Sugarcane harvester with guide plate

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a sugarcane harvester with a guide platform. Specifically, a sugarcane harvester for harvesting sugarcane in a forward travel direction includes a cutter, a basket, and a guide platform. The cutter cuts the sugarcane stalks into billets and includes a lower roller and an upper roller that rotate in opposite directions relative to each other, each roller rotating about a respective axis of rotation. The basket is positioned to receive the billet stream discharged from the cutter. The guide platform is located between the cutter and the basket to guide the billets discharged from the cutter towards the basket. The plate of the guide platform includes a billet guiding surface oriented to guide the billets on the guide platform.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a billet-type sugarcane harvester. Background Technology

[0002] Sugarcane harvesters typically consist of a chopper and an elevator. The chopper cuts the sugarcane stalks harvested by the harvester into longitudinal segments called billets. The chopper discharges the billets into a basket, where they are collected for transport by the elevator. The elevator lifts the billets to a higher height for loading into a transport vehicle for transport to the factory. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a sugarcane harvester for harvesting sugarcane in a forward-moving direction includes a cutter, a basket, and a sill. The cutter is used to cut the sugarcane stalks into billets. The cutter includes a lower roller and an upper roller that rotate in opposite directions relative to each other. Each roller in the lower and upper rollers is arranged to rotate in opposite directions relative to each other about a respective axis of rotation. The basket is positioned to receive a flow of billets discharged from the cutter. The sill is located between the cutter and the basket for guiding the billets discharged from the cutter towards the basket. The sill includes a plate with a billet guiding surface oriented to guide the billets on the sill. The billet guiding surface defines an imaginary line extending forward through the axis of rotation of the lower roller, or extending forward below the axis of rotation of the lower roller.

[0004] The above and other features will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0005] The figure will be described in detail with reference to the following attached figure, in which:

[0006] Figure 1 It shows a side view of a sugarcane harvester, with a portion of the harvester cut open to show the harvester's segmenter;

[0007] Figure 2 This is a perspective view showing the guide platform that guides the billet discharged from the cutter to the basket;

[0008] Figure 3 It is along Figure 2 A radial cross-sectional view of the lower roller; and

[0009] Figure 4 This shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the guide platform. Detailed Implementation

[0010] Reference Figure 1 A sugarcane harvester 10 is configured to harvest sugarcane as it moves in a forward direction of travel 11. The harvester 10 includes, for example, a topper 12, one or more bottom cutters 14 (only one bottom cutter is shown), a feed unit 16, a stalk cutter 18, a main extractor 20, a lifter 22, a basket 24, and an auxiliary extractor 25 (some harvesters may not include the auxiliary extractor 25). The topper 12 cuts the leaves of the sugarcane plant before it is cut by the one or more bottom cutters 14. Each of the one or more bottom cutters 14 includes a left cutting disc and a right cutting disc (only the left cutting disc is shown). The counter-rotating left and right cutting discs of each of the one or more bottom cutters 14 cooperate with each other to cut the stem of the sugarcane plant near the ground. The feed unit 16 receives clumps of cut sugarcane from each of the one or more bottom cutters 14 and delivers one or more clumps backward. The cutter 18 receives one or more clusters from the feed section 16 and cuts the sugarcane stalks into billets. A main extractor 20 is located between the cutter 18 and the elevator 22 to separate the leaves fed into the harvester 10 from the billets discharged from the cutter 18 and remove the separated leaves from the harvester 10. A basket 24 receives the billet stream discharged from the cutter and collects the billets for transport by the elevator 22. The elevator 22 is located at the rear of the harvester 10 and conveys the billets to an elevated position where they are discharged from the harvester 10 into a truck to be transported. An auxiliary extractor 25 (if included) is mounted to the upper discharge end of the elevator 22 to further separate any remaining leaves from the billets.

[0011] The harvester 10 includes a control panel 26 and traction elements 28. A human operator can operate the harvester 10 from the control panel 26. The traction elements 28 are located on the left and right sides of the harvester 10 and are used to engage the ground 30 and propel the harvester 10. Each traction element 28 may be, for example, a ground-engaging wheel or a track unit.

[0012] Reference Figure 2The cutter 18 includes a lower roller 32, an upper roller 34, and a cutter 36 spaced apart and attached to the peripheries of the rollers 32 and 34. The rollers 32 and 34 rotate in opposite directions relative to each other. Each of the lower roller 32 and the upper roller 34 is arranged to rotate in opposite directions relative to each other about a respective axis of rotation 38. When the rollers 32 and 34 rotate in opposite directions about their respective axes 38 by a cutter driver, the cutter 36 of the lower roller 32 and the cutter 36 of the upper roller 34 cooperate to cut the sugarcane stalks. The rollers 32 and 34 and the cutter 36 attached to them are driven by a cutter driver, which includes, for example, a motor (e.g., hydraulic or electric) and a transmission mechanism that transmits power from the motor shaft to one or both of the rollers 32 and 34.

[0013] The cutter 18 cuts the sugarcane stalks into billets and outputs a billet stream. The billet stream is propelled or otherwise discharged from the cutter 18. A basket 24 is positioned to receive the billet stream discharged from the cutter 18. As the billets are transferred from the cutter 18 to the basket 24, the main extractor 20 introduces an airflow to separate the leaves from the billets.

[0014] The basket 24 has an upper inlet 40 and a lower outlet 42. The inlet 40 receives billets into the basket 24, while the outlet 42 outputs the billets to the elevator 22. The basket 24 is mounted to the elevator 22 such that the outlet 42 is positioned aligned with the conveyor of the elevator 22 so that the conveyor receives billets from the basket 24. The basket 24 has a funnel-shaped portion such that the inlet 40 is larger than the outlet 42.

[0015] The harvester 10 includes a guide 44. The guide 44 is positioned between the cutter 18 and the basket 24 to guide the billet discharged from the cutter 18 towards the basket 24. The guide 44 is supported by the harvester's frame 46 (e.g., the main frame), such that the guide 44 is fixed relative to the frame 46 to prevent movement relative to the frame 46 during operation (except for wear on the guide 44). This static configuration avoids the costs associated with powered roller-type guides.

[0016] Reference Figures 3 to 4 The guide table 44 includes a first billet guide surface 48 that defines a dashed line 50 extending forward through or below the rotation axis 38 of the lower roller 32. The first billet guide surface is oriented to guide the billet on the guide table 44. This orientation allows the billet to pass relatively easily over the guide table 44 from the cutter 18 at the release point, and correspondingly reduces the risk of the billet being blocked by the underside of the guide table 44 or other structures as it passes below the guide table 44 and being delivered back to the cutter 18.

[0017] In the example shown, the blank guide surface 48 extends downward as it extends forward and is included in the plate 52 of the guide table 44. The line 50 defined by the blank guide surface 48 extends forward and downward through the rotation axis 38 of the lower roller 32. The line 50 intersects the front edge 56 and the rear edge 58 of the plate 52.

[0018] The guide table 44 includes a second billet guide surface 60 located downstream of the first billet guide surface 48 to guide the billet toward the basket 24. As the second billet guide surface 60 extends rearward, it extends downward to facilitate the movement of the billet from the guide table 44 toward the basket 24 in response to machine vibrations and gravity. This facilitation of the flow of the billet from the guide table 44 to the basket 24 prevents or otherwise reduces the accumulation of debris, dirt, and slurry on the guide table 44.

[0019] The guide plate 44 includes a guide plate 62. For example, a plate 52 is configured to be fixed to a wear-resistant plate of the guide plate 62 on a support surface 64 of the guide plate 62. The guide plate 62 includes a second blank guiding surface 60.

[0020] In the illustrated example, the guide plate extends above the edge 66 of the basket 24 to facilitate the movement of the billet into the basket 24. The edge 66 includes the inlet 40 of the basket 24 and is above the axis of rotation 38 of the lower roller 32, thereby fostering a larger storage capacity in the basket 24.

[0021] The guide plate 62 includes a front wall 68 and a rear wall 70. A wear-resistant plate 52 is fixed to the front wall 68. The front wall 68 is located below the wear-resistant plate 52 such that the wear-resistant plate 52 rests on a support surface 64 included within the front wall 68 as its top surface. The front wall 68 extends downward as it extends forward, such that the wear-resistant plate 52 and its first blank guide surface 48 extend downward as they extend forward.

[0022] The wear plate 52 is removably secured to the front wall 68 by a plurality of fasteners 72. Each fastener 72 includes, for example, a bolt, a nut, and a washer. Each bolt extends through the washer, the wear plate 52, and the front wall 68, and is threadedly connected to the nut, which is attached (e.g., welded) to the lower surface of the front wall 68, and the washer is located between the bolt head and the first blank guide surface 48 of the wear plate 52. Each bolt extends through a slot in the wear plate 52, which extends in the longitudinal dimension 54 to allow the wear plate 52 to be adjusted forward or backward to increase or decrease the gap between the leading edge of the wear plate 52 and the tip of the cutter 36 mounted to the lower roller 32 of the cutter 18.

[0023] The rear wall 70 includes a second billet guide surface 60 and extends downward as the rear wall 70 extends rearward. This orientation of the rear wall 70 facilitates the movement of the billet from the guide plate 62 toward the basket 24 in response to machine vibrations and gravity. This facilitation of the flow of the billet from the guide plate 62 to the basket 24 prevents or otherwise reduces the accumulation of debris, dirt, and mud on the guide plate 62.

[0024] The rear wall 70 includes the rear edge 74 of the guide plate 62. At least a portion of the edge 74 is concave and extends above the basket 24.

[0025] The front wall 68 and the rear wall 70 are joined together at a junction. For example, the guide plate 62 includes a bend 76 that serves as the junction between the front wall 68 and the rear wall 70, such that the front wall 68 and the rear wall 70 are angled relative to each other. The front wall 68 extends forward from the bend 76, and the rear wall 70 extends rearward from the bend 76 on the edge 66 of the basket 24. In other examples, the front wall 68 and the rear wall 70 may be joined together at the junction in other ways (e.g., by welding).

[0026] The guide plate 44 includes a reinforcing bracket 78 for reinforcing the guide plate 62. The bracket 78 is located below the guide plate 62 such that its front edge is attached (e.g., welded) to the front wall 68 of the guide plate 62, and its rear edge is attached (e.g., welded) to the rear wall 70 of the guide plate 62. The bracket 78 includes a first wall 96 extending downward and rearward from the front wall 68, a second wall 97 extending downward and forward from the rear wall 70, and a third wall 98 extending downward and rearward from the first wall 96 to the second wall 97 at a shallower angle than the first wall 96. The bracket 78 includes a first bend between the first wall 96 and the third wall 98, and a second bend between the second wall 97 and the third wall 98.

[0027] The guide plate 44 can be mounted to the harvester 10 in various ways. For example, the guide plate 44 includes two side plates 80 for mounting the guide plate 44 to the harvester 10. The rear portion of each side plate 80 is secured to a support panel attached to the frame 46 by fasteners 82 (e.g., two fasteners, each fastener including, for example, bolts and nuts) (e.g., welded). The front portion of each side plate 80 is laterally held by a lower retainer 84 and an upper retainer 84. The lower retainer 84 and the upper retainer 84 are attached (e.g., welded) to the respective support panel. During assembly, the front portion of each side plate 80 slides between the respective support panel and the lower and upper retainers 84 attached to the support panel.

[0028] The guide plate 62 is positioned between and attached (e.g., welded) to the side plates 80. The rear wall 70 of the guide plate 62 has opposing side edges 86 (only the left side edge 86 is shown), each of these side edges including two positioning tabs 88, one smaller and one larger, which fit into corresponding holes in the respective side plates 80 to properly position the guide plate 62 relative to the side plates 80 and the harvester 10.

[0029] The harvester includes a curtain 90 to prevent the feedstock from passing under a guide 44. The curtain 90 is fixed to the guide 44 and the cutter 18. The upper end of the curtain 90 is secured to the guide 44 by a fixing device 92. The fixing device 92 includes a plurality of threaded studs, a clamping rod, and a nut. The studs are attached (e.g., welded) to the rear wall of a reinforcing bracket 78 and protrude rearward through corresponding holes in the upper end of the curtain 90 and corresponding holes in the clamping rod. The nut is secured to the stud against the clamping rod, such that the upper end of the curtain 90 is clamped between the clamping rod and the rear wall of the reinforcing bracket 78, thereby attaching the curtain 90 to the guide 44.

[0030] The lower end of the curtain 90 is secured to the cutter 18 by a fixing device 94. The fixing device 94 includes a plurality of bolts, a clamping rod, and a nut. The bolts extend through corresponding holes in the frame of the cutter 18, corresponding vertical slots in the lower end of the curtain 90, and corresponding holes in the clamping rods. The nut is secured to the bolts by the clamping rods, such that the lower end of the curtain 90 is clamped between the clamping rods and the wall of the cutter frame to attach the curtain 90 to the cutter 18.

[0031] For ease of illustration, threads are not shown. However, it should be understood that bolts, studs, and corresponding nuts will have threads.

[0032] While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, these descriptions should not be construed as limiting. Rather, other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A sugar cane harvester for harvesting sugar cane in a forward direction of travel, the sugar cane harvester comprising: a segmenter for segmenting stalks of sugar cane into billets, the segmenter comprising a lower roller and an upper roller counter-rotating relative to one another, each of the lower roller and the upper roller being arranged to counter-rotate relative to one another about respective axes of rotation, a basket positioned to receive a stream of billets discharged from the segmenter, and a guide table between the segmenter and the basket for guiding billets discharged from the segmenter towards the basket, the guide table comprising a guide table plate and a wear plate secured to the guide table plate, the wear plate comprising a first billet guide face oriented to guide the billets on the guide table, the first billet guide face defining a virtual line extending forwardly through the axis of rotation of the lower roller, or extending forwardly below the axis of rotation, and the guide table plate comprising a second billet guide face, wherein the guide table plate comprises a front wall and a rear wall such that the front wall and the rear wall are angled relative to one another, the front wall extending downwardly as the front wall extends forwardly, the wear plate is removably secured to the front wall below the wear plate, and the rear wall comprises the second billet guide face and extends downwardly as the rear wall extends rearwardly.

2. The sugar cane harvester of claim 1 wherein, the virtual line extends forwardly through the axis of rotation of the lower roller.

3. The sugar cane harvester of claim 1 wherein, the first billet guide face extends downwardly as the first billet guide face extends forwardly.

4. The sugar cane harvester of claim 3 wherein, the second billet guide face is downstream of the first billet guide face and extends downwardly as the second billet guide face extends rearwardly.

5. The sugar cane harvester of claim 1 wherein, the guide table plate comprises a bend between the front wall and the rear wall, the front wall extending forwardly from the bend, the rear wall extending rearwardly from the bend over an edge of the basket.

6. The sugar cane harvester of claim 1 wherein, the guide table comprises a reinforcement cradle below the guide table plate to reinforce the guide table plate, the reinforcement cradle comprising a first wall extending downwardly and rearwardly from the front wall, a second wall extending downwardly and forwardly from the rear wall, and a third wall extending downwardly and rearwardly from the first wall to the second wall at a shallower angle than the first wall.

7. A sugar cane harvester for harvesting sugar cane in a forward direction of travel, the sugar cane harvester comprising: a segmenter for segmenting stalks of sugar cane into billets, the segmenter comprising a lower roller and an upper roller counter-rotating relative to one another, each of the lower roller and the upper roller being arranged to counter-rotate relative to one another about respective axes of rotation, a basket positioned to receive a stream of billets discharged from the segmenter, and A guide table between the slitter and the basket for guiding the blank discharged from the slitter towards the basket, the guide table comprising a guide table plate and a wear plate fixed to the guide table plate, the wear plate comprising a first blank guiding surface oriented to guide the blank over the guide table, the first blank guiding surface defining a virtual line extending forward through the rotation axis of the lower roller, or forward under the rotation axis of the lower roller, and the guide table plate comprising a second blank guiding surface, wherein the guide table plate extends over the edge of the basket.

8. The sugar cane harvester of claim 7 wherein, The edge is higher than the rotation axis of the lower roller.

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