GB2057843A

GB2057843A - Combine harvester

Info

Publication number: GB2057843A
Application number: GB8029582A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Deere and Co
Current assignee: Deere and Co
Priority date: 1979-09-13
Filing date: 1980-09-12
Publication date: 1981-04-08
Also published as: FR2469098A1; DE2936956C2; GB2057843B; DE2936956A1; FR2469098B1

Abstract

In an axial flow combine harvester in which the crop is converged laterally into the conical infeed part 16 of a threshing drum 12 rotating in a basket, a smooth crop flow is achieved by using conical conveyor drums 18 which accept the crop from the cutter mechanism 36 via auger conveyors 32 (or other types of conveyor) and turn the crop into the infeed part 16 with substantially tangential discharge thereto. Thus each conveyor drum 18 has a front, infeed surface 38 parallel to the effective surface 42 of the auger conveyors, and an outfeed surface 40 parallel to the surface 44 of the infeed part 16. The drums 18 can be driven through bevel gears 26, 28 from the shaft 24 of the threshing drum 12. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Combine harvester The invention concerns a combine harvester with a crop gathering arrangement and a conveyor feed ing the crop to an axial threshing arrangement with a conical infeed part.

One known combine harvester (DE-OS 27 46 704) comprises a crop gathering arrangement and two auger conveyors following the crop gathering arrangement which feed the crop to an axial threshing arrangement. In such an arrangement of the augerconveyorsthere arises a very strong deviation of the crop on the infeed side between the axial threshing arrangement and the first auger conveyor, because the auger conveyors converge the crop laterally into the infeed part. This ieads to severe loading of the working parts.

The object of the present invention is to overcome this problem.

According to the present invention, there is provided a combine harvester with a crop gathering arrangement and a conveyor housing feeding the crop to an axial threshing arrangement having a conical infeed part with lateral movement of the crop into the infeed part, comprising a conically formed rotating conveying member with conveying elements, which feeds the crop to the conical infeed part, with substantially tangential discharge from the conveyor member. By means of the advantageous arrangement of the conical conveyor member the crop can be fed uniformly, without substantial diversion, to the conical infeed part of the axial threshing arrangement, so that blockages in this region can be avoided. Because of the continuous crop flow over the whole conveyor path, the loading of the conveyor members can be kept very small.In this respect it is advantageous for the conveyor member to comprise infeed and outfeed surfaces running obliquely relative to its longitudinal axis, the infeed surface being approximately parallel to an outfeed surface of the crop gathering arrangement and the outfeed surface running approximately parallel to an infeed surface of the conical infeed part. The parallelism of the outfeed and infeed surfaces favours a continuous crop flow and guarantees that the crop is fed on with uniform velocity especially in the transition region between the conveyor member and the axial threshing arrangement. In order to enhance the crop throughput it is advantageous for a second conically formed conveyor member to be provided adjacent the first conically formed conveyor member, so that the conveyor members feed into the infeed part from opposite ends.Both conveyor members can be driven in common by way of the axial threshing arrangement. The two conveyor members can be fed by two transversely running auger conveyors or two elevator conveyors.

The generator of the conically formed conveyor member and/or of the conical infeed partto be straight or convex or concave. Suitable profiling of the generators can achieve a better adaptation of the conical conveyor member to the conical infeed part, even with outfeed and infeed surfaces which are not exactly parallel.

The axes of the axial threshing arrangement and the or each conveyor member can intersect. By this means compression of the crop is avoided especially between the conical infeed part and the conveyor member(s). The infeed cross-section and the outfeed cross-section of the conically formed conveyor member can be approximately equal.

The conveyor member or members can be drivable by way of a shaft of the axial threshing arrangement. Preferably the shaft for driving the axial threshing arrangement is formed as a hollow shaft, which receives a second shaft for drive of the conveyor members and the cutting mechanism. This makes it possible to drive the axial threshing arrangement separately from the conveyor members.

The invention will be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows the side view of a combine harvester, Figure 2 is a plan view ofthe conveyor members with the axial threshing arrangement, Figure 3 is a plan view of a further embodiment of the conveyor members, and Figure 4 is a side view according to Figure 3.

In Figure 1 a combine harvester 2 comprises two front running wheels 4 and two rear steerable running wheels 6. The combine harvester 2 is equipped with a driver platform 8 below the level of which there is an axial threshing arrangement 12 provided in a housing 10 and at least partially embraced by a threshing and separating basket 14 (Fig. 2). In the infeed region the axial threshing arrangement 12 comprises a conical infeed part 16 by way of which the crop is fed rearwardly to the threshing and separating basket 14. The axial threshing arrangement 12 is mounted in bearings on the frame of the combine harvester 2.

In the conical infeed part are arranged two conically formed, oppositely arranged conveyor members 18, which are also received in bearings provided in the frame of the combine harvester 2. Each conveyor member 18 is equipped on the surface 20 with conveyor elements 22, which can be formed either as straight or helically formed conveyor strips or as conveyor teeth and can cooperate with helical flights provided on the infeed part 16, so that the crop is fed rearwardly within the gap between the thresing and separating basket 14 and the axial threshing arrangement 12.

The axial threshing arrangement 12 comprises a driven shaft 24 which carries at the front a bevel gear 26 in mesh with bevel gears 28 ofthe conveyor members 18, so that the axial threshing arrange ment 12 andthe two conveyor members 18 can be driven in common.

The conveyor members 18 are preceded by the crop gathering arrangement 30 which comprises two counter-running augerconveyors 32 which are rotatably mounted in a receiver housing 34. The crop gathering arrangement 30 further comprises a cutting mechanism 36 which cuts off the crop so that it can be engaged by the auger conveyors 32 to be fed to the conically formed conveyor members 18. The two augerconveyors 32 can also be driven indirectly by way of the shaft 24 of the axial threshing arrangement 12.

The conveyor members 18 are arranged in V-form relative to each other and possess an infeed surface 38 and an outfeed surface 40. The forwards, (with reference to the travel direction of the combine harvester), infeed surface 38 of each conveyor member 18 lies opposite an outfeed surface 42 ofthe auger conveyor 32, while the outfeed surface 40 lies opposite an infeed surface 44 of the infeed part 16. The infeed surfaces 38 and 44 run parallel to the outfeed surfaces 40 and 42. The outfeed surfaces 40 and 42, which are formed flat in the embodiment, can also be formed convex or concave. The infeed surface 44 can for example be formed by the outside of the helically running conveyor elements.

The axial threshing arrangement can be mounted swingably about an approximately horizontally running transverse axis and be adjustable in common with the crop gathering arrangement.

According to a further embodiment as in Fig. 3 there is arranged an elevator conveyor 48 for each conically formed conveyor member 18. Each elevatorconveyor48 can be formed from two conveyor chains 40 with conveyor slats 49, the conveyor chains being fed over a front shaft 52 and a rear shaft 54. The front shaft 52 is coupled through a coupling 56 to a drive shaft 58 of the cutting mechanism 36.

The two rear shafts 54 of the elevator conveyors 48 each possess a bevel gear 60, which is in mesh with a bevel gear 62 on a second shaft 66 arrranged in a hollow shaft 64 of the axial threshing arrangement 12. The hollow shaft 64 cames pulley 68 which is connected by a belt 70 to a pulley 72. The pulley 72 is arranged on a drive shaft 74 on which is arranged a further pulley 76. The pulley 76 is coupled by a belt 78 with a pulley 80 arranged on the second shaft 66.

In this mannerthe inner shaft 66 and accordinglythe elevator conveyors 48 and the cutting mechanism 36 are driven by way of the pulley 80, while the axial threshing arrangement 12 and conveyor members 18 can be driven separately and with a different vei- ocity by way of the belt 70 and the hollow shaft 64, if the pulleys 68 and 72 are formed as variable ratio pulleys. The drive of the shaft 74 takes place by way of the drive arrangement not shown in the drawings.

By means of the use of two conveyor members 18 the whole inlet cross-sectional surface can be substantially increased relative to current rotating conveyor members, and accordingly the crop can be fed essentially bettertothe conical infeed part 16 ofthe axial threshing arrangement 12, so that overall a highercropthroughput is possible.

Claims

1. A combine harvester with a crop gathering arrangement and a conveyor housing feeding the crop to an axial threshing arrangement having a con ical infeed part with lateral movement of the crop into the infeed part, comprising a conically formed rotating conveying member with conveying ele ments, which feeds the crop to the conical infeed part, with substantially tangential discharge from the conveyor member.

2. Acombine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor member comprises obliquely running infeed and outfeed surfaces relative to its axis of rotation, the infeed surface running approximately parallel to an outfeed surface of the crop harvesting arrangement and its outfeed surface running approximately parallel to an infeed surface of the conical infeed part.

3. A combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the generator of the surface of the conically formed conveyor member and/or of the conical infeed part is convex or concave.

4. A combine harvester according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the axes ofthe axial threshing arrangement and the conveyor member intersect.

5. A combine harvester according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the infeed cross-section and the outfeed cross-section of the conically formed conveyor element are approximately equal.

6. A combine harvester according to any of the preceding claims, wherein there is provided a second conically formed conveyor member adjacent the first conically formed conveyor member so that the two members feed into the infeed part from opposite sides.

7. A combine harvester according to claim 6, wherein the two conveyor members are driven in common through the axial threshing arrangement.

8. A combine harvester according to claim 6 or7, wherein the conically formed conveying members are provided between the conical infeed part and two transversely running auger conveyors or two elevator conveyors.

9. A combine harvester according to claim 8, wherein the said conveyors are driven by way of a shaft of the axial threshing arrangement.

10. A combine harvester according to claim 8, comprising a hollow shaft for driving the axial threshing arrangement and which receives a second shaft for drive of the said conveyors and a cutting mechanis.

11. A combine harvester substantially as hereinbefore described with reference and as illustrated in Figs 1 and 2 or Figs 3 and 4 ofthe accompanying drawings.