Tillage unit and tillage machine equipped with such a tillage unit

Abstract

Soil working assembly comprising a chassis (2) equipped from front to rear with a rotary soil working tool (3) with a horizontal axis of rotation transverse to the direction of advance of the chassis (2) and an anti-projection screen (4) capable of being struck by a flow of earth projected by the tool, said screen comprising at least two blades (5) side by side, 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. Said assembly comprises a device (10) for driving the movement of one or more blades in the front / rear direction taken relative to the direction of advance of the chassis. Said driving device is arranged behind the screen to generate on the rear face of the or each blade a variable support force in a direction opposite to the elastic return force of the blade. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 7B

Description

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

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

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

[0003] The chassis of such an assembly is a mobile chassis. This chassis can be coupled to a tractor or self-propelled vehicle. Generally, the rotation speed of such a soil working tool is high, which generates significant projections of earth. Some soil working machines are provided with a screen for refining and folding the earth towards the ground. This screen is arranged behind the rotary soil working tools, taken in relation to the direction of advance of the chassis. However, such a screen presents a risk of clogging, particularly when working in wet soils where the projected earth is sticky and remains adhered to the screen.

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

[0005] For this purpose, the invention relates to a soil working assembly comprising a chassis equipped from front to rear taken with respect to the direction of advance of the chassis with at least one rotary soil working tool with a horizontal axis of rotation transverse to the direction of advance of the chassis and at least one so-called anti-projection screen capable of being struck by a flow of earth projected by the rotary soil working tool, said screen comprising at least two blades arranged side by side in a direction transverse to the direction of advance of the chassis, each blade having a front face facing the rotary soil working tool and an opposite rear face, at least one of the blades of the screen being an elastically deformable blade to have at least an elastic return force, characterized in that said assembly comprises a device for driving one or more elastically deformable blades of the screen in the forward / rearward direction taken relative to the direction of advance of the chassis, in that said drive device is arranged behind the screen taken relative to the direction of advance of the chassis and is configured to generate on the rear face of the or each elastically deformable blade to be driven in movement a variable bearing force on said blade in a direction opposite to the or an elastic return force of the blade.

[0006] The generation of a bearing force on the rear face of the blade makes it possible to drive at least a portion of the blade in the direction of the front of the chassis against the elastic return force of the blade. This elastic return force of the blade is oriented to drive the blade in the direction of the rear of the chassis against the bearing force exerted on the rear face of the blade. The variation of the bearing force makes it possible to drive the blade towards the front of the chassis when the elastic return force of the blade is less than the bearing force and to drive the blade towards the rear of the chassis when the elastic force of the blade is greater than the bearing force. These opposing elastic return and bearing forces thus cause a front / rear movement of the blade which tends to help the soil to be detached from the blade.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the invention, the drive device comprises, for each elastically deformable blade to be driven in movement, a rotating circular element in the form of a wheel or roller with a horizontal axis of rotation transverse to the direction of advance of the chassis, said element being provided with at least one radial projection forming at least one part of the drive device configured to generate on the rear face of the blade a variable bearing force on said blade in a direction opposite to the or one of the elastic return forces of the blade, the value of the bearing force being a function of the position of the rotating circular element. This results in a simplicity of the device for generating a variable bearing 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 adjacently, in that the rotary circular element of the drive device for one of the blades is rotationally integral with the rotary circular element of the drive device for the other of the blades and in that the radial projections are angularly offset from one rotary circular element to the other.

[0009] The angular offset of the radial projections allows a differentiated, in particular asynchronous, movement of the blades. In other words, the or at least two of the elastically deformable blades to be driven in movement being arranged side by side adjacently, said soil working assembly has at least one configuration in which the pressure exerted on the rear face of one of said blades by the device for driving said blades is different from the pressure exerted on the rear face of the other of said blades by the driving device. The blades thus tend to move away from each other so that the screen forms a discontinuous surface. The driving device is, in the driven state in movement of the chassis, configured to allow the blades of the screen to move from a position in which the blades of said screen are aligned to form a continuous surface to a position in which the blades of said screen are offset at least partially in the front / rear direction of the chassis relative to each other to form a discontinuous surface. This discontinuous surface helps to loosen the soil.

[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-motor element capable of being driven in rotation by contact with the ground under the effect of the forward movement 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 may 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 capable of being struck by a flow of earth and a part for connecting the blade to the frame, the working part and the connecting part being metal or composite parts made from a single piece.

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

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, the rotary soil working tool comprises a rotor, also called a wheel, provided with working members, 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 taken relative to the direction of advance of the chassis and framing the soil working tool. The presence of lateral deflectors allows strip work while preserving the space between strips of earth projection to avoid 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 makes it possible to limit earth projections.

[0017] The invention also relates to a soil working machine comprising at least a soil working assembly, characterized in that the or at least one of the soil working assemblies 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 appended drawings in which:

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

[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 blade of the screen depending on the stress by the drive device.

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

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

[0031] Such a soil working assembly 1 comprises a so-called mobile chassis. Indeed, this chassis 2, which can be carried or towed, can be attached to a tractor vehicle or equipped with a motorization system and drive wheels to form a self-propelled chassis. The version attached 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 movement of the chassis, the front part of the chassis therefore generally being equipped with a coupling system.

[0033] This chassis 2 comprises, from front to rear, at least one rotary soil working tool 3 and at least one anti-projection screen 4 capable of being struck by a flow of earth projected by the rotary soil working tool 5. The chassis 2 is generally a mechanically welded structure formed of beams and crosspieces.

[0034] The rotary soil working tool 3 has a horizontal and transverse axis XX' of rotation to the direction of advance of the chassis 2 taken in the front / rear direction of the chassis 2. It is understood that the term "horizontal" in "horizontal axis" refers to a state of said assembly resting on horizontal ground. This rotary soil working tool 3 comprises a rotor, also called a wheel, provided with working members, such as blades, knives, points and / or hammers. The rotary working tool 3 can thus be a wheel or a group of wheels, preferably a hammer wheel. It is understood that any rotary soil working tool with a rotation around a horizontal axis of rotation transverse to the direction of advance of the chassis 2 can be suitable in the present invention. An example of a hammer wheel is provided in patent FR 3 095 102.

[0035] Generally, these hammers are mounted on a shaft coincident with the axis of rotation of the wheel and the hammers of the wheel extend partially projecting from the outer peripheral edge of the wheel. Each hammer comprises an active soil working part and a connecting arm of the active soil working part of the hammer to the wheel, as illustrated in [Fig.3]. The active part of each hammer comprises a flat striking surface.

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

[0037] This projected flow of earth strikes a screen 4 arranged behind the rotary soil working tool 3, taken with respect to the direction of advance of the chassis 2. This screen 4 comprises, as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, at least two blades 5 arranged side by side. The direction of side-by-side arrangement is a direction, preferably horizontal, which is transverse to the direction of advance of the chassis 2. Each blade 5 has 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 is an elastically deformable blade 5 to present an elastic return 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 a concavity facing the soil working tool 3. 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 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 carried out by bolting or other means.

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

[0042] This produces at least two blades 5 arranged side by side. This embodiment makes it possible to give each blade elasticity. These blades of the screen tend to return under the effect of their elastic return 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 also comprises a device 10 for driving the movement of at least a portion of the blades 5 of the screen 4 in the forward / rearward direction taken relative to the direction of advance of the chassis 2.

[0044] This so-called drive device is arranged behind the screen 4, taken relative to the direction of advancement 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 displacement a variable bearing force F1 on the small tear 5 in a direction opposite to the or an elastic return force F of the blade 5, as illustrated in FIGS. 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 displacement towards the front of the chassis, each blade thus driven in displacement tending, under the effect of its elastic return force, to be returned towards the rear of the chassis to return to the position that it occupies in the unstressed state.

[0046] The screen thus passes from a configuration in which the blades are aligned in the unstressed state of the tears by the displacement drive devices 10 to a non-aligned configuration in which at least one blade driven in displacement by the displacement drive device 10 is offset at least partially forwards 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 allow this movement of the blades relative to each other others, 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 horizontal and transverse to the direction of advancement of the chassis 2.

[0049] This element 11 is 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, in particular angular, of the rotating circular element 11. The detail of the exercise of this bearing force is shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C.

[0050] In the example shown, the projecting part forms a helical ramp type cam which, during the rotation of the rotating circular element 11, exerts a variable support on the blade, as illustrated by the passage from Figures 7A to 7C. Thus in [Fig.7A], the radial projection 12, also called a cock's crest, is approaching the rear face of the blade to be driven. In [Fig.7B], the radial projection 12 is in contact with the rear face of the blade and exerts, due to its embodiment in the form of a helical ramp, a support force which increases during the rotation of the rotating circular element 11 until the contact between the radial projection 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 return 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 movement 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-motor 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] Furthermore, 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 function of driving the blade in movement.

[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 provided with the radial projection(s) 12.

[0056] The blades to be driven in movement of the screen are driven in movement in a desynchronized manner. To enable a desynchronized driving without risk of errors, ideally, for at least two of the elastically deformable blades 5 to be driven in movement arranged side by side adjacently, the rotating circular element 11 of the drive device 10 for one of the blades 5 is integral in rotation with the rotating circular element 11 of the drive device 10 for the other of the blades 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 dotted lines.

[0057] [Fig. 8] illustrates the different positions that can be taken by a blade 5 during its stress by the drive device 10. During the rotational drive of the rotating circular elements 11 integral in rotation, respectively active on two adjacent blades, a relative forward / backward movement of the two blades is observed, one with respect to the other.

[0058] This rotational drive of the rotating circular elements 11 takes place under the sole effect of the advancement of the chassis 2.

[0059] To complete the soil working assembly 1, said assembly 1 comprises two so-called lateral deflectors 13 extending in the front / rear direction taken relative to the direction of advancement 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 relative to the direction of advance of the chassis 2. These two lateral deflectors 13 prevent a flow of earth projected by the rotary soil working member 3 from extending between two strips of worked earth 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 comprises 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 a flow of soil from being sent to an undesired location.

[0062] The soil working machine 15 may comprise a sowing device positionable behind the drive device 10, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0063] The operation of an assembly 1 and a soil working machine 15 equipped with such an assembly are as follows.

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

[0065] In the driven state of 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 earth 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 state not stressed by the drive device 10, tend to move relatively towards the front of the chassis before being returned to their aligned position as a function of their stress by the or each radial projection of the rotating circular elements 11 of the drive device 10.

[0067] This relative front / rear movement 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 / rear 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 strength 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 rotary circular element (11) of the drive device (10) for one of the blades (5) is rotationally fixed to the rotary 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 rotary 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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