JP7527200B2 - Sugarcane harvester - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sugarcane harvester.

For example, in the sugarcane harvester disclosed in Patent Document 1, a conveyor (reference number "200") is provided with an endless rotating body (reference number "224") wrapped around a driving wheel (reference number "216") and a driven wheel (reference number "220"). A plurality of carriers (reference number "236") are attached to the endless rotating body.

US Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0183052A1

In order for the harvested crop to be transported efficiently by a conveyor, it is important that the harvested crop is securely attached to the transport body. However, in the sugarcane harvester disclosed in Patent Document 1, the transport body is formed in a flat surface, so there is a possibility that the harvested crop may climb over the transport body and fall downward along the conveyor's transport path. For this reason, there is room for improvement in the shape of the transport body.

The object of the present invention is to provide a sugarcane harvester equipped with a conveyor that can transport the harvested product efficiently.

The sugarcane harvester of the present invention is provided with a traveling machine body having a harvesting and conveying device that harvests crops in a field and conveys them backward, a separation device provided at the rear of the traveling machine body and that separates the crops into debris and harvested material, and a conveyor having a conveying path extending diagonally upward and that receives the harvested material from the separation device, conveys it diagonally upward, and discharges it outside the machine, and the conveyor has a driving wheel body provided at one end of the conveyor, a driven wheel body provided at the other end of the conveyor, and The device comprises an endless rotating body that is wound around a driving wheel body and a driven wheel body and rotates between the conveying path and a return path opposite to the conveying path, and a plurality of plate-shaped conveying bodies that are attached to the endless rotating body and rotate integrally with the endless rotating body to engage and convey the harvested products on the conveying path , and the conveying bodies have a flat surface portion and a recessed portion that recesses from the flat surface portion to the left and right sides of the conveying body on the conveying path toward the upstream side of the conveying direction of the conveying body .

According to the present invention, a recess is formed in the conveying body, and this recess is formed across the left and right sides of the conveying body. Therefore, when the conveying body moves down the conveying path to convey the harvested crops, the harvested crops enter the recess, and the conveying body can engage and convey even more harvested crops, compared to a configuration in which the conveying body is formed in a flat plate shape. Furthermore, with the present invention, because a recess is formed in the plate-shaped conveying body, by bending the plate-shaped conveying body into a concave shape, it is possible to easily form the recess while simultaneously achieving high rigidity and light weight of the conveying body.

The sugarcane harvester of the present invention is provided with a traveling machine body having a reaping and conveying device that reaps crops in a field and conveys them backward, a separation device provided at the rear of the traveling machine body and separating the crops into debris and harvested material, and a conveyor having a conveying path extending diagonally upward and receiving the harvested material from the separation device, conveying it diagonally upward and discharging it outside the machine, and a driving wheel body provided at one end of the conveyor, a driven wheel body provided at the other end of the conveyor, and a belt that is wound around the driving wheel body and the driven wheel body and conveys the harvested material. The device is equipped with an endless rotating body that rotates between a feed path and a return path opposite to the conveying path, and a number of plate-shaped conveying bodies that are attached to the endless rotating body and rotate integrally with the endless rotating body to engage and convey the harvested crops on the conveying path, wherein a recessed portion is formed in the upper and lower middle regions of the conveying body, extending from left to right of the conveying body toward the upstream side of the conveying direction of the conveying body, and a connecting portion is provided on a lateral side of the conveying body that is connected to the endless rotating body, and the multiple recessed portions are distributed above and below, sandwiching the connecting portion .

According to the present invention, a recess is formed in the conveying body, and this recess is formed across the left and right sides of the conveying body. Therefore, when the conveying body moves on the conveying path to the downstream side of the conveying path and conveys the harvested products, the harvested products enter the recess, and the conveying body can engage and convey even more harvested products, compared to a configuration in which the conveying body is formed in a flat plate shape. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the recess is formed in the plate-shaped conveying body, by bending the plate-shaped conveying body into a recess, it is possible to easily form the recess while simultaneously achieving high rigidity and light weight of the conveying body.
When the carrier transports the harvested crop, the connecting portion of the carrier tends to be subjected to a larger load than other portions of the carrier. According to the present invention , the plate-shaped carrier is provided with a plurality of recesses distributed above and below the connecting portion, which makes it easy to connect the connecting portion to the endless rotating body, and the rigidity of the connecting portion is strengthened by the upper and lower recesses. In addition, since the plurality of recesses are provided above and below the connecting portion, the load applied to the connecting portion is distributed above and below.
This makes it less likely that the carrier will deform when transporting the harvested produce.

The sugarcane harvester of the present invention is provided with a traveling body having a harvesting and transporting device that harvests crops in a field and transports them backwards, a separation device provided at the rear of the traveling body and separating the crops into debris and harvested product, and a conveyor having a transport path extending diagonally upward and receiving the harvested product from the separation device, transporting it diagonally upward and discharging it outside the machine, the conveyor further comprising a drive wheel body provided at one end of the conveyor, a driven wheel body provided at the other end of the conveyor, an endless rotating body that is wound around the drive wheel body and the driven wheel body and circulates between the transport path and a return path opposite to the transport path, and a plurality of plate-shaped transport bodies that are attached to the endless rotating body and rotate integrally with the endless rotating body to engage and transport the harvested product on the transport path. and, in an upper and lower middle region of the conveying body, a recessed portion is formed which recesses across the left and right sides of the conveying body toward the upstream side in the conveying direction of the conveying body, a first portion having a surface perpendicular to the conveying direction across the left and right sides of the conveying body is provided above the recessed portion on the conveying body, and a second portion inclined below the recessed portion on the conveying body so that the lower side is positioned downstream in the conveying direction across the left and right sides of the conveying body, an upper end of the conveying body is provided with an upper protrusion portion which protrudes across the left and right sides of the conveying body toward the downstream side in the conveying direction, an upper portion of the upper protrusion portion is inclined so that the upper side is positioned upstream in the conveying direction, and a lower end of the conveying body is provided with a lower protrusion portion which is inclined across the left and right sides of the conveying body so that the lower side is positioned downstream in the conveying direction .

According to the present invention, a recess is formed in the conveying body, and this recess is formed across the left and right sides of the conveying body. Therefore, when the conveying body moves on the conveying path to the downstream side of the conveying path and conveys the harvested products, the harvested products enter the recess, and the conveying body can engage and convey even more harvested products, compared to a configuration in which the conveying body is formed in a flat plate shape. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the recess is formed in the plate-shaped conveying body, by bending the plate-shaped conveying body into a recess, it is possible to easily form the recess while simultaneously achieving high rigidity and light weight of the conveying body.
According to the present invention , since the first portion has a surface perpendicular to the conveying direction, the harvested product that is engaged and conveyed by the conveying body is firmly subjected to the force of the first portion in the conveying direction. In addition, since the second portion located below the recessed portion and the lower protrusion located at the lower end of the conveying body are inclined so that the lower portion is located downstream in the conveying direction across the left and right sides of the conveying body, the conveying body can firmly scoop up the harvested product with the second portion and the lower protrusion and convey it. Furthermore, since the upper protrusion protrudes across the left and right sides of the conveying body toward the downstream side in the conveying direction, the conveying body can hold the harvested product with the upper protrusion, reducing the risk of the harvested product climbing over the conveying body and falling downward. In addition, since the upper portion of the upper protrusion is inclined so that the upper portion is located upstream in the conveying direction across the left and right sides, the upper protrusion has a folded structure and the rigidity of the upper protrusion is strengthened.

In the present invention, the front end of the conveyor enters the area below the separating device, an inlet is provided at the top of the front end to receive the harvested product that has fallen from the separating device, a hopper is provided that is connected to the inlet while being located between the separating device and the front end and guides the harvested product that has fallen from the separating device to the inlet, the hopper is raised from the inlet while surrounding the front, right, and left parts of the inlet, the inlet extends rearward beyond the rear end of the hopper, and left and right side cover parts are raised from the left and right sides of the part of the inlet that extends rearward beyond the rear end and are connected to the rear end.

With this configuration, the inlet extends rearward and upward beyond the rear end of the hopper, so the inlet can receive even more harvest material compared to a configuration in which the inlet is provided only below the hopper. In addition, the left and right side cover parts connected to the rear end of the hopper surround the inlet together with the hopper. Therefore, it is possible to store even more harvest material at the inlet compared to a configuration in which no side cover parts are provided. In addition, because the inlet extends rearward and upward beyond the rear end of the hopper, even if the harvest material falls rearward from the separation device, it is firmly received at the rear of the inlet.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the conveyor is configured so that the transport path is located above the return path, the conveyor is provided with an upper cover portion that covers the transport path from above, and the upper cover portion is configured to bulge upward.

With this configuration, the upper cover section covers the transport path from above, so harvested products transported along the transport path are less likely to fall off the conveyor compared to a configuration that does not have an upper cover section.

The sugarcane harvester of the present invention is provided with a traveling body having a harvesting and transporting device that harvests crops in a field and transports them backward, a separation device provided at the rear of the traveling body and separating the crops into debris and harvested product, and a conveyor having a transport path extending diagonally upward and receiving the harvested product from the separation device, transporting it diagonally upward and discharging it outside the machine, the conveyor being provided with a drive wheel body provided at one end of the conveyor, a driven wheel body provided at the other end of the conveyor, an endless rotating body that is wrapped around the drive wheel body and the driven wheel body and circulates between the transport path and a return path opposite to the transport path, and a plurality of plate-shaped transport bodies that are attached to the endless rotating body and rotate integrally with the endless rotating body to engage and transport the harvested product on the transport path, and the conveyor is provided with a drive wheel body provided at one end of the conveyor, a driven wheel body provided at the other end of the conveyor, an endless rotating body that is wrapped around the drive wheel body and the driven wheel body and circulates between the transport path and a return path opposite to the transport path, and a plurality of plate-shaped transport bodies that are attached to the endless rotating body and rotate integrally with the endless rotating body to engage and transport the harvested product on the transport path, The conveyor is characterized in that a recessed portion is formed in the upper and lower middle regions, which recesses from left to right across the conveying body toward the upstream side in the conveying direction of the conveying body, the conveyor is configured so that the conveying path is located above the return path, the conveyor is provided with an upper cover portion which covers the conveying path from above, and the upper cover portion is configured to bulge upward, the conveyor is provided with an inclined portion which slopes diagonally upward, and a connecting portion which is connected to the inclined portion on the downstream side in the conveying direction via a bent portion and is arranged in a state where it is lowered than the inclined portion, the upper cover portion covers the inclined portion and the upper part of the bent portion from above, the portion of the upper cover portion corresponding to the inclined portion is made of a porous material, and the portion of the upper cover portion corresponding to the bent portion is made of a material without holes.

According to the present invention, a recess is formed in the conveying body, and this recess is formed across the left and right sides of the conveying body. Therefore, when the conveying body moves on the conveying path to the downstream side of the conveying path and conveys the harvested products, the harvested products enter the recess, and the conveying body can engage and convey even more harvested products, compared to a configuration in which the conveying body is formed in a flat plate shape. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the recess is formed in the plate-shaped conveying body, by bending the plate-shaped conveying body into a recess, it is possible to easily form the recess while simultaneously achieving high rigidity and light weight of the conveying body.
According to the present invention, because the upper cover portion covers the transport path from above, the harvested products transported along the transport path are less likely to fall off the conveyor compared to a configuration in which an upper cover portion is not provided.
According to the present invention , the portion of the upper cover part corresponding to the inclined portion is made of a porous material, so that the weight of the upper cover part can be reduced compared to a case where the upper cover part is not made of a porous material. Also, since the conveying direction changes to the falling direction at the bent portion, the harvested product is likely to come into contact with the upper cover part. Therefore, if the portion of the upper cover part corresponding to the bent portion is made of a porous material, there is a risk that the harvested product will get caught on the upper cover part at the bent portion, causing the upper cover part to deform. Therefore, according to the present invention , the portion of the upper cover part corresponding to the bent portion is made of a material without holes, so that the harvested product is less likely to get caught on the upper cover part at the bent portion, and the risk of the upper cover part being deformed is reduced.

FIG. 2 is an overall side view of a sugarcane harvester. FIG. 2 is an overall plan view of the sugarcane harvester. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the separating device and the conveying start end of the conveyor. FIG. 2 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a separation device. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a separation device and a conveying start end portion of a conveyor. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a hopper and a conveying start end of a conveyor. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the engine, the traveling transmission unit, and the hydraulic piping. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the extension and retraction operation of the conveyor lifting and lowering hydraulic cylinder. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a support structure for the front end of the conveyor. FIG. 1 is a bottom view of the conveyor showing the support structure for the lifting hydraulic cylinders. 10 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along line XI-XI of FIG. 9, showing the swing hydraulic cylinder and the branching portion. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. 11, showing the swing hydraulic cylinder and the branching portion. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a turning hydraulic cylinder and a branching portion. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a turning hydraulic cylinder and a branching portion. 4 is a plan cross-sectional view showing an interlocking mechanism between the conveyor and the hood portion. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a separation device with a cord-like body wound thereon; 13 is a side view of a main portion showing an interlocking mechanism between the conveyor and the hood portion. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of a main portion showing an interlocking mechanism between the conveyor and the hood portion. FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the rotation range of the conveyor and the hood portion. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an endless rotating chain and a carrier of the conveyor. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an endless rotating chain and a carrier of the conveyor as viewed in the conveying direction. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the entire upper cover part of the conveyor. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the conveying start end portion of a conveyor. 25 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXV-XXV in FIG. 24, showing the conveying start end of the conveyor. 25 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 24, showing the conveying start end portion of the conveyor. FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the structure of the conveyor's pivot point. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII in FIG. 27, showing the structure of the conveyor's pivot point.

Below, an embodiment of a sugarcane harvester according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

〔overall structure〕
Figures 1 and 2 are diagrams showing the whole of the sugarcane harvester, with Figure 1 being a left side view and Figure 2 being a plan view. In this embodiment, the direction indicated by the symbol (F) in Figures 1 and 2 is the front side of the machine body, and the direction indicated by the symbol (B) is the rear side of the machine body. The direction indicated by the symbol (L) in Figure 2 is the left side of the machine body, and the direction indicated by the symbol (R) in Figure 2 is the right side of the machine body.

The sugarcane harvester is equipped with front wheels 1 as steerable left and right front running devices, and rear wheels 2 as non-steerable left and right rear running devices that are driven to rotate. The sugarcane harvester can run by driving the rear wheels 2.

The traveling machine body is equipped with a driving section 3, a reaping section 4, a topper 5, a transport device 6, a separation device 7, a conveyor 8, an engine 9, and the like. The reaping section 4 harvests the crops (sugarcane) planted in the field. The topper 5 cuts the upper leaf parts of the crops. The transport device 6 transports the crops harvested by the reaping section 4 rearward and upward. The separation device 7 is provided at the rear of the traveling machine body and separates the crops transported by the transport device 6 into impurities and the harvested product (sugarcane). The reaping section 4 and the transport device 6 correspond to the "reaping and transporting device" of the present invention. The conveyor 8 extends diagonally upward from a position below the separation device 7. The conveyor 8 is connected to the rear of the traveling machine body in a state in which it can rotate around the upper and lower axis X1 with its lower end as a fulcrum, and receives the harvested product from the separation device 7, transports it diagonally upward, and discharges it outside the machine. The vertical axis X1 is the rotation axis of the conveyor 8. The engine 9 supplies power to each part of the machine.

The conveyor 8 is equipped with an inclined portion 8A, a connecting portion 8C, and a bent portion 8B. The inclined portion 8A is inclined diagonally upward, and the connecting portion 8C is connected to the inclined portion 8A via the bent portion 8B on the downstream side in the conveying direction, and is lower than the inclined portion 8A.

The driver's section 3 is located at a high position at the front of the vehicle body and is surrounded by a cabin 10. Inside the cabin 10, a driver's seat, a steering wheel, an operation panel, etc. are provided. Openable doors are provided on both the left and right side sections of the cabin 10.

The cutting unit 4 is provided at the front lower part of the traveling body. The cutting unit 4 is provided with left and right grass dividing devices 11 and a cutting header 12. The left and right grass dividing devices 11 divide and guide the crops to be harvested among the planted crops. The cutting header 12 cuts the crops planted in the field and sends them to the rear. The left and right grass dividing devices 11 are provided with a grass dividing rotor 13 that is rotated and driven in a vertical position.

The harvesting header 12 is provided so as to be connected to the rear of the left and right grass dividing devices 11. A roller is provided in the area sandwiched between the left and right side walls of the harvesting header 12, and the roller pushes the crop down so that it falls forward while raking it rearward. The harvesting header 12 is also provided with a cutting device 18 that cuts the base of the crop. The cutting device 18 is located behind the left and right grass dividing devices 11. The cutting device 18 is provided with a pair of left and right rotary cutters, which rotate around an upper and lower axis to cut the base of the crop.

The conveying start end of the conveying device 6 is connected to the rear of the cutting device 18. The conveying device 6 is inclined upward at the rear so as to convey the crop toward the rear and upper part of the machine body. The conveying device 6 is composed of a highly rigid structure. This structure forms a roughly rectangular tubular conveying path. Scraping rotors are provided on both the upper and lower sides of the transfer path in the conveying device 6. The scraping rotors are provided at appropriate intervals in the conveying direction. The scraping rotors on both the upper and lower sides are driven to rotate in opposite directions. The long crops cut by the cutting unit 4 are conveyed rearward while being sandwiched between the scraping rotors on both the upper and lower sides.

The conveying device 6 is equipped with a pair of upper and lower cutting rollers 42, 42 (see Figure 5) at the end of the conveying path, and the cutting rollers 42, 42 are equipped with cutting blades that extend radially outward. Long crops are cut to a predetermined length by being sandwiched between the respective cutting blades of the cutting rollers 42, 42 at the end of the conveying path. The "predetermined length" is, for example, a length that is easy to handle in the subsequent transportation and processing steps. The separating device 7 separates impurities such as fine stems and culms and leaves contained in the crops discharged from the end of the conveying path of the conveying device 6 by the ventilation action of the fan 72 that rotates around the upper and lower axis X1, and discharges them to the outside.

Directly below the separating device 7 and below and behind the rear end of the conveying device 6, a hopper 19 is provided to receive the crops discharged downward from the conveying device 6. The crops received by the hopper 19 are guided to the conveying start end of the conveyor 8. The conveyor 8 is supported by a conveyor support frame 20 provided at the rear of the traveling machine body, and extends from the rear of the traveling machine body toward the outside and upward of the machine body. The conveyor 8 engages and conveys the crops, and releases them outward from the conveying end.

[About the separation device]
As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the separation device 7 is equipped with a case portion 70, a hood portion 71, and a fan 72. The fan 72 is configured to be rotatable about a vertical axis X1 by the power of a hydraulic motor 72M. The lower end of the case portion 70 opens downward. The open portion at the lower end of the case portion 70 is referred to as an intake portion 70h. The fan 72 is provided in a state where it is sandwiched between the hood portion 71 and the case portion 70. The case portion 70 separates the harvested crop into debris and the harvested product, and guides the debris upward and the harvested product downward. The hood portion 71 discharges the debris to the side.

As shown in FIG. 4, the case 70 is formed in a cylindrical shape in a plan view, and the inner shape of the case 70 is a circular cross-sectional shape centered on the vertical axis X1. A connection port connected to the transport end of the transport device 6 is formed at the front of the outer periphery of the case 70. This connection port is an input port 70i that receives the crops transported from the transport device 6. That is, an input port 70i is formed at the outer periphery of the case 70, through which the crops transported by the transport device 6 are input. The stalks of the crops are cut by the cutting rollers 42, 42 (see FIG. 5) at the transport end of the transport device 6, and then input from the input port 70i of the case 70 into the inside of the case 70 at a release angle of about 45 degrees. The cutting rollers 42, 42 are input devices that throw the crops into the case 70.

The fan 72 is provided inside the case 70 and rotates around the vertical axis X1 passing through the center of the circle to generate a sorting wind. The vertical axis X1 is the central axis of the fan 72. The bottom of the case 70 is provided with an intake section 70h for the fan 72 to generate a sorting wind. The sorting wind rises while rotating upward. The crops put into the case 70 are subjected to the suction action of the fan 72, and relatively light impurities such as fine stems and culms and leaf fragments are sucked upward. The impurities then pass through the fan 72 and are discharged to the outside from the hood section 71. The hood section 71 is provided above the case 70 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis X1, and the direction in which the impurities are discharged can be changed. The vertical axis X1 is the rotation axis of the hood section 71. The harvested crops, which are heavier than the impurities, fall downward as they are without being sucked in by the fan 72.

The case section 70 extends downward from the connection between the conveying device 6 and the separating device 7, i.e., the input port 70i. A scattering prevention chain 70C is connected to the lower end of the case section 70, and the scattering prevention chain 70C hangs down to near the upper end of the hopper 19. The scattering prevention chain 70C is connected to the peripheral portion of the rear half of the cylindrically formed case section 70. This reduces the risk that the harvested product input from the conveying device 6 into the case section 70 will spill outside the hopper 19.

As shown in FIG. 4, two openings 73, 73 are provided on the outer periphery of the case part 70, and the openings 73, 73 are provided on the left and right sides of the vertical axis X1. In other words, the two openings 73, 73 are formed in a state in which they are distributed to the left and right sides of the input port 70i of the crops transported by the transport device 6 in the circumferential direction of the case part 70. As the fan 72 rotates, the air inside the case part 70 is sucked in by the fan 72. At this time, outside air is sucked in from each of the openings 73, 73 in addition to the intake part 70h, which is the open part at the lower end of the case part 70. The openings 73, 73 are formed in the part between the fan 72 and the intake part 70h on the outer periphery of the case part 70 in the extension direction of the vertical axis X1. Additionally, the openings 73, 73 are formed on the outer periphery of the case 70, on the same side of the vertical axis X1 as the crop insertion port 70i is formed on when viewed in the direction along the extension direction of the vertical axis X1.

A plate member 53 is provided above the cutting rollers 42, 42 and over the feed opening 70i on the outer periphery of the case part 70. The rear end of the plate member 53 is the upper end of the feed opening 70i of the case part 70, and the crops released by the cutting rollers 42, 42 are guided along the plate member 53 into the inside of the case part 70. The rear end of the plate member 53 is located at a position approximately the same height as the upper ends of the openings 73, 73. For this reason, the openings 73, 73 are formed at positions on the outer periphery of the case part 70 within a range corresponding to the range of the feed opening 70i in the direction along the vertical axis X1.

The case 70 is provided with an air passage 73A, which extends from the cylindrical outer periphery of the case 70 in a tangential direction to the vertical axis X1, and a suction port is formed at the extended end of the air passage 73A. The air passage 73A extends from the downstream end of the openings 73, 73 in the swirling direction of the sorting wind on the outer periphery of the case 70 toward the upstream side in the outside air suction direction along the tangential direction of the downstream end. The air passage 73A has a suction port 73h that introduces outside air at the end opposite the openings 73, 73. The air passage 73A is configured to have a uniform width when viewed in the direction along the vertical axis X1.

A dustproof member 73B is provided at the intake port 73h (extending end) of the air passage section 73A. The dustproof member 73B is composed of multiple round bars extending from above and below the air passage section 73A. When outside air is sucked in through the opening 73, the outside air flows between the multiple round bars, making it easier for foreign matter to get caught on the multiple round bars. This makes it difficult for foreign matter such as dust to be sucked into the inside of the case section 70 through the opening 73.

The outside air from each of the openings 73, 73 is sucked into the inside of the case part 70 while being straightened so as to flow along a tangential direction to the outer periphery of the case part 70, and flows along the cylindrical inner circumferential side wall of the case part 70. In other words, an upward swirling flow is easily generated at the inner periphery of the case part 70 as the fan 72 rotates, but the configuration in which the air straightened in the tangential direction is sucked from each of the openings 73, 73 makes the swirling flow stronger than a configuration in which the openings 73, 73 are not provided. As a result, even if the impurities become clumpy, the clumpy impurities are firmly loosened by the swirling flow and become dust-like. Then, the impurities tend to gather in the inner periphery area inside the case part 70, and the harvested product tends to gather in the outer periphery area inside the case part 70. As a result, the impurities and the harvested product are firmly separated. In this way, openings 73, 73 are formed on the outer periphery of the case 70, which draw in outside air by swirling the selection wind.

The structure of the fan 72 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The fan 72 is equipped with a fan body 72A, a shaft 72S, a cylindrical shaft case 72K, and a hydraulic motor 72M. The hydraulic motor 72M is located above the hood portion 71, and the shaft case 72K extends vertically inside the hood portion 71. The hydraulic motor 72M and the shaft case 72K are each bolted to the support portion 70S. A number of frames extend from the main body of the case portion 70, passing through the sides of the hood portion 71, to a position above the hood portion 71. The support portion 70S is supported by the multiple frames. A through hole through which the shaft case 72K passes is formed in the support portion 70S.

The shaft 72S is inserted into the shaft case 72K. The shaft 72S is supported by the shaft case 72K at the upper and lower ends via ball bearings. This allows the shaft 72S to rotate inside the shaft case 72K. A spline portion is formed at the upper end of the shaft 72S, and the upper end of the shaft 72S is spline-connected to the output shaft of the hydraulic motor 72M. A spline portion is formed at the lower part of the shaft 72S, and the lower part of the shaft 72S is spline-connected to the rotation center part of the fan main body 72A. A screw groove is formed at the lower end of the shaft 72S, and the lower end of the shaft 72S is fastened with a nut to support the fan main body 72A so that it does not come off the shaft 72S.

A cylindrical portion 72f is formed at the rotation center of the fan main body 72A, and the lower portion of the shaft 72S fits into the cylindrical portion 72f. A flange portion 72D fits onto the shaft case 72K. The flange portion 72D covers the upper end of the cylindrical portion 72f from above, and also covers the upper end of the cylindrical portion 72f from the outer periphery. Since the cylindrical portion 72f is a part of the fan main body 72A, the cylindrical portion 72f rotates relative to the flange portion 72D. The flange portion 72D and the cylindrical portion 72f are configured such that the lower end of the flange portion 72D and the upper end of the cylindrical portion 72f are close enough to each other but do not come into contact with each other, and the gap between the flange portion 72D and the cylindrical portion 72f is narrow.
This makes it difficult for foreign matter to get into the relative rotation portion between the fan main body 72A and the shaft case 72K.

When an operator performs maintenance on the fan 72, the operator removes the nut at the lower end of the shaft 72S and removes the fan body 72A from the shaft 72S. The operator then releases the bolt connection of the hydraulic motor 72M at the support part 70S, thereby removing the hydraulic motor 72M from the support part 70S. At this time, the spline connection between the hydraulic motor 72M and the shaft 72S is also released. In addition, the operator releases the bolt connection of the shaft case 72K at the support part 70S and pulls the shaft case 72K upward from the through hole of the support part 70S, thereby removing the shaft case 72K and the shaft 72S together from the support part 70S.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the hood section 71 is provided with a hood body 71A and a bottom member 71B, which are connected to each other by bolts. When the hood section 71 rotates about the vertical axis X1, the bottom member 71B rotates relative to the case section 70, and the bottom member 71B is prone to wear. In this embodiment, when the bottom member 71B wears out, the operator can replace the bottom member 71B by releasing the bolt connection between the hood body 71A and the bottom member 71B. Also, when the hood body 71A wears out due to collision with foreign matter, the operator can replace only the hood body 71A.

[About the hopper]
The hopper 19 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The front end of the conveyor 8 enters the area below the separator 7. For this reason, an inlet is provided at the top of the front end of the conveyor 8 to receive the harvested product that has fallen from the separator 7. The hopper 19 is connected to the inlet at the front end of the conveyor 8 while being located between the separator 7 and the front end of the conveyor 8. In this embodiment, the hopper 19 is formed in a semicircular shape in a plan view. That is, the hopper 19 is raised from the inlet while surrounding the front, right, and left parts of the inlet. The harvested product that has fallen from the separator 7 is received by the hopper 19 and is guided directly to the inlet at the front lower part of the conveyor 8.

The inlet at the front end of the conveyor 8 is extended rearward and upward beyond the rear end of the hopper 19. In other words, the part of the conveyor 8's transport path that is located upstream of the front end of the upper cover part 88A in the transport direction is the inlet of the conveyor 8. A pair of left and right side cover parts 19B, 19B is provided behind the hopper 19. The rear end of the hopper 19 and the front ends of the pair of left and right side cover parts 19B, 19B are bolted together. Each of the pair of left and right side cover parts 19B, 19B is raised from the left and right sides of the inlet at the front end of the conveyor 8 that is extended rearward and upward beyond the rear end of the hopper 19. As a result, the hopper 19 and the pair of left and right side cover parts 19B, 19B are integrally configured to receive the harvested crops that fall from the separation device 7. The conveyor 8 rises diagonally upward from the beginning of the transport path, and the pair of left and right side cover parts 19B, 19B slope upward toward the rear along the gradient of the conveyor 8.

Generally, the harvested product is discharged from the end of the conveyor 8 onto, for example, the bed of a transport vehicle. However, it is possible that the bed of the transport vehicle becomes full and the transport vehicle leaves the field, and the sugarcane harvester waits for the arrival of the next transport vehicle. In this case, it is desirable that the sugarcane harvester runs with the conveyor 8 stopped and harvests the crops in the field while storing the harvested product in the hopper 19. In this embodiment, the inlet at the front end of the conveyor 8 is extended rearward and upward beyond the rear end of the hopper 19, so that the inlet can receive even more harvested product than in a configuration in which the inlet is provided only below the hopper 19. In addition, the rear end of the hopper 19 is connected to the front end of each of the pair of left and right side cover parts 19B, 19B, and the hopper 19 and the pair of left and right side cover parts 19B, 19B are integrally configured.
Therefore, compared to a configuration that does not have a pair of left and right side cover portions 19B, 19B, it is possible to store even more harvested products at the inlet at the front end of the conveyor 8.

On the conveying path, a plurality of conveying bodies 86 and a bottom member 87 are provided. Each of the plurality of conveying bodies 86 is connected to a pair of left and right endless rotating chains 85, 85. The endless rotating chain 85 corresponds to the "endless rotating body" of the present invention. The plurality of conveying bodies 86 are attached in a state spanning the pair of left and right endless rotating chains 85, 85, and move diagonally upward from the start of the conveying path by rotating integrally with the endless rotating chains 85, 85. As a result, the harvest that falls from the separation device 7 is guided to the start of the conveying path by the hopper 19 and the pair of left and right side cover parts 19B, 19B. The harvest is then conveyed diagonally upward by the plurality of conveying bodies 86 while placed on the bottom member 87.

[Hydraulic piping support structure]
As shown in Figures 3, 6 and 8, a swivel-side clamp unit 43 is provided at the bottom of the hopper 19, and the swivel-side clamp unit 43 supports a plurality of conveyor hydraulic pipes 58. As shown in Figure 7, a transmission unit 51 is provided adjacent to the left of the engine 9, and a plurality of pump units 32 are connected to the left of the transmission unit 51. The transmission unit 51 transmits the power of the engine 9 to the plurality of pump units 32. A storage tank 31 for storing hydraulic oil is provided in a state where it is located at the lower left side of the mid-front/rear part of the machine body. Each of the plurality of pump units 32 supplies the hydraulic oil stored in the storage tank 31 to the hydraulic equipment. The plurality of pump units 32 and the storage tank 31 are provided in a state where they are biased to the left side of the machine body with respect to the center of the traveling machine body in the left-right direction.

A fixed clamp unit 44 is provided on the left side of the machine body at the rear of the traveling machine body, and the fixed clamp unit 44 supports multiple conveyor hydraulic pipes 58. The fixed clamp unit 44 is configured to be able to swing left and right. The conveyor hydraulic pipes 58 supply and discharge hydraulic oil from the storage tank 31 and the pump unit 32 to the hydraulic motor 81M and the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24, etc., which will be described later. In other words, the multiple conveyor hydraulic pipes 58 supply and discharge hydraulic oil from the storage tank 31 and the pump unit 32 to the part of the conveyor 8 that is rearward of the swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 (see Figures 3, 5, etc.). The pair of left and right swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 will be described later.

The main piping 30B and the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 extend rearward from the pump unit 32. The main piping 30B is configured to be able to supply and discharge hydraulic oil to each of the pair of left and right swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22. The main piping 30B and the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 are positioned offset to the left side of the machine body relative to the left-right center of the traveling machine body.

The portion of the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 located in the gap between the rear of the traveling body and the front of the conveyor 8 is supported by the swivel side clamp portion 43 and the fixed side clamp portion 44. Therefore, the portion of the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 that is displaced as the conveyor 8 rotates is limited to the portion between the swivel side clamp portion 43 and the fixed side clamp portion 44. This makes it possible to predict the range of displacement of the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 in advance, reducing the risk of the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 interfering with other components or being unexpectedly caught on other components.

As shown in FIG. 3, round bar members 54 and 55 are provided at the front end of the conveyor 8, and a round bar member 56 is provided at the rear of the traveling machine body. The round bar member 54 is bent into a U-shape as shown in FIG. 6 in a plan view, and is supported at both left and right ends at the front end of the conveyor 8. The round bar member 55 is provided at the left side of the front end of the conveyor 8, and is bent so as to extend along the upper edge and front edge of the left front side wall 80F. The round bar member 56 is fixed to the left part of the rear of the traveling machine body, and is located lower than the fixed side clamp part 44. The tip of the round bar member 56 extends outwardly to the side of the machine body (the side where the left rear wheel 2 is located), and supports the conveyor hydraulic pipe 58 so that it does not hang down to the side where the left rear wheel 2 is located.

When the conveyor 8 turns to the left side of the machine body (the side where the left maximum turning position L1 in FIG. 19 is located), the part of the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 between the turning side clamp part 43 and the fixed side clamp part 44 is wrapped around the lower part of the hopper 19. However, it is considered that the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 is caught on the front lower end part of the conveyor 8 (the part corresponding to the front edge part of the front side wall 80F in the side view of FIG. 3) during the conveyor 8 turning to the left side of the machine body. In this case, there is a risk that the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 will not be wrapped around the lower part of the hopper 19 but will be wrapped around the front lower end part of the conveyor 8 unexpectedly. In this embodiment, the part of the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 between the turning side clamp part 43 and the fixed side clamp part 44 is supported from below by the round bar member 54 so as not to fall into the gap between the rear part of the traveling machine body and the front part of the conveyor 8. This avoids the risk of the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 being caught on the front lower end part of the conveyor 8. The conveyor hydraulic piping 58 may be supported by round bar members 54 and 56 so that it does not fall into the gap between the rear of the traveling body and the front of the conveyor 8.

In addition, when the conveyor 8 turns to the right side of the machine body (the side where the right maximum turning position R1 in FIG. 19 is located), the portion of the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 between the turning side clamp portion 43 and the fixed side clamp portion 44 may hang down so that it is located to the left and front of the left front side wall 80F. In this case, the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 is supported by the round bar member 56 so that it does not hang down to the side where the left rear wheel 2 is located.

When the conveyor 8 turns from the right side of the machine body to the left side of the machine body, it is possible that the part of the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 between the turning side clamp part 43 and the fixed side clamp part 44 may get caught on the corner part corresponding to the upper edge part and the front edge part of the left front wall 80F of the conveyor 8. In this embodiment, the round bar member 55 extends along the upper edge part and the front edge part of the left front wall 80F. Therefore, during the conveyor 8 turning to the left side of the machine body, the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 is smoothly guided by the round bar member 55 to the space between the front part of the hopper 19 and the front lower end part of the conveyor 8. As a result, the part of the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 between the turning side clamp part 43 and the fixed side clamp part 44 wraps around the lower part of the hopper 19 without getting caught on the corner part corresponding to the upper edge part and the front edge part of the left front wall 80F of the conveyor 8. In this way, the round bar members 54, 55, and 56 prevent the conveyor hydraulic piping 58 from falling into the gap between the rear of the running body and the front of the conveyor 8 at the connection point between the rear of the running body and the conveyor 8.

[Conveyor support structure]
The support structure of the conveyor 8 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 14. As shown in Figures 11 and 12, a rotating frame body 21 is swingably connected to a conveyor support frame body 20 via a pin 35. The rotating frame body 21 is rotatable about a vertical axis X1, and the conveyor 8 is configured to be rotatable about the vertical axis X1 with its lower end portion serving as a fulcrum.
A pair of hydraulically driven slewing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 are swingably connected to the conveyor support frame body 20 and the slewing frame body 21 via pins 36, 36, respectively, and the slewing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 rotate the conveyor 8 left and right.

As shown in Figures 3, 8 and 9, a swing support part 21T is provided at the rear upper part of the revolving frame body 21, and a bearing member 28 is provided at the upper part of the swing support part 21T. The bearing member 28 supports the swing shaft 23 of the conveyor 8. The swing shaft 23 is connected to the frame body of the conveyor 8. A horizontal axis Y1 exists at the center of the swing shaft 23, and the conveyor 8 is configured to be able to swing up and down around the horizontal axis Y1 with its lower end as a fulcrum. The horizontal axis Y1 is the swing axis of the conveyor 8. A pair of left and right lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 are connected to the rear part of the traveling machine body and the conveyor 8, respectively. In other words, a pair of left and right hydraulically driven lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 are connected to the separation device 7 and the conveyor 8, respectively, and the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 drive the conveyor 8 to swing up and down.

As shown in FIG. 9, the bearing member 28 is provided with a boss portion 28A and a cylindrical portion 28B. The boss portion 28A is supported by the swing support portion 21T of the traveling machine body, i.e., the revolving frame body 21. A flange portion is formed on the boss portion 28A, and bolt holes are drilled at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the flange portion. The flange portion of the boss portion 28A is fixed to the swing support portion 21T with bolts. The cylindrical portion 28B is a so-called copper bushing, and is pressed into the boss portion 28A so as not to rotate relative to it. The inner peripheral surface of the boss portion 28A and the outer peripheral surface of the swing shaft 23 are in sliding contact with each other.

Bolt holes are drilled at equal intervals in the flange of boss portion 28A, so that the mounting position of boss portion 28A relative to swing support portion 21T can be inverted upside down. As conveyor 8 swings up and down, swing shaft 23 rotates relative to cylindrical portion 28B, so the lower portion of cylindrical portion 28B relative to swing shaft 23 tends to wear out. On the other hand, the portion of cylindrical portion 28B located above swing shaft 23 wears less than the portion located below swing shaft 23.

When the lower portion of the cylindrical portion 28B becomes worn, the worker releases the bolt fastening at the flange portion of the boss portion 28A, rotates the boss portion 28A together with the cylindrical portion 28B by 180 degrees, and bolts the flange portion of the boss portion 28A to the swing support portion 21T again. As a result, the portion of the cylindrical portion 28B that was located above the swing shaft 23 moves below the swing shaft 23, allowing the cylindrical portion 28B to be used further and reducing the frequency of replacement of the cylindrical portion 28B. In other words, the bearing member 28 is configured to be able to change the support position with respect to the swing shaft 23 by rotating the boss portion 28A and the cylindrical portion 28B around the horizontal axis Y1 of the swing shaft 23.

As shown in FIG. 8, a pair of bottom frame parts 80D, 80D is provided on the bottom of the conveyor 8, and the bottom frame parts 80D, 80D extend along the extension direction of the conveyor 8 while being located on the lower side when viewed in the extension direction of the conveyor 8. The bottom frame parts 80D, 80D form the bottom of the conveyor 8. Mounting parts 40, 40 are attached to each of the bottom frame parts 80D, 80D. Each of the mounting parts 40, 40 is supported by welding to the bottom frame parts 80D, 80D while being located lower than the bottom frame parts 80D, 80D when viewed in the extension direction of the conveyor 8. Each of the mounting parts 40, 40 is formed in a triangular shape when viewed from the side, and the thickness in the extension direction of the conveyor 8 increases toward the side where the bottom frame part 80D is located.

As shown in FIG. 10, a protrusion 40A is provided on each of the mounting parts 40, 40, and the protrusion 40A protrudes laterally when viewed in the extension direction of the conveyor 8. In other words, each of the mounting parts 40, 40 protrudes on both the left and right sides of the conveyor 8. The ends of each of the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 are connected to the protrusions 40A, 40A. A horizontal frame 41 spans the pair of left and right mounting parts 40, 40, and is connected to each of the left and right mounting parts 40, 40. Both left and right ends of the horizontal frame 41 are welded and fixed to each of the mounting parts 40, 40. In this way, the bottom of the conveyor 8 is provided with the left and right mounting parts 40, 40 and the horizontal frame 41 connected to each of the left and right mounting parts 40, 40.

This reinforces the rigidity of the mounting parts 40, 40. In addition, since the mounting parts 40, 40 receive the downward moment load of the conveyor 8, stress tends to concentrate on the mounting parts 40, 40. In this embodiment, each of the mounting parts 40, 40 is formed in a triangular shape when viewed from the side, which alleviates the stress on the mounting parts 40, 40.

The lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 are connected to the bottom of the conveyor 8 from the rear of the traveling body through the sides of the conveyor 8. In other words, the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 are extended from the separating device 7 through the sides of the conveyor 8 to a pair of left and right mounting parts 40, 40 located on the lower side of the conveyor 8 when viewed in the extension direction of the conveyor 8, and are connected to the pair of left and right mounting parts 40, 40. The lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 are connected to the connecting body 26 of the separating device 7. With the above configuration, the conveyor 8 is supported by the conveyor support frame body 20 and the separating device 7.

The lifting and lowering hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 are connected by mounting parts 40, 40, which are located on the lower side when viewed in the extension direction of the conveyor 8. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the lifting and lowering hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 are connected at the upper part when viewed in the extension direction of the conveyor 8, the stroke amount of the lifting and lowering hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 is longer, and the lifting amount of the conveyor 8 is larger. In other words, by connecting the lifting and lowering hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 at the lower side when viewed in the extension direction of the conveyor 8, the conveyor 8 can be lowered to a greater extent compared to a configuration in which the lifting and lowering hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 are connected at the upper part when viewed in the extension direction of the conveyor 8.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the conveyor 8 is at its highest position, the longitudinal direction of each of the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 is aligned horizontally. Also, each of the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 is arranged to expand and contract along the extension direction of the conveyor 8 in a plan view (see FIG. 15). Therefore, no lateral twisting force acts on the conveyor 8, the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24, and the connecting bodies 26, 26.

The moment load of the conveyor 8 acts on the pair of left and right connecting bodies 26, 26 via the lifting and lowering hydraulic cylinders 24, 24. With the configuration of this embodiment, left-right and up-down forces are less likely to act on the pair of left and right connecting bodies 26, 26, and forces acting on the pair of left and right connecting bodies 26, 26 tend to concentrate in the front-rear direction. This reduces the shear stress on the pair of left and right connecting bodies 26, 26, and allows the connecting bodies 26, 26 to firmly support the conveyor 8.

A pair of left and right chain members 29, 29 are provided in a state where they are located below the lifting hydraulic cylinder 24. The chain members 29, 29 are connected to the rear of the traveling machine body and the conveyor 8 in a state where they are located below the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 when viewed in the extension direction of the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24. Both ends of the chain member 29 are connected to a part of the connecting member 26 that is lower than the connection part with the lifting hydraulic cylinder 24 and to a diagonal frame 80I that is located upstream in the conveying direction from the mounting part 40 among the multiple diagonal frames 80I provided on the conveyor 8. The chain member 29 is pivoted within the left and right width of the diagonal frame 80I at the top of the diagonal frame 80I. In a plan view, the chain member 29 is inclined so that the rear side of the conveyor 8 approaches the lateral inner side of the conveyor 8. The diagonal frame 80I is located on the left and right sides of the conveying path of the conveyor 8. When the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 are contracted and the conveyor 8 is raised, the pair of left and right chain bodies 29, 29 are slack.

For example, when the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 are removed from the machine body during maintenance, the chain members 29, 29 restrict the downward swing of the conveyor 8. For this reason, the length of the chain members 29, 29 is configured to be longer than the maximum extension length of the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 so that the stroke amount of the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 is not restricted during actual field work, for example. Details of the connecting member 26 will be described later.

[About the hydraulic cylinder for turning]
As shown in Figures 11 to 14, with the conveyor 8 aligned in the fore-and-aft direction of the machine body, the turning hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 are arranged on the left and right sides of the vertical axis X1. The turning hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 are double-acting hydraulic cylinders. With the turning hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 arranged on the left and right sides of the vertical axis X1, they are connected to the rear of the traveling machine body and the conveyor 8, and drive the conveyor 8 to turn left and right.

The conveyor support frame body 20 is provided with an upper plate portion 20A and a lower plate portion 20B, and the slewing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 are located in the space between the upper plate portion 20A and the lower plate portion 20B. The slewing frame body 21 is provided with a pair of upper and lower upper plate portions 21A, 21B and a pair of upper and lower lower plate portions 21C, 21D. The upper plate portion 20A is inserted between the pair of upper and lower upper plate portions 21A, 21B, and the lower plate portion 20B is inserted between the pair of upper and lower lower plate portions 21C, 21D. The slewing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 are located in the space between the upper plate portion 21B and the lower plate portion 21C.

As described above, the swivel frame body 21 is supported by the conveyor support frame body 20 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis X1. The upper plate portion 20A and the pair of upper and lower plate portions 21A, 21B are rotatably connected by a pin 35. The lower plate portion 20B and the pair of upper and lower plate portions 21C, 21D are rotatably connected by another pin 35. The swivel hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 are located between the upper and lower pins 35, 35. This prevents interference between the swivel hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 and the pin 35.

Branch pipes 30A, 30A, 30A, 30A are connected to each of the swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 as a plurality of hydraulic pipes 30. As shown in FIG. 7, a storage tank 31, a pump unit 32, and a directional control valve 33 are provided on the left side of the front of the aircraft. The storage tank 31, the pump unit 32, and the directional control valve 33 are configured as a drive source for the swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22.

In this embodiment, one hydraulic pipe 30 is provided with one main pipe 30B, a branch section 34, and two branch pipes 30A, 30A. Figures 11 to 14 show the branch pipes 30A, 30A, 30A, 30A, the main pipes 30B, 30B, and the bifurcated branch sections 34, 34. The main pipe 30B is connected to a storage tank 31 and a pump unit 32. The branch section 34 branches the main pipe 30B into multiple parts corresponding to each of the two swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 on the front side of the aircraft body from the vertical axis X1 of the hydraulic pipe 30. The hydraulic oil is pumped from the storage tank 31 by the pump unit 32 through the directional control valve 33, the main pipe 30B, the branch section 34, and the branch pipe 30A to each of the swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22.

As shown in FIG. 7, a traveling transmission unit 52 is provided between the left and right rear wheels 2 and located below the rear of the conveying device 6. The traveling transmission unit 52 transmits the power of the engine 9 to the left and right rear wheels 2. The traveling transmission unit 52 is supported by the machine frame 15. The traveling transmission unit 52 has a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission mechanism and a gear-type transmission mechanism. The gear-type transmission mechanism is disposed in the center of the left and right of the traveling transmission unit 52. Axles extend on both the left and right sides of the gear-type transmission mechanism, and a gear-type reduction mechanism is provided at the extending end of the axle.

The branching parts 34, 34 are supported by the machine frame 15 in a state where they are located directly below the traveling transmission part 52. A support member 15A that protrudes upward and supports each of the branching parts 34, 34 so that it can swing is provided on the left side of the machine frame 15, and each of the branching parts 34, 34 is supported by the support member 15A so that it can swing freely. The main pipes 30B, 30B and the branching parts 34, 34 are provided in a state where they are biased to one side of the machine body, left or right, with respect to the center of the machine body in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 11, the aircraft frame 15 is provided with mounting portions 15B, 15B, a pair of left and right front and rear frame portions 15C, 15C, and a horizontal frame portion 15D. The front and rear frame portions 15C, 15C extend in the front-rear direction, and the horizontal frame portion 15D spans across the front and rear frame portions 15C, 15C. The support member 15A is supported by the horizontal frame portion 15D, and a pair of upper and lower branch portions 34, 34 are supported on the support member 15A. Both longitudinal ends of the horizontal frame portion 15D are welded to the front and rear frame portions 15C, 15C. Each of the mounting portions 15B, 15B is located above the connection portion between the front and rear frame portions 15C and the horizontal frame portion 15D. The traveling transmission unit 52 is supported by the pair of left and right mounting portions 15B, 15B. The branching portions 34, 34 are located between the pair of left and right placement portions 15B, 15B in a plan view.

As shown in Figures 11 to 14, a pair of branch pipes 30A, 30A are connected to each of the head side oil chamber and rod side oil chamber of the cylinder portion of one swing hydraulic cylinder 22. The swing hydraulic cylinder 22 expands and contracts by controlling the supply and discharge of hydraulic oil to the head side and rod side of the cylinder portion of the swing hydraulic cylinder 22. When the swing hydraulic cylinder 22 expands, the head side oil chamber becomes the expansion oil chamber, and the rod side oil chamber becomes the contraction oil chamber. When the swing hydraulic cylinder 22 contracts, the head side oil chamber becomes the contraction oil chamber, and the rod side oil chamber becomes the expansion oil chamber.

One branch 34 is connected to the storage tank 31, the pump unit 32, and the directional control valve 33 by one main pipe 30B, and branches into two branch pipes 30A, 30A toward each of the pair of swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22. One of the branch pipes 30A, 30A connected to one branch 34 is connected to the head side oil chamber of one of the pair of swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22. The other of the branch pipes 30A, 30A connected to one branch 34 is connected to the rod side oil chamber of one of the pair of swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22.

The pair of main pipes 30B, 30B are connected between the directional control valve 33 and the branching section 34, 34 as extension and contraction pipes for the slewing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22. A total of four branching pipes 30A, 30A, 30A, 30A are arranged according to the pair of branching sections 34, 34 and the pair of slewing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22. The four branching pipes 30A, 30A, 30A, 30A are extended from the branching section 34, 34 through below the traveling transmission section 52 to the slewing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22.

One of the main pipes 30B, 30B and the branch pipes 30A, 30A connected to the extension oil chambers of the swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 are extension pipes. The pump unit 32 pumps hydraulic oil from the storage tank 31 to the extension oil chambers in the swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 via the extension pipes. The other of the main pipes 30B, 30B and the branch pipes 30A, 30A connected to the contraction oil chambers of the swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 are contraction pipes. The hydraulic oil from the contraction oil chambers in the swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 is returned to the storage tank 31 via the contraction pipes.

In other words, the hydraulic pipes 30 include an extension pipe that supplies and discharges hydraulic oil to the extension oil chambers of the pair of swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22, and a contraction pipe that supplies and discharges the hydraulic oil to the contraction oil chambers of the pair of swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22. When the directional control valve 33 is switched, the extension pipes and contraction pipes are switched between the pair of main pipes 30B, 30B and the four branch pipes 30A, 30A, 30A, 30A.

Of the branches 34, 34, one that corresponds to the extension pipe is the extension branch, and the other that corresponds to the contraction pipe is the contraction branch. In other words, the pair of branches 34, 34 includes an extension branch that branches the extension pipe in response to the extension oil chamber in the swing hydraulic cylinder 22, 22, and a contraction branch that branches the contraction pipe in response to the contraction oil chamber in the swing hydraulic cylinder 22, 22. When the directional control valve 33 is switched, the extension branch and the contraction branch are interchanged in the branches 34, 34.

The conveyor 8 rotates left and right as one of the slewing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 extends and the other slewing hydraulic cylinder 22, 22 contracts. When the conveyor 8 is aligned along the fore-and-aft direction of the machine body in a plan view, each of the left and right slewing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 is inclined so that the rearward position is closer to the center of the machine body in a plan view. When the conveyor 8 rotates left and right, the slewing hydraulic cylinder 22 on the right side of the machine body swings around the swing axis X2R, and the slewing hydraulic cylinder 22 on the left side of the machine body swings around the swing axis X2L (see Figures 13 and 14).

The branch pipes 30A, 30A, 30A, 30A have flexibility and elastically deform in response to the respective swing movements of the swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22.
However, if the degree of deformation of the branch pipes 30A, 30A, 30A, 30A becomes large, a load is applied to the branch pipes 30A, 30A, 30A, 30A, which may adversely affect the durability of the branch pipes 30A, 30A, 30A, 30A. In order to eliminate such inconvenience, in this embodiment, the bifurcated branch parts 34, 34 are configured to be able to swing left and right. That is, each of the branch parts 34, 34 is configured to be able to swing around the vertical axis X3 following the rotation of the conveyor 8. The branch parts 34, 34 are provided in a portion on the front side of the machine body from the vertical axis X1. The axis X3 is set at a position on the front side of the pair of left and right swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22. In the support member 15A, each of the branch parts 34, 34 is arranged vertically side by side and is configured to be able to swing around one axis X3.

As shown in Figures 13 and 14, when the left and right swivel hydraulic cylinders 22, 22 each swing in response to the rotation of the conveyor 8, the branching sections 34, 34 swing around the axis X3 in response to the swing of the swivel hydraulic cylinders 22, 22. In addition, the main pipes 30B, 30B are flexible, and as the branching sections 34, 34 swing, the connection portions of the main pipes 30B, 30B to the branching sections 34, 34 elastically deform in the left-right direction. The axis X3 is set at a position on the extension of the main pipe 30B at the branching section 34 in a plan view. In Figures 13 and 14, the extension line L11 of the main pipe 30B at the branching section 34 is shown. The extension line L11 intersects with the axis X3. Therefore, even if the branching sections 34, 34 swing, the main pipes 30B, 30B are less likely to undergo excessive elastic deformation.

With the above configuration, even if a tensile force or a compressive force acts on each of the branch pipes 30A, 30A, 30A, 30A due to the swinging of the swivel hydraulic cylinders 22, 22, the tensile force or the compressive force is absorbed by the swinging of the branch sections 34, 34 and the elastic deformation of the main pipes 30B, 30B. Therefore, excessive elastic deformation is less likely to occur in the branch pipes 30A, 30A, 30A, 30A.

[Conveyor and hood interlocking mechanism]
In this embodiment, the hood portion 71 is configured to be able to rotate following the rotation of the conveyor 8. As shown in Figs. 15 to 18, the outer peripheral portion of the case portion 70 of the separation device 7 above the input port 70i is formed in a cylindrical shape with the vertical axis X1 as the central axis. A flange portion 70f is formed on the cylindrical outer peripheral portion of the case portion 70, and the flange portion 70f has a horizontal surface portion over the entire circumference. A cord-like body 25 is wound around the semicircular portion of the outer peripheral portion of the case portion 70 on the side opposite to the side where the conveyor 8 is located, and the cord-like body 25 is placed on the flange portion 70f.

The rope-like body 25 is a so-called chain. Connectors 26, 26 are connected to both left and right ends of the rope-like body 25, and the connectors 26, 26 are placed on the flange portion 70f. Also, one end of the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 is connected to each of the connectors 26, 26, and the other end of the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 is connected to the longitudinal center region of the conveyor 8. In other words, the left and right connectors 26, 26 connect the left and right sides of the conveyor 8 to both ends of the rope-like body 25.

A cord-like body 27, which is separate from the cord-like body 25, is wound around the outer periphery of the case part 70, over a pair of left and right connecting bodies 26, 26. The cord-like body 27 is a so-called chain. The cord-like body 27 extends over a semicircle of the outer periphery of the case part 70 on the side where the conveyor 8 is located. The cord-like body 27 is also placed on the flange part 70f. In other words, the cord-like bodies 25, 27 are wound around the outer periphery of the case part 70 while being placed on the flange part 70f. The cord-like bodies 25, 27 are connected by a pair of left and right connecting bodies 26, 26. This prevents the cord-like body 25 from coming off the outer periphery, and the cord-like bodies 25, 27 are configured to be rotatable along the cylindrical outer periphery of the case part 70.

As is well known, the cord-like bodies 25, 27 are composed of multiple pins and a pair of plates connecting adjacent pins. A roller is fitted onto each pin of the cord-like bodies 25, 27, and each roller rolls on the cylindrical outer periphery of the case part 70. As shown in FIG. 18, each of the connecting bodies 26, 26 is provided with three first roller parts 26A and two second roller parts 26B. The first roller parts 26A rotate around the vertical axis and roll on the cylindrical outer periphery of the case part 70. The second roller parts 26B rotate around the horizontal axis and roll on the flange part 70f.

When the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 are extended, the conveyor 8 descends while swinging around the horizontal axis Y1, and the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 swing downward. At this time, a downward force acts on each of the connecting bodies 26, 26, but the downward force is firmly received by the second roller portion 26B of the connecting body 26.

When the conveyor 8 rotates left and right, the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 rotate around the vertical axis X1 following the conveyor 8. As the lifting hydraulic cylinders 24, 24 swing, the rope-like bodies 25, 27 and the connecting bodies 26, 26 rotate integrally around the vertical axis X1 on the flange portion 70f. In this way, the rope-like body 25 rotates along the outer periphery of the case portion 70 in conjunction with the rotation of the conveyor 8 while being wound around the portion of the outer periphery of the case portion 70 opposite the side where the conveyor 8 is located.

The first locking portions 25H, 25H and the second locking portion 71H are provided as an interlocking mechanism between the conveyor 8 and the hood portion 71. The first locking portions 25H, 25H are provided on the cord-like body 25 and protrude outward from the rotation path of the cord-like body 25. The first locking portions 25H, 25H rotate around the vertical axis X1 in conjunction with the rotation of the conveyor 8. Therefore, the rotation axis of the conveyor 8 and the rotation axis of the first locking portions 25H, 25H are the same axis. As shown in Figures 15, 17, and 18, each of the first locking portions 25H, 25H is provided with a locking piece 25j. That is, the two locking pieces 25, 25j are arranged on one side and the other side of the second locking portion 71H in the circumferential direction around the vertical axis X1.

The second locking portion 71H is fixed to the hood portion 71. The second locking portion 71H is supported by the bottom member 71B in a state in which it extends downward from the bottom member 71B of the hood portion 71. The second locking portion 71H is adjacent to the outer periphery of the rotation path of the cord-like body 25, and is located between each of the pair of first locking portions 25H, 25H in the rotation circumferential direction of the cord-like body 25.

As shown in Figures 17 and 18, the first locking portion 25H is connected to the rope-like body 25 via a pair of upper and lower mounting plates 25i, 25i. The mounting plate 25i also serves as a plate that connects adjacent pins in the rope-like body 25, and has a different shape from the other plates. In other words, the rope-like body 25 as a chain is provided with the mounting plate 25i that is provided across adjacent pins. The mounting plate 25i extends radially outward from the vertical axis X1 further than the other plates in the rope-like body 25, and a bolt insertion hole is formed in the extending portion of the mounting plate 25i. The first locking portion 25H also has a bolt insertion hole that corresponds to the bolt insertion hole of the mounting plate 25i.

The worker aligns the bolt insertion hole of the first locking portion 25H with the bolt insertion hole of the mounting plate 25i, inserts a bolt into the bolt insertion hole, and fastens it with a nut. The worker then releases the bolt and removes it from the bolt insertion hole, which disengages the first locking portion 25H from the mounting plate 25i. This allows the worker to easily replace the first locking portion 25H. In this way, the first locking portion 25H is supported in a detachable state on the mounting plate 25i.

The bottom member 71B of the hood portion 71 is formed with an attachment portion 71i, which extends radially outward from the vertical axis X1 beyond the rotational path of the cord-like body 25 in a plan view, and a bolt insertion hole is formed in this extending portion. The second locking portion 71H is fixed to the extending portion of the attachment portion 71i with a bolt. This allows the worker to easily replace the second locking portion 71H.

In other words, the first locking portions 25H, 25H are bolted to the cord-like body 25, and the second locking portion 71H is bolted to the bottom member 71B. Therefore, the first locking portions 25H, 25H and the second locking portion 71H are configured to be removable by releasing the bolt connection. This makes it easy to replace the first locking portions 25H, 25H and the second locking portion 71H when they become worn.

As described above, when the conveyor 8 rotates left and right, the cord-like bodies 25, 27 rotate along the cylindrical outer periphery of the case portion 70 in response to the rotation of the conveyor 8. At this time, the pair of first locking portions 25H, 25H also rotate integrally with the cord-like bodies 25, 27. When one of the pair of first locking portions 25H, 25H abuts against the second locking portion 71H, the hood portion 71 rotates around the vertical axis X1 in response to the rotation of the second locking portion 71H.

As shown in FIG. 19, the conveyor 8 can rotate between a left maximum rotation position L1 and a right maximum rotation position R1. The conveyor 8 is configured to be able to rotate left and right up to a maximum rotation angle θ1 with the left-right center position CT in between. The maximum rotation angle θ1 is set to, for example, 87.5 degrees, but this angle can be changed as appropriate and may be an angle exceeding 90 degrees. The hood portion 71 can rotate between a left maximum rotation position L2 and a right maximum rotation position R2. The hood portion 71 is configured to be able to rotate left and right up to a maximum rotation angle θ2 with the left-right center position CT in between. The maximum rotation angle θ2 is set to, for example, 60 degrees, but this angle can be changed as appropriate. The maximum rotation angle θ2 is smaller than the maximum rotation angle θ1.

When the conveyor 8 rotates to the left side of the machine body (the side where the left maximum rotation position L1 is located), the cord-like bodies 25, 27 and the first locking parts 25H, 25H rotate clockwise in a plan view. At this time, of the first locking parts 25H, 25H shown in FIG. 15, the first locking part 25H on the left side of the machine body becomes the first locking part 25H on the upstream side in the rotation direction, and the first locking part 25H on the right side of the machine body becomes the first locking part 25H on the downstream side in the rotation direction.

When the conveyor 8 rotates to the right side of the machine body (the side where the right maximum rotation position R1 is located), the cord-like bodies 25, 27 and the first locking parts 25H, 25H rotate counterclockwise in a plan view. At this time, of the first locking parts 25H, 25H shown in FIG. 15, the first locking part 25H on the right side of the machine body becomes the first locking part 25H on the upstream side in the rotation direction, and the first locking part 25H on the left side of the machine body becomes the first locking part 25H on the downstream side in the rotation direction.

When the first locking portions 25H, 25H rotate clockwise or counterclockwise, the locking piece 25j of the first locking portion 25H on the upstream side in the rotation direction relative to the second locking portion 71H approaches and abuts against the second locking portion 71H, and the locking piece 25j of the first locking portion 25H on the downstream side in the rotation direction relative to the second locking portion 71H moves away from the second locking portion 71H. Then, when the locking piece 25j of the first locking portion 25H on the upstream side in the rotation direction relative to the second locking portion 71H abuts against the second locking portion 71H, the cord-like body 25, 27 and the first locking portions 25H, 25H rotate clockwise, causing the hood portion 71 to rotate clockwise. In addition, when the locking piece 25j of the first locking portion 25H on the upstream side of the second locking portion 71H in the rotation direction abuts against the second locking portion 71H, the cord-like body 25, 27 and the first locking portions 25H, 25H rotate counterclockwise, causing the hood portion 71 to rotate counterclockwise.

In a state where the second locking portion 71H is equally spaced from each of the first locking portions 25H, 25H, the second locking portion 71H is out of phase with each of the first locking portions 25H, 25H by (θ1-θ2). As a result, when the conveyor 8 rotates left and right by (θ1-θ2), the second locking portion 71H comes into contact with one of the first locking portions 25H, 25H, and the hood portion 71 rotates in a state where it is out of phase with the conveyor 8 by (θ1-θ2). The specific angle of (θ1-θ2) is set to, for example, 27.5 degrees, but this angle can be changed as appropriate. In this way, the first locking portions 25H, 25H and the second locking portion 71H as an interlocking mechanism rotate the hood portion 71 so that the rotation angle position of the conveyor 8 and the rotation angle position of the hood portion 71 have a preset phase difference.

Typically, when a sugarcane harvester is harvesting, a transport vehicle with an open platform runs parallel to the sugarcane harvester, positioned on the side of the sugarcane harvester where the harvester has already harvested the crop, and the conveyor 8 turns toward the side where the open platform is located. At this time, the hood section 71 turns with a phase shift of (θ1-θ2) relative to the conveyor 8. Therefore, the impurities separated from the crop by the separator 7 are discharged from the hood section 71 to the already harvested land diagonally behind the machine body without falling on the conveyor 8.

[About the conveyor structure]
As shown in Figures 20 to 25, the conveyor 8 is provided with a driving wheel 81, a driven wheel 82, a pair of left and right endless rotating chains 85, 85, a plurality of carriers 86, and a plurality of bottom members 87. The driving wheel 81 is provided at the rear upper part of the conveyor 8, i.e., the conveying end part. The driving wheel 81 is provided with a hydraulic motor 81M, and the driving wheel 81 rotates around a horizontal axis Y3 by the rotation drive of the hydraulic motor 81M (see Figure 23). The driven wheel 82 is located at the front lower end part of the conveyor 8, i.e., the conveying start end part, and rotates around a horizontal axis Y2. The driven wheel 82 is supported by a pair of left and right front side walls 80F, 80F (see Figures 9, 25, and 26). The front side wall 80F on the left side of the machine body is fixed to the frame of the conveyor 8 with bolts, and the front side wall 80F on the right side of the machine body is fixed to the frame of the conveyor 8 by welding.

A pair of left and right endless rotating chains 85, 85 are wound around the driving wheel 81 and the driven wheel 82, respectively. The pair of left and right endless rotating chains 85, 85 circulate around the conveying path in the conveyor 8 and the return path opposite the conveying path. When viewed from the left side of the machine body as illustrated in Figures 1, 5, 20, 24, etc., the endless rotating chains 85, 85 rotate clockwise around the driving wheel 81 and the driven wheel 82. The return path faces the lower side of the conveying path. In other words, the conveyor 8 is configured so that the conveying path is located above the return path.

Each of the multiple transport bodies 86 is attached across a pair of left and right endless rotating chains 85, 85. The multiple transport bodies 86 rotate integrally with the endless rotating chains 85, 85 to engage and transport the harvested crops along the transport path. The multiple bottom members 87 are lined up in a row along the extension direction of the conveyor 8, forming the bottom of the transport path. The bottom members 87 are also located in the upper and lower middle regions when viewed in the extension direction of the conveyor 8. Thus, the upper side of the rotation orbit of the endless rotating chains 85, 85 relative to the bottom members 87 is the transport path, and the lower side of the rotation orbit of the endless rotating chains 85, 85 relative to the bottom members 87 is the return path.

With the harvest placed on the bottom member 87, the conveying body 86 moves diagonally upward, conveying the harvest toward the rear upper portion of the conveyor 8 (the conveying end). If the intervals between the multiple conveying bodies 86 are too short, the total weight of the conveyor 8 including the harvest tends to be heavy. Also, if the intervals between the multiple conveying bodies 86 are too long, the conveying amount of the conveyor 8 will be small compared to the amount of harvest falling from the separation device 7, and the harvest may easily accumulate in the hopper 19. In this embodiment, the intervals between the multiple conveying bodies 86 are set in consideration of the vehicle speed during harvesting (e.g., 0.6 m/s to 1.0 m/s) so that the harvest can be conveyed reliably without the total weight of the conveyor 8 including the harvest becoming too heavy.

The entire conveyor 8 is supported by a frame body of a framework structure. As shown in Figures 20, 21, 24 and 25, the frame body has left and right upper frame parts 80U, 80U, left and right bottom frame parts 80D, 80D, multiple vertical frame parts 80V, left and right intermediate frames 80C, 80C, and a horizontal frame 80L. The left and right upper frame parts 80U, 80U are located above the endless rotating chain 85. The left and right bottom frame parts 80D, 80D are located below the endless rotating chain 85. The left and right upper frame parts 80U, 80U and the left and right bottom frame parts 80D, 80D extend parallel to each other. The multiple vertical frame parts 80V are provided at appropriate intervals along the longitudinal direction of the upper frame parts 80U, 80U and the bottom frame parts 80D, 80D. In other words, the multiple vertical frame parts 80V are spaced apart along the extension direction of the endless rotating chain 85, and connect the upper frame part 80U to the bottom frame part 80D, and connect the upper frame part 80U to the bottom frame part 80D. The multiple vertical frame parts 80V connect the upper frame parts 80U, 80U to the bottom frame parts 80D, 80D. The horizontal frame 80L connects the left and right intermediate frames 80C, 80C to each other.

The frame body of the conveyor 8 is provided with a plurality of diagonal frames 80I that connect adjacent vertical frame sections 80V, 80V. The diagonal frame 80I connects the upper part of one of two adjacent vertical frame sections 80V, 80V among the plurality of vertical frame sections 80V to the lower part of the other of the two vertical frame sections 80V, 80V. In addition, an intermediate frame 80C is supported at the vertical center of the vertical frame section 80V, and the intermediate frame 80C is formed in a C-shaped cross section and extends parallel to the extension direction of each of the upper frame sections 80U, 80U and the bottom frame sections 80D, 80D. The intermediate frame 80C is fixed to the vertical center of the vertical frame section 80V by welding.

The multiple horizontal frames 80L are provided at appropriate intervals along the longitudinal direction of the left and right intermediate frames 80C, 80C. The inner lateral end of the intermediate frame 80C is located laterally inward of the upper frame portions 80U, 80U and the bottom frame portions 80D, 80D. In this way, the frame body of the conveyor 8 is configured as a truss structure by the upper frame portions 80U, 80U, the bottom frame portions 80D, 80D, the vertical frame portions 80V, the diagonal frames 80I, 80I, the intermediate frames 80C, 80C, and the horizontal frames 80L. This increases the rigidity of the frame body of the conveyor 8.

Plate-shaped side covers 89 are provided on the left and right sides of the conveyor 8's conveying start end (see Figures 3, 8, and 9). The side covers 89 are bolted to the vertical frame 80V on the outer side of the machine body than the vertical frame 80V, and are located on the outer side of the machine body than the pair of left and right endless rotating chains 85, 85. The upper end of the side cover 89 is extended to a position higher than the height of a worker standing in the field. The side covers 89 may be configured to be located on the inner side of the machine body than the vertical frame 80V, or may be configured to be located on the inner side of the machine body than the upper frame 80U, 80U and the bottom frame 80D, 80D.

20 and 21, the part of the endless rotating chain 85 that rotates on the conveying path side is guided by the first upper guide rail portion 83U and the second upper guide rail portion 83D. The first upper guide rail portion 83U is supported by the upper frame portion 80U, and the second upper guide rail portion 83D is supported by the intermediate frame 80C. In other words, the left and right upper frame portions 80U, 80U support the left and right first upper guide rail portions 83U, 83U, and the left and right intermediate frames 80C, 80C support the second upper guide rail portions 83D, 83D. The first upper guide rail portion 83U and the second upper guide rail portion 83D guide the movement of the left and right endless rotating chains 85, 85 on the conveying path. In addition, the part of the endless rotating chain 85 that rotates on the return path side is guided by the lower guide rail portion 84, and the slack of the endless rotating chain 85 on the return path is reduced by the lower guide rail portion 84. The first upper guide rail portion 83U, the second upper guide rail portion 83D, and the lower guide rail portion 84 are each removably supported by multiple vertical frame portions 80V.

24 and 25 show the conveying start end of the conveyor 8. A vertically inclined portion 83a and a horizontally inclined portion 83b are formed at the conveying direction start end of the second upper guide rail portion 83D. The conveying direction start end of the second upper guide rail portion 83D is located downstream in the conveying direction from the driven wheel 82. The vertically inclined portion 83a and the horizontally inclined portion 83b at the conveying direction start end of the second upper guide rail portion 83D are inlet portions that receive the endless rotating chains 85, 85.
The cross-sectional shape of the inlet portion is formed to be a shape that widens toward the start end in the conveying direction, away from the endless rotating chains 85, 85 in the vertical and horizontal directions.

The vertically inclined portion 83a is inclined so that it is positioned lower as it advances in the conveying direction. The horizontally inclined portion 83b is inclined so that it is positioned laterally outward as it advances in the conveying direction. As a result, after the endless rotating chain 85 rotates along the outer periphery of the driven wheel 82, the endless rotating chain 85 is guided into the gap area between the first upper guide rail portion 83U and the second upper guide rail portion 83D by the vertically inclined portion 83a and the horizontally inclined portion 83b.

As shown in FIG. 21, the left and right intermediate frames 80C, 80C protrude toward the left and right central portion of the conveyor 8 by width W1 beyond the lateral inner portion of the second upper guide rail portion 83D, 83D. The area of width W1 in the intermediate frames 80C, 80C is the protruding portion of the intermediate frames 80C, 80C. In other words, the left and right intermediate frames 80C, 80C have protruding portions formed on the lateral inner portions thereof that protrude toward the left and right central portion of the conveyor 8 beyond the lateral inner portion of the second upper guide rail portion 83D, 83D.

As shown in FIG. 20, the bottom member 87 is supported on the horizontal frame 80L. The horizontal frame 80L is positioned below the bottom member 87 and is supported across the left and right intermediate frames 80C, 80C. As shown in FIG. 21, downward bent portions 87a, 87a are formed on both left and right ends of the bottom member 87 in the short direction of the conveyor 8. The bent portions 87a, 87a protrude downward along the vertical direction and are bolted to the left and right lateral inner portions 80a, 80a of the protruding portions of the left and right intermediate frames 80C, 80C (areas of width W1 in the intermediate frames 80C, 80C). In other words, the bent portions 87a, 87a are attachment portions for the protruding portions of the left and right intermediate frames 80C, 80C. As a result, the bottom member 87 is supported by the left and right intermediate frames 80C, 80C.

As shown in FIG. 21, the bottom member 87 spans the lateral inner portions 80a, 80a of the protruding portions of the left and right intermediate frames 80C, 80C (areas of width W1 in the intermediate frames 80C, 80C). In other words, the bottom member 87 is supported by the left and right intermediate frames 80C, 80C, and is configured to be narrower than the distance between the left and right first upper guide rail portions 83U, 83U and second upper guide rail portions 83D, 83D.

As shown in FIG. 20, downward bent portions 87b, 87b are formed at both ends of the bottom member 87 in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor 8, and adjacent bottom members 87, 87 are bolted together at the bent portions 87b. In other words, the bottom member 87 is bolted together on all four sides (front, back, left, and right) while being supported on the horizontal frame 80L.

When the harvested product is transported by the conveyor 8, the harvested product slides over the bottom member 87, and the bottom member 87 is prone to wear. In addition, the upper and lower first and second upper guide rail portions 83U and 83D, and the lower guide rail portion 84 are prone to wear due to contact (sliding contact) with the endless rotating chain 85. For this reason, in this embodiment, the bottom member 87, the first and second upper guide rail portions 83U and 83D, and the lower guide rail portion 84 are each configured to be replaceable.

The worker can remove the bottom member 87 upward by releasing the bolt connections at the bent portions 87a, 87a, 87b, 87b of the bottom member 87. In other words, the bottom member 87 is configured so that it can be removed upward by passing it between the left and right endless rotating chains 85, 85.

The conveyor 8 is provided with a cover member 45. As shown in FIG. 21, the lower part of the cover member 45 is interposed between the lateral inner parts 80a, 80a of the protruding parts of the intermediate frames 80C, 80C (area of width W1 in the intermediate frames 80C, 80C) and the mounting part (bent parts 87a, 87a) of the bottom member 87. The cover member 45 is formed in a shape that conforms to the upper part of the protruding part of the intermediate frame 80C (area of width W1 in the intermediate frame 80C) and the lateral inner part 80a of the protruding part, and covers the upper part of the protruding part and the lateral inner part 80a of the protruding part. In this state, the lower part of the cover member 45 and the mounting part of the bottom member 87 are fastened together to the protruding part of the intermediate frame 80C by fastening parts (bolts and nuts).

This configuration prevents the intermediate frame 80C and the carrier 86 from sliding against each other, and prevents wear on the intermediate frame 80C. The worker can remove the bottom member 87 and the cover member 45 by releasing the bolt connections at the bent portions 87a, 87a, 87b, and 87b of the bottom member 87. This allows the cover member 45 to be replaced.

A buffer member 46 is provided on the attachment portion of the conveyor 86 to the endless rotating chain 85, and the buffer member 46 is interposed between the first upper guide rail portion 83U and the conveyor 86. The buffer member 46 is in sliding contact with the first upper guide rail portion 83U and suppresses lateral movement of the conveyor 86. This configuration prevents sliding contact between the conveyor 86 and the first upper guide rail portion 83U, making the conveyor 86 less susceptible to wear and improving the durability of the conveyor 86.

[Shape of conveyor]
21 and 22, the conveying body 86 is provided with a pair of left and right side plates 86A, 86A and a conveying plate 86B. The side plates 86A, 86A are fixed to both left and right ends of the conveying plate 86B by welding. A connecting portion for connecting to the endless rotating chain 85 is provided at the top-bottom center of the side plate 86A, and the connecting portion of the side plate 86A is connected to the endless rotating chain 85 by bolts. That is, the side plate 86A as the lateral side of the conveying body 86 is provided with a connecting portion for connecting to the endless rotating chain 85.

The conveying plate portion 86B is formed with flat surface portions 86h, 86i, a pair of upper and lower recesses 86d, 86d, a lower inclined portion 86j, an upper protrusion 86U, and a lower protrusion 86L.
Each of the recessed portions 86d, 86d is formed in the upper and lower middle regions of the conveying body 86. Each of the recessed portions 86d, 86d is recessed from left to right across the conveying body 86 toward the upstream side in the conveying direction of the conveying body 86. Each of the recessed portions 86d, 86d is provided distributed vertically across the connecting portion with the endless rotating chain 85. Also, each of the recessed portions 86d, 86d is distributed vertically across the flat surface portion 86i. The flat surface portion 86h corresponds to the "first portion" of the present invention. The flat surface portion 86h is provided above the upper recessed portion 86d. Each of the flat surface portions 86h, 86i has a surface perpendicular to the conveying direction across the left and right of the conveying body 86. Therefore, the harvested product that is engaged and conveyed by the conveying body 86 is firmly subjected to the force in the conveying direction from the flat surface portions 86h, 86i.

The lower inclined portion 86j corresponds to the "second portion" of the present invention. The lower inclined portion 86j is provided below the recessed portion 86d in the conveying body 86, and is inclined so that the lower the lower the portion, the more downstream in the conveying direction it is located across the left and right sides of the conveying body 86. The lower protrusion 86L is provided below the lower inclined portion 86j. The lower protrusion 86L is inclined so that the lower the portion, the more downstream in the conveying direction it is located across the left and right sides of the conveying body 86. The inclination of the lower protrusion 86L is greater than the inclination of the lower inclined portion 86j. The lower end of the lower protrusion 86L, i.e., the lower end of the conveying plate portion 86B, protrudes furthest downstream in the conveying direction at the bottom of the conveying plate portion 86B. With this configuration, the conveying plate portion 86B can firmly scoop up the harvested crop with the lower protrusion 86L and engage and convey it.

The upper protrusion 86U is provided at the upper end of the conveying body 86, and protrudes from the left and right sides of the conveying body 86 toward the downstream side in the conveying direction. The upper protrusion 86U is formed in a mountain fold shape, and the upper end of the conveying plate portion 86B retracts further upstream in the conveying direction than the protruding tip of the upper protrusion 86U. In other words, the upper part of the upper protrusion 86U is inclined so that it is positioned further upstream in the conveying direction as it moves upward. With this configuration, the conveying plate portion 86B holds the harvested crop with the upper protrusion 86U, reducing the risk of the harvested crop climbing over the conveying plate portion 86B and falling downward.

With the above configuration, the conveying plate portion 86B protrudes downstream in the conveying direction at the upper protrusion 86U and the lower protrusion 86L. In addition, the portion of the conveying plate portion 86B between the upper protrusion 86U and the lower protrusion 86L is recessed upstream in the conveying direction by the recesses 86d, 86d. As a result, compared to a configuration in which the conveying plate portion 86B is formed in a flat plate shape, the harvested product enters each of the recesses 86d, 86d, and the conveying body 86 can engage and convey a larger amount of harvested product.

[Configuration of the upper cover part of the conveyor]
As shown in Figures 20, 21 and 23, the conveyor 8 is provided with an upper cover part 88, which covers the conveying path from above. The upper cover part 88 extends from the base end part rising obliquely upward in the conveying start end area of the conveyor 8 to the conveying end area of the conveyor 8. As shown in Figure 21, the upper cover part 88 inclines left and right with the left and right central part as the apex. In other words, the upper cover part 88 is configured to bulge upward. Since the conveying path is covered by the upper cover part 88, the upper cover part 88 prevents the harvested product from falling from the conveyor 8. The upper cover part 88A is provided on the inclined part 8A of the conveyor 8, and the upper cover part 88C is provided on the connecting part 8C of the conveyor 8. The upper cover part 88A covers the upper part of the inclined part 8A from above, and the upper cover part 88C covers the upper part of the connecting part 8C from above.

The conveying path of the bent portion 8B is covered by the upper cover portion 88B. The portion upstream of the bent portion 8B in the conveying direction is covered by the upper cover portion 88A, and the portion downstream of the bent portion 8B in the conveying direction is covered by the upper cover portion 88C. The upper cover portion 88A and the upper cover portion 88C are each made of so-called punched metal, and are lightweight. That is, the portions of the upper cover portion 88 that correspond to the inclined portion 8A and the connecting portion 8C are made of a porous material. At the bent portion 8B, the harvested product is likely to move violently, and the harvested product is likely to come into contact with the upper cover portion 88B. For this reason, the upper cover portion 88C is made of a material without holes, and the strength of the upper cover portion 88C is increased. That is, the portion of the upper cover portion 88 that corresponds to the bent portion 8B is made of a material without holes.

[Configuration for attaching and detaching bearings of driven wheels at conveyor conveying start end]
As shown in Figures 9, 25 and 26, the driven wheel 82 at the conveying start end of the conveyor 8 is supported by a pair of left and right front side walls 80F, 80F via a pair of left and right ball bearings 48, 48. The structure for attaching and detaching the ball bearing 48 will be described in detail with reference to Figure 26. The ball bearing 48 is fitted inside the bearing housing 47. The bearing housing 47 is formed in a cylindrical shape. A step is formed in the inner cylindrical portion of the bearing housing 47, and the step receives the ball bearing 48 in the thrust direction. A snap ring 49 is fitted inside the inner cylindrical portion of the bearing housing 47 on the opposite side to the step with the ball bearing 48 in between. The snap ring 49 is engaged with the bearing housing 47 so that the ball bearing 48 does not come off from the bearing housing 47.

The driven wheel 82 is provided with a shaft body 82A, a pair of left and right sprockets 82B, 82B, an external fitting cylinder portion 82C, a pair of left and right collars 82D, 82D, and a pair of left and right flat washers 82E, 82E. Both longitudinal ends of the shaft body 82A are formed into a cylindrical shape when viewed in the longitudinal direction, and the cylindrically formed portion is referred to as the cylindrical portion 82i. In other words, the cylindrical portions 82i, 82i are formed at both longitudinal ends of the shaft body 82A. Each of the cylindrical portions 82i, 82i fits into a pair of ball bearings 48, 48. In addition, the collars 82D, 82D fit into the cylindrical portions 82i, 82i that are located on the inside in the longitudinal direction relative to the fitting portions for the ball bearings 48, 48.

A screw hole is drilled in the end of each of the cylindrical portions 82i, 82i along the longitudinal direction of the shaft body 82A. A flat washer 82E, 82E is bolted to each end of each of the cylindrical portions 82i, 82i. The flat washer 82E is formed with a larger diameter than the cylindrical portion 82i. The outer periphery of the flat washer 82E engages with the inner ring of the ball bearing 48. With this configuration, the shaft body 82A is held in position so that it does not come off the ball bearing 48.

In the shaft body 82A, a portion between the cylindrical portions 82i, 82i is formed in a hexagonal shape when viewed in the longitudinal direction, and this hexagonal portion is referred to as a rectangular column portion 82h. A fitting hole is drilled in a hexagonal shape in the rotation axis core portion of the sprockets 82B, 82B.
The rectangular column portion 82h is fitted into fitting holes of the sprockets 82B at both ends thereof, thereby connecting the sprockets 82B to the shaft body 82A so as not to rotate relative to the shaft body 82A.

Between the left and right sprockets 82B, 82B, the outer fitting cylinder portion 82C fits onto the shaft body 82A. Both longitudinal ends of the outer fitting cylinder portion 82C abut against the left and right sprockets 82B, 82B. Each of the left and right sprockets 82B, 82B abuts against a collar 82D at both longitudinal ends of the shaft body 82A. In other words, the sprocket 82B is sandwiched between the outer fitting cylinder portion 82C and the collar 82D. The collar 82D is also sandwiched between the sprocket 82B and the ball bearing 48. This configuration holds the sprocket 82B in position relative to the shaft body 82A.

The pair of left and right front walls 80F, 80F each have an engagement hole 80i, 80i that engages with the ball bearing 48, 48, and the lateral inner end of the ball bearing 48, 48 is inserted laterally inward beyond the engagement hole 80i, 80i. In addition, the pair of left and right front walls 80F, 80F each have a protruding surface portion 50, 50. The protruding surface portion 50, 50 protrudes laterally outward beyond the front walls 80F, 80F. The ball bearing 48, 48 is bolted to the protruding surface portion 50, 50.

The replacement of the ball bearing 48 will be explained. The worker releases the bolts of the flat washer 82E from the shaft body 82A. This removes the flat washer 82E from the shaft body 82A, and the engagement between the shaft body 82A and the ball bearing 48 can be released. The worker then releases the bolts of the bearing housing 47 from the protruding surface portion 50 and pulls the bearing housing 47 outward laterally. This removes the bearing housing 47 from the front wall 80F, and the ball bearing 48 comes out of the cylindrical portion 82i of the shaft body 82A. The cylindrical portion 82i, which has been released from engagement with the ball bearing 48, is received at the bottom of the engagement hole 80i, preventing the shaft body 82A from falling off.

The diameter of the engagement hole 80i is larger than the diameter of the shaft body 82A and also larger than the diameter of the collar 82D. This allows the worker to replace the collar 82D at the engagement hole 80i. The diameter of the engagement hole 80i is smaller than the outer diameter of the sprocket 82B. Therefore, when the worker replaces the sprocket 82B, the worker releases the bolt connection of the front wall 80F on the left side of the machine body and removes the front wall 80F on the left side of the machine body from the conveyor 8. This allows the worker to replace the sprocket 82B.

[Pin removal structure at conveyor pivot point]
27 and 28, a pin 35 is inserted as a pivot point for the conveyor 8. However, if the sugarcane harvester is used for a long period of time, the pin 35 may become fixed to the conveyor support frame 20 or the revolving frame 21, and the pin 35 may not be removed from the conveyor support frame 20 or the revolving frame 21. To avoid such a problem, in this embodiment, the pin 35 is provided with a detachable portion 37. The pin 35 and the detachable portion 37 are integrally formed.

As shown in FIG. 28, a pair of upper and lower pins 35, 35 are provided, and a detachable portion 37 is provided on each of the pins 35, 35. The upper pin 35 is inserted through the upper plate portion 20A and the pair of upper plate portions 21A, 21B. The lower pin 35 is inserted through the lower plate portion 20B and the pair of lower plate portions 21C, 21D. The detachable portion 37 corresponding to the upper pin 35 is provided at the upper end of the upper pin 35, and the detachable portion 37 corresponding to the lower pin 35 is provided at the lower end of the lower pin 35.

Bolt insertion holes 37h, 37h are drilled in the upper and lower detachable parts 37, 37, respectively, and screw holes 21h, 21h corresponding to the bolt insertion holes 37h, 37h are drilled in the upper plate part 21A and the lower plate part 21D, respectively. With the bolt insertion hole 37h and the screw hole 21h overlapping, the bolt Bo1 is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 37h and fastened to the screw hole 21h. As a result, the pin 35 and the detachable part 37 are fixed to the rotating frame body 21 so that they cannot rotate relative to the rotating frame body 21.

A screw hole 37i, 37i is drilled in each of the upper and lower detachable parts 37, 37. The screw hole 37i has the same diameter as the screw hole 21h. When the worker removes the pin 35 from the conveyor support frame body 20 and the revolving frame body 21, the worker first removes the snap ring wrapped around the pin 35. Next, the worker removes the bolt Bo1 from the bolt insertion hole 37h and the screw hole 21h, and then tightens the bolt Bo1 into the screw hole 37i. When the screw hole 37i is screwed, the screwed tip of the bolt Bo1 presses against the surface of the upper plate portion 21A or the lower plate portion 21D. As the bolt Bo1 is pressed, a reaction force is generated from the upper plate portion 21A or the lower plate portion 21D. At this time, an upward reaction force acts on the upper pin 35, and a downward reaction force acts on the lower pin 35. Even if the pin 35 is fixed to the revolving frame body 21, the pin 35 is displaced relative to the revolving frame body 21 due to the reaction force generated by the screwing of the bolt Bo1. This allows the worker to remove the pin 35 from the conveyor support frame body 20 and the revolving frame body 21.

27 and 28, the pins 36, 36 are connected to the tip ends of the piston rods of the swing hydraulic cylinders 22, 22. The detachable portions 38 are provided at the lower ends of the pins 36, 36. The pin 36 is inserted through the upper plate portion 21B and the lower plate portion 21C.
An opening 21i is formed in the lower plate portion 21D, and an operator can work on the pin 36 and the attachment/detachment portion 38 from below through the opening 21i.

Bolt insertion holes 38h, 38h are drilled in each of the detachable parts 38, 38, and screw holes corresponding to the bolt insertion holes 38h, 38h are drilled in the lower plate part 21C. With the bolt insertion hole 38h and the screw hole in the lower plate part 21C overlapping, the bolt Bo2 is inserted through the bolt insertion hole 38h and fastened. As a result, the pin 36 and the detachable part 38 are fixed to the rotating frame body 21 so that they cannot rotate relative to the rotating frame body 21.

A screw hole 38i, 38i is drilled in each of the upper and lower detachable parts 38, 38. The screw hole 38i has the same diameter as the screw hole in the lower plate part 21C. When an operator removes the pin 36 from the upper plate part 21B and the lower plate part 21C, the operator removes the bolt Bo2 from the bolt insertion hole 38h and the screw hole in the lower plate part 21C, and then tightens the bolt Bo2 into the screw hole 38i. When the screw hole 38i is screwed, the screwed tip of the bolt Bo2 presses against the surface of the lower plate part 21C. As the bolt Bo2 is pressed, a reaction force from the lower plate part 21C acts downward on the pin 36. Even if the pin 36 is fixed to the upper plate portion 21B and the lower plate portion 21C, the pin 36 is displaced relative to the upper plate portion 21B and the lower plate portion 21C due to the reaction force generated by the screwing of the bolt Bo2. This allows the worker to remove the pin 36 from the upper plate portion 21B and the lower plate portion 21C. In this way, the attachment/detachment portion 37 and the attachment/detachment portion 38 each have the same structure for attaching and detaching the pins 35, 36.

[Another embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the configurations exemplified in the above-described embodiments, and other representative embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

(1) In the above embodiment, two recesses 86d, 86d are formed in the conveying plate portion 86B, but three or more recesses 86d may be formed in the conveying plate portion 86B. Also, one recess 86d may be formed in the conveying plate portion 86B. In short, it is sufficient that a recess 86d is formed in the upper and lower middle regions of the conveying body 86, recessing across the left and right sides of the conveying body 86 toward the upstream side of the conveying direction of the conveying body 86.

(2) In the above embodiment, the recesses 86d, 86d are provided above and below the connection portion between the conveyor 86 and the endless rotating chain 85, but this is not limited to the embodiment. For example, one recess 86d may be provided on both sides of the connection portion between the conveyor 86 and the endless rotating chain 85.

(3) In the above embodiment, the upper part of the upper protrusion 86U of the conveying body 86 is inclined so that it is positioned further upstream in the conveying direction as it goes upward, but the upper part of the upper protrusion 86U may also be inclined so that it is positioned further downstream in the conveying direction as it goes upward.

(4) In the above embodiment, the lower protrusion 86L is provided below the lower inclined portion 86j, and the inclination of the lower protrusion 86L is greater than the inclination of the lower inclined portion 86j, but this is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the lower inclined portion 86j and the lower protrusion 86L may be configured to be continuously formed with the same inclination. Furthermore, the lower inclined portion 86j does not have to be configured to be inclined so that it is located downstream in the conveying direction as it goes downward, and may be a surface perpendicular to the conveying direction.

(5) The above-mentioned hopper 19 and the pair of left and right side cover parts 19B, 19B may be configured as one unit.

(6) The upper cover parts 88A and 88C are made of a porous material, and the upper cover part 88B is made of a material without holes, but all of the upper cover parts 88A, 88B, and 88C may be made of a porous material. Also, all of the upper cover parts 88A, 88B, and 88C may be made of a material without holes. Alternatively, at least one of the upper cover parts 88A, 88B, and 88C may not be provided.

(7) In the above embodiment, the driving wheel 81 is provided at the upper rear of the conveyor 8, and the driven wheel 82 is provided at the lower front of the conveyor 8, but this is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the driving wheel 81 may be provided at the lower front of the conveyor 8, and the driven wheel 82 may be provided at the upper rear of the conveyor 8. In other words, it is sufficient that the driving wheel 81 is provided at one end of the conveyor 8, and the driven wheel 82 is provided at the other end of the conveyor 8.

The configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiment (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, unless a contradiction arises.
Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be applied to sugarcane harvesters.

4: Harvesting unit (harvesting and conveying device)
6: Transport device (harvesting and transporting device)
7: Separator 8: Conveyor 8A: Inclined portion 8B: Bending portion 8C: Connection portion 19: Hopper 19B: Side cover portion 81: Driving wheel 82: Driven wheel 85: Endless rotating chain (endless rotating body)
86: Conveyor 86L: Lower protruding part 86U: Upper protruding part 86d: Recessed part 86h: Flat surface part (first part)
86i: Flat surface portion
86j: Downward slope part (second part)
88: Upper cover part 88A: Upper cover part 88B: Upper cover part 88C: Upper cover part

Claims (6)

A traveling machine body having a reaping and transporting device that harvests crops in a field and transports them backward;
A separation device provided at the rear of the traveling body and separating the crop into debris and harvested products;
a conveyor having a conveying path extending obliquely upward, receiving the harvested product from the separating device, conveying the harvested product obliquely upward, and discharging the harvested product outside the machine;
The conveyor is provided with a driving wheel provided at one end of the conveyor, a driven wheel provided at the other end of the conveyor, an endless rotating body that is wound around the driving wheel and the driven wheel and circulates around the conveying path and a return path opposite to the conveying path, and a plurality of plate-shaped carriers that are attached to the endless rotating body and rotate integrally with the endless rotating body to engage and transport the harvested products on the conveying path,
The transport body of the sugarcane harvester has a flat surface portion and a recessed portion that recesses from the flat surface portion to the left and right sides of the transport body on the transport path toward the upstream side of the transport body in the transport direction . A traveling machine body having a reaping and transporting device that harvests crops in a field and transports them backward;
A separation device provided at the rear of the traveling body and separating the crop into debris and harvested products;
a conveyor having a conveying path extending obliquely upward, receiving the harvested product from the separating device, conveying the harvested product obliquely upward, and discharging the harvested product outside the machine;
The conveyor is provided with a driving wheel provided at one end of the conveyor, a driven wheel provided at the other end of the conveyor, an endless rotating body that is wound around the driving wheel and the driven wheel and circulates around the conveying path and a return path opposite to the conveying path, and a plurality of plate-shaped carriers that are attached to the endless rotating body and rotate integrally with the endless rotating body to engage and transport the harvested products on the conveying path,
a recessed portion is formed in a vertical middle region of the conveying body, the recessed portion extending from the left to the right of the conveying body toward the upstream side of the conveying body in the conveying direction,
A connecting portion that is connected to the endless rotating body is provided on a lateral side of the conveying body,
A sugarcane harvester, wherein a plurality of the recessed portions are provided distributed above and below the connecting portion on either side. A traveling machine body having a reaping and transporting device that harvests crops in a field and transports them backward;
A separation device provided at the rear of the traveling body and separating the crop into debris and harvested products;
a conveyor having a conveying path extending obliquely upward, receiving the harvested product from the separating device, conveying the harvested product obliquely upward, and discharging the harvested product outside the machine;
The conveyor is provided with a driving wheel provided at one end of the conveyor, a driven wheel provided at the other end of the conveyor, an endless rotating body that is wound around the driving wheel and the driven wheel and circulates around the conveying path and a return path opposite to the conveying path, and a plurality of plate-shaped carriers that are attached to the endless rotating body and rotate integrally with the endless rotating body to engage and transport the harvested products on the conveying path,
a recessed portion is formed in a vertical middle region of the conveying body, the recessed portion extending from the left to the right of the conveying body toward the upstream side of the conveying body in the conveying direction,
A first portion having a surface perpendicular to a conveying direction across the left and right sides of the conveying body is provided above the recess in the conveying body,
a second portion is provided below the recess in the conveying body, the second portion being inclined so as to be positioned downstream in the conveying direction as it approaches the lower side across the left and right of the conveying body,
an upper protrusion protruding from the upper end of the conveying body toward the downstream side in the conveying direction across the left and right of the conveying body;
The upper portion of the upper protrusion is inclined so as to be positioned upstream in the conveying direction as it goes upward,
A sugarcane harvester, comprising : a lower end portion of the transport body, the lower end portion being inclined so as to be positioned downstream in the transport direction as it extends downward across the left and right sides of the transport body. a front end of the conveyor entering a region below the separating device;
An inlet is provided at an upper portion of the front end portion to receive the harvested product that has fallen from the separating device,
A hopper is provided that is connected to the inlet while being positioned between the separating device and the front end portion, and guides the harvested product that has fallen from the separating device to the inlet;
The hopper is raised from the inlet in a state surrounding the front, right, and left parts of the inlet,
The inlet is extended rearward and upward beyond the rear end of the hopper,
A sugarcane harvester as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising left and right side cover portions raised from the left and right sides of a portion of the inlet that extends rearward and upward beyond the rear end and connected to the rear end. The conveyor is configured such that the transport path is located above the return path,
The conveyor is provided with an upper cover portion that covers the transport path from above,
The sugarcane harvester according to claim 1 , wherein the upper cover portion is configured to bulge upward. A traveling machine body having a reaping and transporting device that harvests crops in a field and transports them backward;
A separation device provided at the rear of the traveling body and separating the crop into debris and harvested products;
a conveyor having a conveying path extending obliquely upward, receiving the harvested product from the separating device, conveying the harvested product obliquely upward, and discharging the harvested product outside the machine;
The conveyor is provided with a driving wheel provided at one end of the conveyor, a driven wheel provided at the other end of the conveyor, an endless rotating body that is wound around the driving wheel and the driven wheel and circulates around the conveying path and a return path opposite to the conveying path, and a plurality of plate-shaped carriers that are attached to the endless rotating body and rotate integrally with the endless rotating body to engage and transport the harvested products on the conveying path,
a recessed portion is formed in a vertical middle region of the conveying body, the recessed portion extending from the left to the right of the conveying body toward the upstream side of the conveying body in the conveying direction,
The conveyor is configured such that the transport path is located above the return path,
The conveyor is provided with an upper cover portion that covers the transport path from above,
The upper cover portion is configured to bulge upward,
The conveyor is provided with an inclined portion that is inclined obliquely upward, and a connecting portion that is connected to the inclined portion via a bent portion on the downstream side in the conveying direction and is provided in a state where it is lowered than the inclined portion,
the upper cover portion covers an upper portion of the inclined portion and the bent portion from above,
a portion of the upper cover portion corresponding to the inclined portion is made of a porous material;
A sugarcane harvester, wherein the portion of the upper cover portion corresponding to the bent portion is constructed of a material without holes.

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