BE1023629B1 - Crop residue distribution device for a combine harvester - Google Patents

Abstract

A crop residue distribution device for a combine harvester (10) comprises a straw chopper (60) and / or a blower (100) which and / or which is configured to generate an air flow in which crop residues are carried and one with an outlet of the straw chopper (60) ) and / or blower (100) coupled, pneumatic line arrangement (204) for receiving the air flow, which is provided or connected to several delivery points (210, 310) distributed transversely to the forward direction of the combine harvester (10) for the crop residues. The delivery points (210, 310) can be attached to a harvesting header.

Description

Harvest distribution device for a combine harvester description

The invention relates to a crop residue distribution device for a combine harvester.

State of the art

Agricultural combines are large machines that carry crop, harvest, thresh, separate and clean agriculturally grown crops that carry grain. The resulting clean grain is stored in a grain tank on the combine harvester. The threshed straw is usually, as described for example in EP 2 250 870 A1, either chopped in a chopping mode and distributed by the straw chopper downstream throwing fan over the cutting width on the field or passed around the straw chopper in a swathing mode and in non-chopped form in put down a swath in the field for later picking up with a baling press. The remaining crop residue at the rear outlet of the cleaning device, such as Kaff and small pieces of straw, can also be passed through the straw chopper in both modes and distributed by the throwing fan on the field.

Similarly, US 4 711 253 A shows a combine where the coffee is blown away by a stream of air generated by a separate blower in the transverse direction. CA 2 440 082 A1 shows another combine harvester with a blower which generates an air flow which is applied to the crop shredded by the straw chopper to distribute it across the field.

The distribution of the crop residue is thus carried by the wind blowers or the blower wind, which carries the crop residues with it. This type of Erntegutresteverteilung are set by ever larger cutting widths limits, however, because throws in the order of more than 10 m (corresponding to a cutting width of 20 m, which should be achievable at least with cutting units with cross conveyor belts in the foreseeable future) can be in this way hardly to reach. Furthermore, it can be seen that smaller particles do not fly as far as larger particles, which leads to an inhomogeneous distribution across the width.

In DE 10 2005 048 052 A1, a combine harvester is described in which the crop residues are conveyed transversely to the forward direction by a conveyor belt or a roller conveyor in a mechanical manner and delivered successively to the field. Here, the kinetic energy that is imparted by the straw chopper at least to the straw particles must be destroyed again before being overloaded on the conveyor belt, which on the one hand makes little sense under energy considerations and on the other technical problems in the realization of the separation of the crop residues from the air flow generated by the straw chopper should raise. Furthermore, the conveyor for crop residue distribution - next to the cutting - another boom, the side of the combine protrudes outward and makes it impossible to take over the crop with a transport vehicle within the cutting width. The unloading conveyor must therefore be wider than the cutting unit.

WO 2015/022343 A1 shows a combine harvester in which the unloading conveyor is mounted on the cutting unit. The problem of the crop residue distribution is not solved.

task

The object underlying the invention is seen to provide a Erntegutresteverteileinrichtung for a combine harvester, which does not have the above-mentioned problems or to a lesser extent. solution

The present invention is defined by the claims.

A harvestable crop distributor for a combine harvester includes a straw chopper and / or a blower configured and / or configured to produce an airflow carrying crop debris and a pneumatic conduit assembly coupled to an exit of the straw chopper and / or blower for receiving the crop Air flow provided with or connected to a plurality of crop residue dispensers distributed across the forward direction of the combine. The blower can be a blower fan arranged downstream of the straw chopper (see EP 2 250 870 A1) or a coffee shaker known per se.

In other words, the air flow generated by the straw chopper and / or by the blower, in which the crop residues are carried along, taken on an output of the straw chopper or blower from a pneumatic line arrangement and pneumatically conveyed further. The crop residues are discharged directly through the line assembly to a plurality of distributed across the working width of the harvest header of the combine harvester delivery points or get from the line means one or more, further (mechanical, for example, designed as a belt or screw conveyor, in particular for transverse promotion serving) conveyor finally to the delivery points. In this way, a sufficiently homogeneous distribution of crop residues even over large widths of harvest headers with reasonable technical and energy costs possible. The arrangement is insensitive to wind, as the delivery of the crop residues takes place near the deposit and near the ground.

With a pneumatic conveying to the delivery point, there is also the advantage that the air flow provided by the straw chopper or blower pushes the crop residues into the stubble remaining in the field and into the ground between them. Accordingly, one does not have to shred the straw very small, as in previous straw choppers and, where appropriate, throwing blowers, in order to prevent it from being left on the stubble - the rotting without complication being made more difficult. The Fläckselgutlänge can therefore be increased, which saves chaff energy.

The pneumatic conduit assembly may comprise on each side of the combine a single conduit having a plurality of delivery points or a plurality of conduits each having a single or multiple delivery points.

At the delivery points Leitkufen can be arranged for wide distribution of crop residues.

At the delivery points can be arranged by actuators adjustable valves for adjusting the discharge flow rates.

Additionally or alternatively to the teaching of claim 1, which are acted upon by a straw chopper and / or cleaning sieve of the combine harvester with crop residue dispensing points for the crop residues attached to a header of the combine and distributed over its width. This avoids the disadvantages mentioned at the outset with reference to DE 10 2005 048 052 A1. In addition, the arrangement in this way is insensitive to side slope, especially when the Emtevorsatz is performed in a conventional manner at a controlled height or with controlled contact force near the bottom.

embodiment

With reference to the figures, three embodiments of the invention will be explained, wherein the reference numerals should not be used to a restrictive interpretation of the claims. It shows:

1 is a plan view of a combine harvester with a crop residue distribution device,

Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of the combine of the

FIG. 1,

3 shows a plan view of the straw chopper, the blower and the inlet area of the line arrangement for the pneumatic transport of the crop residues of the combine harvester of FIGS. 1 and 2,

4 shows a vertical section through a delivery point for crop residues,

5 shows a vertical section through a second embodiment of a conveyor and a delivery point for crop residues, and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the straw chopper, the fans and the inlet portion of the piping for pneumatic transport of the crop residue according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows an agricultural combine harvester 10 having a chassis 12 with wheels 14 engaged with the ground and secured to the chassis 12 for propulsion of the combine 10. The operation of the combine harvester 10 is controlled from an operator's cab 16. A cutter 102 is used to remove grain containing crop from a field and feed it to a feeder 20 of the combine 10. In the following, directional details, such as front and rear, refer to the forward direction of the combine harvester 10, which extends downward in FIG. 1 and to the left in FIG.

The cutting unit 102 is removably attached to the feeder 20. It comprises a frame 104 extending transversely to the forward direction of the combine harvester 10, on the rear side of a cutter bar 116 on both sides of the longitudinal center plane two transverse conveyor belts 106 on one side and 110,112 on the other side next to one another to feed the cut crop to a central conveyor belt 114 transport, which transports it back into the feeder 20. Above the conveyor belts 106 to 114, a reel, not shown in the figures for reasons of clarity, is attached. The cutter 102 is just one embodiment of a header of the combine 10 and could have a cross auger instead of the conveyor belts. It could also be designed as a corn picker.

Reference is now made to Figure 2, which shows the combine harvester 10 in a side view. The crop harvested by the cutter 102 is fed by the feeder 20 to a beater 22. The crop drum 22 guides the crop through an inlet transition section 24 to an axial crop processing device 26. The crop processing device 26 includes a rotor housing 34 and a rotor 36 disposed therein. The rotor 36 includes a hollow drum 38 on the crop processing elements in a feed section 40, a threshing section 42 and a separating portion 44 are attached. The threshing section 42 and the separating section 44 lie longitudinally downstream and rearwardly of the loading section 40. Instead of an axial harvesting processing unit 26, a tangential threshing drum and at least one axial separating device following it or straw shaker following it can also be used.

Grain and chaff falling through a concave associated with the threshing section 42 and a separating grate associated with the separating section 44 are fed to a cleaning system 28 having a cleaning fan 46 and slat screens 48, 50 displaceable in a swinging motion. The cleaning system 28 removes the chaff and supplies the clean comm via a screw conveyor 52 to a clean air elevator (not shown). The clean grain elevator deposits the clean comm in a comm tank 30. The clean grain in the grain tank 30 may be unloaded by a discharge auger 32 onto a grain cart, trailer or truck. At the rear end of the lower plate screen 50 remaining crop is fed by means of a screw conveyor 54 and a return conveyor (not shown) back to the Erntegutbearbeitungseinrichtung 26 or a separate Nachdrescher, which then returns it to the cleaning system 28. The crop residues discharged at the rear end of the upper lamellar screen 48, which consist essentially of cattle (chaff) and small straw particles, are conveyed backwards through an oscillating floor conveyor 56 into an inlet 58 of a straw chopper 60.

Threshed straw leaving the separating section 44 is ejected from the crop processing device 26 through an outlet 62 and fed to an ejection drum 64. The cooperating with an underlying bottom 66 ejector drum 64 throws the straw to the rear. At the rear of the ejection drum 64 and approximately at a vertical height of its axis of rotation is another conveyor in the form of an overshot working drum conveyor 68. The drum conveyor 68 extends horizontally and transversely to the forward direction and is by a suitable drive about its axis 70 at which it rotates on Chassis 12 is fixed, in a direction of rotation in rotation, in which he works supersaturated and rotates in the figure 1 in a clockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow. For driving the drum conveyor 68, a hydraulic motor is used as a rule. The drum conveyor 68 corresponds in its construction to the ejection drum 64 and comprises a rotationally symmetrical jacket 72 with drivers 74 mounted around its circumference and rigidly mounted thereon. A trough 94 is arranged below the drum conveyor 68.

Above the ejector drum 64 and the drum conveyor 68 is mounted a horizontally and forwardly extending upper wall 76 which terminates an overlying engine compartment 78 downwardly. On the wall 76, a flap 80 at its front, the drum conveyor 68 adjacent end about a horizontally and transversely to the forward direction extending axis 82 is pivoted between a swathing position and a chopping position. The flap 80 is angled downward, as shown in Figure 1, or concavely curved in itself, the radius being adapted to the drum conveyor 68.

Below the lower and rear end of the flap 80 closes (at befindlicher in Häckselstellung flap 80) gapless with the chassis 12 fixedly connected plate 84, which extends obliquely backwards and downwards and is connected to a subsequent slide 86 on which the straw can slide down into the field soil in the swathing operation. The flap 80 is pivotable about the axis 82 between the Häckselposition, in which it is shown in the figure 2 in solid lines, and a swathing position, in which the

Flap 80 is shown in the figure with dashed lines and it extends above the straw flow to the rear.

Below the sheet 84 is the straw chopper 60, which consists of a straw chopper housing 90 and arranged therein, about a rotatable transverse to the forward direction and horizontal axis rotor 92 with distributed around the circumference of the rotor 92, welded to the rotor 92 by consoles Bolt pendulum hanging suspended chopper 96 is composed. Downstream of an outlet 98 of the straw chopper 60 are two side by side below the chute 86 arranged fan 100 is provided, of which in the figure 2 only a single one is recognizable, see. however, Figures 3 and 6. The fans 100 comprise a number of throwing paddles 240 which are rotatable by means of rotatably driven, approximately vertically extending, but slightly inclined back and forth waves 242, and above the throw paddles 240 arranged, bar-shaped knives 244, which cooperate with counter-knives 246, cf. FIG. 3. The embryo remains are returned to the rear of the straw chopper 60 and then fall down into a housing 202 of the blower 100, where they are picked up by the knives 244 and then fed to the trailing curved throwing paddles 240. The blowers 100 are designed as per se known hay blower (see DE 1 654 796 U1). The crop residue is fed axially and delivered tangentially. It would also be conceivable to supply the crop residues to the blowers tangentially and to dispense them again, as in EP 2 250 870 A1.

In the (shown in phantom) swathing position of the flap 80 of the straw chopper 60 promotes only the crop residues from the cleaning system 28 to the blower 100. In Häckselbetrieb the flap 80 is in the solid line position. Then, the straw chopper 60 further crushes the straw on the outlet 62 of the crop processing device 26, which by the ejection drum 64 and the drum conveyor 68 against the

Flap 80 is thrown and then falls down into the inlet 58 of the straw chopper 60 and supplies it to the blowers 100. The structure of the combine harvester 10 described hitherto is known per se from EP 2 250 870 A1, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference into the available documents. However, any other configurations of feeding the crop debris to the straw chopper 60 could be used.

According to FIG. 3, the blowers 100 are arranged inside the closed housing 202, which has a common rear outlet 212, to which a line 206 of a pneumatic line arrangement 204 directly adjoins. The crop residues shredded and conveyed by the straw chopper 60 and the blowers 100 are thus not ejected directly onto the field, but are blown into the conduit 206. The line 206 passes laterally next to the chassis 12 of the combine 12 forward to the cutting unit 102. There it passes into transverse lines 208 or is (in particular to facilitate the dismantling of the cutting unit 102 from the feeder 20 in a detachable manner) connected thereto. The conduits 208 extend across the width of the reamer 102 at the rear of the frame 104, transverse to the forward direction. Along the conduits 208, dispensers 210 are distributed where the crop debris exits the conduit 208 and ejects downwardly onto the field.

An example of a delivery point 210 is shown in FIG. It comprises a pipe 232 which leads away from the pipe 208, downstream of whose lower discharge end a number of curved guide runners 214 are arranged, which serve for distributing the crop residues over the wide distribution. By means of a valve 216 in the form of a slide whose position is adjustable by an actuator 218, the free size of the nozzle 212 and thus the Wenge of the output in the respective delivery point 210 crop residues can be varied. The actuator 218 may be controlled by an operator in the cab 16 via an interface 220 and a controller 222 or by an automatic system comprising a camera 224 and image processing integrated into the controller 22 or the camera 224 and the actuators 218 of all the dispensers 210 in the sense of a uniform Emtegutresteverteilung across the width of the cutting unit 102 drives. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 222 may also adjust the skids 214.

5 shows a vertical section through a second embodiment of a line 308 and a discharge point 310 for crop residues. This embodiment is identical to the first embodiment, except that instead of the pneumatic line 208, a screw conveyor 308 has entered with a screw conveyor 300 in a concentric tube which takes over the embryo remnants from the line 206. The screw conveyor 308 also has distributed over its length delivery points 310, where the crop residues fall down from an opening 332 in the tube of the screw conveyor 308. The size of the opening 332 is variable by means of a valve 316 in the form of a cylindrical sheath which, analogously to the slide of Figure 4, may be displaceable (i.e., displaceable in the axial direction of the screw conveyor 308) by means of an actuator controlled by the controller 222.

In the third embodiment according to FIG. 6 which is based on the first embodiment, in each case a plurality (namely three) lines 206 are connected on each side of the housing 202 to outlets 212 which follow one another in the circumferential direction (in contrast to the first embodiment). Other lines could alternatively or additionally follow each other in the axial direction of the fan 100. In this embodiment, each of the conduits 206 is connected to a single conduit 208 which provides crop residue to a single delivery site 210 or multiple delivery sites 210.

It should be noted that various modifications of the illustrated embodiments would be possible. Thus, the conduits 208 of the embodiment of Figure 1 could directly connect to the outlet 212, i. not be mounted on the cutting unit 102, but on a separate boom (as in DE 10 2005 048 052 A1). It would also be conceivable, in the embodiment of Figure 5, to transport the crop residue from the straw chopper 60 or blowers 100 and / or from the rear end of the upper lamellar screen 48 through another mechanical conveyor (e.g., screw conveyor or conveyor belt). Also, the pneumatic line assembly 204 could directly connect to the straw chopper 60 and / or a coffee spreader (not shown) that replaces the bottom swing conveyor 56. Furthermore, the two blowers 100 could be replaced by a single blower.

An advantage of the described pneumatic line arrangement 204 is that the crop residues are not transported in free flight, but by the pneumatic lines 206, 208 (or the screw conveyors 308 of FIG. 5 adjoining the lines 206), which results in a homogeneous wide distribution as well possible over large cutting widths. The delivery of Emtegutreste occurs directly downwards, which prevents them form a layer lying on the stubble, especially if they are additionally pressed according to the embodiments of Figures 3,4 and 6 by the air flow down between the stubble. In addition, the chop length can be increased.

The attachment of the crop residue width distribution to the cutter 102 is another independent of pneumatic transport invention, which despite a distribution of the delivery points 210, 310 across the width of the cutting unit 102 requires no additional boom on the combine 10, which would interfere in particular when overcharging the Kom.

Claims (7)

claims A combine harvester (10) having a crop residue distribution device, comprising: a straw chopper (60) and / or a blower (100) configured to produce an air stream carrying crop residue and one having an exit air duct arrangement (204) coupled to the straw chopper (60) and / or blower (100) for carrying the air stream in which the crop residues are entrained, the line arrangement (204) being provided with a plurality of dispensing stations distributed transversely to the forward direction of the combine harvester (10). 210, 310) for the Emtegutreste provided or connected. A combine harvester (10) according to claim 1, wherein the pneumatic line assembly (204) on either side of the combine harvester (10) comprises a single conduit (206, 208) having a plurality of dispensers (210) or a plurality of conduits (206) each having a single or multiple delivery points (210). 3. combine harvester (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at the delivery points (210, 310) Leitkufen (214) are arranged for the wide distribution of crop residues. 4. combine harvester (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at the delivery points (210, 310) by actuators (218) adjustable valves (216, 316) are arranged for adjusting the discharge flow rates. A combine harvester (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein downstream of the pneumatic line assembly (204) there is disposed a mechanical conveyor for (transverse) conveying the crop residues to the discharge points (310). A combine harvester (10) according to claim 5, wherein the mechanical conveyor is a screw conveyor (308). Combine harvester (10) according to one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a plurality of transversely to the forward direction of the combine (10) distributed to a header of the combine harvester (10) mounted by a straw chopper (60) and / or blower (100) and / or lamellar sieve (48) of the combine harvester (10) can be acted upon with crop residues discharge points (210, 310) for the crop residues.