Picking tines for a drum of a crop pickup device and the pickup device in question

Abstract

Picking tines (2) for a drum (102) of a crop pickup device (100), comprising a tine body (4) which has a fastening section (6) for fastening the picking tine (2) to the drum (102), a tine tip (8) which forms the outer radial boundary of the picking tine (2) and a central segment (10) which connects the fastening section (6) to the tine tip (8), wherein the tine body (4) is made of or comprises a plastic, characterized in that the tine body (4) has a metal component (12).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a receiving tine for a drum of a crop receiving device, comprising a tine body which has a fastening section for fastening the receiving tine to the drum, a tine tip which forms the outer radial boundary of the receiving tine and a central segment which connects the fastening section to the tine tip, wherein the tine body is formed from a plastic or comprises a plastic.

[0002] Pick-up tines are often made of spring wire and are described, for example, in DE 20 2011 002 316 U1. Although such tines have proven themselves in practice, it has been observed that after deflecting the tines under load, they sometimes suddenly recoil. This can cause load peaks that negatively impact the service life of the pick-up tines. Furthermore, this behavior can result in unwanted vibrations. Therefore, some crop pick-up devices are now manufactured from an elastic material, such as plastic. This can improve ground adaptation and crop pickup.

[0003] However, such plastic intake tines can break off for various reasons during operation or during the loading process and end up in the crop. Since animal feed is usually produced from the crop, it is highly undesirable for parts of the intake tines to end up in the animal feed. This poses a significant health risk to the animals. To minimize this risk, it is known from the state of the art to provide metal detectors for so-called feed mixers, which are used to mix feed, which reliably detect broken metal tines. This can prevent the metal tines from getting into the animals' feed. However, if plastic intake tines are used, they cannot be satisfactorily detected if they become detached from the drum.This creates a significant risk that parts of the tines could enter the animal feed without being detected by existing systems. This could pose a significant threat to animal welfare.

[0004] Against this background, the object of the invention was to further develop a pick-up tine of the type described above in such a way that the disadvantages found in the prior art are eliminated as far as possible. In particular, the aim was to provide a pick-up tine that can be detected in an improved manner after a defect, in particular after a break, in the harvested crop or animal feed.

[0005] According to the invention, the object is achieved with a pick-up tine of the type mentioned above in that the tine body has a metal component that ensures the pick-up tine's detectability with a metal detector. The invention is based on the finding that by incorporating a metal component into the tine body, the pick-up tine as a whole can be detected by metal detectors installed in feed mixer wagons. This ensures that, in the event that such plastic tines break off, the broken tine or tine component can be detected using existing systems.

[0006] The pick-up tine according to the invention comprises a tine body with a tine tip, which forms the outer radial boundary of the pick-up tine. The metal component is not intended to increase the structural strength of the pick-up tine. The metal component serves exclusively to make the pick-up tine detectable with a corresponding detector. The outer radial boundary of the tine tip is formed exclusively from the tine body. The metal component is designed in particular such that it can be detected by detectors that are conventionally intended in the prior art to detect metal components.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the metal component is designed as at least one metal insert arranged in the tine body. Such a metal insert can be a steel insert, for example. According to one embodiment, the metal insert is arranged entirely within the tine body. In other words, the plastic tine tip still forms the outer radial boundary of the receiving tine. The metal insert serves merely to ensure detectability of the receiving tine, but not to structurally reinforce the receiving tine or to provide wear protection. Such wear protection is not achieved due to the internal arrangement of the metal insert.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the tine body has a recess extending from the tine tip toward the fastening section, with the insert being fully inserted into the recess. By providing a recess in the region of the tine tip, a bore can be easily created in the tine body, for example, into which the insert is then inserted. Preferably, the maximum radial extension of the insert, starting from the fastening section, is less than the maximum radial extension of the tine tip, starting from the fastening section.

[0009] According to one embodiment, a plurality of metal inserts are provided, which are arranged, for example, at a distance from one another in the radial direction. In this way, it can be achieved that even in the event that the receiving tine breaks into several parts, the individual parts, each of which is assigned a corresponding insert, can be detected. For example, the receiving tine can have an opening that extends from the tine tip towards the fastening section, and wherein a plurality of inserts are inserted into this opening at a distance from one another. Alternatively, the insert or inserts can be inserted into the plastic during the manufacture of the tine body, for example, by being cast into it.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the plastic comprises an additive, wherein the additive comprises the metal component. Alternatively or in addition to the use of metal inserts, a corresponding additive can also be mixed directly into the plastic, which also provides the advantage that even individual splinters of such a retaining tine can be detected by appropriate sensors. According to one embodiment, the additive comprises or consists of metal particles.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the insert and / or the metal particles comprise or consist of at least one of the following materials: steel, iron, cobalt, nickel, or alloys thereof. These materials are materials that can be detected using a suitable metal detector.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the tine body is designed to be cavity-free. According to an alternative embodiment, the tine body has a cavity that extends, in particular, from the fastening section into the central segment. The provision of such a cavity can reduce the weight of the receiving tines, increase their flexibility, or even save material costs. The cavity-free design of the receiving tine has proven effective for producing particularly durable and resilient tines.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the plastic of the tine body comprises or is formed from polyurethane. Polyurethane has proven particularly suitable for producing durable and flexible receiving tines. According to one embodiment, the plastic is designed as a magnetizable plastic. This also ensures that the plastic is reliably detected by appropriate sensors, in particular metal detectors or magnetic field sensors.

[0014] The invention has been described above with reference to a picking-up tine. In a further aspect, the invention relates to a crop picking-up device for a harvesting machine, in particular for a loader wagon, having a drum arranged transversely to the picking direction and rotating during the picking-up of crop, wherein the drum is equipped with an arrangement of picking-up tines. The invention achieves the object defined above with regard to the crop picking device in that at least one, in particular several or all of the picking tines are designed according to one of the preceding claims. In summary, this ensures that even when using picking tines made of plastic, they can be reliably detected in the crop or forage in the event of a break-off.The crop pick-up device utilizes the same advantages and preferred embodiments as the pick-up tines according to the invention, and vice versa. In this regard, reference is made to the above statements, and their content is incorporated herein.

[0015] In a further aspect, the invention relates to a harvesting machine with a crop-pickup device. The invention achieves the object described above with respect to the harvesting machine in that the crop-pickup device is designed according to the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the harvesting machine has a sensor, in particular a metal detector, in a region downstream of the pickup device in the transport direction of the crop, which sensor is configured to detect the pickup tines in the event of the pickup tines becoming detached from the drum. According to one embodiment, the metal detector is designed as a magnetic field sensor. According to one embodiment, the harvesting machine is designed as a loader wagon. The harvesting machine utilizes the same advantages and preferred embodiments as the pickup tine according to the invention, the crop pickup device according to the invention, and vice versa. In this regard, reference is made to the above statements, and their content is hereby incorporated.

[0017] In a further aspect, the invention relates to a system for producing feed for livestock, comprising a harvesting machine, in particular a loading wagon according to one of the above embodiments, and a feed mixer wagon. The feed mixer wagon has a sensor, in particular a metal detector, which is configured to detect the receiving tines in the event of detachment from the drum of the harvesting machine. The metal detector is designed, for example, as a magnetic field sensor.

[0018] The system also utilizes the same advantages and preferred embodiments as the inventive pick-up tine, the crop pick-up device, and the harvesting machine, and vice versa. In this regard, reference is made to the above statements, and their content is incorporated herein. In a further aspect, the invention relates to the use of a pick-up tine according to one of the above embodiments for picking up crops, in particular in a crop pick-up device according to the above embodiment.

[0019] In a further aspect, the invention relates to a method for producing feed for farm animals, comprising the steps of: picking up crop lying on the ground by means of a crop picking device which has picking tines according to one of the preceding embodiments, transferring the crop into a feed mixer wagon, detecting detached picking tines in the feed mixer wagon by means of a sensor, in particular a metal detector.

[0020] The described system and method ensure that the advantages of plastic pick-up tines can be utilized while simultaneously detecting them if they become detached from the drum. In particular, the pick-up tines can be detected using existing detection devices on feed mixer wagons. The system, use, and method utilize the same advantages and preferred embodiments as the pick-up tines according to the invention, the crop pick-up device, and the harvester, and vice versa. In this regard, reference is made to the above statements, and their content is hereby incorporated.

[0021] The invention is described in more detail below using preferred embodiments with reference to the attached figures.

[0022] Here we show: Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a receiving tine according to the invention in a perspective view; Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of a receiving tine according to the invention in a perspective view; Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of a crop receiving device with receiving tines according to the invention in a perspective view; Fig. 4 shows a harvesting machine according to the invention in a perspective view; Fig. 5 a system according to the invention in a block diagram representation and Fig. 6 a method according to the invention in a block diagram representation.

[0023] Fig. 1 shows a pick-up tine 2. The pick-up tine 2 is designed to be connected to a drum 102 of a crop pick-up device 100, as in Fig. 3. The receiving tine 2 has a tine body 4. The tine body 4 has a fastening section 6 for fastening the receiving tine 2 to the drum 102. The tine body 4 further has a tine tip 8. The tine tip 8 forms the outer radial boundary of the receiving tine 2. In other words, the maximum radial extension of the tine body 4 and the receiving tine 2 as a whole is formed by the tine tip 8, which is part of the tine body 4. The tine body 4 further has a central segment 10, which connects the fastening section 6 to the tine tip 8. The central segment 10, the fastening section 6 and the tine tip 8 are preferably formed in one piece, ie they form a single component.

[0024] The tine body 4 is made of or comprises a plastic. In particular, the tine body 4 is formed as a cast part that is manufactured in a single production step. The tine body 4 has a metal component 12. The metal component 12 imparts to the receiving tine 2 properties that enable the receiving tine 2 or a part thereof to be detected by a metal detector if the receiving tine 2 inadvertently detaches from the drum 102 or if the receiving tine 2 breaks, for example in the area of ​​the center segment 10, due to overloading during operation.

[0025] In the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the metal component 12 is designed as a metal insert 14, which is arranged in the tine body 4. According to an embodiment not shown, several metal inserts 14 can also be arranged in the tine body 4, in particular radially spaced from one another, so that segments of the receiving tine 2 can be identified by means of a corresponding detector even in the event of a splinter fracture of the receiving tine 2.

[0026] The tine body 4 has a recess 16. The recess 16 extends from the tine tip 8 toward the fastening section 6. The insert 14 is fully inserted into the recess 16. The recess 16 can be provided, for example, during the casting of the tine body 4 or subsequently introduced, for example, by means of a bore in the tine body 4. The insert 14 has a smaller maximum radial extension than the tine tip 8. The metal insert 14 serves only to ensure the detectability of the receiving tine 2, but not to protect against wear or to structurally reinforce the receiving tine 2.

[0027] Fig. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of a receiving tine 2. The receiving tine 2 has, in a known manner, a tine body 4 which has a fastening section 6 for fastening the receiving tine 2 to the drum 102 (cf. Fig. 3). The tine body 4 further comprises a tine tip 8, which forms the outer radial boundary of the receiving tine 2. The tine body 4 further comprises a central segment 10, which connects the fastening section 6 to the tine tip 8. The tine body 4 is formed in one piece. The tine body 4 is further formed from a plastic or comprises a plastic. For example, the receiving tine 2 is manufactured using a casting process.

[0028] Also the Fig. The receiving tine shown in Figure 2 has a metal component 12, which is assigned to the tine body 4 and ensures detectability of the receiving tine 2. For this purpose, the plastic has an additive 18, which forms the metal component 12. The additive 18 can, for example, comprise or consist of metal particles. The metal particles are preferably evenly distributed in the tine body 4. This ensures that even if smaller segments splinter off the receiving tine 2, these splintered segments can be detected.

[0029] Referring to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the insert 14 or the metal particles may consist of or comprise at least one of the following materials: steel, iron, cobalt, nickel or alloys thereof. As shown in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the tine body 4 is designed without a cavity. According to an alternative embodiment not shown, the tine body 4 can have a cavity, which extends, in particular, from the fastening section 6 in the radial direction into the central segment 10. The plastic of the tine body 4 in both embodiments is designed, in particular, from polyurethane.

[0030] The Fig. 1 and Fig. The receiving tines 2 shown in Figure 2 have a square basic cross-section with rounded corners. A diameter of the receiving tines 2 or the tine body 4 tapers from the fastening section 6 toward the tine tip 8. The fastening section 6 is designed in the shape of a base. It can be secured, for example, by means of a pressure plate 30 (see Figure 2). Fig. 3) can be attached to a drum 102. For this purpose, the fastening section 6 can be recessed into a tine pocket (not shown in detail here). Alternatively, the receiving tine 2 can be arranged on a rounded or flat section of a drum 102 by means of the fastening section 6, for example by clamping with one or, in particular, two clamping means that fix the receiving tine 2 in the direction of rotation of the drum 102 and against the direction of rotation of the drum 102.

[0031] Fig. 3 shows a crop pick-up device 100. The crop pick-up device 100 has a drum 102 arranged transversely to the pick-up direction A and rotating during the pick-up of crop. The drum 102 is equipped with a plurality of pick-up tines, wherein several, preferably all of the pick-up tines 2 are arranged as shown in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The pickup device 100 further comprises scrapers 22, which form a scraper comb 24. This allows the gaps between adjacent pickup tines 2 to be cleared of crop material, thus preventing clogging of the pickup device 100.

[0032] Adjacent to the drum 102, bearing plates 26 are provided, which laterally delimit the receiving area. The drum 102 is driven by a drive shaft 28. According to the Fig. 3, the receiving tines 2 are fastened to the drum 102 by means of pressure plates 30, in particular by means of so-called tine pockets, which are Fig. 3 are not shown in detail. Between a pair of receiving tines 2, conveyor combs 32 are formed, which facilitate cleaning of the scrapers 22 and the scraper comb 24.

[0033] Fig. 4 shows a harvesting machine 200. The harvesting machine 200 has a crop receiving device 100. Optionally, the harvesting machine has a sensor 202 in a region downstream of the receiving device 100 in the transport direction of the crop, which sensor 202 is Fig. 4. This can be, in particular, a metal detector 202, which is designed, for example, as a magnetic field sensor. The metal detector or the sensor 202 is configured to detect the receiving tines 2 in the event of their detachment from the drum 102. The Fig. The harvesting machine shown in Figure 4 is designed as a loading wagon 200. Such a loading wagon 200 can be coupled to a tractor and serves to collect harvested crops on agricultural land.

[0034] Fig. Figure 5 schematically shows a system 300 for producing feed for livestock. The system 300 comprises a harvesting machine 200, which in particular corresponds to the Fig. 4. The system further comprises a feed mixer wagon 302, which serves for mixing feed for livestock. The feed mixer wagon 302 has a sensor 304. The sensor 304 is designed, in particular, as a metal detector 304. The sensor 304 is configured to detect the pick-up tines 2 in the event of the pick-up tines 2 or parts thereof becoming detached from the drum 102 of the harvesting machine 200.

[0035] Fig. Figure 6 schematically shows a method 400 for producing feed for livestock. The method 400 comprises the steps of: picking up crop lying on the ground by means of a crop picking device 100, which has picking tines 2, in particular according to the Fig. 1 and Fig.2, transferring the harvested crop into a feed mixer wagon 302, detecting detached receiving tines 2 or parts thereof in the feed mixer wagon 302 by means of a sensor 304, in particular a metal detector 304. List of reference symbols 2 tines 4 tine bodies 6 Fastening section 8 prong tip 10 Middle segment 12 metal components 14 metal insert 16 Tine body recess 18 Additive with metal particles 22 scrapers 24 Scraper comb 26 bearing plate 28 Drive shaft 30 printing plate 32 conveyor comb 100 Crop intake direction 102 drum 200 Harvester / Loading Wagon 202 sensor / metal detector of the loading wagon 204 Recording Room 300 System for the production of feed for farm animals 302 feed mixer wagons 304 Sensor / metal detector of the feed mixer 400 processes for the production of feed for farm animals 402 Harvesting crops 404 Transferring the harvested crop into a feed mixer 406 Detecting detached tines in the feed mixer wagon A Shooting direction QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 20 2011 002 316 U1

[0002]

Claims

[1] Pick-up tines (2) for a drum (102) of a crop pick-up device (100), with a tine body (4) which has a fastening section (6) for fastening the pick-up tine (2) to the drum (102), a tine tip (8) which forms the outer radial boundary of the pick-up tine (2) and a middle segment (10) which connects the fastening section (6) to the tine tip (8), wherein the tine body (4) is made of a plastic or has a plastic, characterized by that the tine body (4) has a metal component (12). [2] Pick-up tines (2) according to claim 1, wherein the metal component (12) is designed as at least one metal insert (14) which is arranged in the tine body (4). [3] Pick-up tines (2) according to claim 2, wherein the tine body (4) has a recess (16) which extends from the tine tip (8) in the direction of the fastening section (6), and wherein the metal insert (14) is fully inserted into the recess (16). [4] Pick-up tines (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the plastic comprises an additive (18), and wherein the additive (18) comprises the metal component (12). [5] Pick-up tines (2) according to claim 4, wherein the additive (18) comprises or consists of metal particles. [6] Pick-up tines (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the insert (14) and / or the metal particles consist of or comprise at least one of the following materials: - steel, - iron, - Cobalt, - Nickel, or alloys thereof. [7] Pick-up tines (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the tine body (4) is designed without a cavity or has a cavity which extends in particular from the fastening section (6) into the central segment (10). [8] Pick-up tines (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the plastic of the tine body comprises polyurethane or is formed therefrom. [9] Pick-up tines (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the plastic is designed as a magnetizable plastic. [10] Crop receiving device (100) for a harvesting machine (200), in particular for a loading wagon (200), comprising: a drum (102) arranged transversely to the pick-up direction (A) and rotating during the pick-up of crop material, wherein the drum (102) is provided with an arrangement of receiving tines (2), characterized bythat at least one, in particular several or all of the receiving tines (2) are designed according to one of the preceding claims. [11] Harvesting machine (200) with a crop receiving device (100), wherein the crop receiving device (100) is designed according to claim 10. [12] Harvesting machine (200) according to claim 11, wherein the harvesting machine has a sensor (202), in particular a metal detector (202), in a region downstream of the receiving device (100) in the transport direction of the crop, which sensor is designed to detect the receiving tines (2) in the event of detachment of the receiving tines (2) from the drum (102) and / or wherein the harvesting machine (200) is designed as a loading wagon (200). [13] System (300) for the production of feed for farm animals, comprising: - a harvesting machine (200), in particular a loading wagon (200) according to one of claims 11 or 12, and - a feed mixer wagon (302), wherein the feed mixer wagon (302) has a sensor (304), in particular a metal detector (304), which is designed to detect the receiving tines (2) in the event of detachment of the receiving tines (2) from the drum (102) of the harvesting machine (200). [14] Use of a receiving tine (2) according to one of claims 1 to 9 for receiving crop material, in particular in a crop material receiving device (100) according to claim 10.

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