Agricultural Wheel Bumper With Pivot Plate and Early Stop Trigger
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bumper systems in autonomous agricultural machinery are not robust enough to withstand collision forces, leading to potential damage to mechanical components and inefficiencies due to emergency sequences, and solutions like speed reduction or LiDAR sensors are either inefficient or complex to implement.
Innovation Solution
A bumper system with a protective plate and activation bar that pivots and actuates an emergency sequence upon specific force thresholds, reducing damage risk by absorbing collision energy and triggering braking before contact, without the need for additional sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the forward speed of agricultural machinery is limited to reduce collision damage, then the risk of damage to bumper system and mechanical components is reduced, but productivity and efficiency are necessarily reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The activation bar is positioned to detect obstacles before the protective plate contacts them, triggering the emergency sequence in advance. This preliminary detection and response allows the machine to stop before full collision occurs, protecting components without requiring continuous speed limitation during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective plate is designed to pivot dynamically upon collision rather than remaining fixed. This dynamic response allows the plate to move with the force of collision, absorbing energy and reducing stress on mounted components while maintaining protection.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If LiDAR sensors and software control are used to anticipate collisions, then collision detection capability is improved, but device complexity and implementation difficulty are significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex LiDAR sensor and software control system from the collision detection function. Instead, it uses a simple mechanical activation bar that directly detects obstacles through physical contact, triggering the emergency sequence through mechanical actuation of the control device.
Solution Approach 2:
The bumper system is self-activating through mechanical means. The activation bar automatically triggers the emergency sequence when it contacts an obstacle, without requiring external sensors, processors, or software control. The system serves itself through pure mechanical interaction.
3Strength
If the protective plate is made more robust to withstand collision forces, then protection capability is improved, but the risk of damage to mounted mechanical components during emergency sequence is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The protective plate transitions from a static component to a dynamic one that pivots upon collision. This pivoting motion allows the plate to absorb collision forces through movement rather than rigid resistance, reducing the transmission of damaging forces to mounted components while maintaining protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
The collision force that would otherwise damage mechanical components is converted into a useful pivoting motion of the protective plate. This motion absorbs kinetic energy and gradually applies the obstacle's force to the wheel, transforming harmful impact into a beneficial energy dissipation mechanism.
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
The bumper system effectively reduces damage to mechanical components and simplifies compliance with regulatory standards by absorbing collision energy and triggering emergency sequences proactively, ensuring robust protection and efficient operation.
Implementation Method 1
the protective plate pivots around its first axis from its initial position to its contact position
Implementation Method 2
this movement of the protective plate contributes to a gradual application of the obstacle's contact force on the wheel and to bringing the agricultural machinery to a stop, thus absorbing some of the kinetic energy from the collision
Implementation Method 3
The cam is fixed to the activation bar and configured such that, when the activation bar pivots from its initial position to the activation position, a corresponding pivot of the cam causes the roller to move toward the switch
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a bumper system (2) for an agricultural machine (1), comprising: - a plate (4) pivotally connected to a chassis of the machine (1), movable between an initial position and a contact position; - a bar (6) movable between an initial position and an activation position; the bumper system (2) being configured such that, in the event that the bar (6) comes into contact with an obstacle, the bar (6) moves from its initial position to its activation position, the bar (6) actuating a control element configured to command an emergency sequence of the agricultural machine (1), the bumper system (2) being further configured such that, in the event that the plate (4) comes into contact with the obstacle, the plate (4) pivots from its initial position to its contact position.