Machine for mowing stalk-like crops

Abstract

Machine (10) for mowing stalk-like crop material, comprising a first conveyor and a second conveyor for crop material arranged downstream of the first conveyor with respect to a crop material flow, wherein: the first conveyor is a cutting and conveying drum (12) adjacent to a longitudinal median plane (14) of the machine (10), which consists of lower cutting discs (13) and conveying elements arranged above them in the form of conveying discs (16) with recesses distributed around their circumference for receiving plant stems, the second conveyor is a discharge conveyor drum (26) arranged backwards and downstream of the first conveyor with respect to a forward direction, which is rotatably arranged about a pivot axis and comprises conveying elements in the form of conveying discs (16) arranged one above the other with recesses for receiving plant stems that can be moved into motion, the second conveyor comprises a scraper (42) attached to the lowest conveyor disc (16), which interacts with a scraper (44) attached to the frame (17) of the machine (10) in the transition area of ​​the harvested crop between the first conveyor and the second conveyor, the scraper comprising planar elements (45, 52) which each extend in a plane parallel to the plane of the lowest conveyor disc (16) of the second conveyor directly below and above the scraper (42), whereas the conveyor discs (16) of the first conveyor are not provided with a scraper (42), and in the transition area of ​​the harvested crop between the first conveyor and the second conveyor a frame-fixed side wall element (53) is directly connected to the outer circle of the scraper (42) and extends along the outer circle.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a machine for mowing stem-like crops. State of the art

[0002] A machine of the type mentioned above is described in DE 102 58 013 A1. This machine comprises a number of cutting and conveying drums that cut the crop standing in a field with lower cutting discs and convey it away with the conveying discs arranged above them, which have recesses distributed around their circumference in which the stalks of the crop are collected. The crop is then transported laterally, alternating between the rear sides of the cutting and conveying drums and transverse conveying drums, and finally deflected to the rear by discharge conveying drums and conveyed into the intake channel of a self-propelled forage harvester.

[0003] To ensure the proper transfer of the harvested crop from the cutting and conveying drums to the subsequent transverse conveying drums or discharge conveying drums, the conveying discs of the cutting and conveying drums are equipped with cuboid-shaped scrapers. These scrapers, in conjunction with wipers rigidly connected to the machine frame, ensure that as little harvested material as possible is carried downstream of the desired discharge point by the conveying discs of the cutting and conveying drums. Similar scrapers and wipers are also fitted to the transverse conveying drums and the discharge conveying drums.

[0004] The scrapers of the cutting and conveying drums located in the center of the machine are positioned downstream of the point where the discharge conveying drums take over the harvested crop, and their leading edges form an outwardly curved surface. Consequently, the harvested crop is not removed from the conveying discs of the cutting and conveying drums in the direction of crop flow, but rather tangentially and downstream of the transfer point to the discharge conveying drums. Therefore, crop jams occasionally occur at this point, particularly when harvesting whole-crop silage.

[0005] The transverse conveyor drums extend through slots in the rear wall, and their conveyor discs are also equipped with scrapers that interact with the edges of the slots located above and below them. A scraping process takes place across the angular range of the transverse conveyor drums, in which they interact with the flow of plant material.

[0006] DE 10 2006 048 659 A1 describes a machine whose basic design is identical to that of DE 102 58 013 A1. Accordingly, scrapers are also provided at the discharge-side ends of the cutting and conveying drums located in the center of the machine. The conveying discs are equipped with scrapers that interact with the scrapers. The problem mentioned above also arises here. Cylindrical guide elements, which are rotatable, follow the aforementioned scrapers. Task

[0007] The problem underlying the invention is seen as improving a machine for mowing stalk-like crops of the aforementioned type in such a way that the aforementioned disadvantages are avoided or at least reduced. Solution

[0008] This problem is solved according to the invention by the teaching of claim 1, wherein further claims list features which advantageously develop the solution further.

[0009] A machine for mowing stalk-like crops comprises a first conveyor and a second conveyor arranged downstream of the first conveyor with respect to the crop flow. The first and / or second conveyor can be designed as a drum or chain conveyor. The second conveyor has a movable conveying element with recesses for receiving plant stems, which can be moved in one conveying direction. A scraper is attached to the conveying element of the second conveyor and interacts with a scraper attached to the machine frame in the transition area of ​​the crop between the first and second conveyors. The scraper comprises planar elements that extend in a plane parallel to the plane of the conveying element of the second conveyor, directly below and above the scraper.Furthermore, a frame-mounted side wall element is provided, which, in the area where the scraper interacts with the wiper, connects directly to the scraper's outer circle and extends along its circumference. The conveying element of the second conveyor is thus enclosed by the wiper above, circumferentially, and below, and its scraper, together with the wiper, forms such narrow gaps on these three sides that plant residues are removed from the conveying disc. In this way, the scraper conveys the harvested material not only above and below the conveying element, but also around its circumference, which helps to prevent unwanted accumulations of harvested material and conveying problems.

[0010] Preferably, one of the planar elements of the scraper extends into the envelope of the first conveyor. This planar element can have a leading edge angled against the flow direction in order to actively lift the harvested material out of the first conveyor and actively guide it into the recesses of the conveying element of the second conveyor.

[0011] The scraper is assigned to the lowest conveying element of the second conveyor. The lower flat element is a base element of the machine's frame.

[0012] The first conveyor is a cutting and conveying drum adjacent to a longitudinal center plane of the machine. It consists of lower cutting discs and conveying elements arranged above them in the form of conveying discs with recesses distributed around their circumference for receiving plant stems. The second conveyor is a discharge conveying drum located downstream and rearward of the first conveyor in a forward direction. It comprises conveying elements in the form of conveying discs with recesses distributed around their circumference for receiving plant stems and a scraper attached to one of the conveying discs. In other words, the scraper is positioned in the intersecting area between the cutting and conveying drum and the immediately downstream discharge conveying drum. This avoids the transfer problems observed in the prior art. Example of implementation

[0013] The drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention, which is described in more detail below. It shows: Fig. 1 a top view of a machine according to the invention for mowing stalk-like crops, Fig. 2 an enlarged section from the Fig. 1 with a discharge conveying drum and a cutting and conveying drum arranged in front of it, Fig. 3 a cut along line 3-3 of the Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 A perspective view of the delivery drum from the front.

[0014] The one in Fig. The machine 10 shown in Figure 1, designed for mowing stalk-like crops, has a number of cutting and conveying drums 12 arranged symmetrically around a longitudinal center plane 14 of the machine 10. For clarity, only one cutting and conveying drum 12 is shown to the left of the longitudinal center plane 14; however, in reality, there are an equal number of cutting and conveying drums 12 on both sides of the longitudinal center plane 14. Each cutting and conveying drum 12 consists of a lower cutting disc 13, which rotates about a vertical axis, and conveying discs 16 arranged coaxially above it. These conveying discs 16 have pocket-shaped recesses distributed around their circumference. Stem dividers 18 are positioned upstream of the cutting and conveying drums 12.A transverse conveying channel 22 is formed between the rear of the cutting and conveying drums 12 and a rear wall 20 of the machine 10, through which the material harvested by the cutting and conveying drums 12 is transported laterally towards the center of the machine 10. The elements of the machine 10 are held by a frame 17.

[0015] Lateral transport in the transverse conveying channel 22 is supported by transverse conveying drums 24 driven rotationally about vertical axes. In the forward direction of movement, behind the two central cutting and conveying drums 12, which are immediately adjacent to the longitudinal center plane 14, discharge conveying drums 26 are arranged with pivot axes inclined forward relative to the vertical. The conveying discs 16 of these discharge drums, serving as conveying elements, transport the harvested material from the transverse conveying channel 22 to the rear into an intake channel 28 of a forage harvester with intake rollers 30 arranged one above the other. In another embodiment, the cutting and conveying drums 12 and the discharge conveying drums 26 could also lie in a common plane, which may be oriented horizontally or inclined forward and upward. The central cutting and conveying drums 12 adjacent to the longitudinal center plane 14 are provided with flat covers 34.

[0016] During the harvesting process, the machine 10 is attached to the intake chute 28 of a forage harvester and moved forward across a field. The stalk-like crop, possibly deflected laterally by stalk dividers 18, is cut by the cutting and conveying drums 12 and conveyed into the transverse conveying chute 22. The conveying action of the rear surfaces of the conveying discs 16 of the downstream cutting and conveying drums 12 and the conveying discs 16 of the transverse conveying drums 24 propels the crop to the rear of the two central intake and cutting units 12, where it is deflected backward. The discharge conveying drums 26 then feed the crop to the intake rollers 30 of the forage harvester, where it is chopped and deposited onto a transport vehicle.

[0017] At the points where the conveyor discs 16 of the cutting and conveying drums 12 discharge the material into the transverse conveying channel 22, stripping elements 36 and 38 are arranged. The stripping elements 36 of the second and third inner cutting and conveying drums 12 and the stripping elements 38 of the outer cutting and conveying drums 12 are composed of stacked sheets of metal with stripping slots formed between them, through which the conveyor discs 16 rotate. Stripping elements 32 are also arranged on the rear wall 20 of the machine 10. Similar stripping elements 35 are assigned to the discharge side of the discharge conveyor drums 26. The outer areas of the conveyor discs 16 of the cutting and conveying drums 12 thus rotate through the stripping slots defined between the stripping elements 36 or 38.The stripping elements 36, 38 remove the harvested material from the recesses of the conveying discs 16, so that it enters the transverse conveying channel 22 and from there the intake channel 28, and does not continuously rotate with the conveying discs 16. To remove plant material that gradually accumulates in the stripping slots during operation, a scraper 42, projecting upwards and downwards from the conveying disc 16, is attached to the trailing, approximately radially extending flank of each pocket-shaped recess of each conveying disc 16. The scraper 42 is an elongated element with a rectangular cross-section (see DE 102 58 013 A1).

[0018] At least the lowest conveying discs 16 of the discharge conveying drums 26 are each equipped with a scraper 42. In contrast, the conveying discs 16 of the cutting and conveying drums 12 immediately adjacent to the longitudinal center plane 14 are not equipped with a scraper in the illustrated embodiment. The conveying of harvested material from the conveying discs 16 of these cutting and conveying drums 12 takes place, as in the Fig. 2, Fig. 3 to Fig. As shown in Figure 4, a scraper 44 with a two-part upper element 45, 47 extends laterally (transversely to the forward direction and horizontally) outwards from a central guide element 46 arranged between the discharge conveying drums 12. The rear, planar part of the element 45 lies in a forward-inclined plane orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the discharge conveying drum 26 and is thus oriented parallel to the plane of the conveying disc 16 of the discharge conveying drum 26. The front, planar part of the element 47 lies in a horizontal plane orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the cutting and conveying drum 12 and is thus oriented parallel to the plane of the conveying disc 16 of the cutting and conveying drum 12. Particular attention should be paid to the following: Fig. 4 referred to. The element 45, 47 extends into the circumscribed circle of both the conveying discs 16 of the discharge conveying drum 26 and the conveying discs 16 of the longitudinal median plane 14 immediately adjacent to the cutting and conveying drum 12. The element 45, 47 is located in the transfer area of ​​the harvested material from the cutting and conveying drums 12 immediately adjacent to the longitudinal median plane 14 to the discharge conveying drums 26 and comprises a lateral edge 48, projecting forward with respect to the flow direction of the harvested material, which forms a front nose and is angled backward and inward from there. This edge 48 can be straight or, as in the Fig. 4 shown, be curved and guide the harvested material from the cutting and conveying drums 12 immediately adjacent to the longitudinal median plane 14 to the discharge conveying drum 26.

[0019] Based on the Fig. Figure 3 shows that the scraper 42 of the lowest conveying disc 16 of the discharge conveying drum 26, together with the element 45 of the scraper 44 facing upwards and a bottom element 52 of the frame 17 of the machine 10 facing downwards, encloses a gap so narrow that crop residues are scraped off by the scraper 42. In a lateral direction, the scraper 42 closes with a Fig. 2 and Fig. The side wall element 53 shown in Figure 4 also has such a narrow gap that crop residues are scraped off by the scraper 42. The side wall element 53 is located vertically between the base element 52 and the elements 45 and 47, as shown in Figure 4. Fig. 4 is shown. In the forward direction, it extends as shown in the Fig.2 shown by the dashed lines, approximately from the rear end of element 45 forward to the front end of element 47. In its rear region, the side wall element 53 extends in the plane of element 45, and in its front region in the plane of element 47; that is, it is angled in the transition region between them. The side wall element 53 (in plan view) is concave with a relatively large radius in the region where it interacts with the scraper 42 of the discharge conveyor drum 26. This radius is adapted to the circumscribed circle of the scraper 42 of the discharge conveyor drum 26, and therefore encloses a fairly narrow gap with the scraper 42 over a sufficient length. This gap occurs at the point of rotation of the scraper 42 at the inlet of the discharge conveyor drum 26, where the scraper 42 also interacts with element 45 and the bottom element 52. In one possible embodiment, the size of the gap upwards, downwards and to the side can be 2 mm.In front of the concave area of ​​the side wall element 53, it is curved convexly forwards and inwards towards the longitudinal center plane 14. This gently guides the harvested crop into the gap between the side wall element 53 and the conveying disc 16 of the discharge conveying drum 26.

[0020] In this way, the transition area between the cutting and conveying drums 12 adjacent to the longitudinal center plane 14 and the discharge conveying drums 26 is cleared, thus preventing material accumulation and conveying problems. Above the element 45, 47, a laterally projecting guide skid 50 is arranged on the side wall 51, which helps to avoid conveying problems by reducing the gap between the discharge conveying drum 26 and the side wall 51.

[0021] The illustrated scrapers 44 with upper, lower and lateral elements 45, 47, 51, 52 extending along the circumference can also be assigned to the receiving side of the transverse conveyor drums 16. They can also be assigned to the cutting and conveying drums 12 at the points where they receive harvested material from the transverse conveyor drums 24 or from the outermost cutting and conveying drums 12.

Claims

[1] Machine (10) for mowing stalk-like crops, comprising a first conveyor and a second conveyor for crops arranged downstream of the first conveyor with respect to a crop flow, wherein: the first conveyor is a cutting and conveying drum (12) adjacent to a longitudinal median plane (14) of the machine (10), which consists of lower cutting discs (13) and conveying elements arranged above them in the form of conveying discs (16) with recesses distributed around their circumference for receiving plant stems, the second conveyor is a discharge conveyor drum (26) arranged backwards and downstream of the first conveyor with respect to a forward direction, which is rotatably arranged about a pivot axis and comprises conveying elements in the form of conveying discs (16) arranged one above the other with recesses for receiving plant stems that can be moved into motion, the second conveyor comprises a scraper (42) attached to the lowest conveyor disc (16), which interacts with a scraper (44) attached to the frame (17) of the machine (10) in the transition area of ​​the harvested crop between the first conveyor and the second conveyor, the scraper comprising planar elements (45, 52) which each extend in a plane parallel to the plane of the lowest conveyor disc (16) of the second conveyor directly below and above the scraper (42), whereas the conveyor discs (16) of the first conveyor are not provided with a scraper (42), and in the transition area of ​​the harvested crop between the first conveyor and the second conveyor a frame-fixed side wall element (53) is directly connected to the outer circle of the scraper (42) and extends along the outer circle. [2] Machine (10) according to claim 1, wherein a planar element (47) of the scraper (44) extends into the envelope of the first conveyor. [3] Machine (10) according to claim 2, wherein the planar element (47) extending into the envelope of the first conveyor has a leading edge (48) angled in the opposite direction of flow. [4] Machine (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the side wall element (53) is concavely curved in its area interacting with the scraper (42) to match the envelope of the second conveyor. [5] Machine (10) according to claim 5, wherein the side wall element (53) is convexly curved with respect to the direction of movement of the second conveyor in front of the area cooperating with the scraper (42). [6] Machine (10) according to one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the discharge conveying drum (26) is rotatably arranged about an axis of rotation inclined forwards and upwards relative to the axis of rotation of the cutting and conveying drum (12) and the planar element (47) of the scraper (44) extending into the envelope of the first conveyor is angled relative to the planar element (45) of the scraper (44).

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