Arrangement for switching a combine harvester between swath laying and broadcast spreading operation

Abstract

Arrangement (80) for switching a combine harvester (10) between swath laying and broadcast spreading operation, comprising a front element (82) and a rear element (84) arranged downstream of the front element (82) with respect to a material flow direction of the crop residues, wherein the rear element (84) is rigid in itself, is articulated at its upstream end about a first pivot axis to a chassis (12) of the combine harvester (10) and is movable between a swath laying position and a wide spreading position by means of an adjusting drive (86). and the front element (82) is movable between a swath laying position and a wide spreading position, is articulated at its upstream end about a second pivot axis on the chassis (12) of the combine harvester (10), is rigid in itself and is coupled to the adjusting drive (86) by a spring (102).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an arrangement for switching a combine harvester between swath laying and broadcast spreading operation, comprising a front element and a rear element arranged downstream of the front element with respect to a material flow direction of the crop residues, wherein the rear element is rigid in itself, pivotally connected at its upstream end about a first pivot axis and movable between a swath laying position and a broadcast spreading position by means of an adjusting drive, and the front element is movable between a swath laying position and a broadcast spreading position, as well as a combine harvester equipped therewith. State of the art

[0002] Agricultural combine harvesters are large machines that harvest, thresh, separate, and clean grain-bearing crops. The resulting clean grain is stored in a grain tank attached to the combine. The threshed straw is typically either chopped and spread across the field across the header or guided around the straw chopper or spreader and laid in a windrow on the field for later baling.

[0003] Prior art uses flaps to switch between swath laying and chopping operation. These flaps are typically designed as flat, one-piece elements (US 4 056 107 A) or curved or angled, one-piece elements (DE 10 2008 001 460 A1). While the one-piece flap, in the downward position, creates a relatively large deflection angle for the material flow, which impedes the flow, a disadvantage of the curved or angled flap is that, even in the upper position, it causes a downward deflection of the material flow, which is generally unnecessary and also impedes the flow.

[0004] A two-part flap for switching between swath laying and broadcast spreading is described in EP 3 153 001 A1. This flap comprises a rear element, rigid in itself and concavely curved in the direction of material flow, which is pivotally attached to the combine harvester's chassis at its upstream end, and a front element made of flexible material, which is attached to the chassis at its upstream end and rests against and is coupled to the rear element at its downstream end. The radius of curvature of the front element changes when the rear element pivots, resulting in a relatively acute-angled transition of the material flow to the front element and from there to the rear element. However, the front element will deform during operation due to the impact of the material flow.As a result, the intended acute-angled deflection is hardly possible anymore, at least with larger material throughputs.

[0005] WO 2014 / 035822 A1 discloses a combine harvester with a crop residue deflector device. This device has a front plate hinged to the combine's chassis at its front end. A rear plate is hinged to the rear end of the front plate and is also supported by an arm on the chassis. In a swath position, the front plate is oriented downwards and backwards, and the rear plate forms an acute angle with the front plate. In this position, the crop residue is directed onto a chute. In a spread position, the front plate is rotated even further downwards, directing the crop residue into a straw spreader. The rear plate is then ineffective and extends backwards and upwards behind the straw spreader inlet. This arrangement is only possible if the crop is directed downwards at a relatively steep angle in both positions. Task

[0006] The object underlying the invention is seen as being to provide an improved arrangement compared to the prior art for switching a combine harvester between swath laying and wide spreading operation, as well as a combine harvester equipped therewith. Solution

[0007] This problem is solved according to the invention by the teaching of claims 1 and 9, wherein further claims list features which advantageously develop the solution further.

[0008] An arrangement for switching a combine harvester between swath laying and broadcast spreading operation comprises a front element and a rear element arranged downstream of the front element with respect to the direction of material flow of the crop residue. The rear element is rigid, pivotally mounted at its upstream end about a first pivot axis, and movable between a swath laying position and a broadcast spreading position by means of an adjustment mechanism. The front element is movable between a swath laying position and a broadcast spreading position. The front element is pivotally mounted at its upstream end about a second pivot axis, is rigid, and is coupled to the adjustment mechanism, which may be a power-operated actuator or a manually adjustable control element.

[0009] In other words, a two-part arrangement is proposed that is adjustable between a swath-laying position and a broadcast-spreading position. The arrangement comprises two rigid elements, which are movably mounted to the combine harvester's chassis at their upstream ends via corresponding pivot axes and are both coupled to an adjustment mechanism to move them between the swath-laying and broadcast-spreading positions.In this way, no inherently flexible element is needed that could deform under high material flow, yet it still ensures that, in a deflecting position, a sufficiently smooth transition occurs from the original flow direction of the crop residue to the front element and from there to the downstream second element, involving only a relatively small deflection angle. In a non-deflectoring or less deflecting position, the two elements form an even smaller angle with each other and with the original flow direction of the crop residue. Thus, a smooth flow of the crop residue is guaranteed.

[0010] The front element is coupled to the adjusting mechanism by a spring. This ensures that the rear end of the front element makes contact with the rear element without gaps or similar issues, regardless of any tolerances, in both the swath laying and spreading positions. The spring can be, for example, a coil spring or a gas spring.

[0011] The front element and / or the rear element can be flat in themselves, although they could also be curved or angled in themselves.

[0012] The front element can be shorter than the rear element.

[0013] A linear actuator coupled to the rear element via a first crank could be used as the adjustment mechanism. However, a rotary actuator connected to the front and rear elements via a rotary motion transmission mechanism would also be suitable. The aforementioned spring could be connected at one end to the first crank and at the other end to a second crank connected to the front element.

[0014] The first crank can be coupled to a first shaft that rotates around the first pivot axis and to which the rear element is attached. Similarly, the second crank can be coupled to a second shaft that rotates around the second pivot axis and to which the front element is attached.

[0015] The front element can be supported on the chassis by a gas spring.

[0016] The two elements can direct the crop residue in the spreading position into a straw chopper, which can be followed by a spreading device with passive guide plates and / or active distribution fans, and in the swath laying position, guide it past the straw chopper. It would also be conceivable to forgo the straw chopper and rely on a crop processing device to already deliver the crop residue in sufficiently small pieces (or to position the straw chopper directly at the end of the crop processing device or integrate it into the processing device) and feed the crop residue in the spreading position to a distribution fan without a straw chopper.

[0017] The arrangement according to the invention is used in a combine harvester with a crop processing unit which has an outlet for crop residues, downstream of which the said arrangement follows. Example of implementation

[0018] An embodiment of the invention is explained with reference to the illustrations. It shows: Fig. 1 a partially cut-away side view of a combine harvester with an arrangement for switching between swath laying and broadcast spreading operation, Fig. 2 a perspective view of the arrangement in the wide distribution position, Fig. 3 a perspective view of the arrangement in the swath laying position, and Fig. 4 A skewed, perspective view of the drive mechanism of the arrangement.

[0019] The Fig. Figure 1 shows an agricultural combine harvester 10 with a chassis 12 with wheels 14 in contact with the ground, which are attached to the chassis 12 and serve to propel the combine harvester 10 in a forward direction, which is in the Fig. The combine harvester 10 operates from the operator's cab 16. A cutter bar 18 is used to harvest grain-containing crops and feed them to an inclined conveyor 20. The harvested crop is fed by the inclined conveyor 20 to a guide drum 22. The guide drum 22 directs the crop through an inlet transition section 24 to an axial crop processing unit 26. Hereinafter, directional terms such as front and rear refer to the forward direction of the combine harvester 10.

[0020] The crop processing unit 26 comprises a rotor housing 34 and a rotor 36 arranged therein. The rotor 36 includes a hollow drum 38 to which crop processing elements for a feeding section 40, a threshing section 42, and a separating section 44 are attached. The feeding section 40 is located at the front of the axial crop processing unit 26. The threshing section 42 and the separating section 44 are located longitudinally downstream and rearward of the feeding section 40. The drum 38 is frustoconical in the feeding section 40. The threshing section 42 comprises a frustoconical front section and a cylindrical rear section. The cylindrical separating section 44 of the drum 38 is located at the end of the axial crop processing unit 26.Instead of an axial crop processing unit 26, which can also be shaped differently than shown, a tangential threshing drum and an axial separating device or straw shaker following it can also be used.

[0021] Grain and chaff falling through a threshing concave associated with the threshing section 42 and a separating grate associated with the separating section 44 are fed to a cleaning system 28 with a blower 46 and vibrating lamellar sieves 48, 50. The cleaning system 28 removes the chaff and conveys the clean grain via a screw conveyor 52 to a clean grain elevator (not shown). The clean grain elevator deposits the clean grain into a grain tank 30. The clean grain in the grain tank 30 can be unloaded onto a grain wagon, trailer, or truck via a discharge screw conveyor 32. Crop remaining at the rear end of the lower lamellar sieve 50 is fed back to the crop processing unit 26 by means of a screw conveyor 54 and a return conveyor (not shown).The crop residues discharged at the rear end of the upper lamellar sieve 48, which consist mainly of chaff and small straw particles, are conveyed to the rear by a vibrating floor conveyor 56 into an inlet 58 of a straw chopper 60.

[0022] Threshed straw leaving the separation section 44 is ejected from the crop processing unit 26 through an outlet 62 and fed to a discharge drum 64. The discharge drum 64, which interacts with a floor 66 located below it, ejects the crop residue (straw) to the rear. Above the discharge drum 64, a horizontally extending upper wall 76 is mounted, which closes off an engine compartment 78 located above it at the bottom.

[0023] Below wall 76 is an arrangement 80 for switching between swath laying and wide spreading operation. The arrangement 80 comprises a front element 82 (with respect to the flow direction of the crop residues) and a rear element 84 arranged downstream of the front element 82 with respect to the material flow direction of the crop residues. The rear element 84 is rigid in itself, pivotally connected to the chassis 12 at its upstream end about a first pivot axis, and is adjusted by an adjusting drive 86 between a raised (in the Fig. 1 (shown with a dashed line) swath placement position, in which it extends flat below wall 76, and one in the Fig. The front element 82 is movable in the wide-spreading position shown in Figure 1, in which it extends diagonally backwards and downwards to direct the crop residues into the inlet 58 of the straw chopper 60. The front element 82 is coupled to the rear element 84 for drive purposes and is positioned between a raised (in the Fig. 1 (shown with a dashed line) swath placement position, in which it extends flat below wall 76, and one in the Fig. The front element 82 is movable in the wide-spreading position shown in the solid line, in which it extends (less steeply than the rear element 84) obliquely backwards and downwards and rests with its rear end against the rear element 84 in order to direct the crop residues to the rear element 84 and from there into the inlet 58 of the straw chopper 60. The front element 82 is pivotally connected to the chassis 12 at its upstream end about a second pivot axis, is rigid in itself and is coupled to the adjusting drive 86.

[0024] Below the lower and rear end of the rear element 84, a chute 88, rigidly connected to the chassis 12, extends seamlessly (when the rear element 84 is in the spreading position). This chute extends diagonally to the rear and downwards, allowing the straw to slide down onto the field soil during windrowing operation. The windrow can be further shaped by guide skids or straw guide rakes (not shown) attached to the top of the chute 88.

[0025] The straw chopper 60 comprises a housing and a rotor arranged therein, rotatable about an axis extending transversely to the forward direction and horizontally, with chopping knives distributed around the circumference of the rotor and suspended by pendulums. Downstream of an outlet of the straw chopper 60, two blowers 90 are provided laterally next to each other below the chute 88, one of which is located in the Fig. 1 only a single one is recognizable. The blowers 90 comprise a number of air vanes, each rigidly connected to a shaft extending orthogonally to the chute 88, which can be set in rotation by a hydraulic motor or a mechanical drive train. In the swath laying position, the straw chopper 60 conveys only the crop residue from the cleaning system 28 to the blowers 90, which distribute it on the field floor approximately across the width of the cutting unit 18. Instead of the blowers 90, a number of laterally arranged, rigid or reciprocating straw deflectors can also be used.

[0026] The Fig. Figure 2 shows the arrangement 80 in the wide distribution position, while the arrangement 80 in the Fig. Figure 3 shows the swath laying position. The front element 82 is connected at its front end to a shaft 92 extending horizontally and transversely to the forward direction V. This shaft 92 is rotatably supported on both sides of the front element 82 by bearing points on the chassis 12 and defines the aforementioned second pivot axis. The shaft 92 is connected to a crank 98. The rear element 84 is connected at its front end to a shaft 94 extending horizontally and transversely to the forward direction V. This shaft 94 is rotatably supported on both sides of the rear element 84 by bearing points on the chassis 12 and defines the aforementioned first pivot axis.The shaft 94 is connected to a crank 96, which in turn is rotatably coupled to a displaceable output element 100 of the adjusting drive 86, designed as a linear actuator, about an axis extending horizontally and transversely to the forward direction V, using an axle 112 and a cotter pin 110, as shown in the . Fig. 4 shown. Based on the Fig. 2 and Fig. Figure 3 shows that the rear end of the front element 82 is located in the swath laying position behind the front edge of the rear element 84 and rests against the rear element 84 from below, while the front element 82 is in the wide spreading position with its rear, upper corner (unlike in Fig. 1 shown) is located on the rear element 84.

[0027] The Fig.Figure 4 also shows that the housing of the adjusting drive 86 is connected to an axle 104, which is connected to the chassis 12, by a bolt 106, also using a cotter pin 108. The cranks 96 and 98 are connected to each other by a spring 102 that transmits tension and compression forces; this spring is designed here as a coil spring, although other embodiments would also be conceivable. A gas spring 114 is articulated at one end to the crank 98 and at the other end to the chassis near the axle 104.

[0028] The spring 102 pulls the front element 82 upwards (clockwise in the figures) when the adjusting drive 86 moves the rear element 84 from the spreading position to the swath position, and pushes it downwards (counterclockwise in the figures) when the adjusting drive 86 moves the rear element 84 from the swath position to the spreading position. The front element 82 follows the force of the spring 102 as soon as the respective acting forces are greater than the opposing forces of the gas spring 114. This ensures that the front element 82 rests against the rear element 84 from below in both the swath position and spreading positions, without any significant gap through which crop residue could penetrate and accumulate above the front element 82, even if tolerances occur in the adjusting mechanism.

[0029] In another embodiment, the gas spring 114 can be omitted entirely. It would also be conceivable to use the gas spring 114 instead of the spring 102, i.e., to couple it between the front and rear elements 82, 84.

[0030] The adjusting drive 100 can be operated from the cab 16 to switch the arrangement 80 between the swath laying position and the wide spreading position, and vice versa, as required. The adjusting drive 86 then moves the crank 96 and, via the shaft 94, the rear element 84. The front element 82 is simultaneously pivoted via the spring 102, the crank 98, and the shaft 92.

Claims

[1] Arrangement (80) for switching a combine harvester (10) between swath laying and broadcast spreading operation, comprising a front element (82) and a rear element (84) arranged downstream of the front element (82) with respect to a material flow direction of the crop residues, wherein the rear element (84) is rigid in itself, is articulated at its upstream end about a first pivot axis to a chassis (12) of the combine harvester (10) and is movable between a swath laying position and a wide spreading position by means of an adjusting drive (86). and the front element (82) is movable between a swath laying position and a wide spreading position, is articulated at its upstream end about a second pivot axis on the chassis (12) of the combine harvester (10), is rigid in itself and is coupled to the adjusting drive (86) by a spring (102). [2] Arrangement (80) according to claim 1, wherein the spring (102) is a gas spring or a coil spring. [3] Arrangement (80) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the front element (82) and / or the rear element (84) is or are flat in itself and / or the front element (82) is shorter than the rear element (84). [4] Arrangement (80) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the adjusting drive (86) is a linear actuator which is coupled to the rear element (84) via a first crank (96). [5] Arrangement (80) according to claim 4, wherein the spring (102) is coupled at one end to the first crank (96) and at the other end to a second crank (98) which is connected to the front element (82). [6] Arrangement (80) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the first crank (96) is coupled to a first shaft (94) rotatable about the first pivot axis, to which the rear element (84) is attached and / or the second crank (98) is coupled to a second shaft (92) rotatable about the second pivot axis, to which the front element (82) is attached. [7] Arrangement (80) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the front element (82) is coupled to a gas spring (114) which is supported at the other end on the chassis. [8] Arrangement (80) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the elements (82, 84) direct the crop residues in the wide spreading position into a straw chopper (60) and guide them past it in the swath laying position. [9] Combine harvester (10) with a crop processing device (26) having an outlet (62) for crop residues, downstream of which an arrangement (80) according to one of the preceding claims follows.

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