Harvesting attachment with a mulching device

Abstract

Harvesting attachment (20) for harvesting maize, with a frame (84) movable in a forward direction (V) over a field, on which at least one harvesting device (72) for harvesting maize plants and a mulching device (60) arranged downstream of the harvesting device (72) for processing the plant stumps (74) remaining in the ground after harvesting are attached, characterized in that the mulching device (60) is supported on the frame (84) so ​​as to be movable laterally relative to the harvesting device (72) and can be guided along the plant stumps (74) by means of guide means.

Description

The invention relates to a harvesting attachment for harvesting maize, with a frame movable in a forward direction across a field, on which at least one harvesting device for harvesting maize plants and a mulching device arranged downstream of the harvesting device for processing the plant stumps remaining in the ground after harvesting are attached. Technological background In many cases, mulching equipment is attached below harvesting attachments for maize harvesting to shred and / or shred the plant stumps remaining in the field after harvesting, whether to protect the tires of vehicles driving in the field, to improve the decomposition of plant residues or to destroy the overwintering habitat of the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis). German patent DE 35 15 295 A1 discloses a corn picker with such a mulching device, which carries knives arranged on a driven, horizontal shaft. The shaft is located within a housing that is pivotally mounted at the front of the corn picker's frame about an axis parallel to the shaft and is supported on the ground by skids. The downward pivoting movement of the housing relative to the corn picker is limited by a chain attached to the rear of both the housing and the corn picker. On this corn picker, the mulching device is relatively narrow, which is not a problem since the corn to be harvested is grown in rows and the picking slit must be guided precisely along the rows to harvest the plants. Thus, only the portion of the working width of the multi-row corn picker where plants are expected is worked by the mulching device. German patent DE 10 2004 020 447 A1 describes a harvesting header for harvesting whole corn plants, on the underside of which mulching units with blades rotating around the vertical axis are mounted side by side. The mulching units are height-adjustable on the harvesting header via parallelogram linkages and are supported on the ground by skids. With this harvesting header, the working width of the mulching units corresponds to the working width of the harvesting header. Task Using a relatively narrow mulching device, as in DE 35 15 295 A1, which only covers a portion of the harvesting head's width, does save drive energy compared to mulching across the entire working width, as proposed in DE 10 2004 020 447 A1. However, there is a risk that not all plant stubble will be processed, for example, if the harvester is traveling in a curve and the plant residue to be processed passes by the mulching device at an angle. The object underlying the invention is seen as being to provide a harvesting attachment for maize harvesting in which it is ensured that the plant residues are actually processed, even by means of mulching devices covering only part of the working width of the harvesting attachment. invention The present invention is defined by the patent claims. A harvesting header for maize harvesting is equipped with a frame that can be moved forward across a field. At least one harvesting unit for harvesting maize plants and a mulching unit, located downstream of the harvesting unit, for processing the plant stumps remaining in the ground after harvesting are attached to this frame. The mulching unit is supported on the frame so that it can move laterally relative to the harvesting unit and is guided along the plant stumps by guide elements. In other words, the mulching unit is not fixed laterally to the frame of the harvester header, but is moved laterally by guides and guided along the plant stumps. This ensures that the plant stumps can be reliably processed by the mulching unit, even if its working width is smaller than that of the harvester. This advantage is also achieved when the working widths of the mulching unit and the harvester are the same, because even then, for example when driving around curves, it is ensured that all harvested plant stumps are processed by the mulching unit. In one possible embodiment, the guiding means interact mechanically with the plant stumps. The guiding means can interact with the plant stumps upstream or downstream of the mulching device. In particular, the guiding means comprise skids guided on the ground or immediately above the ground, which are movable laterally through the plant stumps. The guide elements can be mechanically coupled to the mulching unit. Alternatively, a sensor can detect the position of the guide elements and be connected to a control unit that controls an actuator for the lateral adjustment of the mulching unit. In another embodiment, the guide means can detect the plant stumps without contact, e.g. by means of a light barrier or a camera or an ultrasonic sensor, and an actuator automatically controlled based on the detection of the plant stumps adjusts the mulching device. The harvesting attachment can be designed as a corn picker or a mowing attachment for harvesting entire corn plants. In the first case, the harvesting device is a picking unit, and in the second case, a mowing and intake unit with a lower cutting disc and linearly or rotaryally moving conveying elements arranged above it for transporting the plant. Example of implementation Two embodiments of the invention are explained with reference to the figures, whereby the reference numerals may not be used for a restrictive interpretation of the claims. The figures show: Fig. 1 a harvesting machine with a harvesting head for maize harvesting and a mulching device mounted underneath it in a side view and in schematic representation, Fig. 2 a schematic top view of a harvesting device of the harvesting head with a first embodiment of a mulching device, and Fig. 3 a schematic top view of a harvesting device of the harvesting head with a second embodiment of a mulching device. A self-propelled harvesting machine 10, shown in Fig. 1, in the form of a forage harvester, is mounted on a chassis 12, which is supported by driven front wheels 14 and steerable rear wheels 16. The harvesting machine 10 is operated from a driver's cab 18, from which a harvesting header 20 is visible. Crop picked up from the ground by the harvesting header 20, e.g., corn or sunflowers, is fed during harvesting by pre-compression rollers 30, 32 arranged in a feed housing 36 to a chopping drum 22, which, in conjunction with a counter blade 46, chops the crop into small pieces and feeds it to a secondary accelerator 24. The blades of the chopping drum 22 can be sharpened by a grinding device 42 if necessary. The material leaves the harvesting machine 10 via a height-adjustable and vertically rotatable discharge spout 26 to a trailer driving alongside it.Between the chopping drum 22 and the conveying device 24 (in the case of harvesting maize) extends a secondary chopping device with rollers 28, 28', through which the material to be conveyed is fed tangentially to the secondary accelerator 24. The harvesting header 20 is used for harvesting entire maize plants and comprises a number of harvesting units 72 arranged laterally side by side in the form of cutting and intake units, as shown schematically in Fig. 2. The cutting and intake units are supported by gear housings from a frame 84 of the harvesting header 20. The harvesting units 72 each comprise, in a manner known per se, lower cutting discs and above them conveying discs with recesses distributed around the edge for transporting the plants. The harvesting header 20 itself is described, for example, in EP 0 760 200 A1. Below the harvesting header 20, several mulching units 60, each associated with a harvesting device 72, are arranged laterally side by side. Each mulching unit comprises a shaft 62 arranged horizontally and transversely to the forward direction V. This shaft can be rotated by a drive, either upwards and backwards as shown in Fig. 1, or in the opposite direction. The shaft 62 can be driven by an electric or hydraulic motor 70 (see Fig. 2) or by a mechanical drive train from the harvesting machine 10. Flails 64 or chopping blades are attached to the shaft. These serve to shred and / or shred the plant stumps 74 that remain in the ground after the corn plants have been harvested with the harvesting header 20. The mulching units 60 are suspended, separately for each mulching unit 60, from a crossbeam 68 located on the underside of the header 20, which can extend, for example, below the gearbox housing, or directly to the gearbox housing. Two longitudinal beams 66 are pivotally attached laterally to the crossbeam 68, each freely pivotable about vertical axes. Two vertical struts 76 are attached to the longitudinal beams 66 behind the crossbeam 68, and the shaft 62 is mounted at the lower ends of these struts. Skids 78 are attached to the rear ends of the longitudinal beams 66, extending backwards and downwards and running along the ground. A crossbeam 80 is attached to the rear end of the longitudinal beams 66 and is pivotably connected to both longitudinal beams 66 about vertical axes.The crossbeam 68 thus forms a parallelogram with the longitudinal beams 66 and the cross brace 80, which is laterally displaceable by the skids 78. This allows the mulching unit 60 to move laterally when the skids 78 are moved laterally by the plant stumps 74. Such movement can occur, for example, if the plants were not sown in a straight line but in a curve. This ensures that the mulching unit 60 is always aligned laterally with the plant stumps 74 and reliably shreds them, even though the working width of the mulching unit 60 is smaller than the working width of the harvesting unit 72. Figure 2 also shows that in its central position, the mulching unit 60 is laterally aligned with the center of the harvesting unit 72, since this is where the plants to be harvested typically enter.The skids 78 act together with the parallelogram as a guide means, which guide the mulching device 60, which is supported on the frame 84 and is movable in a lateral direction relative to the harvesting device 72, along the plant stumps 74. It should also be noted that the longitudinal beams 66 can be pivotally connected to the crossbeam 68 about axes running transversely to the forward direction V and horizontally. The skids 78 then follow the ground contour and define the height of the mulching device 60 above the ground. In the second embodiment shown in Fig. 3, elements corresponding to the first embodiment are marked with the same reference numerals. A key difference is that the skids 78, which interact with the plant stumps 74, are arranged in the forward direction V in front of the mulching device 60 and do not interact mechanically with the mulching device 60, but rather via an electronic control 88. Similar to known row sensors for the automatic steering of harvesting machines 10 along plant rows, the skids 78 are pre-tensioned by springs against the (expected position of the) plant stumps 74 and are movably hinged about the vertical axis.The position of the skids 78 is detected by sensors 86 and transmitted to the control unit 88, which actuates the actuator 90, which engages the parallelogram consisting of crossbeam 68, longitudinal beams 66, and cross strut 80 and laterally displaces it, thus laterally adjusting the mulching unit 60 to process the plant stumps 74 captured by the skids 78. The control unit 88 can additionally take into account the forward travel distance V of the harvesting head 20, the steering angle of the harvesting machine 10, and the geometry of the harvesting head 20 and the harvesting machine 10, including the position of the respective harvesting unit 72 m, in order to control the mulching unit 60 in a manner that correctly captures the plant stumps 74.

Claims

Harvesting attachment (20) for harvesting maize, with a frame (84) movable in a forward direction (V) over a field, on which at least one harvesting device (72) for harvesting maize plants and a mulching device (60) arranged downstream of the harvesting device (72) for processing the plant stumps (74) remaining in the ground after harvesting are attached, characterized in that the mulching device (60) is supported on the frame (84) so ​​as to be movable laterally relative to the harvesting device (72) and can be guided along the plant stumps (74) by means of guide means. Harvesting attachment (20) according to claim 1, wherein the guiding means mechanically interact with the plant stumps (74). Harvesting attachment (20) according to claim 2, wherein the guiding means interact upstream or downstream of the mulching device (60) with the plant stumps (74). Harvesting attachment (20) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the guiding means comprise skids (78) guided on the ground or immediately above the ground, which are movable in a lateral direction through the plant stumps (74). Harvesting attachment (20) according to one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the guide means are mechanically coupled to the mulching device (60). Harvesting attachment (20) according to one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a sensor (86) detects the position of the guide means and is connected to a control unit (88) which controls an actuator (90) for lateral adjustment of the mulching device (60). Harvesting attachment (20) according to claim 1, wherein the guide means detect the plant stumps (74) without contact and an actuator (90) adjusts the mulching device (60). Harvesting attachment (20) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the working width of the mulching device (60) is smaller than the working width of the harvesting device (72). Harvesting attachment (20) according to one of claims 1 to 8 in the form of a corn picker or mowing attachment for harvesting whole corn plants.

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