BE1019825A3 - AUTOMOTIVE GROUND MACHINE FOR TREATING A PRODUCT ON THE GROUND AND MOUNTING KIT FOR SUCH A MACHINE. - Google Patents

Abstract

Self-propelled ground machine for treating a product on the ground and kit for mounting it, said machine comprising, on a frame (1), a motor (7), a control cabin (8) of the machine , which is laterally movable on the frame, a treatment device (12) of the product on the floor and a conveyor (13) of the product, at least a portion of which is located under the cabin.

Description

Self propelled land machine for processing a product on the aol and mounting kit of such machine

Field of the invention The invention relates to self-propelled land-based machines for treating a product on the ground.

STATE OF THE ART Industrial activity makes extensive use of ground machines, mounted on wheels or caterpillars, for the treatment of products.

In agriculture, such machines are used on crop fields, for the harvesting and loading of rotating roots (beets, chicory), for the harvesting of potatoes, for the collection and collection of fodder or green waste, and for the application of amendments (illustrative, non-exhaustive list).

Such machines are also used in civil engineering, particularly for the evacuation of soil, cuttings, construction debris or sludge or for the transport and spreading of sand or gravel (illustrative list, not exhaustive).

These terrestrial machines are each adapted to a specific destination.

Thus, in document FR-2,533,798, there is described a machine for removing beet, comprising, on a self-propelled frame mounted on two sets of wheels, an engine, a control cabin in front of the engine and a storage bin. harvested beets, placed behind the cabin. A chassis, hinged to the frame, carries a disc harvester for the removal of sugar beets. The disc harvester is followed by a device for conveying the beet removed to the storage bin. This conveying device comprises a set of beet cleaning turbines, housed under the cabin, and an endless chain type elevator, which opens above the storage tank.

In document US-2003/0037527, a forage harvester is described comprising, on a self-propelled wheel-mounted frame, a mower, a cutting rotor and a conveyor passing under the cabin and opening into a discharge tube at the rear. of the frame.

These known machines are expensive construction and their use is limited in time (at harvest time), which further strike their operating cost and imposes long periods of depreciation. The long amortization period of these machines is detrimental to their competitiveness in terms of technological development.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention aims to remedy the aforementioned disadvantages of the known machines described above.

The invention aims more particularly to provide machines of the type described above, which are versatile.

An object of the invention is therefore to provide a machine that can easily be adapted to several different functions, depending on the circumstances.

A very particular object of the invention is to provide a versatile agricultural machine that can be easily converted to different agricultural functions, including harvesting, loading and spreading of amendments.

Another object of the invention is to provide a kit for mounting such a machine and its selective adaptation to several distinct functions.

Accordingly, the invention relates to a self-propelled land machine for treating a product on the ground, comprising, on a frame, a motor, a control cabin of the machine, a device for treating the product on the ground, and a conveyor of the product, at least a portion of which is located under the cab, the machine being characterized in that the cab is laterally movable on the frame.

Detailed description of the invention

The machine according to the invention comprises a frame which is mounted on wheels or tracks to allow it to circulate on the ground. The wheels and / or the tracks are adapted to the destination of the machine, especially the ground on which it is to evolve. This may include cultivated land or industrial sites, for example quarries, civil engineering works or factory halls. It may be interesting that the frame is adapted to receive different types of wheels or tracks, depending on the destination of the machine.

The frame of the machine carries a device for treating a product on the floor. This device will depend on the processed product and the function of the machine. It may for example include tools for pulling or loading rotating roots on an agricultural field, picking combs or / or a mower for collecting fodder or green waste, or a device for picking up amendments. (in the case of an agricultural machine) or solid bulk material (in the case of a machine used on a civil engineering site) (illustrative, non-exhaustive list). The actuation of said treatment device is carried out by any appropriate means, which will be exemplified below.

The frame also carries a conveyor whose function is to convey the product between the treatment device and an operating area located behind the cabin.

The operating area is not critical for the definition of the invention and will depend on the destination of the machine. It may for example include a tank for storing a solid product, a tank for storing a liquid product or a product packaging apparatus. In the case of a machine intended for a mining or metallurgical application, the packaging apparatus may for example comprise a crusher, a grinder and / or a screen. In the case of an agricultural machine for the collection and treatment of green waste or fodder, the packaging machine may for example comprise a grinder followed by a spreading distributor located at the rear of the frame, or a apparatus for bundling or stacking, followed by an evacuation device on the ground behind the machine. In the case of an agricultural machine for loading a liquid amendment, the packaging apparatus may comprise a processing tank of said amendment (for example with a chemical additive) followed by a spreading ramp of the resulting product on the floor, behind the machine. In a modified embodiment, the product operating area may be located on an independent vehicle, moving in the vicinity of the machine, generally adjacent thereto or behind it. This embodiment is especially applicable to certain agricultural machines, especially for the picking and loading of beet or for the collection and loading of green waste or fodder.

The conveyor structure is not critical for the definition of the invention and will depend on the destination of the machine and the nature of the product being processed. The conveyor may in particular be selected from flexible conveyor belts, rolling aprons, Archimedean screws, chain lifters, bucket or bucket elevators, pipe networks (illustrative list, not exhaustive).

Depending on the destination of the machine, the conveyor is used to transfer the product from the front to the back of the frame, or, conversely, from the back to the front. The drive of the conveyor is carried out by any appropriate means, which will be exemplified further.

In the remainder of this memo, the terms 'front', 'backward', 'front', 'behind' and 'prior' are defined with respect to the normal direction of advancement of the machine on the ground.

Examples of machines where the conveyor is used to transfer the product from front to back include agricultural harvesting machines, mining machines for the disposal of ores in quarries and civil engineering machinery for the production of machinery. evacuation of cuttings (illustrative list, not exhaustive).

The machine being self propelled, it carries a motor on the frame. This engine (hereinafter referred to as the 'main motor') serves to actuate all the functional organs of the machine, in particular to move it on the ground, to operate the treatment device mentioned above, to drive the conveyor and, if necessary, to maneuver the conditioning apparatus cited above with reference to the area of operation. The actuation of these functional units is usually operated by means of hydraulic or electric auxiliary engines, which are actuated from pumps or electric alternators driven by the main engine. The choice of the main motor is not critical for the definition of the invention. It is generally an internal combustion engine, for example a diesel engine, although other types of engines may also be suitable, for example turbines.

The cockpit is intended for an operator to maneuver the machine on the ground and operate it.

In the machine according to the invention, at least a portion of the treatment device is in front of the cabin and at least a portion of the conveyor is located under the cabin. In the majority of cases, the entire treatment device is in front of the cabin.

According to the invention, the cab is laterally displaceable on the frame, between a working position and an assembly position.

In the rest of this specification, the terms 'longitudinal', 'axial' and 'lateral' are defined with respect to the normal direction of advance of the machine, a lateral displacement therefore being a transverse displacement with respect to the direction of advancement. of the machine. The working position of the cab is the position it normally occupies on the frame during the normal operation of the machine, for example on a growing ground (in the case of an agricultural machine) or on a construction site (in the case of a civil engineering machine). In the working position, the cabin overhangs at least a portion of the conveyor. The assembly position is a position of the cabin, which makes the conveyor accessible to an operator (in particular to ensure the maintenance of the conveyor, to extract it from the frame or to replace it with another conveyor). Usually, when it occupies the assembly position, the cabin no longer overhangs the conveyor, although this is not an imperative condition within the scope of the invention.

In a particular embodiment of the machine according to the invention, the working position of the cabin is an axial position.

In a preferred embodiment, the conveyor and the processing device are removable and, preferably, interchangeable. In this preferred embodiment, the invention is especially adapted to multi-purpose machines, allowing the substitution of the processing device, the conveyor and possibly the operating area to change the destination of the machine. For example, to convert an agricultural machine for pulling and loading beet into a machine for picking up a solid amendment, it is sufficient, after moving the cab sideways, to extract the pulling and loading tools. sugar beet and substitute loading elements with a solid amendment.

The preferred embodiment which has just been described applies equally to machines for the treatment of solids and to machines for the treatment of liquids.

In the case of solids processing, interchangeable conveyors and interchangeable processing devices are respectively conveyors and solids processing devices. They can be conveyors and devices for processing agricultural products or conveyors and devices for processing products from the manufacturing industry. Examples of farm-related applications include beet, chicory or potato harvesting devices, plant silage harvesters, fodder or waste collection devices. Examples of applications related to the manufacturing industry include bulk solids collection devices on the ground, such as powders, sand, granules, rocks, stones, solid metal debris and similar products .

In the case of the treatment of liquids, interchangeable conveyors and interchangeable treatment devices are respectively conveyors and devices for sampling liquids on the floor or on another substrate or in a container (for example a storage pit) such as, for example sludge from manufacturing industries, sludge from agri-food processing, manure or digestate from biomethanation stations (illustrative list, not exhaustive).

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the engine is located behind the cab and the conveyor extends both under the cab and behind it and it overhangs the engine. This embodiment of the invention is especially suitable for machines in which the conveyor opens above a storage tank or a product conditioning device, located on the frame, behind the engine. It allows, after moving the cab laterally, to easily remove the entire conveyor to substitute another conveyor. For example, it makes it possible to substitute a conveyor of the chain or belt type for harvesting and transfer of plants to a storage tank, by a network of pipes for the transfer of a liquid amendment to a tank located on the frame. .

The machine according to the invention is a convertible machine. It is adaptable to multiple applications in the agricultural, manufacturing, mining and civil engineering sectors.

The invention therefore also relates to a kit for mounting a machine according to the invention, said kit comprising, on the one hand, a basic structure comprising a frame mounted on wheels or tracks and carrying a motor and a cabin which is laterally displaceable on the frame, between a working position and an assembly position, away from the working position, and on the other hand, a set of accessories each comprising a treatment device of a produced on the floor and a conveyor adapted to said product and adapted to be mounted, removably, on the frame, so that the cabin overhangs when it occupies the aforesaid working position and is removed when occupying the aforementioned assembly position.

In the kit according to the invention, the elements forming the basic structure (frame, motor, control cabin) and the accessories (processing device, conveyor, operating area, conditioning device) have been defined above, in reference to the machine according to the invention. The working position of the cabin on the frame and its assembly position have also been defined above.

In the kit according to the invention, the treatment device may for example be selected from the devices for removing and / or loading beetroot, plant forage harvesters, fodder or green waste collection devices, the devices for the collection of powders, granules, rocks, stones, solid metal debris and similar products, sludge sampling devices for manufacturing industries, sludges for agri-food processing, slurry or digestate biogas. The choice of the conveyor is conditioned by the treatment device and must be selected by those skilled in the art. Depending on the case, it can be selected from flexible conveyor belts (for example made of rubber), rolling aprons, Archimedean screws, chain lifters, bucket or bucket elevators, pipe networks (list illustrative, non-exhaustive).

In the basic structure of the kit according to the invention, the cabin is advantageously arranged in the longitudinal axis of the frame, when it occupies the working position.

Furthermore, the engine is preferably located behind the cockpit.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the kit also comprises an apparatus for packaging a solid product in bulk and / or a liquid product, this apparatus being designed to be mounted on the frame. This conditioning apparatus has been defined above, with reference to the machine according to the invention.

It may include a tray or a storage tank. In a variant of this embodiment of the invention, the conditioning apparatus is located on the frame, behind the engine.

The invention finds multiple industrial applications, since, by substitution of the accessories between them, the same basic structure can be adapted, as necessary, to several successive technical functions.

The invention finds a particularly advantageous application in the agricultural sector, where it allows the production of versatile agricultural machines, which can be converted, depending on the seasons and needs. By way of example, the same basic structure can be successively converted into a machine for lifting and / or loading pivoting roots (beetroot or chicory for example), a machine for picking up and harvesting apples. land, a machine for the collection of green waste or fodder on a field or meadow (illustrative list, not exhaustive).

The invention also applies to the manufacturing sector where, starting from the same basic structure, it can be converted successively into a construction machine (for example for the removal of cuttings, the loading and the transport of sand, earth, lime, metallurgical slag, gravel or pebbles), a machine intended for the extractive industry (for example for the extraction, treatment and / or disposal of rocks, ores or coal) , or a machine for the metallurgical or glass industry (illustrative, non-exhaustive list).

Brief description of the figures

Features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the accompanying figures, which show some particular embodiments of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the basic structure of a machine according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of the basic structure of Figure 1, the cab has been moved laterally on the frame;

Figure 3 is a top view of the basic structure of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a front view, similar to Figure 2, of a machine combining the basic structure and accessories;

Figure 5 is a front view of the machine of Figure 4, ready for use; and

Figure 6 shows the machine of Figure 5 in perspective.

The figures are not drawn to scale.

Generally, the same reference numbers designate the same elements.

Detailed description of particular embodiments

Figures 1 to 3 show the basic structure of a kit according to the invention for assembling a machine according to the invention. The basic structure comprises a frame 1 mounted on three sets of wheels 2, 3 and 4. Although three sets of wheels are shown in the figures, the number of wheel sets is not critical and can be limited to two or more. greater than three. Alternatively, some or all of the wheel sets may be replaced by one or more pairs of tracks.

The frame 1 comprises a low rear part 5 and an elevated front part 6 in front of the low structure 5. The terms 'rear', 'anterior', 'before' and 'behind' are defined with respect to the direction of the normal movement of the machine. , shown by the arrow X in FIGS. 1 and 6. The lower part 5 carries a diesel engine 7 (FIG. 3) situated immediately behind the upper part 6. The upper part 6 is formed of two longitudinal members 9 and 10, leaving them a clearance large enough to accommodate an elevator of agricultural materials. The rails 9 and 10 support a cabin 8 for an operator to control the machine. The cabin 8 can be moved laterally between an axial position and a lateral position. In the axial position, visible in Figure 5, the cabin 8 is disposed substantially in the axis of the frame 1. This is the position it occupies during normal use of the machine. In Figures 2 and 3, the cabin is in a lateral position and overhangs one of the front wheels 2. In this position, it releases the clearance 11.

In Figure 4, the basic structure carries an accessory on the frame 1. This accessory comprises a double Archimedean screw 12 with inverted steps, followed by a chain hoist 13. The chain hoist 13 is inclined front to the rear, overlooking the engine 7 and opens above a collection and storage tank 14, disposed on the lower part 5 of the frame 1, behind the engine 7.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the cabin 8 has been returned to its normal axial position and it then overhangs the elevator 13.

The machine shown schematically in Figures 5 and 6 is adapted to pick up an amendment on the ground, for example on a field. Examples of amendments include sugar scum, manure, compost, sewage sludge.

To convert the machine and assign it to another use, the cab 8 is moved laterally to an assembly position, to release the clearance 11 of the frame, as shown schematically in FIG. elevator 13, which is extracted from the frame, as well as the screw Archimedes 12. Depending on the future destination of the machine, it can maintain the tray 14 on the frame 1 or remove. This returns to the basic structure of Figures 2 and 3. There may be another accessory in the clearance 11, for example a flexible rubber conveyor belt, a chain hoist, a blower, a pipe network (for the transfer of a liquid amendment), or an Archimedean screw, depending on the intended purpose of the machine. After arranging said accessory in the clearance 11, the cabin 8 is repositioned in its axial working position (in the axis of the frame 1).

Claims (15)

1. A self-propelled ground machine for treating a product on the ground, comprising, on a frame (1), a motor (7), a control cabin (8) of the machine, a treatment device (12) of the produced on the floor, and a conveyor (13) of the product, at least a portion of which is located under the cabin, characterized in that the cabin (8) is laterally displaceable on the frame (1). 2. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the cab (8) is movable from a working position, in which it overhangs the conveyor (13), to an assembly position, in which it is spaced from the conveyor. 3. Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the working position of the cabin (8) is an axial position. 4. Machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the motor (7) is located behind the cab (8) and in that the conveyor (13) extends behind the cab (8) and overhangs the engine (7). 5. Machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the conveyor (13) opens above an operating area (14) of the product, located behind the engine (7). 6. Machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the operating area comprises a product conditioning device, selected from the storage tanks (14) of solid products, crushers, grinders and screens of solid products, apparatus for bundling or stacking fodder or green products, vats for storing and / or treating liquid agricultural amendments, distributors for spreading solid or liquid agricultural amendments at the rear of the frame . 7. Machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the conveyor (13) and the processing device (12) are removable. 8. Machine according to claim 7, characterized in that the conveyor (13) and the processing device (12) are selected from interchangeable conveyors and interchangeable processing devices. 9. Machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the interchangeable conveyors (13) and the interchangeable processing devices (12) are respectively conveyors and solids processing devices. 10. Machine according to claim 9, characterized in that the interchangeable conveyors (13) and the interchangeable processing devices (12) are respectively conveyors and devices for processing agricultural products and / or products from the manufacturing industry. . 11. Machine according to claim 10, characterized in that the treatment devices (12) of agricultural products are selected from the tools for lifting and / or loading of pivoting roots on an agricultural field, combs pickers and / or mowers for collecting fodder or green waste, tools for picking up amendments and in that the processing devices (12) of products from the manufacturing industry are selected from the tools for picking up solids loose on the floor. 12. Machine according to claim 11, characterized in that the bulk solids are selected from powders, granules, rocks, crushed stone, solid metal debris and similar products. 13. Machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the interchangeable conveyors (13) and the interchangeable treatment devices (12) are respectively conveyors and devices for sampling liquids on the ground or on another substrate or in a container, selected from sludge from manufacturing industries and sludge from agri-food operations. 14. Kit for mounting a machine according to any one of claims 1 to 14, comprising, on the one hand, a base structure comprising a frame (1) mounted on wheels (2, 3, 4) or tracks and carrying a motor (7) and a cockpit (8) which is laterally movable on the frame, between a working position and a lateral position and, on the other hand, a set of accessories each comprising a treatment (12) of a product on the ground and a conveyor (13) adapted to said product and adapted to be mounted, removably, on the frame, so that the cabin overhangs it when in the working position said and spaced apart when it occupies the aforementioned lateral position. 15. Kit according to claim 15, characterized in that the treatment device (12) is selected from the devices for pulling or loading of beets on a field of culture, plant silage harvesters, forage harvesting devices. or green waste on a field of culture, the loading devices of an amendment, devices for the collection of powders, granules, rocks, stones, solid metal debris and similar products, sludge collection devices of manufacturing industries and sludge from agrifood operations and in that the conveyor (13) is selected from flexible conveyor belts, rolling aprons, Archimedean screws, chain elevators and bucket or trough elevators and the piping networks.