Tractor Three-Point Hitch Segmentation for Viticulture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional three-point implement hitches for tractors used in viticulture and orchards are complex and expensive, with high wear on components due to stringent requirements for precise alignment and movement in narrow rows and steep slopes, necessitating a cost-effective and simplified solution.
Innovation Solution
A three-point hitch design where the lower links are articulated separately, allowing for independent adjustment and using almost identical components to conventional systems, with actuators and stabilizer elements to achieve lateral sway and vertical sloping movements, reducing wear and enhancing operational flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional three-point implement hitches are used for viticulture and orchards, then the system can perform basic attachment functions, but the construction becomes complex and expensive with high component wear due to stringent alignment requirements in narrow rows and steep slopes
Solution Approach 1:
The implement hitch is divided into functionally independent lower links that can be adjusted separately. Each lower link is controlled by its own actuator, allowing independent positioning to achieve precise alignment without requiring a completely rigid U-shaped structure. This segmentation enables the system to handle steep slopes and narrow row requirements while using simpler, more modular components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs actuators that can dynamically adjust the position and angle of lower links during operation. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the implement to adapt to varying terrain conditions (steep slopes) and row configurations (narrow rows) without requiring an overly complex fixed structure, thereby improving alignment precision while controlling overall system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If rigid U-shaped lower links with multiple cylinders are used to achieve lateral sway and vertical sloping movements, then the implement can be precisely aligned, but the construction becomes expensive and components experience high wear
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator system is designed to perform multiple functions: each actuator can control both the elevation and angular positioning of its associated lower link. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate specialized cylinders for lateral sway and vertical sloping movements, reducing the total number of components and manufacturing costs while maintaining full alignment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves precise implement alignment by changing the positional parameters of lower links through actuator control. Rather than requiring complex mechanical linkages and multiple specialized cylinders, the invention uses controllable actuators to adjust link positions and angles, thereby achieving the same alignment results with simpler, more cost-effective components that experience reduced wear.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the two lower links are rigidly connected in a U-shape, then lateral sway movement is possible, but the construction is complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a rigid U-shaped connection, the system segments the lower links and allows them to be independently positioned by separate actuators. This segmentation achieves the lateral sway capability through coordinated independent movement of each link, rather than through a rigid mechanical connection, thereby reducing structural complexity while maintaining the desired adaptability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The device (10) has lower guides (12, 14) and an upper guide whose end is flexibly connected with a tractor in an upper middle area of the device at a tractor-sided connection point (16). Ends (18) of the lower guides are flexibly connected with the tractor at a lower area of the device at tractor-sided connection points (22). The connection points (22) of the lower guides are together arranged in a spatial proximity. An independent claim is also included for a lower guide for a three-point attachment device.