Mower

Abstract

The invention relates to a mower (1) with a plurality of mowing elements positioned next to one another to form a mower bar (2), and with a roller conditioner (4) arranged behind the mower bar (2) as seen in the direction of flow of mown crop (3), which roller conditioner has an upper conditioning roller (5) and a lower conditioning roller (6), wherein a gap between the conditioning rollers (5, 6), through which the crop (3) is transported, is variable depending on a quantity of the crop (3), and wherein a device is provided for detecting or locating foreign bodies (12) in the mown crop (3).

Description

The invention relates to a mower according to the preamble of claim 1.DE 10 2020 124 992 A1 discloses a mower with a plurality of mowing members which are positioned next to one another to form a mowing bar, with a roller conditioner which is arranged behind the mowing bar as seen in the crop flow direction of mowed crop material and which has an upper conditioning roller and a lower conditioning roller, wherein the lower conditioning roller is rotatable about a lower, fixed rotational axis, wherein the upper conditioning roller is rotatable about an upper, displaceable rotational axis in such a way that, as a result of a displacement of the upper rotational axis relative to the lower rotational axis, a gap between the conditioning rollers is variable.When harvesting grass, alfalfa or similar crop materials with a mower which is operated by a tractor as a carrier vehicle, harmful foreign bodies, such as stones or pieces of wood, are detected in the crop material only in the last working step and this is only when a suitably equipped field chopper is used for driving along the crop material instead of a loading truck or instead of a baler.Proceeding from this, it is the object of the invention to create a novel mower.This object is achieved according to the invention by the characterizing features of claim 1.A mower according to the invention has a cutter bar comprising a plurality of mower members positioned next to one another, to which a roller conditioner is arranged downstream of the cutter bar, as seen in the crop flow direction of mowed crop material, which roller conditioner has an upper and a lower conditioning roller, wherein a gap between the conditioning rollers, through which the crop material is transported, is variable depending on a quantity of the crop material, and wherein a device for detecting or finding foreign bodies in the mowed crop material is provided.By using a device for detecting or finding foreign bodies, in particular stones, on the mower, harmful foreign bodies can already be found at an early stage and removed from the meadow or from the crop material. Damage to subsequent machines can thereby be prevented in a particularly advantageous manner.According to an advantageous development, the lower treatment roller is mounted rotatably about a lower, fixed rotational axis and the upper treatment roller is mounted rotatably about an upper, displaceable rotational axis in order to adapt the gap to the quantity of crop material, such that the upper rotational axis is displaceable relative to the lower rotational axis, wherein the upper rotational axis is arranged pivotably thereto on levers and an angle sensor is provided, which continuously detects the deflection of a lever and transmits the detected measurement signals to a control device, which is configured to continuously determine a distance between the rotational axes of the treatment rollers from the measurement signals of the angle sensor and to derive a speed and / or an acceleration from the distance. If a predetermined value of the speed and / or the acceleration is exceeded, the control device advantageously generates a signal for finding a foreign body in the crop.According to a further advantageous development, the upper treatment roller is mounted pivotably on a lever at each of its two ends and an angle sensor is provided on each lever, which both transmit the detected measurement signals to the control device, and the control device compares the distances and / or the values of the acceleration and / or of the speed of the two angle sensors with one another and determines from this the position of the foreign body in the direction of the width of the treatment rollers. This advantageously makes it easier for an operator to remove the foreign body from the crop.According to a further advantageous development, it is provided that the control device generates the signal for finding a foreign body only if the distance between the axes of rotation also exceeds a predefined value at the same time. This advantageously makes it possible to avoid false triggerings.According to a further advantageous development, for detecting foreign bodies, an acceleration sensor is provided as an alternative or in addition to angle sensors, which acceleration sensor determines the acceleration of the upper displaceable treatment roller in the vertical direction and transmits the acceleration values to the control device, which generates a signal for finding a foreign body if a predefined value of the acceleration is exceeded. The acceleration sensor is preferably arranged on an end face of the upper treatment roller. Particularly preferably, an acceleration sensor is arranged on both end sides or on both longitudinal ends of the upper treatment roller and both acceleration sensors transmit the acceleration values to the control device. The control device compares the acceleration values of the two acceleration sensors with one another and determines from this the position of the foreign body in the direction of the width of the treatment rollers. This advantageously makes it easier for an operator to remove the foreign body from the crop.The acceleration sensor or sensors are preferably arranged on the mower deck in such a way that they are moved over a long distance when the upper treatment roller is displaced, as a result of which advantageously large accelerations can be measured.According to a further advantageous development, the control device of the mower is configured to receive position data of a GPS system and, when finding or recognizing a foreign body, to store the position data thereof. Based on the position data, indications for agricultural machines following in the crop chain can be generated in order to warn their driver or operator in good time before reaching the position of the foreign body.Preferred developments of the invention are evident from the dependent claims and the description. The features of the present invention are explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments, without being restricted thereto. The accompanying schematic drawings show, in which FIG. 1 is a side view of a mower according to the invention in harvesting operation, FIG. 2 shows a side view of a mower according to the invention in harvesting operation with a foreign body, and FIG. 3 shows a view of a mower according to the invention with a foreign body in the crop flow direction of mowed crop material.FIG. 1 shows a highly schematic side view of a mower 1 according to the invention with a cutter bar 2 which consists of a plurality of mowing members positioned next to one another and to which, viewed in the crop flow direction of mowed crop 3, a roller conditioner 4 is arranged downstream. The roller conditioner 4 comprises an upper conditioning roller 5 and a lower conditioning roller 6, between which a gap s is formed and between which the crop 3 is transported. In this view, the upper treatment roller 5 rotates counterclockwise about an axis of rotation 8 and the lower treatment roller 6 rotates clockwise about a lower axis of rotation 7, wherein the gap s changes depending on an amount of the crop 3 which is transported or conveyed through between the treatment rollers 5, 6.The mower 1 is picked up, driven and moved in the direction of travel FR for the harvesting process in a generally known manner by a carrier vehicle, such as a tractor.The lower axis of rotation 7 of the lower treatment roller 6 is arranged in a fixed position and the upper axis of rotation 8 of the upper treatment roller 5 is arranged displaceably in order to adapt the gap s to the quantity of crop material 3, so that the distance x of the axes of rotation 7, 8 and the width of the gap s can change. For this purpose, the upper axis of rotation 8 is pivotably arranged on levers 10 and an angle sensor 11 is provided on one of the levers 10, said angle sensor continuously detecting the deflection of the lever 10 and transmitting the detected measurement signals to a control device 9.The control device 9 is configured to continuously calculate the width of the gap s or the distance x of the axes of rotation 7, 8 of the two treatment rollers 5, 6 from the measured values of the angle sensor 11 transmitted to it and from the geometric data of the lever 10 stored in it, and to derive a speed and / or an acceleration of the vertical movement of the upper treatment roller 5 from the changing distance x. As soon as the control device 9 detects that a predetermined value of the speed and / or the acceleration has been exceeded, it generates a signal for finding or detecting a foreign body 12 in the crop 3.FIG. 2 shows a further highly schematic side view of a mower 1 according to the invention with a foreign body 12 in the crop material 3.FIG. 3 shows a view of the mower 1 in the direction of flow of the mowed crop 3, wherein a foreign body 12 has entered between the treatment rollers 5, 6. The foreign body 12 is located to the right of the center of the treatment rollers 5, 6 and has led to the upper treatment roller 5 having been set somewhat obliquely with respect to the lower treatment roller 6 or being tilted in other words. It can also be seen in FIG. 3 that the upper treatment roller 5 is pivotably mounted on a lever 10 at each of its two ends or end sides in order to adapt the distance x or the gap s to different amounts of crop material 3. In this case, an angle sensor 11 is preferably provided on each lever 10, which both transmit the detected measurement signals to the control device 9.The control device 9 compares the distances x and / or the values of the acceleration and / or the speed of the two angle sensors 11 with one another and determines from this the position of the foreign body 12 in the direction of the width b of the treatment rollers 5, 6.In order to reduce or avoid errors in the detection or the finding of foreign objects, it can be provided that the control device 9 generates the signal for the finding of a foreign object 12 only when the distance x simultaneously also exceeds a predefined value.Alternatively or additionally to the angle sensor 11, an acceleration sensor 14 can be provided for detecting foreign bodies 12, which detects the acceleration of the upper treatment roller 5 in the vertical direction and transmits the acceleration values to the control device 9. When a predetermined value of the acceleration is exceeded, the control device 9 generates a signal for finding a foreign body 12.Particularly preferably, an acceleration sensor 14 is arranged on each of the two end faces of the upper treatment roller 5, both of which sensors transmit the acceleration values to the control device 9. The control device 9 compares the acceleration values of the two acceleration sensors 14 with one another and determines from this the position of the foreign body 12 in the direction of the width b of the treatment rollers 5, 6.Furthermore, the control device 9 is preferably configured to receive position data of a GPS system 13 for determining the current position of the mower 1 and, when finding or recognizing a foreign body 12, to store the position data thereof.The control device 9 can provide the position data of the foreign bodies 12 found to a superordinate data system which can be accessed by other machines involved in the crop chain. A higher-level control system or control devices of agricultural machines following in the harvesting chain can generate indications therefrom in order to warn the drivers or operators early on about the foreign bodies 12.Preferably, for the driver of the carrier vehicle on which the mower 1 according to the invention is accommodated, a display is provided which displays a foreign body finding to the driver. For example, an ISOBUS terminal, which is generally customary in agricultural appliances, or another comparable display appliance can be used as the display. If a foreign object fundus is displayed to the driver, the driver may decide whether to remove the foreign object directly or later based on the recorded GPS coordinates. If the driver has directly removed the foreign body, he can remove his coordinates from the database via an input device.In the preceding description, the mower 1 has been shown very schematically and only the components which are relevant to the present invention have been described. Of course, a mower 1 according to the invention also has all further generally customary components which are sufficiently known to the skilled person.List of reference characters1 Mower 2 Cutter bar 3 Crop material 4 Roller processor 5 Processing roller 6 Processing roller 7 Axis of rotation 8 Axis of rotation 9 Control device 10 Lever 11 Angle sensor 12 Foreign bodies 13 GPS system 14 Acceleration sensor x Distance s Gap b Width FR Direction of travel / harvesting directionReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedDE 10 2020 124 992 A1

[0002]

Claims

Mower (1) having a plurality of mowing members which are positioned next to one another to form a mowing bar (2) and having a roller processor (4) which is arranged behind the mowing bar (2) as seen in the crop flow direction of mowed crop material (3) and which has an upper processing roller (5) and a lower processing roller (6), wherein a gap between the processing rollers (5, 6) through which the crop material (3) is transported is variable depending on a quantity of the crop material (3), characterized by a device for detecting or detecting foreign bodies (12) in the mowed crop material (3).Mower (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the lower conditioning roller (6) is rotatable about a lower, fixed axis of rotation (7) and the upper conditioning roller (5) is rotatable about an upper, displaceable axis of rotation (8) in order to adapt the gap to the quantity of crop material (3), such that the upper axis of rotation (8) is displaceable relative to the lower axis of rotation (7), wherein the upper axis of rotation (8) is arranged pivotably for this purpose on levers (10), and an angle sensor (11) is provided which continuously detects the deflection of a lever (10) and transmits the detected measurement signals to a control device (9) which is configured to continuously determine a distance (x) between the axes of rotation (7, 8) of the conditioning rollers (5, 6) from the measurement signals of the angle sensor (11) and to derive a speed and / or an acceleration from the changing distance (x), wherein the control device (9) generates a signal for finding a foreign body (12) when a predetermined value of the speed and / or the acceleration is exceeded.Mower (1) according to Claim 2, characterized in that the upper treatment roller (5) is mounted pivotably on a lever (10) at its two ends, and an angle sensor (11) is provided on each lever (10), both of which transmit the detected measurement signals to the control device (9), and the control device (9) compares the distances (x) and the values of the acceleration and / or of the speed of the two angle sensors (11) with one another and uses these to determine the position of the foreign body (12) in the direction of the width (b) of the treatment rollers (5, 6).Mower (1) according to Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the control device (9) generates the signal for finding a foreign body (12) only if the distance (x) also exceeds a predefined value.Mower (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the lower conditioning roller (6) is rotatable about a lower, fixed axis of rotation (7) and the upper conditioning roller (5) is rotatable about an upper, displaceable axis of rotation (8) in order to adapt the gap to the quantity of the crop (3), such that the upper axis of rotation (8) is displaceable relative to the lower axis of rotation (7), the vertical distance (x) between the axes of rotation (7, 8) changing and an acceleration sensor (14) is provided for detecting foreign bodies (12), said acceleration sensor determining the acceleration of the upper conditioning roller (5) in the vertical direction and transmitting the acceleration values to a control device (9) which generates a signal for finding a foreign body (12) if a predefined value of the acceleration is exceeded.Mower (1) according to Claim 5, characterized in that the acceleration sensor (14) is arranged on an end face of the upper treatment roller (5).Mower (1) according to Claim 5, characterized in that an acceleration sensor (14) is arranged on both end faces of the upper treatment roller (5), and both acceleration sensors (14) transmit the acceleration values to the control device (9), and the control device (9) compares the acceleration values of the two acceleration sensors (14) with one another and uses this to determine the position of the foreign body (12) in the direction of the width (b) of the treatment rollers (5, 6).Mower (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a control device (9) of the mower (1) is configured to receive position data of a GPS system (13) and, when a foreign body (12) is detected or detected, to store the position data thereof.

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