction, and comprise joints, which are connected to each other over a guide rod (22) to form a four-joint chain (40). A left pivotal frame (5) with a left spray boom unit is arranged at the left support, and a right pivotal frame (6) with a right spray boom unit is arranged at the right support. A connecting rod (34) is connected with the joints for forming another four-joint chain (41).