Working machine with transportation configuration actuator used for wing leveling while working the ground
Pith reviewed 2026-06-24 06:31 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
A working machine uses its transport-configuration actuators to level the wings in real time while the ground implements operate.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
The working machine has a center frame assembly, first and second wing assemblies hinged at each end, ground implements on the center and both wings, first and second actuators that pivot the wings between a narrow transport position and a wider working position, transportation devices, sensors that measure the degree of engagement of the wing implements with the ground, and one or more processors that activate the actuators on the basis of those measurements to pivot the wings while the implements continue to work the ground surface.
What carries the argument
The one or more processors that read sensor measurements of ground-implement engagement and command the transport actuators to pivot the wings for leveling while the implements remain in contact with the ground.
If this is right
- The machine maintains consistent working depth across center and wing implements without separate leveling hardware.
- The actuators serve both transport folding and operational adjustment, so no additional cylinders or linkages are required for leveling.
- Automatic wing-angle changes occur continuously during field operation rather than only when the machine is stopped.
- The same sensor-actuator loop that levels the wings can also return them to the narrow transport position when the work session ends.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- Wider wing spans become practical on uneven terrain because real-time corrections compensate for slope changes that would otherwise leave outer implements out of contact.
- The approach could be applied to other folding agricultural or construction tools where the same cylinders move sections between stowed and deployed states.
- If the sensor data prove reliable, operators could run at higher speeds without manual wing adjustments, since the system handles small corrections automatically.
Load-bearing premise
The patent assumes that sensor measurements of how deeply the wing implements engage the ground are accurate and fast enough for the actuators to make useful leveling corrections without risking structural damage or interfering with later transport use.
What would settle it
A controlled test in which the sensors report delayed or offset engagement values, causing the processors to drive the actuators to positions that leave one wing implement digging too deep or riding too high while the machine moves across uneven ground.
read the original abstract
1 . A working machine, comprising: a center frame assembly; a first wing assembly coupled at a first hinge to a first end of the center frame assembly; a second wing assembly coupled at a second hinge to a second end, opposite the first end, of the center frame assembly; ground implements configured to work a ground surface, including a center ground implement of the center frame assembly, a first ground implement of the first wing assembly, and a second ground implement of the second wing assembly; a first actuator coupled to the first wing assembly and the center frame assembly for pivoting the first wing assembly about the first hinge between a transport configuration which reduces a width of the working machine and a working configuration; a second actuator coupled to the second wing assembly and the center frame assembly for pivoting the second wing assembly about the second hinge between the transport configuration and the working configuration; transportation devices operable to transport the working machine; sensors to produce measurements indicative of a degree of engagement of the first ground implement with a first part of the ground surface, and a degree of engagement of the second ground implement with a second part of the ground surface; and one or more processors to activate the first and second actuators based on the measurements to pivot the first wing assembly about the first hinge and to pivot the second wing assembly about the second hinge while the ground implements work the ground surface.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The manuscript describes a working machine with a center frame assembly, two hinged wing assemblies carrying ground implements, actuators that pivot the wings between transport (folded) and working configurations, sensors measuring the degree of engagement of the wing implements with the ground surface, and processors that use those measurements to command the same actuators for active wing leveling during ground-working operations.
Significance. If the described dual-use actuator configuration can be made to function safely and effectively, it would represent a design simplification with potential benefits for cost, weight, and reliability in agricultural or construction equipment; the manuscript supplies no performance data, algorithms, or analysis, so any significance remains entirely conceptual.
major comments (1)
- [Claim 1 (Abstract)] Claim 1 (Abstract): the assertion that 'one or more processors [will] activate the first and second actuators based on the measurements to pivot the first wing assembly about the first hinge and to pivot the second wing assembly about the second hinge while the ground implements work the ground surface' is presented without any control algorithm, sensor specifications, force/torque analysis, or test results demonstrating that the transport actuators can perform real-time leveling corrections without compromising safety or transport function; this functional claim is load-bearing for the utility of the invention.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the review of our patent application. The invention concerns a structural configuration allowing transport actuators to also perform active wing leveling via sensor feedback. We respond point-by-point to the major comment.
read point-by-point responses
-
Referee: Claim 1 (Abstract): the assertion that 'one or more processors [will] activate the first and second actuators based on the measurements to pivot the first wing assembly about the first hinge and to pivot the second wing assembly about the second hinge while the ground implements work the ground surface' is presented without any control algorithm, sensor specifications, force/torque analysis, or test results demonstrating that the transport actuators can perform real-time leveling corrections without compromising safety or transport function; this functional claim is load-bearing for the utility of the invention.
Authors: Patent claims define the scope of the inventive concept rather than providing an enabling specification with implementation details. The claim recites the novel apparatus (center frame, hinged wings, dual-use actuators, ground-engagement sensors, and processors commanding the same actuators for leveling during operation). The utility arises from the design simplification of reusing transport actuators instead of adding dedicated leveling hardware. Specific control algorithms, sensor specifications, force analyses, and test results are matters of routine implementation by those skilled in the art and are not required to be included in the claim language itself. The patent establishes the functional capability of the described structure. revision: no
Circularity Check
No significant circularity
full rationale
The document is a U.S. patent application describing a mechanical apparatus for a working machine with wing assemblies, actuators, sensors, and processors. It contains no equations, derivations, fitted parameters, predictions, or mathematical claims. The central description (Abstract and claim 1) is a purely configurational statement of machine elements and their intended use; no step reduces by construction to its own inputs, self-citation chains, or renamed empirical patterns. The reader's assessment of score 0.0 is confirmed: absence of any load-bearing derivation chain precludes circularity under the enumerated patterns.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (1)
- domain assumption Standard principles of mechanical actuation, sensor feedback, and real-time control apply to agricultural implements.
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.