Swivel Conveyor Control for Cold Planer Material Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cold planer systems face challenges in efficiently and accurately conveying milled material from the milling drum to a haul vehicle, particularly when dealing with varying haul vehicle sizes and positions, leading to material spillage and inefficient discharge.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates a swivelable second conveyor and a deflector actuated by sensors and control modules to adjust its position and angle, ensuring optimal material flow and alignment with the haul vehicle, utilizing swivel sensors and deflector positioning systems to control the motion and direction of the milled material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed conveyor system is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate varying haul vehicle sizes and positions
Solution Approach 1:
The second conveyor is made swivelable relative to the first conveyor, allowing dynamic adjustment of the material discharge direction. This enables the system to adapt to different haul vehicle positions and sizes by rotating the conveyor belt to the appropriate angle, resolving the contradiction between fixed structure and variable adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
A swivel sensor acts as an intermediary between the conveyor system and the control module, detecting the swivel angle and providing feedback to adjust the conveyor position. This intermediary component enables precise control and accommodation of varying discharge requirements without complex manual intervention.
2Productivity
If the conveyor position is manually adjusted, then the structure remains simple, but material spillage occurs and discharge efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The swivel sensor provides continuous feedback on the conveyor's angular position to the control module. This feedback mechanism enables automatic adjustment of the conveyor to the optimal discharge angle, preventing material spillage and maximizing discharge efficiency without requiring complex manual control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical adjustment system is replaced with an automated control system that uses sensors and electronic control modules. This substitution eliminates manual intervention, improves discharge precision, and prevents material spillage while maintaining reasonable system complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the second conveyor is made swivelable, then adaptability to haul vehicle positions improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The second conveyor is designed with swivel capability, allowing it to rotate relative to the first conveyor. This dynamic adjustment mechanism provides adaptability to different haul vehicle positions while adding only moderate complexity compared to a completely fixed system.
Data Source
AI summary
An example cold planer system includes a machine frame, a milling drum, a first conveyor, a second conveyor, a swivel sensor and a control module. The milling drum is rotatably coupled to the machine frame. The first conveyor is configured to convey a milled material away from the milling drum. The second conveyor is configured to convey the milled material from the first conveyor to a discharge location and the second conveyor is pivotably connected to the machine frame. The swivel sensor is configured to generate swivel data corresponding to a swivel position of the second conveyor. The control module is in electrical communication with the swivel sensor, and the control module is configured to receive the swivel data and to control motion of the second conveyor based on the swivel data.