Pick-up attachment for a harvesting machine

Abstract

The invention relates to a pick-up attachment for a harvesting machine.

Description

[0001] Pick-up attachment for a harvester

[0002] The invention relates to a pick-up attachment for a harvesting machine, preferably for a forage harvester, particularly preferably for a self-propelled forage harvester, comprising a pickup rotor with pickup tools for picking up crop from the ground, at least one guide element resting on the ground which takes over the guidance of the pickup rotor and guides it to the ground, a machine frame to which the pickup rotor is connected, a hold-down unit which is connected to the machine frame via a support frame.

[0003] Forage harvesters are harvesting machines used for harvesting and gathering crops, cutting crops into short, parallel lengths, and conveying the chopped material into containers or separate vehicles. Typical crops include grasses, stalk-like crops such as alfalfa or field grass, pulses, mixtures, and / or row-cropped crops such as corn or sorghum. The chopped material can either be fed directly to livestock as fodder or stored for silage or drying to be later fed to livestock as fodder. The forage harvester can harvest the crop directly by cutting across its full width, from single or multiple rows, or by gathering it from the swath. Forage harvesters can be tractor-mounted, tractor-trailed, or self-propelled.

[0004] A harvesting header is a usually removable device for picking up the crop into the forage harvester. A pick-up header is specifically a device for picking up previously cut crop. The crop can be laid in rows or swaths.

[0005] When harvesting these crops, maintaining high crop and thus feed quality is extremely important. Harvest cleanliness has a significant impact on the silage process and, when the harvest or silage is used as feed, on animal health, animal life expectancy, and thus also on milk yield and meat yield. The invention is based on the following findings.

[0006] To maintain consistently high chopping quality and high harvest capacity, it is important that the crop mat is fed to the forage harvester's chopping elements with a homogeneous, even flow and, above all, in a compressed manner. This is the only way the forage harvester can consistently achieve its full performance and reliably maintain the required cutting length without creating unwanted excess length in the chopped material.

[0007] This applies equally to large and voluminous swaths with long stalk lengths in early cuts as well as to relatively small and flat swaths with little harvest size and short stalk lengths in later cuts.

[0008] All harvesting conditions, such as those involving large and small swaths and long and short stalk lengths, place different demands on a crop press to ensure optimal crop intake and thus a uniform crop flow by straightening, homogenizing, and pre-compressing the swaths. Thus, the foundation for high chopping quality and harvest capacity is laid right at the beginning of the chopping process, namely during crop intake.

[0009] Large swaths can have highly variable layer thicknesses and patches of crop accumulation due to uneven swathing. The swath must therefore be homogenized and compressed to ensure optimal crop flow and high harvesting capacity. The crop press must be positioned close to the ground or the swath lying on the ground to ensure even distribution of crop accumulations within the swath. Furthermore, the crop press should pre-compress the swath while it is still on the ground or in the field. A pre-compressed swath can be more easily picked up by the pickup rotor of the pick-up attachment and transferred to the intake auger of the pick-up attachment.The swath is further homogenized by the intake auger so that a uniform and compressed crop mat can be transferred to the pre-compression housing of the forage harvester, which is the basis for high chopper utilization and high chopping quality.

[0010] Small swaths with a low layer height and short stalk lengths are very difficult for the pickup rotor of the pick-up front attachment to pick up, as the small and light swath has no counter pressure. Pick-up rotors with large effective diameters in particular roll the crop in front of them until the crop has built up to the point where sufficient counter pressure is available and the crop mat can be picked up by the pickup rotor of the pick-up front attachment. This effect leads to a very inhomogeneous crop flow and therefore to poor chopping performance and chopping quality. In these harvesting conditions, the crop press must be positioned as low as possible to the ground or field and close to the pickup rotor in order to generate sufficient counter pressure even with a small crop mass so that the pickup rotor can pick up the crop directly. Due to the relatively short distance between the crop press and the ground or field.Irregularities in the arable soil or the swath on the ground are also homogenized in small swaths and the crop mat is pre-compressed.

[0011] A crop press mounted on a pick-up attachment is also intended to support the formation of a conveying channel, which is created by the distance between the crop press or individual crop press components and the intake rotor. The conveying channel serves to keep the crop flow consistently homogeneous and compressed from the moment the crop is picked up from the ground or field until it is transferred to the intake auger by creating an appropriate conveying path and counterpressure. It is important not to slow down the crop flow, but to actively support it.

[0012] There are various variations of hold-down units for pick-up attachments, which are essentially divided into three categories or variants:

[0013] Variant 1: Downholder with a front, freely rotating swath roller and a downstream guide element, which is either designed as a sheet metal or tarpaulin and can move upwards via a front pivot point or consists of flexible spring tines, the rear parts of which point towards the intake auger can move upwards.

[0014] Variant 2:

[0015] Downholder with a front, freely rotating swath roller and a downstream, freely rotating swath roller, which can move upwards via a front pivot point

[0016] Variant 3:

[0017] Crop holder without swath roller, only consisting of specially shaped spring tines, the rear parts of which point towards the intake auger can deflect upwards

[0018] All crop press units are connected to a support frame in the pick-up attachment and are partially relieved by corresponding spring units, allowing the crop press unit as a whole to move upwards due to a defined swath pressure. For maintenance purposes, the support frame with the crop press unit can be moved to an upper position to provide access to the intake auger or the pre-compression housing of the forage harvester.

[0019] This hold-down variant has the following disadvantages with regard to the process requirements described above:

[0020] Variant 1 is designed and arranged in such a way that it homogenizes and pre-presses, i.e. compresses, the crop mat with the front swath roller. The front swath roller is pivotally mounted so that it rotates according to the forward speed and supports the crop intake. The downstream guide plate or the downstream guide tines form the conveyor channel to the intake rotor described above. In the event of uneven feeding or a spontaneous increase in layer thickness, the guide plate or the guide tines can move upwards separately. However, the pivot point of the guide plate remains a bottleneck. The stationary guide elements exert a certain braking effect on the crop flow, as the guide surfaces are stationary relative to the crop flow, thus causing high friction and wear. In addition, deposits can form on the guide elements, which, for example,when the harvester is turned, they can come loose and end up in the forage harvester and then be lost on the meadow because there is no trailer team next to the forage harvester or under the forage harvester's discharge spout during the turning process. With large swaths, the layer thickness of the crop mat can be so great that the entire press-down unit has to be guided slightly higher to the ground so that the front swath roller does not push the crop up. This also increases the distance between the rear guide plate or guide tines and the pickup rotor of the pick-up attachment. The larger conveyor channel can reduce the compression of the crop mat and impair the crop flow and transfer to the intake auger.

[0021] Variant 2 is designed and arranged in such a way that it homogenizes and pre-presses, i.e. compresses, the crop mat with the front swath roller. The front swath roller is pivoted so that it rotates in line with the forward speed and supports the crop pickup. The downstream swath roller forms the conveyor channel to the pickup rotor as described above. In the event of uneven feeding or a spontaneous increase in layer thickness, the rear swath roller can move upwards separately around a pivot point around the front swath roller. The rear swath roller is also pivoted so that it rotates in line with the volume flow of the crop and thus supports the crop flow. With large swaths, the layer thickness of the crop mat can be so great that the entire press-down unit has to be guided somewhat higher to the ground so that the front swath roller does not push the crop up.This also increases the distance between the rear swath roller and the pickup rotor. The larger conveyor channel can reduce the compression of the crop mat and impair the crop flow and transfer to the intake auger. Variant 3 has several tines arranged next to each other across the width, which form a bulbous shape in the front area. The bulbous shape is intended to homogenize the swath. Pre-compression or compression of the swath is therefore not possible. The rear part of the tines, facing the auger, is designed like a curve that corresponds to the crop flow around the pickup rotor and thus forms the conveyor channel to the pickup rotor. In the event of uneven feeding or a spontaneous increase in layer thickness, the guide tines can move upwards separately.The stationary tines exert a certain braking effect on the crop flow because the guide surfaces are stationary relative to the crop flow, resulting in high levels of friction and wear. In addition, deposits can form on the tines which, for example, come loose when the harvester is turning and enter the forage harvester, then become waste on the meadow because there is no harvesting vehicle next to the forage harvester or under the forage harvester's discharge spout during the turning process. With large swaths, the layer of the crop mat can be so thick that the entire crop press unit has to be guided somewhat higher to the ground so that the front, bulbous part of the tines does not push the crop up. This also increases the distance between the rear part of the guide tines and the pickup rotor. The larger conveyor channel can impair the crop flow and the transfer to the intake auger.

[0022] Based on this prior art, the invention is based on the object of improving a pick-up attachment.

[0023] This object is achieved with a pick-up attachment having the features of claim 1. Further developments and advantageous embodiments of the invention emerge from the subclaims.

[0024] The pick-up attachment according to the invention for a harvesting machine, preferably for a forage harvester, particularly preferably for a self-propelled forage harvester, comprises a pickup rotor with pickup tools for picking up crop from the ground, an intake auger for pulling in the picked-up crop and transporting it towards the harvesting machine, at least one guide element resting on the ground, which guides the pickup rotor and guides it to the ground, a machine frame to which the pickup rotor and the intake auger are connected, and a hold-down unit which is connected to the machine frame via a support frame, wherein the pick-up attachment according to the invention is characterized in that the hold-down unit has a front hold-down element and a rear hold-down element,wherein the front hold-down element is pivotable relative to the rear hold-down element about a pivot point provided behind the front hold-down element or a pivot axis provided behind the front hold-down element towards and away from the ground, i.e. pivotable up and down.

[0025] This ensures that the height of the front presser element, which first hits the crop mat, can be adjusted relative to the ground, thus adapting it to the swath height—that is, the height of the crop mat on the ground. The front presser element can thus be set higher, i.e., away from the ground, or lower, i.e., closer to the ground. The rear presser element remains unchanged in its position; it remains fixed within the presser unit.

[0026] Because the position of the rear press-down element, in particular – as explained below – the rear swath roller, remains unchanged, while the front press-down element, in particular – as explained below – the front swath roller, is pivotable, the rear press-down element always remains in an optimal position relative to the pickup rotor or the intake auger of the pick-up attachment. The crop flow and transfer to the intake auger thus always remain optimal.

[0027] Overall, optimal homogenization and compression of the swath is achieved, and crop intake is optimally supported. It can be advantageous if the front and / or rear presser elements are designed as a rotating or pivoting cylinder or as a rotating or pivoting swath roller.

[0028] The rear swath roller, although designed to be rotatable or rotating, is still arranged in a fixed position in the crop press unit, while the front swath roller, which is also rotatable or rotating, can be pivoted towards or away from the ground within the crop press unit.

[0029] It may be advantageous if the pivot point or the pivot axis for pivoting the front hold-down element corresponds to the pivot point or the pivot axis of the rear hold-down element, which is designed in particular as a rotatable or rotating cylinder or as a rotatable or rotating swath roller.

[0030] The pivot axis of the rotating or pivoting rear swath roller is also, in effect, the pivot axis for the rotating or pivoting front swath roller. One could also say that the front swath roller can be pivoted up and down around the center point of the rear swath roller. In addition to the pivot axis mentioned above, around which the rotating or pivoting front swath roller pivots as a whole, the front swath roller also has its own independent pivot axis.

[0031] The front swath roller can therefore always be adjusted to match the swath height and thickness. This ensures optimal homogenization and compression of the swath and optimally supports crop intake.

[0032] Because the pivot axis of the front hold-down element coincides with the rotation axis of the rear hold-down element, the spacing of the hold-down elements or swath rollers from each other is always the same, so that the crop intake is never negatively affected.

[0033] It can be advantageous if the entire press-down unit is connected to the machine frame via a hinged support frame. This ensures that the entire press-down unit can deflect upwards in the event of a temporarily very high swath pressure. It can be advantageous if the press-down unit is partially relieved by spring units provided for this purpose.

[0034] It may be advantageous if the front hold-down element can be pivoted hydraulically, pneumatically, or electrically toward and away from the ground, wherein the position of the front hold-down element relative to the ground or the pivoting of the front hold-down element can preferably be adjusted or controlled from the driver's cab of the harvesting machine. Hydraulic pivotability is preferred. Preferably, the front hold-down element is connected to the rear hold-down element via one or more rocker arms, wherein the rocker arm is moved via one or more hydraulic cylinders supported on the support frame, so that the front hold-down element is pivoted.

[0035] It may be advantageous if the position of the front hold-down element relative to the floor or the position or pivoting of the front hold-down element relative to the rear hold-down element can be adjusted mechanically, for example via a threaded spindle, hole pattern or the like.

[0036] It can be advantageous if the pivoting of the front hold-down element is designed to be freely swinging and / or spring loaded or unloaded.

[0037] It can be advantageous if the position of the front hold-down element relative to the ground or the pivoting of the front hold-down element towards or away from the ground can be controlled and adjusted automatically.

[0038] It can be advantageous if sensors are provided which detect the swath height, i.e. the height of the crop lying on the ground and to be picked up or the height of the crop mat lying on the ground and to be picked up, whereby in response to a changing swath height the position of the front hold-down element relative to the ground or the pivoting of the front hold-down element towards the ground or away from the ground can be automatically controlled and adjusted.

[0039] It may be advantageous if sensors are provided for detecting a pressure and / or a resistance, wherein, in response to a changing pressure and / or a changing resistance, the position of the front hold-down element relative to the ground or the pivoting of the front hold-down element towards or from the ground can be automatically controlled and adjusted.

[0040] It can be advantageous if threshold values ​​for pressure, resistance and / or swath spacing can be adjusted and / or overridden.

[0041] It may be advantageous if the rotatable or rotating front swath roller designed as a front hold-down element and the rotatable or rotating rear swath roller designed as a rear hold-down element are drivable by one or more than one drive means, for example by means of a belt, a chain or the like, wherein the front swath roller and the rear swath roller are drivable together when coupled to one another and / or separately when not coupled to one another.

[0042] It can be advantageous if, when the front and rear swath rollers are coupled, the front swath roller can be driven by the rear swath roller or, conversely, the rear swath roller can be driven by the front swath roller.

[0043] It can be advantageous if the ratio i between the swath rollers is i=1 or i<1 or i>1.

[0044] After all of this, the following advantages of the invention over the prior art are given:

[0045] Homogenization and compression of the harvest mat (swath) before collection Support of crop collection and crop flow

[0046] Reduced harvest losses when picking up the crop from the ground Increased throughput and chopping quality through more even feeding

[0047] Driver relief through automation

[0048] Further features of the invention emerge from the claims, the figures, and the description of the figures. All features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as the features and combinations of features mentioned below in the description of the figures and / or shown alone in the figures, can be used not only in the respective specified combination, but also in other combinations or even on their own.

[0049] The invention will now be explained in more detail using preferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show:

[0050] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective front view of a pick-up attachment according to the invention, viewed diagonally from the front,

[0051] Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of the pick-up attachment according to the invention as shown in Fig. 1,

[0052] Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of the pick-up attachment according to the invention as shown in Fig. 1 without the attached auger,

[0053] Fig. 4 is a schematic side view of the pick-up attachment according to the invention as shown in Fig. 1 with the front swath roller pivoted towards the ground and

[0054] Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective side view of the pick-up attachment according to the invention shown in Fig. 1 with the front swath roller pivoted away from the ground. Where the same reference numerals are used in Figs. 1 to 5, they also designate the same parts or areas.

[0055] The pick-up attachment 10 according to the invention for a harvesting machine (not shown here), preferably a forage harvester, comprises a pickup rotor 12 with pickup tools 14 for picking up crop from the ground 16. The pickup tools 14 are degressively arranged tines. The direction of travel FR, or the forward direction of travel of the pick-up attachment 10, is shown in the figures with an arrow. To adapt to the contours of the ground 16, the pickup rotor 12 is composed of several segments 32 that are at least partially articulated to one another - as shown in Fig. 1. The at least partially articulated segments 32 can be of different or equal widths.

[0056] The pick-up attachment 10 according to the invention further comprises at least one guide element 18 in the form of a sliding plate resting on the ground 16, which guides the pickup rotor 12 and guides it to and over the ground 16. The guide elements 18 are arranged, as shown in the figures, directly behind the pickup rotor 12 and, as shown in Fig. 1, within the effective working width of the pickup rotor 12.

[0057] The pick-up attachment 10 further comprises an intake auger 34 for drawing in the collected crop and transporting it towards the harvesting machine (not shown here), and a machine frame 20 to which the pickup rotor 12 and the intake auger 34 are connected, and a hold-down unit 22 which is connected to the machine frame 20 via a support frame 24.

[0058] The hold-down unit 22 has a front hold-down element 26 and a rear hold-down element 28, wherein the front hold-down element 26, according to the invention, is pivotable relative to the rear hold-down element 28 toward and away from the floor 16 about a pivot point provided behind the front hold-down element 26 or a pivot axis 30 provided behind the front hold-down element 26, i.e., pivotable up and down, relative to the rear hold-down element 28. The pivotability is represented in Figures 4 and 5 by a double arrow.

[0059] The front hold-down element 26 and the rear hold-down element 28 are designed as rotatable or rotating swath rollers.

[0060] The pivot axis 30 for pivoting the front hold-down element 26 designed as a swath roller corresponds to the rotation axis 30 of the rear hold-down element 28 designed as a swath roller. It can also be said that the swath rollers are arranged quasi coaxially in this respect.

[0061] The hold-down unit 22 is connected as a whole to the machine frame 20 via the support frame 24. A corresponding joint or pivot point or axis of rotation is designated by reference numeral 36.

[0062] The front hold-down element 26, designed as a swath roller, is preferably hydraulically pivotable toward and away from the ground 16. For this purpose, the front hold-down element 26, designed as a swath roller or having such a roller, can be connected via one or more rocker arms 38 to the rear hold-down element 28, designed as a swath roller or having such a roller, wherein the rocker arm 38 is moved via one or more hydraulic cylinders 40 supported on the support frame 24, so that the front hold-down element 26 is pivoted.

[0063] The position of the front hold-down element 26 relative to the ground 16 or the pivoting of the front hold-down element 26 can preferably be adjusted or controlled from the driver's cab of the harvesting machine (not shown here).

[0064] The position of the front hold-down element 26 relative to the ground 16, or the pivoting of the front hold-down element 26 toward or away from the ground 16, can be automatically controlled and adjusted. In Fig. 4, the front hold-down element 26, designed as a swath roller, is pivoted toward the ground, and in Fig.

[0065] 5 pivoted away from the ground.

[0066] List of reference numbers

[0067] 10 Pick-up attachment

[0068] 12 Pick-up rotor

[0069] 14 Recording tool

[0070] 16 Floor

[0071] 18 Guide element

[0072] 20 machine frames

[0073] 22 hold-down unit

[0074] 24 supporting frames

[0075] 26 front hold-down element

[0076] 28 rear hold-down element

[0077] 30 swivel axis

[0078] 32 segments

[0079] 34 intake auger

[0080] 36 Joint axis

[0081] 38 swingarm

[0082] 40 hydraulic cylinders

[0083] FR direction of travel

Claims

P a t e n t a n s p r ü c h e 1. Pick-up attachment (10) for a harvesting machine, preferably for a forage harvester, particularly preferably for a self-propelled forage harvester, comprising a pickup rotor (12) with pickup tools (14) for picking up crop from the ground (16), at least one guide element (18) resting on the ground (16), which guides the pickup rotor (12) and guides it to the ground (16), a machine frame (20) to which the pickup rotor (12) is connected, a hold-down unit (22) which is connected to the machine frame (20) via a support frame (24), characterized in that the hold-down unit (22) has a front hold-down element (26) and a rear hold-down element (28),wherein the front hold-down element (26) is pivotable relative to the rear hold-down element (28) about a pivot point provided behind the front hold-down element (26) or a pivot axis (30) provided behind the front hold-down element (26) toward and away from the ground (16), i.e. pivotable up and down.

2. Pick-up attachment (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the front hold-down element (26) and / or the rear hold-down element (28) is designed as a rotatable or rotating cylinder or as a rotatable or rotating swath roller.

3. Pick-up attachment (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pivot point or the pivot axis (30) for pivoting the front hold-down element (26) corresponds to the pivot point or the pivot axis (30) of the rear hold-down element (28).

4. Pick-up attachment (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hold-down unit (22) as a whole is connected to the machine frame (20) in an articulated manner via the support frame (24).

5. Pick-up attachment (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the front hold-down element (26) can be pivoted hydraulically, pneumatically or electrically towards the ground (16) and away from the ground (16), wherein the position of the front hold-down element (26) relative to the ground (16) or the pivoting of the front hold-down element (26) can preferably be adjusted or controlled from the driver's cab.

6. Pick-up attachment (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the position of the front hold-down element (26) relative to the ground (16) or the position or pivoting of the front hold-down element (26) relative to the rear hold-down element (28) is mechanically adjustable, for example via a threaded spindle, hole pattern or the like.

7. Pick-up attachment (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pivoting of the front hold-down element (26) is designed to be freely swinging and / or resiliently loaded or unloaded.

8. Pick-up attachment (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the position of the front hold-down element (26) relative to the ground (16) or the pivoting of the front hold-down element (26) towards the ground (16) or away from the ground (16) can be controlled and adjusted in an automated manner.

9. Pick-up attachment (10) according to claim 8, characterized in that sensors are provided which detect the swath height, i.e. the height of the crop lying on the ground (16) and to be picked up, wherein, in response to a changing swath height, the position of the front hold-down element (26) relative to the ground (16) or the pivoting of the front hold-down element (26) towards the ground (16) or away from the ground (16) can be automatically controlled and adjusted.

10. Pick-up attachment (10) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that sensors are provided for detecting a pressure and / or a resistance wherein, in response to a changing pressure and / or to a changing resistance, the position of the front hold-down element (26) relative to the floor (16) or the pivoting of the front hold-down element (26) towards or away from the floor (16) is automatically controllable and adjustable.

11. Pick-up attachment (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that threshold values ​​for pressure, resistance and / or swath spacing are adjustable and / or overridable.

12. Pick-up attachment (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotatable or rotating front swath roller designed as a front hold-down element (26) and the rotatable or rotating rear swath roller designed as a rear hold-down element (28) can be driven by one or more than one drive means, for example by means of a belt, a chain or the like, wherein the front swath roller and the rear swath roller can be driven together when coupled to one another and / or separately when not coupled to one another.

13. Pick-up attachment (10) according to claim 12, characterized in that when the front and rear swath rollers are coupled, the front swath roller can be driven by the rear swath roller or, conversely, the rear swath roller can be driven by the front swath roller.

14. Pick-up attachment (10) according to claim 13, characterized in that the transmission i between the swath rollers is i=1 or i<1 or i>1.

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