Tillage Electro-Hydraulic Layout for Front Fold Machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural tillage implements face challenges in maintaining uniform tool contact with the soil due to hydraulic fluid leakage and varying field conditions, requiring manual adjustments and increasing operational complexity, especially as implements become wider and more complex.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic system that allows for coordinated raising and lowering of the tillage implement's main frame and wing sections, using solenoid valves and hydraulic flow dividers to manage pressure and flow, enabling individual adjustments and maintaining level positioning without extensive electro-hydraulics, allowing for efficient conversion between operating and transport configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hydraulic actuators are connected in series to control depth of penetration, then the implement can maintain uniform tool contact with the soil, but hydraulic fluid leakage causes actuators to become out of sync requiring manual adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic system is divided into separate independent circuits for each actuator rather than connecting actuators in series. This segmentation ensures that hydraulic fluid leakage in one circuit does not affect the synchronization of other actuators, eliminating the need for manual adjustments while maintaining uniform tool contact with the soil.
Solution Approach 2:
A hydraulic synchronization mechanism acts as an intermediary between the hydraulic power source and the actuators. This intermediary component coordinates the operation of multiple actuators independently, ensuring they remain synchronized even when hydraulic fluid leakage occurs in individual circuits, thereby maintaining uniform depth of penetration without requiring manual intervention.
2Reliability
If the implement is fully elevated to synchronize actuators through bypass lands, then actuators can be synchronized, but this adds operational steps and decreases efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic system incorporates self-synchronizing features through independent circuits with built-in flow control mechanisms. The system automatically maintains actuator synchronization during normal operation without requiring the operator to perform additional steps such as fully elevating the implement, thereby maintaining both reliability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic system includes feedback mechanisms that monitor the position and operation of each actuator independently. When synchronization is detected, the system automatically adjusts flow distribution to maintain synchronized operation, eliminating the need for manual intervention or additional operational steps that would reduce productivity.
3Productivity
If the implement width is increased to improve efficiency and speed, then greater tillage coverage is achieved, but maintaining level positioning becomes more difficult and requires more complex adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The implement is divided into multiple independent sections, each with its own hydraulic actuator and control circuit. This segmentation allows each section to be controlled independently for level positioning, making it easier to manage the increased width and complexity while maintaining uniform tool contact across the entire implement width, thereby preserving productivity benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic system incorporates dynamic flow control capabilities that automatically adjust the operation of each actuator based on real-time conditions. This dynamic control enables easy adjustment of level positioning across wide implements without requiring complex manual interventions, as the system adapts automatically to maintain optimal operation across the full width.
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural tillage implement has a main frame section, a left wing section, and a right wing section. Lift wheels and gauge wheels are actuated by hydraulic cylinders supplied by a hydraulic system. Solenoid valves connect groups of hydraulic cylinders to each other and to bypass circuits. The solenoid valves and the bypass circuits function to selectively allow coordinated control and individual control of the lift wheels and gauge wheels. The hydraulic system has at least one hydraulic flow divider and combiner dividing hydraulic flow and pressure between at least one left hydraulic circuit and at least one right hydraulic circuit. The at least one hydraulic flow divider and combiner functions to coordinate the motion of the left rear lift wheels and gauge wheels, and the right rear lift wheels and gauge wheels, and may be overridden by bypass valves.