Pickup device and general-purpose combine harvester including pickup device

Abstract

To provide a pickup device that can reliably scoop up grain culm or the like, has high durability, and has less failures or damage.SOLUTION: A pickup device to be installed forward of a threshing part of a general-purpose combine harvester includes: a substantially cylindrical rotor; and scooping-up claws fitted to a peripheral surface of the rotor; and support members fitted to both right and left ends of the rotor to support the rotor and to be fitted to the threshing part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pickup device that is attached to the front of the cutting section of a general-purpose combine harvester to pick up already cut grain stalks, etc., and feed them into the cutting section of the general-purpose combine harvester, and to a general-purpose combine harvester equipped with a pickup device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a pickup device that scoops up harvested and dried stalks and the like and feeds them into the harvesting section of a general-purpose combine harvester, and a general-purpose combine harvester equipped with a pickup device have been known (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-190431 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional pickup devices used conveyors with tines (scooping claws) attached, but this caused problems such as the conveyor meandering and making it difficult to scoop up the straw and other materials, and if the conveyor belt was made of rubber or other plastic, it was not durable and prone to damage, and the rollers around which the belt was wound were distorted by the tension of the belt, making them prone to malfunction or damage.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide a pickup device that can reliably scoop up grain stalks and the like, is highly durable, and is less susceptible to breakdowns and damage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve such problems, the present invention has the following configuration. A pickup device that is attached to the front of a harvesting unit of a general-purpose combine, The device has a substantially cylindrical rotor and scooping claws attached to a peripheral surface of the rotor, A pickup device characterized in that support members for supporting the rotating body and attached to the reaping unit are attached to both left and right ends of the rotating body. The present invention also has the following configuration. A general-purpose combine harvester in which the pickup device is mounted in front of the cutting section. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The pickup device of the present invention and a general-purpose combine equipped with a pickup device are composed of an approximately cylindrical rotating body and scooping claws attached to the circumferential surface of the rotating body, so that the scooping claws rotate stably due to the rotating body, enabling the scooping claws to reliably scoop up grain stalks, etc., and because they are formed from a rotating body, breakdowns and damage can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 2 is a diagram showing a rotor 11 and a scooping claw 12 of the pickup device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a left side view of a rotating body 11 of the pickup device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a left side view of a main part of a pickup device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a front view of a reaping unit 2 to which a pickup device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a reaping unit 2 to which a pickup device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a partial left side view of a reaping unit 2 to which a pickup device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a partial left side view of a reaping unit 2 to which a pickup device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached. [Figure 8]FIG. 2 is a partial left side view of a reaping unit 2 to which a pickup device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a front view of a rotating body 11 according to a modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, a pickup device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention and a general-purpose combine harvester equipped with the pickup device 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different drawings indicate parts having the same functions, and duplicated descriptions in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate. For the sake of convenience, terms indicating directions such as up, down, forward, backward, right, and left are used, but the direction of gravity is downward, and the opposite is upward. The direction in which the multi-purpose combine moves is forward, and the opposite is backward. Furthermore, when facing forward, the right side is the right side, and the left side is the left side.

[0010] [Overall structure] The pickup device 1 of this embodiment is attached to the front of a reaping unit 2 of a general-purpose combine harvester (not shown in its entirety). Note that the general-purpose combine harvester is well known, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0011] [Pickup device] FIG. 1(a) is a front view of a rotating body 11 of a pickup device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1(b) is a left side view and a front view of a scooping claw 12, FIG. 2 is a left side view of the same, and FIG. 3 is a left side view of the same rotating body 11 with a tire 13 and a support arm 14 (support member) attached thereto. FIG. 4 is a front view of the reaping unit 2 to which the pickup device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the same, and FIG. 6 is a partial left side view of the same reaping unit 2. As shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a partial left side view of the reaping unit 2 to which the pickup device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached, and is a view mainly for explaining the drive mechanism of the rotor 11 and the air outlet 27. FIG. 8 is a partial left side view of the reaping unit 2 to which the pickup device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached, and is a view mainly for explaining the reel 28. The pickup device 1 has a rotating body 11, a scooping claw 12, a tire 13 (wheel body), and two support arms 14. The rotating body 11 is supported at both ends by two support arms 14 at the front end of the cutting part 2. The rotating body 11 has a width approximately the same as the left-right width of the cutting section 2 and is driven to rotate counterclockwise when viewed from the left side. Grain stalks and the like that have already been cut and placed in the field are scooped up by the scooping claws 12 and fed into the cutting section 2.

[0012] The rotor 11 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and the scooping claw support parts 112, which extend in the long axis direction of the rotor 11 and have a rectangular cross section, are attached to the circumferential surface of the rotor 11 by welding. In this embodiment, the scooping claw support parts 112 are attached at four locations at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotor 11, i.e., at intervals of 90°. The number of scooping claw support parts 112 is not limited to four, and any number of locations may be used as long as multiple locations are provided. Furthermore, the scooping claw support parts 112 may be attached to the rotor 11 by other fastening means such as bolts and nuts, rather than by welding. Support shafts 111 protrude from both the left and right ends of the rotating body 11, and these support shafts 111 are rotatably supported on the front ends of two support arms 14, and the base ends of the support arms 14 are pivoted so as to be able to rotate up and down on the support arm support shaft 21b arranged inside the side portion 21 of the cutting unit 2, so that the rotating body 11 is supported so as to be able to swing up and down relative to the cutting unit 2.

[0013] A hydraulic motor 15, which is a drive mechanism for driving the rotor 11, is attached to one of the support arms 14 (see Figs. 4 and 7). Pressurized oil is supplied to the hydraulic motor 15 from the main body of the general-purpose combine harvester. The driving force of the hydraulic motor 15 is transmitted to the rotating body 11 by a chain mechanism 16 (see FIG. 7 etc.). That is, a driving sprocket 16a is attached to the output shaft of the hydraulic motor 15, a driven sprocket 16b is attached to a support shaft 111 of the rotating body 11, and a chain 16c is wound around the driving sprocket 16a and the driven sprocket 16b, thereby transmitting the rotation of the hydraulic motor 15 to the rotating body 11. The chain mechanism 16 is housed in a chain case (not shown). Note that instead of the chain mechanism 16, other power transmission mechanisms such as a belt mechanism or a combination of gears and a drive shaft may be used. In this embodiment, the rotor 11 is driven by a hydraulic motor 15, but it may also be driven by an electric motor, or it may also be driven by the driving force transmitted from the main body of the general-purpose combine to the harvesting unit 2. In addition, a driving means such as a hydraulic motor may be directly attached to the support shaft 111 of the rotor 11.

[0014] The scooping claws 12 are attached at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction of the scooping claw support portion 112 (see FIG. 1, etc.). The scooping claws 12 are formed in a shape in which two claw portions 121, which are symmetrical on the left and right, are paired and connected by a generally U-shaped connecting portion 122. The scooping claws 12 are attached to the outer surface of the scooping claw support portion 112, facing upstream in the direction of rotation of the rotor 11 (see the arrow in FIG. 2, etc.). The scooping claws 12 are attached such that the connecting portion 122 and a mounting portion 12a, which will be described later, are sandwiched between the outer surface of the scooping claw support portion 112 and a pressing plate 112a. The pressing plate 112a is fixed to the scooping claw support portion 112 by a bolt 112b. The attachment of the pressing plate 112a to the scooping claw support portion 112 is not limited to the bolts 112b, and other fastening means may be used, or the scooping claws 12 may be attached to the scooping claw support portion 112 by other fastening means without using the pressing plate 112a. The scooping claws 12 may be formed by separately forming two claw portions 121 having a symmetrical shape without connecting them, and then each may be attached. Also, the scooping claws 12 are attached to the long scooping claw support portion 112, but multiple scooping claw support portions each for mounting one scooping claw 12 may be attached to the rotating body 11, or the scooping claws 12 may be attached directly to the rotating body 11.

[0015] The claw portion 121 has an attachment portion 12a on the connecting portion 122 side, which is attached to the scooping claw support portion 112 together with the connecting portion 122. A coil spring portion 12b (elastic body) extending in the longitudinal direction of the rotor 11 is continuous with the attachment portion 12a, and a scooping portion 12c facing the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor 11 is continuous with the coil spring portion 12b (see FIG. 1(b) and the like). The scooping part 12c has a curved part 12c1 that is curved so as to bulge radially inward of the rotor 11 when viewed from the side, and has a shape in which the tip side faces radially outward of the rotor 11. This curved part 12c1 enables the scooping part 12c to reliably hook and scoop up stalks and the like. At the tip side of the curved portion 12c1, a bent portion 12c2 is formed that is bent toward the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor 11. This bent portion 12c2 causes the tip of the scooping claw 12 to face the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor 11 again, so that the stalks, etc., hooked on the scooping portion 12c can be removed from the scooping portion 12c at the front end of the reaping unit 2 and can be reliably thrown into the reaping unit 2, and the stalks, etc. can be kept hooked, so that excessive load is not applied to the scooping claw 12, the rotor 11, and the hydraulic motor 15. This shape of the claw portion 121 enables the grain stalks, etc. to be securely hooked and scooped up, and also has the effect of enabling the grain stalks, etc. hooked onto the scooping portion 12c by the claw portion 121 to be securely fed into the harvesting portion 2.

[0016] A tire 13 is rotatably mounted on each of the tire support shafts 13a on the outer sides of the two support arms 14 that support the rotating body 11 (see Figs. 3, 4 and 5). The rotation shaft of the tire 13 is arranged coaxially with the rotation shaft of the rotating body 11. The tire 13 is not driven by a hydraulic motor 15 and a chain mechanism 16 that are the drive mechanism of the rotating body 11, but is supported so as to rotate freely. The tires 13 are mounted so as to come into contact with and follow the cutting surface (field surface) G, and by using tires whose entire outer peripheral surface 13b is positioned outside the outer peripheral edge 12d of the rotational trajectory of the scooping claws 12, it is possible to prevent the tips of the scooping claws 12 from colliding with the cutting surface (see Figure 6). In this embodiment, a rubber tire is used as the tire 13, but the tire is not limited to this and any rotating wheel such as a metal roller may be used. In this embodiment, the rotation axis of the tire 13 and the rotation axis of the rotor 11 are configured to be coaxial, but the rotation axis of the tire 13 and the rotation axis of the rotor 11 do not have to be coaxial. In addition, the entire outer peripheral surface 13b of the tire 13 does not have to be located outside the outer peripheral edge 12d of the rotation trajectory of the scooping claws 12, and it is sufficient that a part of the outer peripheral surface 13b of the tire 13 (around the ground contact portion) is configured to be present between the lower end of the outer peripheral edge of the rotation trajectory of the scooping claws 12 and the cutting surface G.

[0017] As described above, the two support arms 14 are supported by the support arm support shafts 21b at the front end sides of both side surface portions 21 of the cutting unit 2 so as to be able to swing up and down. The front end surfaces of these side surface portions 21 are each formed with a side surface portion front opening 21a that is long in the vertical direction for inserting the support arm 14 therethrough. The support arm 14 is able to swing up and down within the opening range of the side surface portion front opening 21a (see FIGS. 4 and 6). As described above, tires 13 are mounted on the outside of the two support arms 14. When the tires 13 move up and down following the cutting surface, the two support arms 14 swing up and down, enabling the pickup device 1 to move up and down following the cutting surface G. Thereby, the pickup device 1 can be held at an appropriate height with respect to the cutting surface G. That is, the tires 13 act as so-called gauge rollers.

[0018] Even when the tires 13 are mounted, due to obstacles such as the inclination of the cutting surface G, small unevenness, and large stones, the scooping claws 12 may come into contact with the cutting surface G or the like. In that case, since the scooping claws 12 can escape by the coil spring portions 12b of the scooping claws 12, excessive force is not applied to the mounting portions of the scooping claws 12 or their rotating bodies 11, and damage to the mounting portions of the scooping claws 12 or their rotating bodies 11 can be prevented.

[0019] [Cutting section] The cutting section 2 is similar to the cutting section of a known general-purpose combine, but a part of it is improved for use. The cutting section 2 has side faces 21 on both sides, a top face 22 above the side faces 21 on both sides, and a bottom face 23 below, and has a space for collecting the cut cereal straws and the like (see FIGS. 4 to 8). Also, a cutting blade 25 is installed in the left-right direction at the tip side of the bottom face 23 (see FIG. 6), and a reel 28 for scraping the cereal straws and the like into the cutting section 2 is suspended above the cutting section 2 (see FIG. 8). Behind the space of the cutting section 2, a conveying auger 24 for collecting the gathered cereal straws and the like to the center in the left-right direction is arranged in the left-right direction. The cereal straws and the like collected in the center are transferred to the threshing section of the general-purpose combine body by a transfer device connected to the rear center of the cutting section 2.

[0020] On each of the side faces 21 of the cutting section 2, there are provided support arm support shafts 21b for supporting the two support arms 14 of the pickup device 1 so as to be swingable up and down (see FIGS. 6, 7, etc.). In front of the transport auger 24 of the cutting unit 2, a resin guide plate 26 is installed on the upper surface of the bottom portion 23 so as to cover the bottom portion 23 and the cutting blade 25 from below the transport auger 24 to the front of the cutting blade 25 provided at the bottom tip of the cutting unit 2 (see Figures 6, 7, etc.). When the pick-up device 1 is used, the stalks and the like have already been cut, and therefore the cutting blade 25 is not used. Therefore, the cutting blade 25 may be removed. The stalks and the like scooped up by the scooping claws 12 of the pickup device 1 are dropped onto the guide plate 26 and guided to the conveying auger 24 behind the guide plate 26. The guide plate 26 is made of resin, on which the stalks and the like tend to slip. The rotor 11 and guide plate 26 are arranged so that a gap S is provided between the tip of the guide plate 26 and the outer periphery of the rotation path of the scooping claws 12 (see FIG. 6). This gap S allows foreign objects such as stones scooped up by the scooping claws 12 to fall onto the reaping surface, preventing the foreign objects from being thrown into the reaping section 2 and transported to the threshing section, thereby damaging the threshing section.

[0021] An air outlet 27 is attached to the lower part of the bottom surface portion 23 of the reaping unit 2 (see FIG. 7). The air outlet 27 blows air A toward the rotor 11 in front of the reaping unit 2. The air A is mainly blown upward toward the rear and upper sides of the support shaft 111 of the rotor 11 (see the dashed line in FIG. 7), which makes it easier for the scooped up stalks to separate from the scooping claws 12 at the front end of the reaping unit 2 and prevents them from falling onto the reaping surface, thereby more reliably feeding the stalks, etc., scooped up by the scooping claws 12 into the reaping unit 2. The air outlet 27 may be a slit having a length equal to the overall width of the reaping unit 2, or a plurality of air outlets 27 may be arranged in the width direction of the reaping unit 2. A blower (not shown) that supplies air to the air outlet 27 is disposed at an appropriate position in the reaping unit 2.

[0022] As described above, the reel 28 is suspended above the reaping unit 2 (see FIG. 8). In this embodiment, a protective member 28b, such as a soft resin tube, is attached to the tip of each tine 28a of the reel 28 to prevent damage to the stalks and the like.

[0023] [Variations] FIG. 9 is a front view of a rotating body 11 according to a modified example of the present invention. In this embodiment, the scooping claws 12 are attached at the same longitudinal position in all scooping claw support parts 112 (see Figure 1, etc.), but in this modified example, the scooping claws 12 are attached at adjacent scooping claw support parts 112 in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 11 with a half pitch offset from each other, that is, arranged in a so-called staggered pattern. That is, the scooping claws 12 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the rotor 11 are attached so that their positions in the longitudinal direction of the rotor 11 are shifted. In a pickup device 1 in which adjacent scooping claws 12 arranged circumferentially around the rotor 11 are mounted so that their positions in the longitudinal direction of the rotor 11 are offset, as in this staggered arrangement, the scooping claws 12 are arranged without gaps across the entire width of the harvesting section 2, enabling grain stalks and the like to be scooped up more reliably. As long as the scooping claws 12 are arranged without gaps across the entire width of the cutting section 2, any arrangement may be used, not limited to a staggered arrangement.

[0024] As described above, the pickup device 1 according to the embodiment and the modified example of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention includes design changes and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1 Pick-up device 11 Rotating Body 111 Spindle 112 Scooping claw support part 112a Retaining plate 112b Bolt 12 Scooping Claws 121 Claw part 122 Connecting part 12a Mounting part 12b Coil spring part 12c Scooping section 12c1 Curved section 12c2 Bend part 12d Outer edge of rotation path 13 Tires 13a Tire support shaft 13b Outer surface 14 Support arm 15 Hydraulic motor 16 Chain mechanism 16a Drive sprocket 16b driven sprocket 16c chain 2 Reaping part 21 Side part 21a Side front opening 21b Support arm support shaft 22 Top section 23 Bottom part 24 Transport Auger 25 cutting blade 26 Information Board 27 Ventilation vent 28 Reels 28a Tyne 28b Protective material A Air G Cutting surface S Gap

Claims

1. A pickup device that is attached to the front of a harvesting unit of a general-purpose combine, The device has a substantially cylindrical rotor and scooping claws attached to a peripheral surface of the rotor, A pickup device characterized in that support members for supporting the rotating body and attached to the reaping unit are attached to both left and right ends of the rotating body.

2. 2. The pickup device according to claim 1, wherein a wheel is rotatably attached to each of the left and right ends of the rotating body.

3. the rotation axis of the wheel is coaxial with the rotation axis of the rotor, 3. The pickup device according to claim 2, wherein an outer circumferential surface of the wheel is positioned outside an outer circumferential edge of a rotation path of the scooping claws.

4. 2. The pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the scooping claw is bent toward the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor.

5. 2. The pickup device according to claim 1, wherein adjacent scooping claws in the circumferential direction of the rotating body are attached so that their positions in the longitudinal direction of the rotating body are shifted from each other.

6. A general-purpose combine harvester having a pickup device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 attached in front of the reaping section.

7. 7. The general-purpose combine harvester according to claim 6, wherein the rotating body has a width substantially the same as an overall width in the left-right direction of the cutting unit.

8. 7. The general-purpose combine harvester according to claim 6, wherein the support member is attached to the cutting section so as to be rotatable up and down.

9. The general-purpose combine harvester according to claim 6, characterized in that a guide plate made of resin is attached to an upper surface of the bottom part of the cutting part.

10. 7. The general-purpose combine harvester according to claim 6, wherein the cutting section includes a reel, and a protective member made of resin is attached to a tip of a tine attached to the reel.

11. The general-purpose combine harvester according to claim 6, characterized in that an air outlet for blowing air toward the rotor is attached to a lower portion of the bottom surface of the cutting unit.

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