Soil preparation unit and soil preparation machine equipped with such a soil preparation unit

Abstract

A tillage assembly comprising a frame (2) equipped, from front to rear, with a rotary tillage tool (3) whose axis of rotation is horizontal and transverse to the direction of travel of the frame (2), and with a projection screen (4) designed to be struck by a flow of soil projected by the tool. The screen comprises at least two side-by-side blades (5), each blade having a front face (6) facing the tool and an opposite rear face (7), at least one of the blades (5) being elastically deformable. The assembly includes a drive device (10) for moving one or more blades along the front / rear direction relative to the direction of travel of the frame. This drive device is located behind the screen to generate a variable bearing force on the rear face of the blade(s) in a direction opposite to the elastic restoring force of the blade. (See Fig. 7B for abbreviations.)

Description

Title of the invention: Soil cultivation assembly and soil cultivation machine equipped with such a soil cultivation assembly

[0001] The present invention relates to a soil cultivation unit and a soil cultivation machine equipped with such a soil cultivation unit.

[0002] It relates in particular to a soil cultivation assembly comprising a chassis equipped from front to back taken with respect to the direction of travel of the chassis with at least one rotary soil cultivation tool with a horizontal and transverse axis of rotation, in the direction of travel of the chassis and at least one so-called anti-projection screen capable of being struck by a flow of soil projected by the rotary soil cultivation tool, said screen comprising at least two blades arranged side by side in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the chassis, each blade having a front face turned towards the rotary soil cultivation tool and an opposite rear face, at least one of the blades of the screen being an elastically deformable blade to present an elastic restoring force in a predetermined position.

[0003] The chassis of such an assembly is a mobile chassis. This chassis can be attached to a tractor or self-propelled vehicle. Generally, the rotational speed of such a tillage tool is high, which generates significant soil projection. Some tillage machines are equipped with a screen to refine and fold the soil back into the ground. This screen is positioned behind the rotary tillage tools, relative to the direction of travel of the chassis. However, such a screen presents a risk of clogging, particularly when working in wet soils where the projected soil is sticky and adheres to the screen.

[0004] An object of the invention is to propose a soil preparation system of the aforementioned type whose design makes it possible to limit, or even prevent, the accumulation of soil at the level of the face of the screen capable of being struck by the flow of projected soil in order to reduce the risks of neutralizing the effectiveness of the screen.

[0005] To this end, the invention relates to a soil cultivation assembly comprising a chassis equipped, from front to rear as viewed with respect to the direction of travel of the chassis, with at least one rotary soil cultivation tool having a horizontal axis of rotation transverse to the direction of travel of the chassis, and with at least one so-called anti-projection screen adapted to be struck by a flow of soil projected by the rotary soil cultivation tool, said screen comprising at least two blades arranged side by side in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the chassis, each blade having a front face facing the rotary soil cultivation tool and an opposite rear face, at least one of the screen blades being an elastically deformable blade to present at least an elastic restoring force, characterized in that said assembly comprises a drive device for moving one or more elastically deformable blades of the screen along the front / back direction taken with respect to the direction of advance of the chassis, in that said drive device is disposed behind the screen taken with respect to the direction of advance of the chassis and is configured to generate on the back face of the or each elastically deformable blade to be driven in movement a variable support force on said blade along a direction opposite to the elastic restoring force of the blade.

[0006] Generating a pressure force on the rear face of the blade causes at least a portion of the blade to move towards the front of the frame, against the elastic restoring force of the blade. This elastic restoring force of the blade is oriented to move the blade towards the rear of the frame, against the pressure force exerted on the rear face of the blade. Varying the pressure force causes the blade to move towards the front of the frame when the elastic restoring force of the blade is less than the pressure force, and towards the rear of the frame when the elastic restoring force of the blade is greater than the pressure force. These opposing forces of elastic restoring force and pressure thus cause a front / backward movement of the blade, which tends to help lift the soil away from the blade.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the invention, the drive device comprises, for each elastically deformable blade to be driven in motion, a rotating circular element in the form of a wheel or roller with a horizontal axis of rotation transverse to the direction of travel of the frame, said element being provided with at least one radial projection forming at least a portion of the drive device configured to generate on the rear face of the blade a variable support force on said blade in a direction opposite to one or more of the elastic restoring forces of the blade, the value of the support force being a function of the position of the rotating circular element. This results in a simple device for generating a variable support force on the blade.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the invention, the or at least two of the elastically deformable blades to be driven in movement are arranged side by side in an adjacent manner, in that the rotating circular element of the drive device for one of the blades is rotationally fixed with the rotating circular element of the drive device for the other of the blades and in that the radial projections are angularly offset from one rotating circular element to the other.

[0009] The angular offset of the radial projections allows for differentiated, in particular asynchronous, displacement of the blades. In other words, one or at least two of the elastically deformable blades to be driven in displacement are arranged side by side of Adjacent to this, the tillage assembly has at least one configuration in which the pressure exerted on the rear face of one of the blades by the blade drive device differs from the pressure exerted on the rear face of the other blade by the drive device. The blades thus tend to move apart, resulting in a discontinuous surface on the screen. The drive device, when driven by the moving frame, is configured to allow the screen blades to move from a position where they are aligned to form a continuous surface to a position where they are at least partially offset from each other along the front / rear direction of the frame, forming a discontinuous surface. This discontinuous surface aids in soil loosening.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the invention, the or at least one of the rotating circular elements of the drive device is a non-driven element capable of being driven in rotation by contact with the ground under the effect of the advancement of the chassis.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, each blade of the screen is a curved blade or a straight blade. When curved, the blade can be convex or concave with the concavity facing the soil-working tool.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, each blade of the screen comprises a working part adapted to be struck by a flow of soil and a part for connecting the blade to the frame, the working part and the connecting part being metallic or composite parts made of a single piece.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, the screen blades are made from a single piece. It is thus possible to produce the screen by simply cutting a sheet of metal blank.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, the rotary soil-working tool comprises a rotor, also called a wheel, equipped with working elements, such as blades, knives, points and / or hammers.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, said assembly comprises two so-called lateral deflectors extending in the front / rear direction relative to the direction of travel of the chassis and framing the soil-working tool. The presence of lateral deflectors allows for strip tillage while preserving the inter-strip space for soil projection to prevent or limit the growth of weeds or unwanted crops.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, said assembly comprises a so-called upper deflector extending at least partially over the top of the soil-working tool. The presence of an upper deflector again helps to limit soil projection.

[0017] The invention also relates to a soil-working machine comprising at least a tillage system, characterized in that the tillage system or at least one of the tillage systems conforms to that described above. Brief description of the drawings

[0018] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0019] [Fig-1] represents a bottom view of a soil-working machine associated with a detailed view of an assembly;

[0020] [Fig.2] represents a top view of a soil-working machine associated with a detail view partially representing an assembly;

[0021] [Fig.3] represents a perspective view of a soil-working machine;

[0022] [Fig.4] represents a perspective view of a soil-working machine;

[0023] [Fig.5] represents a side view of a soil-working machine;

[0024] [Fig.6] represents a perspective view of a soil-working machine associated with a partial, detailed view of a set;

[0025] [Fig.7A] represents a schematic side view of an assembly in the unstressed state of a blade of the screen by the drive device;

[0026] [Fig.7B] represents a schematic side view of an assembly in the stressed state of a blade of the screen by the drive device;

[0027] [Fig.7C] represents a schematic side view of an assembly in the unstressed state of a blade of the screen by the drive device;

[0028] [Fig.8] represents a schematic side view of an assembly illustrating the different positions of a screen blade as a function of the stress by the drive device.

[0029] As mentioned above, the invention relates to a soil-working unit 1, of the type shown in the detail view of [Fig.1], and a soil-working machine 15 which may include one or more soil-working units 1 arranged side-by-side along the working width of the machine 15 as also illustrated in [Fig.1] where the soil-working machine 15 includes four units 1 arranged side-by-side.

[0030] These assemblies are also visible in [Fig.6], in particular with the partial detail of one of the assemblies.

[0031] Such a soil-working unit 1 comprises a so-called mobile chassis. Indeed, this chassis 2, which can be mounted or towed, can be hitched to a tractor vehicle or equipped with a motor and drive wheel system to form a self-propelled chassis. The version hitched to a tractor vehicle is the most common and is the one shown.

[0032] This chassis 2 has a front part and a rear part. The front and the rear are defined in relation to the direction of travel of the chassis, the front part of the chassis is therefore generally equipped with a coupling system.

[0033] This frame 2 comprises, from front to rear, at least one rotary tillage tool 3 and at least one anti-projection screen 4 designed to be struck by a flow of soil projected by the rotary tillage tool 5. The frame 2 is generally a welded steel structure made of beams and cross members.

[0034] The rotary tillage tool 3 has a horizontal axis of rotation XX' transverse to the direction of travel of the frame 2, taken along the front / rear direction of the frame 2. It is understood that the term "horizontal" in "horizontal axis" refers to a state of the assembly in contact with a horizontal surface. This rotary tillage tool 3 comprises a rotor, also called a wheel, equipped with working elements, such as blades, knives, points, and / or hammers. The rotary tillage tool 3 can thus be a wheel or a group of wheels, preferably with hammers. It is understood that any rotary tillage tool with rotation about a horizontal axis of rotation transverse to the direction of travel of the frame 2 is suitable for the present invention. An example of a wheel with hammers is provided in French patent FR 3 095 102.

[0035] Generally, these hammers are mounted on a shaft that coincides with the wheel's axis of rotation, and the wheel hammers extend partially beyond the outer peripheral edge of the wheel. Each hammer comprises an active soil-working portion and a connecting arm for attaching the active soil-working portion of the hammer to the wheel, as illustrated in [Fig. 3]. The active portion of each hammer includes a flat striking surface.

[0036] Such a rotary soil-working tool 3 generates at least one flow of soil towards the rear of said tool 3, as illustrated in [Fig.8] during the advancement of the chassis 2.

[0037] This projected flow of soil strikes a screen 4 located behind the rotary tillage tool 3, measured with respect to the direction of travel of the frame 2. This screen 4 comprises, as can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, at least two blades 5 arranged side-by-side. The direction of the side-by-side arrangement is a direction, preferably horizontal, that is transverse to the direction of travel of the frame 2. Each blade 5 has a front face 6 facing the rotary tillage tool 3 and an opposite rear face 7. At least one of the blades 5 of the screen 4 is elastically deformable to exhibit an elastic restoring force F in a predetermined position.

[0038] This predetermined position corresponds to the position in which the blades 5 of the screen 4 are arranged aligned in the unstressed state, in particular, by the displacement drive device 10 which will be described below.

[0039] According to one embodiment of the invention, each blade 5 of the screen 4 is a curved blade with its concavity facing the soil-working tool 3. Each blade 5 of the screen 4 It comprises a working part 8 adapted to be struck by a flow of soil and a connecting part 9 of the blade 5 to the frame 2. According to one embodiment of the invention, the working part 8 and the connecting part 9 are metal parts made from a single piece. Ideally, the blades 5 of the screen 4 can be made from a single piece.

[0040] The connection of each blade to the chassis 2 can be achieved by bolting or otherwise.

[0041] Generally, the screen blades are obtained from a sheet metal blank with a generally rectangular shape. This sheet metal blank is selected over a portion of its width following at least one cut extending from the free edge of the blank opposite the edge connecting the blank to the frame 2. According to one embodiment of the invention, this blank is, before or after its cut, shaped to give it a generally curved profile with its concavity facing the soil-working tool.

[0042] This results in at least two blades 5 arranged side-by-side. This design allows each blade to be given elasticity. These screen blades tend to return, under the effect of their elastic restoring force, to a predetermined position corresponding to a position in which they are aligned. They thus form a so-called continuous surface of the screen.

[0043] Said assembly further includes a drive device 10 for moving at least a part of the blades 5 of the screen 4 along the front / backward direction taken with respect to the direction of advance of the chassis 2.

[0044] This so-called drive device is arranged behind the screen 4, taken with respect to the direction of advance of the chassis 2, and is configured to generate on the rear face 7 of the or each elastically deformable blade 5 to be driven in movement a variable support force Fl on the small tear 5 in a direction opposite to the or an elastic restoring force F of the blade 5, as illustrated in figures 7A to 7C and 8.

[0045] In practice, the support force generated by the overrunning drive device 10 tends to move each blade to be driven in motion towards the front of the chassis, each blade thus driven in motion tending, under the effect of its elastic restoring force, to be brought back towards the rear of the chassis to return to the position it occupies in the unstressed state.

[0046] The screen thus goes from a configuration in which the blades are aligned in the unstressed state of the tears by the moving drive devices 10 to a non-aligned configuration in which at least one blade driven in movement by the moving drive device 10 is offset at least partially forward relative to the other blades.

[0047] This offset of the blades between them makes it possible to limit or avoid an accumulation of soil on the front face of the blades.

[0048] To enable this training by moving the blades relative to the other, the drive device 10 includes, for each elastically deformable blade 5 to be driven in movement, a rotating circular element 11 in the form of a wheel or roller with a horizontal axis of rotation transverse to the direction of advance of the chassis 2.

[0049] This element 11 is provided with at least one radial projection 12 forming at least part of the drive device 10 configured to generate, on the rear face 7 of the blade 5, a variable bearing force on said blade 5 in a direction opposite to one or more of the elastic restoring forces of the blade 5, the value of the bearing force being a function of the position, in particular the angular position, of the rotating circular element 11. The details of the application of this bearing force are shown in Figures 7A to 7C.

[0050] In the example shown, the protruding portion forms a helical ramp-type cam which, during the rotation of the rotating circular element 11, exerts variable pressure on the blade, as illustrated by the transition from Figures 7A to 7C. Thus, in [Fig. 7A], the radial protrusion 12, also called a "cock's comb," is approaching the rear face of the blade to be driven. In [Fig. 7B], the radial protrusion 12 is in contact with the rear face of the blade and, due to its helical ramp shape, exerts a pressure force that increases during the rotation of the rotating circular element 11 until the contact between the radial protrusion and the rear face of the blade 5 ceases, as illustrated in [Fig. 7C].

[0051] The blade can then, under the effect of its elastic restoring force, return to its initial position corresponding to the position in which it is aligned with the other blade(s) of the screen when no blade of the screen is stressed by the moving drive device 10.

[0052] It is noted that the or one, preferably, each rotating circular element 11 of the drive device 10 is a non-driven element capable of being driven in rotation by contact with the ground under the effect of the advancement of the chassis 2. This results in a simplicity of the device.

[0053] In addition, such a rotating circular element 11 is generally already present on such a soil-working machine, and is in the form of a wheel or a roller as illustrated in figures 3 and 4.

[0054] The rotating circular element 11 of the drive device 10 is versatile and performs a drive function in moving the blade.

[0055] In the examples shown and as can be seen in particular in [Fig.4], this rotating circular element 11 is a wheel or a roller with two peripheral notches which frame the part of the wheel or roller equipped with the radial projections 12 or projections.

[0056] The blades to be driven by the movement of the screen are driven in a desynchronized manner. To allow for desynchronized driving Without risk of error, ideally, for at least two of the elastically deformable blades 5 to be driven in motion, arranged side-by-side adjacently, the rotating circular element 11 of the drive device 10 for one of the blades 5 is rotationally fixed to the rotating circular element 11 of the drive device 10 for the other blade 5, and the radial projections 12 are angularly offset from one rotating circular element 11 to the other. This angular offset of the radial projections is visible in [Fig. 8], where the radial projection of one of the rotating angular elements 11 of the drive device is shown in solid lines with hatching, while the radial projection of another of the rotating circular elements 11 of the drive device is shown partially in dashed lines.

[0057] Figure 8 illustrates the different positions that a blade 5 can assume during its operation by the drive device 10. During the rotation of the rotating circular elements 11, which are fixed together and active on two adjacent blades, a relative front / backward displacement of the two blades is observed, relative to each other.

[0058] This rotational drive of the rotating circular elements 11 is carried out solely by the advancement of the chassis 2.

[0059] To complete the soil working assembly 1, said assembly 1 includes two so-called lateral deflectors 13 extending along the front / rear direction taken with respect to the direction of advance of the chassis 2 and framing the soil working tool 3.

[0060] These two lateral deflectors 13 can be in the form of plates extending in a plane parallel to the front / rear direction taken with respect to the direction of travel of the chassis 2. These two lateral deflectors 13 prevent a flow of soil projected by the rotating soil-working element 3 from spreading between two strips of soil worked when the soil-working machine 15 comprises assemblies 1 arranged side-by-side to cover a working width of the machine 15.

[0061] Similarly, said assembly 1 includes a so-called upper deflector 14 extending at least partially over the top of the soil-working tool 3. Again, this upper deflector 14 prevents soil from being directed to an undesired location.

[0062] The soil-working machine 15 may include a seeding device that can be positioned behind the drive device 10, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.

[0063] The operation of a set 1 and a soil-working machine 15 equipped with such a set is as follows.

[0064] It is assumed that the chassis 2 is coupled to a tractor vehicle in order to move forward.

[0065] In the driven state, with the chassis 2 moving in a straight line, the rotary soil-working tools 3 and the rotary circular drive elements 11 rotate under the effect of the forward movement of the chassis 2 and due to their contact with the ground.

[0066] During this rotational drive, a flow of soil is projected onto the front face of the blades by the rotary soil-working tool 3 and the tears of the screen, arranged aligned in the unstressed state by the drive device 10, tend to move relatively towards the front of the chassis before being recalled to their alignment position according to their stress by the or each radial projection of the rotating circular elements 11 of the drive device 10.

[0067] This relative front / backward displacement of the blades as a function of their stress by the radial projections angularly offset from one rotating circular element 11 to another rotating circular element 11 allows the blades to move in the front / backward direction in an offset manner relative to each other to avoid an accumulation of soil at the front faces of the blades.

[0068] The simplicity of the drive device allows for high mechanical resistance and safe operation of the drive device 10.

Claims

Claims

1. Soil working assembly (1) comprising a chassis (2) equipped from front to rear taken with respect to the direction of advance of the chassis (2) with at least one rotary soil working tool (3) with a horizontal axis of rotation (XX') transverse to the direction of advance of the chassis (2) and at least one so-called anti-projection screen (4) capable of being struck by a flow of earth projected by the rotary soil working tool (3), said screen (4) comprising at least two blades (5) arranged side by side in a direction transverse to the direction of advance of the chassis (2), each blade (5) having a front face (6) facing the rotary soil working tool (3) and an opposite rear face (7), at least one of the blades (5) of the screen (4) being an elastically deformable blade (5) to present at least one elastic restoring force,characterized in that said assembly (1) comprises a device (10) for driving one or more elastically deformable blades (5) of the screen (4) in the forward / rearward direction taken relative to the direction of advance of the chassis (2), in that said drive device (10) is arranged behind the screen (4), taken relative to the direction of advance of the chassis (2), and is configured to generate on the rear face (7) of the or each elastically deformable blade (5) to be driven in movement a variable bearing force on said blade (5) in a direction opposite to the or an elastic return force of the blade (5).,

2. Soil working assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive device (10) comprises, for each elastically deformable blade (5) to be driven in movement, a rotating circular element (11) in the form of a wheel or roller with an axis of rotation transverse to the direction of advance of the chassis (2), said element (11) being provided with at least one radial projection (12) forming at least one part of the drive device (10) configured to generate on the rear face (7) of the blade (5) a variable bearing force on said blade (5) in a direction opposite to the or one of the elastic return forces of the blade (5), the value of the bearing force being a function of the position of the rotating circular element (11).

3. Soil working assembly (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the or at least two of the elastically deformable blades (5) to be driven in movement are arranged side by side so as to adjacent, in that the rotating circular element (11) of the drive device (10) for one of the blades (5) is rotationally integral with the rotating circular element (11) of the drive device (10) for the other of the blades (5) and in that the radial projections (12) are angularly offset from one rotating circular element (11) to the other.

4. Soil working assembly (1) according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the or at least one of the rotating circular elements (11) of the drive device (10) is a non-motor element capable of being driven in rotation by contact with the ground under the effect of the advancement of the chassis (2).

5. Soil working assembly (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that each blade (5) of the screen (4) is a curved blade or a straight blade.

6. Soil working assembly (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each blade (5) of the screen (4) comprises a working part (8) capable of being struck by a flow of earth and a connecting part (9) of the blade (5) to the chassis (2), the working part (8) and the connecting part (9) being metal or composite parts made from a single piece.

7. Soil working assembly (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the blades (5) of the screen (4) are made from a single piece.

8. Soil working assembly (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the rotary soil working tool (3) comprises a rotor, also called a wheel, provided with working members, such as blades, knives, points and / or hammers.

9. Soil working assembly (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said assembly (1) comprises two so-called lateral deflectors (13) extending in the front / rear direction taken relative to the direction of advance of the chassis (2) and framing the soil working tool (3).

10. Soil working assembly (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said assembly (1) comprises a so-called upper deflector (14) extending at least partially overlapping the top of the soil working tool (3).

11. Soil working machine (15) comprising at least one soil working assembly (1), characterized in that the or at least one of the soil working assemblies (1) is in accordance with one of claims 1 to 10.

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