Funnel Apparatus for Moving Windrow Ends Inward
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for harvesting nuts from windrows require manual labor to move ends inward, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs due to the need for hand blowers or rakes, resulting in scattered nuts and incomplete collection.
Innovation Solution
A funnel-like apparatus attached to a transport vehicle with a gate system that funnels and disperses nuts from a wide row to a narrow row, allowing efficient collection without manual intervention, using skids and a gate cylinder to manage the nut distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual labor with hand blowers or rakes is used to move windrow ends inward, then nuts can be collected, but labor costs and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus allows the transport vehicle itself to perform the work of moving windrow ends inward through the funnel mechanism, eliminating the need for separate manual labor. The vehicle's forward motion automatically drives the apparatus to collect and redistribute nuts without requiring workers to manually operate blowers or rakes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical systems (hand blowers and rakes operated by workers) with an automated mechanical funnel apparatus mounted on the transport vehicle. This automated system uses the vehicle's motion and the funnel's geometry to mechanically redirect nuts, substituting human-operated tools with a self-functioning mechanical device.
2Ease of operation
If hand blowers are used to move nuts inward, then nuts can be redistributed, but nuts become scattered and placement precision is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The funnel apparatus uses a curved, tapered geometry that naturally guides nuts along a controlled path toward the windrow center. The curved surfaces of the funnel channels direct nuts smoothly rather than forcing them, maintaining placement precision while enabling redistribution without the scattering effect of hand blowers.
Solution Approach 2:
The funnel apparatus acts as an intermediary device between the scattered nuts and the desired centralized position. Rather than directly blowing or raking nuts (which causes scattering), the funnel provides a controlled intermediate pathway that guides nuts systematically to their target location, improving placement precision through this mediating structure.
3Device complexity
If conventional harvesters are used without moving windrow ends inward, then the harvesting process is simpler, but nuts at the ends are not collected and are left behind
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus performs preliminary action by moving windrow ends inward before the harvester reaches them. By redistributing nuts from the ends toward the center in advance, the system ensures that when the harvester operates, all nuts are within its collection path, eliminating the need for the harvester to perform additional maneuvers or miss end nuts.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus enables continuous useful action by ensuring the entire windrow length is productive throughout the harvesting process. By eliminating dead zones at the ends where nuts would otherwise be left behind, the system maintains continuous nut collection efficiency without interruption or need for repositioning, keeping the harvester's useful action continuous along the full windrow length.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatuses for and methods of moving the ends of windrows inward are disclosed. The apparatuses of the present invention include a front end, a rear end and two opposing sides, the front end configured to be wider than the rear end, two skids attached to the two opposing sides, a gate rotatably attached to the rear end and configured to cover an opening in the rear end, a gate cylinder operably attached to the gate and configured to close the gate to collect fruit and/or nuts within the apparatus, and open the gate to distribute the fruit and/or nuts outside of the apparatus, thus eliminating the need to hand rake the ends of the windrows inward or to blow the ends of the windrow inward with a hand blower.