CORN PICKLER AND AGRICULTURAL MACHINE EQUIPPED WITH IT

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a corn picker, which, typically as a harvesting attachment or part of a harvesting attachment of a mobile agricultural machine, serves to cut corn stalks close to the ground and separate the cobs from them. Such a corn picker and an agricultural machine equipped with it are known from EP 2 936 963 B1 and DE 10 2012 014 087 A1.

[0002] This conventional corn picker comprises several row units spaced horizontally across the width of the picker at intervals corresponding to the row spacing of a corn crop in a field. As the machine moves across the field along the rows, each row unit successively grasps and cuts the stalks of a row. Each row unit includes a picking unit with two picking rollers forming a picking gap. As the picking rollers pull a cut stalk through the gap, the cobs are stripped. The stalk, now free of cobs, is then chopped by a chopping unit located beneath the picking unit, and the resulting chopped material is spread across the field.

[0003] At opposite ends of the rear of the corn picker, a first drive connection and a second drive connection are provided, which are connected to a motor of a base unit of the agricultural machine during operation. One of the drive connections drives the picking units via a common picker output shaft extending transversely across the corn picker, while the other drives the chopping units via a corresponding chopping output shaft.

[0004] By driving the picking and chopping units separately, it is possible – provided the base unit has a suitable gearbox between the motor and the output connections coupled to the drive connections of the corn picker – to set different speed ratios between the picking and chopping units, but this involves considerable costs, weight and space requirements, since two separate drive trains have to be implemented on the corn picker side; furthermore, the two spaced-apart output connections make it difficult to couple the corn picker to the base unit and to use corn pickers of different widths on the same base unit.

[0005] One object of the invention is to provide a corn picker that enables the simultaneous operation of picking and chopping units with minimal expenditure of cost, weight and installation space.

[0006] According to one aspect of the invention, the problem is solved by a corn picker with at least one row unit, wherein the row unit comprises a picking unit in which two picking rollers define a picking gap, and a chopping unit arranged below the picking unit to chop a stalk drawn through the picking gap, and a transmission unit comprising a first main shaft for driving the at least one picking unit and a second main shaft for driving the at least one chopping unit, the transmission unit being arranged in a side wall of the corn picker and comprising a drive shaft connected to the first and second main shafts, which runs in a common vertical plane with the first and second main shafts.Since only one common drive shaft is required for picking and chopping units, establishing a power-transmitting connection to the base unit and thus attaching the corn picker to the base unit is simplified; the arrangement of the shafts in a common vertical plane allows for space-saving accommodation of the gearbox in a side wall of the corn picker.

[0007] To allow different speed ratios between picking and chopping units, a stepped gearbox can be provided between the drive shaft and one of the main shafts, preferably the first main shaft.

[0008] To implement the different gear stages in a compact installation space, the stepped transmission can comprise several pairs of meshing gears. To selectively allow or block the torque flow through one of the gear pairs, at least one gear in each pair can be switchable between a state rotationally fixed to the supporting shaft and a state rotatable relative to the shaft.

[0009] If the stepped transmission includes a countershaft, each gear pair can have a first gear supported by the countershaft, while the second gears of the gear pairs are distributed between the input shaft and the single main shaft. Torque transmission can then occur in two stages: from the input shaft to the countershaft, and from the countershaft to the main shaft. This two-stage design allows for widely varying gear ratios with small diameter differences between the gears of each pair, which in turn enables a compact transmission design. Preferably, two gear pairs are provided, each with gears distributed between the input shaft and the countershaft, and the countershaft and the single main shaft, so that the stepped transmission forms a four-speed gearbox.

[0010] Furthermore, for a compact design of the gearbox and especially its space-saving placement in a side wall of the corn picker, it is useful that the countershaft runs in the plane of the drive and main shafts.

[0011] The gear ratio of the stepped transmission should be electrically and / or hydraulically remotely controllable to allow the gear ratio to be set from the driver's cab of an agricultural machine equipped with the corn picker, preferably while the machine is moving during harvesting operations.

[0012] For this purpose, a coupling can be arranged on a shaft between two gears of different gear pairs and be adjustable between two positions, in which it engages one of the adjacent gears to the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner. Preferably, this shaft is the countershaft. The ability to use the same coupling for two gear pairs also contributes to the compactness of the transmission and to favorable manufacturing costs.

[0013] To enable the operation of one of the units, typically the chopping unit, to be stopped when not in use, its main shaft can be disconnected from the drive shaft. If several in-line units are driven via the stepped gearbox, their chopping units do not need to be switched individually, but can all be deactivated at once by disconnecting their common main shaft.

[0014] If at least one of the main shafts, or optionally the second main shaft, is coupled to the drive shaft via an intermediate shaft, such decoupling can be achieved by pivoting the intermediate shaft. During this pivoting motion, a gear of the intermediate shaft is disengaged from the main shaft, thereby interrupting the power transmission between the intermediate shaft and the main shaft. Because the pivoting movement occurs along a path coaxial with the other main shaft, the power transmission between the other main shaft and the intermediate shaft can be maintained.

[0015] If at least one gear in a pair of gears that couples the intermediate shaft to the other main shaft is replaceable, the gear ratio between the drive shaft and the main shaft can be modified by such a replacement. In particular, if the intermediate shaft is pivotable as mentioned above, it is sufficient to change the gear ratio by replacing a single gear.

[0016] The first main shaft can be coupled to several of the picking units, typically all or half of them, via a picker drive shaft running in the width direction of the corn picker. Similarly, the second main shaft can be coupled to several of the chopping units via a chopping drive shaft running in the width direction of the corn picker.

[0017] To power a wide corn picker, it can be advantageous to have a second gearbox unit integrated into a second side wall of the picker, with each gearbox unit having a picker output shaft and a chopping output shaft. The output shafts of the two gearbox units can be physically separate; however, it is also conceivable that each gearbox unit engages one of two opposite ends of a continuous output shaft.

[0018] The invention further relates to an agricultural machine with a mobile base unit and a corn picker as described above, in which the drive shaft of the at least one transmission unit is coupled to an output connection, e.g. a power take-off shaft, of the base unit.

[0019] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. These show: Fig. 1 a schematic side view of a corn picker according to the invention, mounted on a combine harvester; Fig. 2 the corn picker in a perspective view obliquely from behind; Fig. 3 a gearbox of the corn picker; Fig. 4 a schematic top view of a first model of the corn picker; and Fig. 5 a schematic top view of a second model of the corn picker.

[0020] Fig. 1 Figure 1 schematically shows an agricultural machine, in this case a combine harvester, with a mobile base unit 2 and a corn picker 1 mounted at the front of the base unit 2 (which is only partially shown). Along a leading edge of the corn picker 1, a row of guide hoods 4 is arranged, each widening from a front point 3 towards the rear in a semi-conical shape. Lateral flanks 5 of adjacent guide hoods 4 each define a crop intake area that narrows towards the rear. When the combine harvester travels in a direction FR along rows of corn in a field to harvest the corn, the corn stalks enter this intake area one after the other. Upon reaching the rear end of the crop intake area, they are cut and pushed by endless conveyor chains 19, which circulate between deflection rollers 10 and 11, into a picking gap between two picking rollers 7.

[0021] The picking rollers 7 are driven in opposite directions to pull the stems downwards through the picking gap, stripping any attached buds against the edges of picking plates. These plates extend on both sides of the picking gap between the conveyor chains 19 above and the picking rollers 7 below. The two picking plates and picking rollers, each defining a picking gap, form a picking unit.

[0022] Sloping wall plates 6 towards the picking gap keep the stripped pistons within the reach of the conveyor chains 19, so that the stripped pistons are pushed further back by the conveyor chains 19 into the capture area of ​​a screw conveyor 8 extending transversely to the direction of travel FR. The screw conveyor 8 is rotary-driven to move the pistons to an outlet 12 (see figure). Fig. 2 ) to be pushed in the middle of a rear wall 13 of the corn picker 1, from where they are conveyed to a threshing unit inside the base unit 2.

[0023] As the stems pass downwards through the picking gap, they are chopped by a chopping unit 9 arranged under the picking rollers 7 with rotating knives, and the resulting chopped material is scattered on the field.

[0024] Fig. 2 Figure 1 shows the corn picker 1 in a view taken obliquely from behind. The outlet 12 in the middle of the rear wall 13, the row of points 3 along a front edge of the corn picker 1, and the side walls 14 extending forward from the ends of the rear wall 13 in the direction of travel are visible. Between each pair of points 3 lies a row unit 15, each with a rearward-narrowing capture area 16, the adjoining picking unit 17, and the chopping unit 9 concealed beneath the corn picker 1.

[0025] On either side of the outlet 12, drive connections 18 are arranged on the rear wall 13. When the corn picker 1 is mounted on the base unit 2, each drive connection is driven by a motor of the base unit 1 via an output connection on the base unit 1. Each drive connection 18 is connected via one of the shafts 20, which are oriented transversely to the direction of travel FR, to a gear unit 21 in one of the side walls 14. The width of the corn picker 1—and thus also the length of the shafts 20—can vary from one model to another. By ensuring that the dimensions of the outlet 12 and the placement of the drive connections 18 are uniform for all models, it is guaranteed that corn picker 1 models of different widths can be used on the same base unit 2.

[0026] Fig. 3 Figure 1 shows one of the gear units 21 concealed in the side walls 14 in a perspective view from an oblique front view. The shaft 20 carries a gear 23 at its outer end, which drives a bevel gear 25 on a drive shaft 26 of the gear unit 21 via a meshing gear 22 and a bevel gear 24 non-rotatably connected to the latter.

[0027] Further gears 27, 28, 29 are mounted non-rotatably on the drive shaft 26. Gear 27 meshes with a gear 30 on an intermediate shaft 31. A driven gear 32 on a main shaft 33 can mesh directly with gear 30. According to a convenient embodiment, gear 32 is interchangeable, and the intermediate shaft 31 can be locked at various points on an arc-shaped path whose center lies on the axis of the drive shaft 26, so that gear 30 can be engaged with a gear of a different diameter mounted on the main shaft 33 as a replacement for gear 32. In this way, different gear ratios between the drive shaft 25 and the main shaft 33 can be achieved. The intermediate shaft 31 can also be moved on the arc-shaped path into a position in which gears 30, 32 are disengaged in order to interrupt the torque transmission to the main shaft 33.

[0028] The main shaft 33 drives chopping units 9 via a pair of bevel gears 34, 35 and a chopping output shaft 36 running in the width direction of the corn picker 1 (see Fig. 4 ).

[0029] The wheels 28, 29 have different diameters and each mesh with a complementary wheel 37 or 38 on a countershaft 39. Via a synchronizing device 40 arranged between the wheels 37, 38, each of the wheels 37, 38 can be coupled to the countershaft 39 in a rotationally fixed manner, so that two different transmission ratios between the drive shaft 26 and the countershaft 39 can be realized.

[0030] The countershaft 39 carries two further wheels 42, 43 which can be selectively coupled in a rotationally fixed manner by means of a coupling 40, 41 or synchronizing device arranged between them. The latter mesh with wheels 44, 45 on a main shaft 46, which is driven via bevel gears 47, 48 and a picker output shaft 49 (see Fig. 4 ) driving picking units 17. The four different combinations of positions of the clutches 40, 41 or synchronizing devices correspond to four different transmission ratios between the drive shaft 26 and the main shaft 46.

[0031] The clutches 40, 41 are adjustable along the countershaft 39 by means of actuators known per se, not shown in the figures. These can be electrically and / or hydraulically controlled from a driver's cab of the base unit 2. This allows the driver to change the gear ratio while the machine is in operation. Alternatively or additionally, the actuators can be operated by means of controls mounted on the corn picker 1 itself.

[0032] The main shaft 46 extends axially in line with the drive shaft 26. Shafts 26, 33, 39, and 46 lie in the same vertical plane parallel to the direction of travel FR. The distance of the intermediate shaft 31 from this plane can vary depending on the diameter of the wheel 32, but is small in relation to the vertical distance between shafts 26, 33, 39, and 46 and therefore does not significantly contribute to the space required by the gearbox unit 21.

[0033] Fig. 4 Figure 1 shows a schematic top view of a model of the corn picker 1. Shown are the outlet 12 with the drive connections 18 arranged on either side of it and the shafts 20 extending from there to the gear units 21 in both side walls of the corn picker 1. Each gear unit 21 drives the auger 8 from one of its lateral ends via the wheel 23, the picker output shaft 49 via a subunit 50 of the gear unit 21, which comprises the countershaft 39 and the main shaft 46, and the chopping output shaft 36 via a subunit 51, which comprises the intermediate shaft 31 and the main shaft 33.

[0034] To compensate for tolerances between the gear units 21 and the output shafts 36, 39, a compensating coupling 52, such as a curved tooth coupling, can be provided between the bevel gear 35 or 48 and the output shaft 36 or 49 driven above it.

[0035] The auger 8, the picker drive shaft 49 and the chopping drive shaft 36 can extend over the entire width of the corn picker 1 or, as indicated for the auger 8, be divided in the middle; by driving them from two sides, a large width of the corn picker 1 of, for example, 16 or 18 row units 15 is achievable.

[0036] The division of the gearbox unit 21 into subunits 50, 51 also has the advantage that in a corn picker for a customer who does not require a chopping function, the subunit 51 can simply be omitted along with the chopping units 9, and such a corn picker can be provided cost-effectively.

[0037] In a narrower corn picker model, a single gear unit 21 in just one side wall may be sufficient to drive all row units 15. It is also conceivable to omit one of the two subunits 50, 51 on each side wall 14, so that, as in Fig. 5 As shown, the picking units 17 are driven from one side and the chopping units 9 from the other. This achieves a more balanced weight distribution, which facilitates the height control of the corn picker 1 and thus ultimately allows for a higher working speed. Since no other components are required than those for the corn picker 1 of the Fig. 4 This option can also be implemented cost-effectively. Reference sign

[0038] 1 Corn picker 2 Base unit 3 Tip 4 Guide hood 5 Flank 6 Wall plate 7 Picking roller 8 Auger 9 Chopping unit 10 Deflection roller 11 Deflection roller 12 Outlet 13 Back wall 14 Side wall 15 Row unit 16 Capture area 17 Picking unit 18 Drive connection 19 Conveyor chain 20 Shaft 21 Gear unit 22 Wheel 23 Wheel 24 Bevel gear 25 Bevel gear 26 Drive shaft 27 Wheel 28 Wheel 29 Wheel 30 Wheel 31 Intermediate shaft 32 Wheel 33 Main shaft 34 Bevel gear 35 Bevel gear 36 Chopping output shaft 37 Wheel 38 Wheel 39 Countershaft 40 Clutch 41 Clutch 42 Wheel 43 Wheel 44 Wheel 45 Wheel 46 Main shaft 47 Bevel gear 48 Bevel gear 49 Picker output shaft 50 Subunit 51 Subunit 52 Compensating clutch

Claims

1. Corn header (1) having at least one row unit (15), wherein the row unit (15) comprises a picking unit (17), in which two picking rollers (7) delimit a picking gap, and a chopping unit (9) which is disposed below the picking unit (17) in order to chop a stalk pulled through the picking gap, and a gear unit (21) comprising a first main shaft (46) for driving the at least one picking unit (17) and a second main shaft (33) for driving the at least one chopping unit (9), characterized in that the gear unit (21) is disposed in a lateral wall (14) of the corn header (1) and comprises a drive shaft (26) which is operatively connected to the first and the second main shaft (46, 33) and runs conjointly with the first and the second main shaft (46, 33) in a common vertical plane.

2. Corn header according to Claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the main shafts (46, 33), optionally the first main shaft (46), is connected to the drive shaft (26) via a multi-step transmission.

3. Corn header according to Claim 2, characterized in that the multi-step transmission comprises a plurality of gear pairs with meshing gears (28, 37; 29, 38; 42, 44; 43, 45), wherein of the gears (28, 37; 29, 38; 42, 44; 43, 45) of each gear pair at least one (37, 38, 42, 43) is switchable between a state in which the gear is co-rotationally coupled to its supporting shaft (39) and a state in which it is rotatable relative to the shaft (39).

4. Corn header according to Claim 3, characterized in that the multi-step transmission comprises a layshaft (39), and in that the gear pairs each have a first gear (37, 38, 42, 43) supported by the layshaft (39) and the second gears (28, 29, 44, 45) of the gear pairs are distributed among the drive shaft (26) and the one main shaft (46).

5. Corn header according to Claim 3, characterized in that the layshaft (39) runs in the plane of the drive and main shafts (26, 46, 43).

6. Corn header according to one of Claims 2 to 5, characterized in that a gear ratio of the multi-step transmission is able to be electrically and / or hydraulically remote-controlled.

7. Corn header according to one of Claims 3 to 5, characterized in that a coupling (40, 41) is disposed on a shaft (39) between two gears (37, 38; 42, 43) of different gear pairs and is adjustable between two positions in which said coupling couples in each case one of the adjacent gears (37, 38; 42, 43) co-rotationally to the shaft (39).

8. Corn header according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one other of the main shafts, optionally the second main shaft (33), is able to be decoupled from the drive shaft (26).

9. Corn header according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one other of the main shafts, optionally the second main shaft (33), is coupled to the drive shaft (26) via an intermediate shaft (31), wherein in a gear pair (30, 32) at least one gear (32), which couples the intermediate shaft (31) to the other main shaft (33), is interchangeable.

10. Corn header according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first main shaft (46) is coupled to a plurality of picking units (17) via a header output shaft (49) running in the width direction of the corn header (1) and / or the second main shaft (33) is coupled to a plurality of the chopping units (9) via a chopping output shaft (36) running in the width direction of the corn header (1).

11. Corn header according to Claim 10, characterized in that a second gear unit (21) is provided in a second lateral wall (14) of the corn header (1) and each gear unit (21) is assigned in each case one header output shaft (49) and one chopping output shaft (36).

12. Agricultural machine having a mobile base unit (2) and a corn header (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the drive shaft (26) of the at least one gear unit (21) is coupled to an output connector of the base unit (2).