Variable Preservative Baler Inlet System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Baler implements face challenges in accurately applying preservatives to crop materials based on varying moisture content and density, leading to inefficient use and potential spoilage of hay due to inconsistent preservative application rates.
Innovation Solution
A baler implement with a baling chamber featuring a subdivided inlet and a preservative dispensing system with independently controllable nozzles, controlled by a crop density sensor and processor, allowing for precise application rates based on crop density across different regions of the inlet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a single preservative application system is used across the entire inlet width, then the device complexity is reduced, but the preservative application precision deteriorates due to inability to account for varying crop density across different regions
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet width is divided into multiple discrete regions, with each region having its own independently controllable nozzle. This segmentation allows preservative application precision to be improved by treating each region separately based on its specific crop density, while the overall system complexity is managed through modular design where each nozzle-region pair can be controlled independently.
Solution Approach 2:
Each nozzle is independently controllable based on the crop density within its associated discrete region. This local quality approach ensures that preservative is applied at the appropriate rate for each specific region's needs, rather than using a uniform application rate across the entire inlet width, thereby improving application precision.
2Reliability
If preservative application rate is increased to ensure adequate coverage, then the reliability of preventing crop material spoilage is improved, but the loss of substance increases due to excessive preservative application
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses crop density sensors to detect the actual crop density in each discrete region and provides feedback to the controller. The controller then adjusts the preservative application rate for each nozzle based on this feedback, ensuring adequate coverage where needed while reducing application where less is required, thereby preventing spoilage reliably without excessive preservative waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The preservative application rate is made dynamic and adjustable for each nozzle based on real-time crop density measurements. Rather than using a fixed application rate, the system dynamically optimizes the preservative dosage for each region, improving spoilage prevention reliability while minimizing preservative loss through adaptive control.
Data Source
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AI summary
A baler implement includes a baling chamber having an inlet spanning across a width thereof. The width of the inlet may be subdivided into a plurality of discrete regions. A preservative dispensing system includes a plurality of nozzles arranged across the width of the inlet. Each of the nozzles is independently controllable based on the crop density within a respective one of the discrete regions to dispense a preservative at different application rates within each of the discrete regions.