Fan hub for extractor of harvester

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a fan hub for an extractor of a harvester. The fan hub has a hub cover disposed along an axis of rotation of a fan of the extractor. The hub cover is adjustable to change a profile of the hub cover relative to the axis of rotation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hub cover for a fan, and more specifically, to an adjustable hub cover for an extractor of a harvester. Background Technology

[0002] During sugarcane harvesting, the sugarcane crop is typically cut near the soil where it grows. When the crop is harvested, it is cut into smaller segments called sugarcane briquettes. These briquettes can reach the rear of the machine, where they travel along a conveyor and are transported to trolleys or wagons. Many sugarcane harvesters utilize extractors to remove debris and rubble from the cleaning chamber. The extractor is often a fan housed within a piping system, used to pull debris and rubble out of the cleaning chamber. The fan has sufficient power to draw the debris and rubble through the piping system and the fan, expelling it from the sugarcane harvester.

[0003] In conventional sugarcane harvesters, the fan may have a hub cover that extends into the fan inlet side. Conventional hub covers are typically a fixed size. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One embodiment is a fan hub for an extractor of a harvester. The fan hub has a hub cover disposed along the axis of rotation of the fan. The hub cover is adjustable to change its profile relative to the axis of rotation.

[0005] In one example of this implementation, the hubcap includes at least one nested segment that overlaps with an adjacent segment of the hubcap to allow the hubcap to extend axially along the axis of rotation while substantially shielding the interior region of the fan hub from debris. In another aspect of this example, the hubcap has more than one nested segment that at least partially overlaps with an adjacent nested segment.

[0006] Another example of this embodiment has a core member disposed along the axis of rotation and at least partially within the hubcap, the core member being configured to extend axially relative to the fan along the axis of rotation away from the hubcap. In one aspect of this example, both the hubcap and the core member selectively extend along the axis of rotation. In another aspect of this example, the core member includes at least one nested segment that at least partially overlaps with an adjacent segment.

[0007] Another example of this embodiment includes an actuator that selectively changes the size of the hubcap. One aspect of this example includes a user interface through which the actuator can be selectively adjusted. Another aspect of this example includes a controller that selectively changes the size of the hubcap using the actuator based on operating conditions. In one part of this aspect, the operating conditions are input by a user. Another part of this aspect includes at least one vehicle sensor in communication with the controller, wherein the operating conditions are readings from the at least one vehicle sensor.

[0008] Another aspect of this example has a core component, and the actuator selectively changes the size of the fan hub by altering the position of one or more of the hubcap and the core component. This aspect also includes a second actuator, wherein one of the actuators selectively changes the size of the hubcap, while the other selectively changes the size of the core component.

[0009] In another example, the hubcap includes one or more baffles that allow the hubcap to expand axially while substantially sealing the interior area of ​​the hubcap. In yet another example, the hubcap rotates together with the fan.

[0010] Another embodiment of this disclosure is a harvester comprising: a ground engagement mechanism configured to selectively move the harvester along a subgrade surface; a prime mover configured to selectively power the ground engagement mechanism; a harvesting head configured to harvest crops from the subgrade surface; a processing assembly configured to separate debris from the crops; and an extractor assembly located within the processing assembly. The extractor assembly comprises: a fan for separating debris from the crops, the fan having an inlet side and an outlet side and being selectively powered by a motor to rotate about a rotation axis; and a hub cover disposed along the rotation axis and extending at least partially into the inlet side of the fan. The hub cover is adjustable to change the displacement volume along the inlet side, thereby agitating the crops and debris submitted to the inlet side of the fan.

[0011] In one example of this embodiment, the hubcap includes at least one nested segment that overlaps with an adjacent segment to allow the hubcap to extend axially along the axis of rotation while substantially isolating the interior region of the hubcap from debris. Another example has a core member disposed along the axis of rotation, wherein both the core member and the hubcap are capable of extending axially along the axis of rotation. In part of this example, the core member is capable of extending axially along the axis of rotation independently of the hubcap.

[0012] Another embodiment is a method for improving crop capture in a harvester. The method includes: providing a harvesting head; a processing assembly having an extractor assembly including a fan and a hub cover; the fan having an inlet side and being selectively powered by a motor to rotate about a rotation axis; the hub cover being disposed along the rotation axis and extending at least partially into the inlet side of the fan; the hub cover being configured to be variable in size to accommodate different crop conditions; and adjusting or replacing the hub cover to change the displacement volume along the inlet side, thereby agitating crop and debris submitted to the inlet side of the fan. Adjusting the hub cover is configured to be performed manually; via user input on a user interface; or automatically by a controller in response to input from sensors on the harvester. Attached Figure Description

[0013] The above aspects of this disclosure and the manner in which they are obtained will become clearer and the disclosure itself will be better understood by referring to the following description of embodiments of this disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0014] Figure 1 This is a side view of a sugarcane harvester;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a side sectional view of one embodiment of the extractor;

[0016] Figure 3 This is a side sectional view of another embodiment of the extractor;

[0017] Figure 4 This is a side sectional view of the hubcap assembly;

[0018] Figures 5a to 5d yes Figure 4 Side sectional views of the hubcap assembly in different configurations;

[0019] Figure 6 This is a graphical representation of the logical protocol disclosed herein;

[0020] Figure 7 Another implementation of the hubcap assembly; and

[0021] Figure 8 This is another implementation of the hubcap assembly.

[0022] In multiple drawings, the corresponding reference numerals are always used to indicate the corresponding parts. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The embodiments of this disclosure described below are not intended to be exclusive or to limit this disclosure to the precise forms described in the following detailed description. Rather, these embodiments were chosen and described so that those skilled in the art can appreciate and understand the principles and practice of this disclosure.

[0024] Now turn to this disclosure Figure 1 An embodiment of the sugarcane harvester 100 is shown. Figure 1 In the diagram, the harvester 100 is shown in a side view, with the front of the harvester 100 facing to the right. Therefore, some left-side components of the harvester 100 are... Figure 1 It may be invisible in the middle.

[0025] The harvester 100 may include a main frame 102 supported on a ground engagement mechanism such as track assemblies or wheels (i.e., front wheels 104 and rear wheels 106), wherein a cab 108 is adapted to accommodate an operator. The cab 108 may include multiple controllers for controlling the operation of the harvester 100, including but not limited to a user interface 140. A prime mover, such as an engine 110 or other power system, may supply power to drive the harvester 100 along the field and power the various driven components of the harvester. In some embodiments, the engine 110 may directly power hydraulic pumps, pneumatic pumps, generators, and other devices, and the various driven components of the harvester may be powered by hydraulic motors, pneumatic motors, or electric motors that receive power from hydraulic pumps, pneumatic pumps, or stored electrical energy from a generator.

[0026] The harvester may have a harvesting head 142 with a sugarcane top cutter 112, which can extend in front of the frame 102 to remove the leaf tips of the sugarcane plants 116, and then a set of feeders 114 (only) Figure 1 The right-hand divider shown in the diagram guides the remaining sugarcane toward the internal mechanisms of the harvester 100 for processing. As the sugarcane harvester 100 moves across the field, the plant 116 passing between the dividers 114 can be deflected downwards by one or more pressing rollers 118, and then cut near the base of the plant by a base cutter assembly 120 mounted on the main frame 102. A rotating disc, guide, or paddle on the base cutter assembly 120 can further guide the cut end of the plant upwards and backwards within the harvester 100 toward a feeding mechanism 125, such as a series of paired upper and lower feeding rollers. The feeding mechanism can be rotatably supported by a chassis 122 and can be rotatably driven by a hydraulic motor, electric motor, or other device to feed the stalks toward a shredder drum module 124 to shred the stalks into relatively uniform segments.

[0027] The shredder drum module 124 may include upper and lower shredder drums that can rotate in opposite directions about parallel axes to shred passing stalks and advance the fragments into a cleaning chamber 126 at the base of the first or main extractor 128. The first extractor 128 may use a powered fan to extract waste and debris from the cleaning chamber 126.

[0028] Other examples Figure 1 As shown, a loading conveyor or lifting system 130 may be located at the rear of the harvester. The loading conveyor or lifting system 130 may include a front end located at the bottom of the cleaning chamber 126, and the system may then convey the cleaned billets upwards to a discharge position 134 near or below the second extractor 136. The billets may be discharged via the second extractor 136 into a tractor truck, trolley, van, or other container.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the elevator or conveyor system 130 can be connected to the swing table or pivot bearing 132. In this way, the entire system 130 can pivot up to or about 180° to unload the billet from either side of the harvester 100.

[0030] In one aspect of this disclosure, a first extractor 128 may be located near a basket and has a conduit partially disposed around the basket. During operation, sugarcane segments may pass through the basket and be received at a first end of a conveyor. The first extractor 128 may include a fan assembly or other similar device for extracting debris (i.e., leaves) and other impurities from the sugarcane segments received by the inclined conveyor. The conduit may be coupled to the main extractor 128 to create flow paths for air and debris as air and debris are drawn through the extractor 128 by the action of the fan assembly.

[0031] Now refer to Figure 2 This illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example of the first extractor 128. Figure 2 In the example, sugarcane 202 or other similar crops can be guided into a chopper drum module 204, where it is chopped into segments 206 when supplied to a cleaning chamber 208. The cleaning chamber can be an area along the inlet side 210 of the fan assembly 212. The fan assembly 212 can draw air and other debris from the inlet side to the exhaust side 214, where the debris is ultimately guided by a shroud 216 in the exhaust direction 218 out of the main extractor. The fan assembly 212 may include a fan 220 coupled to a motor 222 to selectively rotate and draw air and debris from the inlet side to the exhaust side 214, and ultimately out of the main extractor 128 in the exhaust direction 218.

[0032] The main extractor 128 can use the fan assembly 212 to separate the billet segment 206 from any other debris that may have entered the cleaning chamber 208. Ideally, the main extractor 128 will use the fan assembly 212 to separate all debris from the billet segment 206 without discharging any billet segment 206 from the main extractor 128. Instead, the billet segment 206 should remain on the inlet side 210 and fall into the elevator system 130 for further processing, as discussed herein.

[0033] In one example, fan assembly 212 may have a fan hub cover 224 coupled to the fan hub of fan 220 to rotate together with the fan hub at the inlet side 210 of fan 220. In this configuration, hub cover 224 may extend into cleaning chamber 208 at the inlet side 210. When billet 206 and debris enter cleaning chamber 208, hub cover 224 may at least partially contact some of the billet 206 and debris. This contact may cause further agitation of the debris / billet mixture entering the cleaning chamber to increase the efficiency of debris removal by main extractor 128. The “efficiency” of main extractor 128 may refer to separating and extracting debris along discharge path 218 without discharging billet 206. In other words, the main extractor 128 must generate a sufficiently strong airflow with the fan assembly 212 to ensure that most of the debris is removed from the cleaning chamber 208, but not strong enough to cause the billet 206, which should be guided to the elevator system 130, to be discharged from the main extractor 128 along the discharge direction 218.

[0034] In one aspect of this disclosure, a hubcap 224 may be positioned in the path of the incoming billet segment 206 and debris to reduce the momentum of the billet segment 206 entering the cleaning chamber 208. Initially throwing the billet segment 206 from the shredder drum module 204 into the cleaning chamber 208 makes it easier to extract the billet segment 206 from the cleaning chamber 208 and distribute it onto the ground in the exhaust direction 218. However, in the embodiment discussed herein, the spinning hubcap mitigates this risk by contacting the billet segment 206 as it enters the cleaning chamber 208 and reducing at least some of the initial momentum of the billet segment 206.

[0035] In one example, this facilitates the separation of the sugarcane stalk from the sugarcane leaf when the sugarcane stalk / leaf unit is contacted by any external force during its trajectory through the cleaning chamber 208. During the sugarcane stalk chopping process, the chopper drum module 204 may not always completely and adequately separate all leaf material from the corresponding stalk 206 to allow the extraction force of a conventional extractor to separate and remove irrelevant leaf material from the stalk 206 in the cleaning chamber 208. Therefore, due to the low efficiency of conventional harvesters in performing this process, residual leaf material may remain on the stalk. However, the embodiments discussed herein propose a spinning hub cap 224 that facilitates further sugarcane leaf-stalk separation by agitating the partially chopped sugarcane leaves and piercing leaf material from the stalk 206, thereby allowing more leaf material to be extracted from the cleaning chamber 206. This agitation is further generated as the spinning hub cap 224 facilitates further segment-to-segment interaction and segment-to-cleaning chamber interaction, which also facilitates segment-to-leaf separation. Therefore, the embodiments provided herein offer an adjustable hub cap for maximizing agitation for a given crop feed rate (and others).

[0036] The hubcap of this disclosure can be adjustable to accommodate different harvesting conditions. The term "adjustable" or "adjustable" can refer to changing the size and shape of a resizeable hubcap. Alternatively, the term "adjustable" or "adjustable" can refer to removably attaching hubcaps of different sizes to the extractor 128. Thus, the extractor 128 contemplated herein can have an adjustable hubcap utilizing any of the embodiments considered herein.

[0037] Now refer to Figure 3 The diagram illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the extractor 300 having a hubcap assembly 350. The extractor 300 may have a fan assembly 302 having a fan 304 having blades 306 extending from a fan hub 308. The fan 304 may be selectively powered by a motor 310 via a bearing assembly 312. Figure 3 The implementation method can be substantially similar to Figure 2 In this implementation, besides the hub cap 314 connected to the fan hub 308 being configured to be resized, more specifically, the hub cap 314 may have multiple nested segments 316 that partially overlap each other to provide a hub cap 314 that can extend axially along the rotation axis 318 of the fan assembly 302. Furthermore, the overlapping relationship of the nested segments 316 of the hub cap 314 allows the hub cap 314 to extend along the rotation axis 318 while substantially shielding the internal region 320 of the fan hub from debris. That is, regardless of how the fan hub cap 314 extends, it can maintain shielding the internal region 320 of the fan hub from debris and the like.

[0038] exist Figure 3 In this embodiment, the core member 322 may be disposed along the axis of rotation 318 through the central portion of the hubcap 314. The core member 322 may have a smaller diameter than the hubcap 314 and may be at least partially disposed in the inner region 320. The core member 322 may be axially extended along the axis of rotation 318 outside the tapered segment 324 of the hubcap 314. The core member 322 may be formed by nested segments 316 that partially overlap with nested segments similar in size to but different in size from the nested segments of the hubcap 314. The nested segments 316 may be sized to allow adjacent segments to overlap each other, thereby allowing the core member 322 to extend and retract along the axis of rotation 318. Therefore, both the hubcap 314 and the core member 322 may be repositioned along the axis of rotation 318.

[0039] In a non-exclusive example, one or both of the hubcap 314 and the core component 322 can be selectively extended along the axis of rotation 318 via one or more actuators 326, 328. More specifically, the hubcap actuator 326 can be selectively engaged to extend the corresponding hubcap 314, while the core component actuator 328 can be selectively engaged to extend the corresponding core component 322. In one example of this disclosure, the core component 322 and the corresponding actuator 328 can be coupled to the hubcap 314 in such a configuration that the orientation of the core component 322 relative to the tapered segment 324 remains substantially unchanged as the hubcap 314 extends or retracts axially along the axis of rotation 318. Instead, the core component 322 is coupled to the tapered segment 324 such that movement of the tapered segment 324 also moves the core component 322 and the core component actuator 328.

[0040] In one aspect of this disclosure, actuators 326, 328 may be electric linear actuators. Additionally, fan 304 may be coupled to bearing assembly 312 and motor 310 via one or more hollow shafts. Furthermore, an electric rotary connector may be arranged along the shaft to allow the shaft and actuators 326, 328 to rotate together with fan 304 while a portion of the electric rotary connector remains stationary. This allows control signals from other areas of harvester 100 to be transmitted to actuators 326, 328 to reposition one or more of hubcap 314 and core member 322.

[0041] Now refer to Figure 4 A detailed sectional view of the hubcap assembly 350 is shown. More specifically, Figure 4The diagram illustrates the nesting relationship between a hubcap 314 and a core member 322, with the hubcap assembly 350 in a fully retracted configuration. In this configuration, each nested segment 316 may be axially retracted relative to an adjacent nested segment 316. In one example of this disclosure, each nested segment 316 may have an S-shaped cross-section, wherein a portion of the nested segment 316 is radially located inside an adjacent nested segment 316, and a portion of the nested segment 316 is radially located outside another adjacent nested segment 316.

[0042] The nested segment 316 may have a catch or stop 402 that interacts with adjacent nested segments 316 to provide a travel distance 404 relative to the adjacent nested segment 316 before the stop 402 restricts further movement. In this configuration, regardless of the extension configuration of the hubcap assembly 350, the nested segment 316 substantially prevents debris and the like from entering the fan hub interior region 320 by substantially shielding the interior region 320 from the surrounding environment. The travel distance 404 will depend on the geometry of the hubcap assembly 350 and the tonnage of the crop being harvested. Therefore, Figure 4 The travel distance 404 is just an example, and other travel distances 404 may be adapted to other embodiments of this disclosure.

[0043] exist Figure 4 In this embodiment, the base hub member 406 may be disposed adjacent to the fan hub 308. Additionally, the base hub member 406 may be coupled to the fan hub 308 to rotate together with it about the axis of rotation 318. The base hub member 406 may serve as a starting segment to allow subsequent nested segments 316 to be coupled to it and axially aligned with the axis of rotation 318. Any number of nested segments 316 may be disposed between the base hub member 406 and the tapered segment 324 of the hub cap 314 to allow the hub cap 314 to extend axially along the axis of rotation 318, and extractors of different sizes may have different numbers of nested segments 316.

[0044] The core segment 324 may have a core support 408 extending rearward toward the fan hub 308 from the axially distal portion of the hubcap assembly 350 relative to the fan hub 308. The core support 408 may extend toward the fan hub 308 through an inner region 320 and has a cavity sized to receive the core member 322. In one aspect of this disclosure, the core support 408 is coupled to the tapered segment 324 such that as the tapered segment 324 extends axially along the axis of rotation 318, the core support 408 extends away from the fan hub 308. Additionally, in another aspect of this disclosure, the core support 408 has an actuator coupling flange 410 defined therein to allow the hubcap actuator 326 to be coupled to the core support 408. In one aspect of this disclosure, the base portion of the hubcap actuator 326 is coupled to the actuator flange 410, and the rod portion of the actuator 326 is coupled to a portion of the shaft 412 of the bearing assembly 312. In this configuration, linear displacement of the hubcap actuator 326 along the axis of rotation 318 causes a tapered segment 324 to extend from the fan hub 308, while nested segments 316 slide relative to each other to accommodate the extension.

[0045] The core component 322 can be substantially disposed within the cavity of the core support 408 so as to move together with the core support 408 as the hub cap 314 moves along the axis of rotation 318. Figure 4 In this embodiment, the base segment 414 of the core member 322 can be coupled to the flange 410. In this configuration, when the actuator 326 extends to move the tapered segment 324 away from the fan hub 308, the base segment 414 of the core member 322 can also move away from the fan hub 308. Therefore, when the actuator 326 is engaged, the extension of the core member 322 away from the tapered segment 324 can remain substantially unchanged.

[0046] exist Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the core component actuator 328 may have a base end connected to the base end of the hubcap actuator 326. The rod end of the actuator 328 may be connected to the nose 416 of the core component 322. The rod end of the actuator 328 may extend relative to the base end to extend the core component 322, while the nested segments 316 of the core component 322 slide relative to each other. Regardless of the extension of the hubcap actuator 326, the extension of the actuator 328 may cause the nose 416 to extend axially away from the tapered segment 324. In other words, since the core component actuator 328 is ultimately connected to the flange 410 of the core support 408 fixedly connected to the tapered segment 324, the extension of the core component actuator 328 may cause the nose 416 to extend away from the tapered segment 324, regardless of the extension configuration of the hubcap actuator 326.

[0047] Therefore, it can be operated using hub cap actuator 326. Figure 4The hubcap 314 is used to change its length relative to the fan hub 308, and the core member 322 can be manipulated by the core member actuator 328 to change its length relative to the tapered segment 324. In this configuration, the hubcap 314 can have a larger diameter than the core member 322. Therefore, extending the hubcap 314 can provide a significant increase in the volume displaced by the hubcap assembly 350. However, extending the core member 322 can provide a relatively small increase in the volume of the hubcap assembly 350. As discussed in more detail herein, the ability to change the volume occupied by the hubcap assembly 350 allows for more efficient debris removal under different crop conditions. More specifically, the preferred volume occupied by the hubcap 314 can be determined by various crop conditions. The ability to change the volume of the hubcap 314 to accommodate different crop conditions will allow for more effective cleaning with less loss of the blank segment.

[0048] In one aspect of this disclosure, shaft 412 may have a hole 418 extending along the axis of rotation 318, thereby allowing wiring 420, etc., for actuators 326, 328 to be coupled to controller 422. Controller 422 may selectively control linear actuators 326, 328 to be oriented into various configurations as discussed herein. In another aspect of this disclosure, user interface 424 may communicate with controller 422 to allow a user to selectively reposition actuators 326, 328 via user interface 424. Wiring 420 may pass through interface 426, which allows wiring of actuators 326, 328 to rotate with fan assembly 302, while wiring 428 extending to controller 422 does not rotate. Interface 426 may be a rotary electrical connector such as a wiring slip ring or any other known electrical connector.

[0049] Now refer to Figures 5a to 5d The hubcap assembly 350 is illustrated in different configurations. Figure 5a In the middle, the hubcap assembly 350 is in a substantially retracted configuration, and in this substantially retracted configuration, both the hubcap 314 and the core component 322 are in a fully retracted configuration. The fully retracted configuration is possible when all nested segments 316 of both the hubcap 314 and the core component 322 are moved as close as possible to the hub 308. Additionally, in... Figure 5a In the fully collapsed configuration, relative to Figures 5b to 5d Other configurations allow the hubcap assembly 350 to occupy the smallest possible volume of space. As will be discussed in more detail in this article, this configuration can be ideal when crops are being processed at a rapid rate.

[0050] exist Figure 5bIn this configuration, the hubcap actuator 326 can be in a fully extended position, in which the hubcap 314 is in its longest available axial orientation. In this configuration, the nested segment 316 of the hubcap 314 has been extended from... Figure 5a The retraction orientation has changed to Figure 5b The hubcap 314 is in its extended configuration. When the actuator 236 extends the hubcap 314 to the extended position, the nested segments 316 of the hubcap 314 slide relative to each other until the corresponding stops 402 prevent further axial movement. Once the stops 402 of each adjacent nested segment 316 are in contact with each other, the hubcap 314 is in its fully extended configuration. Figure 5b It is worth noting that the core component 322 has moved axially away from the hub 308, but has not moved much relative to the tapered section 324.

[0051] exist Figure 5c In this configuration, both the hubcap actuator 326 and the core component actuator 328 can be in a fully extended configuration. In this orientation, when the core component actuator 328 is switched to the extended configuration, the hubcap 314 can remain in contact with the hubcap. Figure 5b The configuration is essentially the same as that illustrated in the example. This causes the core member 322 to extend axially relative to the tapered segment 324. Figure 5c In one configuration, the hubcap assembly 350 can occupy the largest possible volume of space. In another configuration, the hubcap actuator 326 can remain in a retracted configuration, while the core component 322 extends fully, as... Figure 5d exemplified in .

[0052] In one aspect of this disclosure, the number of nested segments 316 and the retraction ( ) will be selected based on the tonnage of crop being processed by the harvester 100. Figure 5a ) and extended hubcaps ( Figure 5b The height of the hubcap 314 and its available volume are considered. For example, if the harvester 100 is likely to have a harvesting rate for high crop tonnage, the hubcap 314 can be configured to occupy less volume. However, a machine designed to process crops at a relatively low rate can have a hubcap 314 that occupies more volume. In one aspect of this disclosure, the available geometry of the hubcap 314 can be determined based on the expected density of the particles entering the cleaning chamber 208.

[0053] Although specific configurations are discussed herein, this disclosure contemplates the selective repositioning of the hubcap 314 and core member 322 to any position between the specific configurations discussed herein. That is, while combinations of fully extended and retracted configurations of the hubcap actuator 326 and core member actuator 328 are discussed herein, actuators 326, 328 can also be configured with any length orientation between the fully retracted and fully extended configurations. Additionally, in one aspect of this disclosure, controller 422 can selectively change each of the hubcap actuator 326 and core member actuator 328 to reposition the corresponding hubcap 314 and core member 322 to an ideal configuration determined by controller 422. Alternatively, a user can manipulate the orientation of actuators 326, 328 to a user-desired orientation via user interface 424.

[0054] Now refer to Figure 6 One of the advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent. Generally, the volume of space occupied by the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 affects the efficiency of the extractor 300 in separating debris from the billet section 206. For example, if the extractor 300 processes approximately 120 tons or more of sugarcane per hour (602), the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 can be in a fully retracted configuration 604, such as... Figure 5a The configuration illustrated in the diagram. In this configuration, the high processing rate of the crop provides sufficient agitation when the crop is submitted to the cleaning chamber 208. Due to the large volume of crop being processed, agitating the piezos 206 and other debris in the cleaning chamber 208 means that the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 does not require significant agitation of the crop in the cleaning chamber 208 and can be configured to be fully retracted in configuration 604.

[0055] Alternatively, if the extractor 300 is processing approximately 80 tons or less of crop per hour (606), the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 can be positioned similarly to Figure 5c The fully extended configuration 608. In the fully extended configuration 608, the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 can extend relatively further into the cleaning chamber 208 compared to the fully retracted configuration 604. Therefore, the fully extended configuration 608 provides additional agitation to the crop and debris submitted to the cleaning chamber 208, thereby improving the efficiency of the extractor 300. More specifically, the lower crop feed rate 606 does not provide enough crop material to become ideally agitated with other crop material in the cleaning chamber 208. By increasing the volume of the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 to the fully extended configuration 608, the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 extends further into the cleaning chamber 208 to provide additional agitation to the crop material submitted to the cleaning chamber 208, thereby increasing the efficiency of debris removal by the extractor 300.

[0056] The adjustable hubcap assembly 350 can also be adjusted to an intermediate configuration 612 where the crop flow rate 610 is between the high flow rate 602 and the low flow rate 606 discussed herein. In the intermediate configuration, the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 can be partially extended to provide some additional agitation of the crop in the cleaning chamber 208 without substantially hindering or otherwise inhibiting the efficiency of the cleaning chamber 208. The intermediate configuration 612 can be... Figure 5b or Figure 5d The configuration shown in the example. Alternatively, the middle configuration 612 can be an adjustable hubcap. Figure 5a The retraction configuration and Figure 5c Any configuration between extended configurations.

[0057] In one aspect of this disclosure, the more particles in the cleaning chamber 208, the less external agitation is required from the hub cover 314. In other words, the adjustability of the hub cover 314 disclosed herein allows the harvester 100 to process crops at different rates without substantially sacrificing efficiency. Therefore, in one aspect of this disclosure, the user can adjust the volume of the hub cover 314, which is determined based on harvesting practice, mill reports, field losses, etc.

[0058] In one aspect of this disclosure, the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 can be reconfigured based on expected or measured crop flow rates to optimize debris separation efficiency in the cleaning chamber 208. As illustrated herein, one method of optimizing the extractor 300 is to increase the size of the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 when processing lower crop rates. In one embodiment of this disclosure, the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 can be automatically controlled via a controller 422 to adjust its configuration. More specifically, the crop flow rate through the harvester 100 can be measured via one or more sensors communicating with the controller 422. The controller 422 can then refer to lookup tables, etc., to change the configuration of the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 based on the measured crop flow rate.

[0059] Alternatively, a user interface 424 can be used to selectively change the configuration of the adjustable hubcap assembly 350. The user interface 424 may have user-selectable input devices to allow the user to select a desired configuration of the adjustable hubcap assembly 350. In one aspect of this embodiment, the user can know the possible crop flow rate of the field being harvested. By estimating the crop flow rate, the user can engage the input devices of the user interface 424 to indicate the desired configuration of the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 to the controller 422. The controller 422 can then adjust one or more of the actuators 326, 328 to change the configuration of the adjustable hubcap.

[0060] exist Figure 7In another embodiment of this disclosure illustrated herein, there is an adjustable hubcap 702 that does not include the core member 422. In this embodiment, an actuator 704 may be coupled between the fan hub 308 and the nose 706 of the hubcap 702. In this embodiment, the hubcap 702 may have a nested segment 708 that is slidable relative to each other in a manner similar to the nested segment 316 discussed herein.

[0061] Alternatively, Figure 7 One envisioned implementation completely excludes the actuator 704. Instead, the user can selectively connect the nested segments 708 to each other to define the size of the hubcap 702. In this configuration, the user determines the desired hubcap size and manually reconfigures the hubcap 702 by selecting the desired number of nested segments 708 positioned between the fan hub 308 and the nose member 706. In this implementation, the nested segments 708 do not substantially slide relative to each other, but are connected to each other in such a way that adjacent nested segments 708 are axially fixed relative to each other along the axis of rotation 318. The user can change the size of the hubcap 702 by selectively removing or adding nested segments 708 to change the size of the hubcap 702. Alternatively, in one implementation considered herein, the user can have several hubcaps of different sizes (which can be manually connected to the fan hub 308) and select which of the hubcaps is preferred for the desired crop flow rate.

[0062] exist Figure 8 Another embodiment of the nose-shaped wheel hub 802 is illustrated herein. Except that the hubcap 804 can have an accordion-like configuration instead of nested segments 316, this embodiment can function in substantially the same way as the adjustable hubcap assembly 350. The accordion-like configuration allows for changes in the length of the hubcap 804, as discussed herein with respect to the adjustable hubcap assembly 350, without requiring adjacent segments to slide against each other. Instead, the hubcap 804 can be formed from a single, integral material having folds or bends that allow for changes in the axial length of the hubcap 804 without compromising it. This allows the hubcap 804 to protect the interior region 806 from debris while allowing the hubcap 804 to be resized as discussed herein.

[0063] In one aspect of this disclosure, harvester 100 can be configured to harvest crops such as sugarcane. Harvester 100 may have a harvesting head 142 configured to cut the crop and guide it into a cutter assembly 120. The cut crop can be guided to an extractor assembly 300 having a fan 304 with an inlet side 210 and an outlet side 214, the fan 304 being selectively controlled by an electric motor 310. The extractor assembly 300 has a repositionable adjustable hubcap assembly 350. The displacement volume along the inlet side of the fan 304 can be adjusted using any of the methods discussed herein. For example, actuators 326, 328 can be selectively controlled by a controller 422 based on feedback from sensors of the harvester, and the size of the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 can be selectively changed by a user through a user interface 422, or the user can manually change the size of the adjustable hubcap assembly 350. Regardless of the method, the size of the adjustable hubcap assembly 350 can be changed to increase the efficiency of separating debris from the blank segment 206 at the extractor 300.

[0064] This disclosure contemplates an adjustable hubcap having many different shapes and available sizes. For example, the hubcap may be segmented as illustrated herein, or formed from a bladder, cone, cube, disc, square, or any other known shape. Thus, any shape allows for size variation, which can be changed via electric, hydraulic, mechanical, or pneumatic actuators or mechanisms. In one embodiment, the hubcap may be an air bladder selectively filled with air from a compressor.

[0065] While embodiments incorporated into the principles of this disclosure have been described above, this disclosure is not limited to the described embodiments. Instead, this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or modifications of this disclosure that utilize its general principles. Furthermore, this application is intended to cover these deviations from the scope of this invention and from known practices or conventions falling within the limits of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A fan hub for an extractor of a harvester (100), the fan hub comprising: Hub cover (314), which is disposed along the rotation axis (318) of the fan (304); The hubcap (314) is adjustable to change its profile relative to the axis of rotation (318). The fan hub also includes a core member (322) disposed along the axis of rotation (318) and at least partially within the hub cover (314), the core member (322) being configured to extend axially relative to the fan (304) along the axis of rotation (318) away from the hub cover (314).

2. The fan hub according to claim 1, wherein, The hubcap (314) includes at least one nested segment (316) that overlaps with an adjacent segment of the hubcap (314) to allow the hubcap (314) to extend axially along the axis of rotation (318) while substantially shielding the interior region (320) of the fan hub from debris.

3. The fan hub according to claim 2, wherein, The hubcap (314) includes more than one nested segment (316) that at least partially overlaps with an adjacent nested segment (316).

4. The fan hub according to claim 1, wherein, The selective properties of both the hubcap (314) and the core component (322) extend along the axis of rotation (318).

5. The fan hub according to claim 1, wherein, The core component (322) includes at least one nested segment (316) that at least partially overlaps with an adjacent segment.

6. The fan hub according to claim 1, wherein the fan hub further comprises an actuator (326) for selectively changing the size of the hub cap (314).

7. The fan hub according to claim 6, wherein the fan hub further includes a user interface (424), wherein, The actuator (326) can be selectively adjusted through the user interface (424).

8. The fan hub according to claim 6, the fan hub further comprising a controller (422) that selectively changes the size of the hub cap (314) using the actuator (326) based on operating conditions.

9. The fan hub according to claim 8, wherein, The operating conditions are input by the user.

10. The fan hub of claim 8, further comprising at least one vehicle sensor communicating with the controller (422), wherein, The operating conditions are readings from the at least one vehicle sensor.

11. The fan hub according to claim 6, wherein the actuator (326) selectively changes the size of the fan hub by changing the position of one or more of the hub cap (314) and the core member (322).

12. The fan hub according to claim 11, wherein the fan hub further comprises a second actuator (328), wherein, One of the actuators (326) or the second actuator (328) selectively changes the size of the hubcap (314), while the other of the actuators (326) or the second actuator (328) selectively changes the size of the core member (322).

13. The fan hub according to claim 1, wherein, The hubcap (314) includes one or more baffles that allow the hubcap (314) to expand axially while substantially sealing the interior area (806) of the hubcap (314).

14. The fan hub according to claim 1, wherein, The hubcap (314) rotates together with the fan (304).

Images