Transition housing for a forage harvester

Abstract

A field chopper (10) comprising a chassis (12) movable in a forward direction (V) across a field, a chopper drum (22) for chopping crops picked up by a harvesting attachment (20), an ejection accelerator (24) arranged downstream of the chopper drum (22), and an ejection elbow (26) fastened to a rotating ring (38), wherein a transition housing (40) is inserted between the ejection accelerator (24) and the rotating ring (38) and has a variable internal cross-section, characterized in that the variable internal cross-section can be realized by an adjustable, single- or multi-part element (46) and / or an adjustable wall (42, 44, 48, 52) of the transition housing (40), and in that means for automatic or manually controllable adjustment of the internal cross-section of the transition housing (40) are provided,which comprise an actuator (58) for changing the internal cross-section and a sensor (60) for detecting the internal cross-section and / or the effect of the element (46) or the adjustable wall (42, 44, 48, 52).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a forage harvester comprising a chassis movable in a forward direction across a field, a chopper drum for chopping crops picked up by a harvesting header, an ejection accelerator arranged downstream of the chopper drum, and an ejection spout attached to a turntable, a transition housing being inserted between the ejection accelerator and the turntable. State of the art

[0002] Forage harvesters harvest crops that are picked or cut from a field, fed to a chopper, shredded by it, and finally transferred to a transport vehicle. For this purpose, a driven discharge accelerator is provided downstream of the chopper (or, optionally, a conditioning device that can be inserted into the crop flow downstream of the chopper during corn harvesting). This accelerator conveys the chopped crop upwards into a transition housing. At the upper end of the transition housing, a discharge spout is mounted on a turntable. This discharge spout can rotate about a vertical axis and pivot about a horizontal axis. A pivoting discharge flap is attached to the end of the discharge spout.Such a forage harvester with an ejection accelerator rotating about an axis running in the forward direction is shown, for example, in EP 0 672 339 A1, while the ejection accelerator shown in DE 196 41 211 A1 rotates about a horizontal axis oriented transversely to the forward direction.

[0003] The cross-section of the transition housing is usually rectangular at its lower end, closest to the discharge accelerator. At its upper end, closest to the rotating ring and the lower end of the discharge spout, however, the cross-section of the transition housing is circular. In between, the walls of the transition housing are essentially straight. Therefore, when viewed from the side, the transition housing widens upwards in a funnel shape, while when viewed from the front or rear, it narrows upwards in a funnel-like manner. The crop discharged by the discharge accelerator primarily fills a specific area of the transition housing (particularly the front, middle, or rear) and ultimately impacts the front wall of the lower section of the discharge spout, which is why this front wall is equipped with wear plates in accordance with DE 196 41 211 A1.In the rear area of the transition housing, however, there is usually less or no harvested material.

[0004] However, there are harvesting situations, particularly during grass harvesting, in which turbulences form, primarily in an area of the transition housing that is normally not exposed to crop material, essentially representing a dead space, or in which the crop, instead of forming a sufficiently dense flow, fans out. These turbulences sometimes lead to a local reversal of the direction of the crop, resulting in reduced crop flow quality, which can manifest itself in the intermittent release of crop clumps.

[0005] Although it is known to adjust the base of the ejection accelerator relative to its rotor (see, for example, DE 197 32 722 A1), this cannot solve the problem mentioned.

[0006] DE 35 38 554 A1 shows a generic forage harvester in which deflection bodies in different variants can be installed in the transition housing, which deflect one or more partial flows of the crop flow towards opposite walls. Object of the invention

[0007] The object underlying the invention is to provide a forage harvester with a transition housing that is improved compared to the mentioned prior art. Solution

[0008] This object is achieved according to the invention by the teaching of patent claim 1, wherein the further patent claims list features which further develop the solution in an advantageous manner.

[0009] A forage harvester is proposed comprising a chassis movable in a forward direction across a field, a chopper drum for chopping crops collected by a harvesting header, an ejection accelerator arranged downstream of the chopper drum, and an ejection spout attached to a rotating ring. A transition housing is inserted between the ejection accelerator and the rotating ring. The transition housing has a variable internal cross-section.

[0010] In this way, the transition housing can have a conventional, relatively large internal cross-section in normal crop situations, which means that the transition housing is filled with crop in its designated area, which can be at the back, front, middle or on one or both sides, and is not, hardly or only slightly loaded with crop in one or more other areas. Should crop flow problems arise in certain harvesting situations due to the transition housing only being partially filled with crop and the resulting turbulence or fanning out of the crop flow, the present invention allows the internal cross-section of the transition housing to be changed, i.e. in particular to be narrowed, in order to avoid or reduce these problems.

[0011] The variable internal cross-section is achieved by an adjustable element and / or an adjustable wall of the transition housing. Accordingly, the element or the wall of the transition housing is adjusted in the aforementioned sense. The adjustment of the element or the wall can be achieved in any manner, be it via a lever mechanism or via one or more threaded rods, as is known from adjustable fan floors on forage harvesters, particularly from Krone. In all of the aforementioned designs, the element or the wall can be a single piece or composed of two or more individual elements that are connected to one another, for example, via a joint and can be adjusted at different angles to one another on different (circular) paths.

[0012] The adjustable element may be located on the front wall and / or the rear wall and / or one or both side walls of the transition housing. Similarly, one or more of the aforementioned walls may be adjustable.

[0013] The element may extend from a lower end of the transition housing or a position above or below it to its upper end or may end below its upper end or may extend into the (particularly funnel-shaped) discharge chute or be positioned at its inlet.

[0014] The element or the adjustable wall can be pivotably mounted, with the pivot axis preferably extending in the plane defined by the element or wall. It would also be conceivable to move the element or the adjustable wall in parallel (i.e., translationally) or to combine a displacement and pivoting movement. In particular, the element or the adjustable wall can be pivotably mounted at its lower or upper end.

[0015] The adjustable element or wall can be rigidly or flexibly mounted in its position for the operation of the forage harvester, or it can be made of an elastic material. If the element or wall is not rigidly mounted, it can therefore, under certain operating conditions, yield against the force of a flexible mounting, which can be a spring, a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, or a rubber buffer, or it can yield itself if it is made of an elastic material.

[0016] The cross-sections of the transition housing can be similar (e.g., circular or rectangular) or even identical at its lower and upper ends, which (both) preferably also applies to the areas of the transition housing between the ends. This simplifies the adjustment of an element or wall of the transition housing, as it can be more easily adapted to the shape of the transition housing than with a cross-section of the transition housing that continuously changes between the lower and upper ends, as used in the prior art.

[0017] The discharge spout can be funnel-shaped in its lower area or with curved walls, narrowing towards the top to adapt to the cross-section of the transition housing.

[0018] Means are provided for the automatic or manually controlled adjustment of the internal cross-section of the transition housing. These means may comprise an actuator for changing the internal cross-section and a sensor for detecting the internal cross-section in order to regulate the position of the element defining the internal cross-section using a controller that receives a setpoint from an operator input device and an actual value from the sensor. Alternatively or additionally, the sensor can detect the effect of the element or the adjustable wall and serve to automatically control the actuator. The effect of the element can be detected by detecting the crop flow or the pressure in the transition housing and used to control the element or the adjustable wall.For example, the material flow velocity or material flow characteristics can be recorded using a camera or a sensor based on vibrations or relative mass fluctuations, or the material flow can be X-rayed. Based on the recorded values, the element or adjustable wall is automatically moved to a position that is advantageous for the current chopping conditions. Example

[0019] Four embodiments of the invention are explained using the figures. They show: Fig. 1 a schematic side view of a forage harvester, Fig. 2 a side view of a first embodiment of a transition housing of the forage harvester of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a rear view of a second embodiment of a transition housing of the forage harvester of the Fig. 1, Fig. 4 a side view of a third embodiment of a transition housing of the forage harvester of the Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 a rear view of a fourth embodiment of a transition housing of the forage harvester of the Fig. 1.

[0020] In the Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a self-propelled forage harvester 10. The forage harvester 10 is mounted on a chassis 12 supported by front driven wheels 14 and steerable rear wheels 16. The forage harvester 10 is operated from a driver's cab 18, from which a harvesting attachment 20 in the form of a pickup is visible, which could also be replaced by a mowing attachment for harvesting maize. Crops picked up from the ground by means of the harvesting attachment 20, e.g., maize, are harvested. B. grass or the like is fed via an intake conveyor with pre-press rollers 30, 32, 34, 36, which are arranged within an intake housing 50 on the front side of the forage harvester 10, to a chopping device 22 in the form of a chopping drum arranged below the driver's cab 18, which chops it into small pieces and feeds it to an ejection accelerator 24.The crop leaves the forage harvester 10 and is conveyed to a transport vehicle traveling alongside via a transition housing 40 and a discharge spout 26, which is supported on a turntable 38 so as to be rotatable about an approximately vertical axis and with an adjustable inclination. Between the chopping device 22 and the discharge accelerator 24 there is a channel 68 into which a grain processor with two counter-rotating grain processor rollers 28 can be inserted in order to strike grains during the corn harvest. During the grass harvest, the grain processor 28 is moved into an inoperative position, as shown, or removed. In the following, directional references such as side, bottom and top refer to the forward direction V of the harvesting machine 10, which is shown in the . Fig. 1 runs to the right.

[0021] The transition housing 40 extends from the outlet of the ejection accelerator 24 to the rotating ring 38 and comprises a front wall 42, a rear wall 44 and side walls 48, 52 (cf. Fig. 3). The transition housing 40 can be coupled to the housing of the discharge accelerator 24 (removable) by flanges 54 or any other fastening elements and in a similar manner to the rotating ring 38. The discharge elbow 26 narrows (when viewed from the side, as in the Fig. 1) in its lower area in a funnel shape upwards in order to be able to receive crop from the entire transition housing 40. The transition housing 40 widens (when viewed from the side, as in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2) upwards in a funnel shape. The transition housing 40 narrows when viewed from the front or rear, as shown in the Fig. 3 shown, upwards.

[0022] In the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the Fig. 1 and Fig. As shown in Figure 2, an adjustable element 46 is arranged within the transition housing 40, extending from the lower end of the transition housing 40 to approximately its upper end and across the entire width of the wall 44 or a certain portion thereof. The element 46 (which can be constructed in one or more parts) is flat and extends vertically and transversely to the forward direction V. The element 46 is hinged at its lower end to an axis 56, which extends transversely to the forward direction V and horizontally, at the lower end of the transition housing 40. An actuator 58 enables pivoting of the element 46 about the axis 56.

[0023] In the second embodiment, which is shown in the Fig. 3, two elements 46 extend from the lateral walls 48, 52 adjacent to the lower end of the transition housing 40 to approximately its upper end and over the entire length of the wall 48, 52 measured in the forward direction V or a certain portion thereof. The elements 46 are flat and extend vertically and parallel and / or converging in the forward direction, or opening towards the forward direction V. The elements 46 are each hinged at their lower ends to an axis 56, which extends along the forward direction V and horizontally, at the lower end of the transition housing 40. Two actuators 58 enable each element 46 to pivot about the axis 56.

[0024] The actuators 58 can be electrically, hydraulically, or pneumatically operated, or can be supplemented by a manual adjustment option for the operator, which can, for example, consist of a lockable kinematics or lever arrangement. The respective position of the element 46 of the Fig. 2 or elements 46 of the Fig. 3 are detected by a sensor 60, the output value of which is fed to a controller 62, which is supplied with a desired position of the element 46 by means of an operator input device 64 and controls the actuator 58 such that the element 46 assumes the desired position. The sensor 60 can detect the angle of the element 46 about the axis 56 or, in the case of a lateral displacement, its position, or can be designed as a camera to detect the position of the element 46. A continuous adjustment of the element 46 or a stepwise adjustment comprising at least two steps can be provided.

[0025] The functioning of the transition housing equipped with the element 46 according to the invention, which serves to change the internal cross-section of the transition housing 40, is as follows: Normally, the element 46 is brought into a rest position, in which it is in the embodiment according to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 rests against the rear wall 44 of the transition housing. Alternatively, the entire rear wall 44 (or one or more parts thereof) can be adjusted to a suitable position, as shown in the Fig. 4. The transition housing 40 then has - when viewed from the side - a cross-section that widens towards the top and in certain areas of the transition housing 40 only a relatively small amount of crop flows, while the majority of the crop flows in other areas. This positioning of the element 46 is suitable for most of the crop types and properties that usually occur. In some harvesting situations, e.g. when harvesting grass, however, in the areas of the transition housing 40 that are exposed to less material, which may be close to the front wall 42 or the rear wall 44 or one or both side walls 48, 52, turbulence forms in the crop flow, which leads to clumping of the crop and to a discontinuous crop flow at the outlet of the discharge spout 26.These turbulences can be eliminated by the element 46 if necessary, because the operator, if he recognizes such a situation of non-continuous crop conveyance, can move the element 46 from the rest position to an operating position as shown in the . Fig. 1 to 3, in which the internal cross-section of the transition housing 40 is narrowed compared to the resting position of the element 46, and the element 46 concentrates the crop flow while simultaneously reducing turbulence. In the operating position, the cross-section of the transition housing 40 can narrow upwards, as shown in the figures, or remain approximately the same or expand. By adjusting the element 46, the aforementioned problems can be avoided or at least improved, and a laminar and continuous, homogeneous crop flow is created in the transition housing 40.

[0026] Instead of detecting the position of element 46, as described above, sensor 60 can detect the action of element 46. To do so, it can detect acoustic or mechanical vibrations caused by crop flow fluctuations in transition housing 40 and, if it detects such vibrations, cause controller 62 to move element 46 into the operating position. Alternatively or additionally, sensor 60 can detect the crop flow mass, for example, optically or mechanically, and in the event of larger, unexpected fluctuations in the crop flow mass, cause controller 62 to move element 46 into the operating position. Detection can occur directly near element 46, but also in discharge spout 26 or near one or more of walls 42, 44, 48, 52. It would also be conceivable for sensor 60 to measure the pressure in transition housing 40, which will change in the event of the aforementioned turbulence.From time to time, the controller 62 can test the element 46 into the rest position to avoid leaving it unnecessarily in the crop flow. If it is still needed, the sensor 60 will detect this and cause the controller 62 to return the element 46 to the operating position.

[0027] As in the Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, it would also be conceivable to vary not the element 46, but the position of one or more walls 42, 44, 48, 52 (then serving as adjustable element 46) of the transition housing 40 itself, wherein an adjustable element 46, as shown in the Fig. 1 to 3, may or may not be present. In the third and fourth embodiments, which may also be combined, the pivot axes of the walls 42, 44, 48, 52 of the transition housing 40 may be located at the axes 66 to 80 or between the points 66 to 80 at any intermediate location on the walls 42, 44, 48, 52. The walls 42, 44, 48, 52 may be rigidly locked in a position selected for harvesting operation or may be movable against the force of one or more springs 82, 84 or against the force of a resilient bearing. Springs 82, 84 may also be present in the embodiment according to Fig. 4. It can be used in the embodiments according to Fig. 4 and / or 5, a sensor-based adjustment of the wall 42, 44, 48, 52 can also be carried out by means of an actuator 58, as can be seen from the Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 described.

[0028] Finally, it should be noted that in the case of an undesired, non-continuous crop flow, whether detected by the operator or by a sensor, a liquid (e.g. water) taken from a storage container can be injected through nozzles into the transition housing 40 and, if necessary, also into the lower area of the discharge spout 26, which improves the sliding ability of the crop on the walls 42, 44, 48, 52 of the transition housing 40 and, if necessary, on the inner walls of the discharge spout 26 and prevents crop sticking there.

Claims

[1] A field chopper (10) comprising a chassis (12) movable in a forward direction (V) across a field, a chopper drum (22) for chopping crops picked up by a harvesting attachment (20), an ejection accelerator (24) arranged downstream of the chopper drum (22), and an ejection elbow (26) attached to a rotating ring (38), a transition housing (40) being inserted between the ejection accelerator (24) and the rotating ring (38) and having a variable internal cross-section, characterized bythat the variable internal cross-section can be realized by an adjustable, single-part or multi-part element (46) and / or an adjustable wall (42, 44, 48, 52) of the transition housing (40) and that means for automatically or manually controllable adjustment of the internal cross-section of the transition housing (40) are provided, which means comprise an actuator (58) for changing the internal cross-section and a sensor (60) for detecting the internal cross-section and / or the effect of the element (46) or the adjustable wall (42, 44, 48, 52). [2] A forage harvester (10) according to claim 1, wherein the element (46) is located on or attachable to the front wall (42) and / or the rear wall (44) and / or one or both side walls (48, 52) of the transition housing (40). [3] A forage harvester (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the element (46) extends from a lower end of the transition housing (40) or a position above or below it to the upper end thereof or ends below the upper end thereof or projects into the discharge chute (26). [4] Field chopper (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the adjustable wall (42, 44, 48, 52) and / or the element (46) is mounted displaceably and / or pivotably about a pivot axis (56) preferably located at the lower or upper end. [5] Field chopper (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the element (46) and / or the adjustable wall (42, 44, 48, 52) of the transition housing (40) is rigidly fastened or resiliently suspended in a defined position. [6] Forage harvester (10) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cross sections of the transition housing (40) are the same at its lower and upper ends. [7] Field chopper (10) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the discharge chute (26) narrows upwards in its lower region in a funnel shape or with curved walls to adapt to the cross-section of the transition housing (40).

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