AU702767B2

AU702767B2 - Agricultural harvester

Info

Publication number: AU702767B2
Application number: AU65151/96A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Martin Buermann; Wilhelm Von Allworden
Original assignee: Same Deutz Fahr SpA
Current assignee: Same Deutz Fahr SpA
Priority date: 1995-07-01
Filing date: 1996-06-28
Publication date: 1999-03-04
Anticipated expiration: 2016-06-28
Also published as: WO1997001951A1; DE19524040A1; EP0836373A1; AU6515196A; DK0836373T3; EP0836373B1; DE59606727D1; BR9609305A

Description

WO 97/01951 PCT/EP96/02841 /Stamp at foot of page 1:/ Original documents Agricultural Harvester

DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to an agricultural harvester, for example combine harvester, according to the preamble of Claim 1.

The Model MF 760 combine harvester made by Massey Ferguson exhibits the features of the preamble of Claims 1 and 9.

The performance of a combine harvester is limited chiefly by the performance of its shaker. For high non-grain-component throughputs, grain losses can be seen to increase exponentially upon separation of the shaker. This can be attributed to, among other factors, compaction of the mat of non-grain component located on the shaker. As soon as the mat of material coming from the thresher is deposited on the shaker, however, said mat being conveyed indeed by means of throwing motions, no effective loosening of the mat occurs. To some extent, in fact, the opposite is the case. At very high throughputs, settling processes come into play in the lower part of the nongrain-component mat downstream of the first third of the shaker. For this reason, the known combine harvester exhibits so-called shaker aids, in which tine-like devices engage in the mat located in the shaker in order to loosen said mat. These shaker aids, however, restrict the passage cross section of the shaker housing and, under certain harvesting conditions, have a tendency toward coiling phenomena, which can lead to shutdown of the machine.

It would therefore be desirable to increase the performance of the shaker of a combine harvester, the width of said combine harvester not being permitted to exceed the value prescribed by statute.

According to the present invention, there is provided an agricultural •O l harvester, and in particular a combine harvester, including a mowing means, an intake means, a threshing means, a shaker, a return tray, a preparation surface, o 15 a sieve means and a fan, wherein the shaker made as a rack shaker, as well as 0 .he return tray exhibiting a greater width than the threshing means, and the threshing means being made as a tangential thresher, and wherein the sieve means exhibits a greater width than the threshing means, the transfer means is provided between the threshing means and the shaker, the transfer means is made as a moving and/or as a fixed part that serves to distribute the harvested material uniformly on the shaker and that the transfer means exhibits at its 6*PP discharge end, the width of the shaker.

S: Preferably, the shaker is divided into two units, enabling relative motions of the shaker units, which motions lead to loosening of the mat of harvested material and *ease: 0 ooo 01 o p~o N ODDMp.6551 96 doc to more intensive and more complete grain separation.

Preferably, each shaker unit exhibits a drive, whose speed, direction of rotation and phase are selectable. In this fashion, the loosening of the mat of harvested material can take place in two ways: If the two shakers are caused to rotate synchronously with the strokes 180° out of phase, the mat located on the shaker experiences alternate shortening and lengthening, so that a loosening of the non-grain-component mat, advantageous for grain separation, is achieved, which also acts in the lower layers of said mat.

A second possibility consists in causing the second shaker to rotate at a higher speed. Here too, there result shortening and lengthening processes acting between the two shakers. As a function of the transmission ratio, phases occur alternately in which the shakers are running in synchronization. An i increase in the speed of conveyance comes about by means of the higher 15 speed of the rear shaker, so that 0 S o 0 a S 0o N:'DDM\pa85151 98 doc the non-grain-component mat is equalized upon the transition to the rear shaker and the grain separation is improved. In both cases, the drives of the two shaker units are coupled so that their speed or phase are constant. Also conceivable, however, are independent drives having separately controllable speed and phase corresponding to the nature and condition of the harvested material.

By means of a further development in the invention, in which the shaker units are made as rack shakers having at least one stage each, it is achieved that the known advantages of this shaker version also come into play in the novel arrangement.

If, according to the invention, the shaker units are made at least partially open downward, the region of said shaker units extending over the return tray during operation being closed, the return tray can be made in a space and cost saving fashion, since it can be shortened by the length of the closed shaker 15 unit.

Preferably, the preparation surface is made as at least one endless belt.

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-0 Vr i N.\DDMpa65151 96 doc cleans itself largely automatically by means of the twofold 180° deflection at the ends of the preparation surface or can be cleaned by means of a single doctor blade on the idler. What is more, the stream of harvested material is conveyed uniformly to the first drop and there forms a curtain of harvested material, which is optimally suited to air separation.

Preferably, parallel partitions are provided, which partitions are arranged either above said conveyor belt and touching it, or between parallel single belts and extending over these, or as segments rigidly connected to the conveyor belt and arranged so as to circulate therewith. By means of the partitions, it is achieved that the distribution of harvested material on the preparation surface remains uniform even when the harvester is in an oblique attitude.

Preferably, a second preparation surface can be arranged downstream of the preparation surface, which second preparation surface is offset i downward relative to the preparation surface by the height of a first drop and is 15 arranged above the sieve o 8 go Soo o N TDM'Ia65151 96 doc ~C Ir P~ II1 ~sB 6 means by the height of a second drop. By means of the two drops, the stream of harvested material is precleaned by means of the fan air. In this way the sieve means is relieved of contamination of the stream of harvested material.

Preferably, the second preparation surface exhibits an oscillatory drive.

This might also be made as a conveyor belt.

The width of the shaker and of the return tray in the known combine harvester is indeed enlarged relative to its threshing means, but only to a small degree and to such an extent that a distribution of the non-grain-component mat on the widened shaker is insured without 4*O

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4 0 I ~p Ifurther aids. In contrast, the permissible width of the combine harvester according to the invention is completely utilized for the widening of the shaker.

The gain in shaker performance achieved in this way is completed only by means of the correspondingly widened sieve means according to the invention. Complete utilization of the width means that the shaker, return tray and sieve means together with the requisite drive elements are as wide as the traffic regulations in Germany or Europe permit. This width is, moreover, also the measure for the external spacing of the wheels of the forward main propulsion axle.

An important development of the invention consists in that a transfer means is provided between the threshing means and the shaker. Only by this means is it achieved that the stream of harvested material is uniformly distributed on the widened shaker despite the abrupt widening between the threshing duct and the shaker, and only by this means does the widening become effective.

It is also advantageous that, according to the invention, the transfer means is made as a moving, 7 preferably rotating part and/or as a fixed part, the transfer means exhibiting the width of the shaker at least at its discharge end.

Rotating parts are expensive, to be sure, but also efficient, while fixed parts are simple but commonly less effective. Oscillating parts or parts moving in pendulum fashion are also conceivable. Similarly rotating parts whose axis do not stand perpendicular to the stream of harvested material but are pivoted from the middle outward in the direction of the stream of harvested material.

A development consists in that, according to the invention, the rotating and the fixed part exhibit means for the uniform distribution of the harvested material on the shaker. In this way a uniform distribution of the stream of harvested material on the shaker is achieved by means such as moving tines on a tined drum or oblique ribs on a ribbed drum or ribs on a cage or ribs on a stationary guide plate.

By means of a development of the invention in which the effective width of shaker, return tray, sieve means and 8 9 guiding means, singly or together, is adjustable in the framework of the vehicle width with a view to maximum harvesting performance, great flexibility and performance is achieved for a variety of harvested materials and conditions.

The geometric width of the assemblies can thus remain unchanged and only their utilization can be variable.

Preferably, the return tray, known per se, is arranged below the shaker, and exhibits on its top side, in its forward region as viewed in the direction of travel, guiding means that distribute the harvested material outwardly. In this way the widened sieve means is loaded in its outer regions by the stream of harvested material of the return tray, and in its central region by that of the second preparation surface. In this way the sieve means is uniformly and thus optimally utilized.

Preferably, the fan exhibits a flow duct directed to the first drop and a diffuser that is directed to the second drop and to the sieve means, the diffuser 15 distributing the wind onto the sieve means by means of guide means. The 0 4.

0 0 o 0a N DOMpa651 590 doc fan, made as a radial-flow fan, supplies a uniform stream of air as wide as the drops. The widened regions of the sieve means are also uniformly loaded with wind by means of the guide means.

A development of the invention consists in that the widened shaker is made according to Claims 1 to 4. By means of the combination of performance-enhancing measures, a high-performance shaker is obtained, which is no longer performance-limiting for the combine harvester.

Further features of the invention can be inferred from the following description and the Drawing, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated schematically.

Figure 1 shows a cross section through the combine harvester.

Figure 2 shows a section through a transfer means with ribbed drum and smooth cage.

Figure 3 shows a view of the ribbed drum.

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VTow, Figure 4 shows a section through a transfer means having standard drum and ribbed cage.

Figure 5 shows a view of the ribbed cage.

Figure 6 shows a section through a transfer means having tined drum and smooth cage.

Figure 7 shows a view of the tined drum.

Figure 1 shows a cross section through the combine harvester 1, having a threshing means 2, a transfer means 3, a shaker 4, a preparation surface 5, a second preparation surface 6, a return tray 7, a sieve means 8, a fan 9 having flow duct 10, diffuser 11 and guide means 12, a grain auger 13, and a tailings auger 14.

The threshing means 2 exhibits a threshing cylinder a turning drum 16 and a turboseparator 17. The transfer means 3 serves to distribu,.e the stream of harvested material uniformly on the shaker, whose width is greater than that of the threshing means 2. The transfer means 3 can be made as a fixed part in the form of a guide plate, which is loaded by the stream of 11 harvested material and expands said stream from the width of the threshing duct to the width of the shaker by means of obliquely positioned ribs.

A transfer means that is made as a rotating part distributes the stream of harvested material especially effectively. A variety of embodiments of drum-cage combinations come under consideration here.

The ribbed drum 18 shown in Figure 2 bears drum ribs 19 on its circumference, which ribs exhibit a pitch increasing toward the outer edge of the drum as shown in Figure 3. The separator cage 20 arranged below the ribbed drum 18 exhibits a smooth surface. By means the relative velocity between the drum ribs 19 attached to the ribbed drum 18 and the stream of harvested material, an outwardly directed velocity Vtransverse results in connection with the set angle a of the drum ribs 19, which velocity in combination with the dwell time of the harvested material in the cage nip effects the lateral shifting of said harvested material. The set angle of the drum ribs 19 becomes larger and larger from the middle of the drum to its outer edge, by which means the stream of harvested material is uniformly 12 i equalized. Because the required lateral shifting of the stream of harvested material depends on the velocity of said stream relative to the ribbed drum 18 and thus on the peripheral velocity of said drum, the set angles of the drum ribs 19 must be adjustable in order to permit in this way an adaptation to various drum rotation speeds.

A drum-cage combination, in which the drum is made as a conventional separator drum 21 and the cage as a ribbed cage 22 having cage ribs 23, is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. In order to achieve a uniform distribution of harvested material, the set angle a here also increases toward the outside of the ribbed cage 22. In order to avoid excessive straw damage under extremely dry harvest conditions, these ribs can, according to the invention, be pivoted out by means of suitable devices.

A further drum-cage combination, in which the drum is made as a tined drum 24 having controlled tines while the separator cage 20 is smooth, is illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. Upon passage through the cage region, the tines 25 move outward in a well-defined fashion in order to equalize the stream of harvested 13 material in this way. The tines 25 are set in motion by means of a suitable drive (wobble plate, cam, or the like). In order to achieve a uniform width distribution of the stream of harvested material, the tines 25 are driven in such a fashion that they execute larger lateral travels toward the outside of the drum.

According to Figure 1, the shaker consists of a first shaker unit 26 and a second shaker unit 27, which are made as rack shakers open downward having two drops each. Only the part of the rack shakers that extends over the return tray 7 is closed. The shaker units 26, 27 have separate drives 28, 28', which can exhibit a distinct rotation direction, speed and phase. These added degrees of freedom, relative to a standard shaker, and the enlarged width of the shaker according to the invention result in a high performance of said shaker, which is no longer limiting for the combine harvester 1.

The harvested material passes from the threshing means 2 to a preparation surface 5 of the same width. This is made as an endless belt, which consists of a plurality of parallel individual belts 29a having N14 partitions 30 arranged therebetween. The latter, as also correspondingly in the case of the other assemblies, serve to load the working surfaces uniformly during operation on a slope. The individual belts 29a have the advantage that they clean themselves largely automatically by means of the two 1800 deflections. What is more, the harvested material flows in a uniform stream over the first drop 31 onto a second preparation surface 6 of equal width. Here it is effectively screened by the wind from fan 9, which is blown onto the stream of harvested material via a flow duct The second preparation surface 6 conveys the harvested minaterial by oscillatory motions via a second drop 32 onto an upper sieve 33 of the sieve means 8. Because the sieve means 8 exhibits the same width as the shaker 4, the upper sieve 33 is loaded only in its central region by the second preparation surface 6. For this reason, a conventional oscillating return tray 7 as wide as the shaker 4 is provided, which return tray transports the grains falling out of the shaker 4 in the direction of the upper sieve 33 and exhibits, in its front region as viewed in the direction of travel, II

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guide means 34 (such as, for example, guide ribs or wedges), which distribute the harvested material outward. By this means, the upper sieve 33 and thus a lower sieve 35 of equal width is uniformly charged with harvested material, by which means an optimal distribution of harvested material results. In order to achieve a good distribution of harvested material on the sieve means, it is necessary to match the second preparation tray 6 and the guide means 34 of the return tray. For this purpose the second preparation tray 6 can exhibit means for distributing the harvested material or can also exhibit the full width of the sieve means 8. The fan 9, which exhibits the width of the threshing duct and of the preparation surfaces 6, has a diffuser 11, which distributes the wind over the full width of the sieve means 8 by means of guide means 12.

A conventional grain auger 13 and a tailings auger 14 provide for the return conveyance of the harvested material.

Combine harvesters are a preferred field of application of the invention, the invention not, however, being 16 restricted to this field but also finding application in simple fashion in further harvesters (self-propelled or towed).

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Claims

2. An agricultural harvester according to claim 1, wherein the effective width OIIOI of a guiding means and of the shaker, return tray and sieve means, singly or together, is adjustable in the framework of the vehicle width with a view to 15 maximum harvesting performance.
3. An agricultural harvester according to any one of the foregoing claims, wherein the return tray, known per se, which is arranged below the shaker, *,.**exhibits on its top side, in its forward region as viewed in the direction of travel, guiding means that distribute the harvested material outwardly. 20 4. An agricultural harvester according to any one of the foregoing claims, *6 w bwherein the shaker exhibits at least a first shaker unit and a second shaker unit, 66b6 which are arranged separately and one behind another as viewed in the direction of travel, and each shaker unit exhibits a drive whose speed, direction ll of rotation and phase are selectable. S 25 5. An agricultural harvester according to any one of the foregoing claims, Swherein the shaker units are made at least partially open downward, the region S of said shaker units extending over the return tray during operation being closed.
6. An agricultural harvester according to any one of the foregoing claims, whei sin the preparation surface is made as at least one endless belt.
7. An agricultural harvester according to claim 6, wherein parallel partitions are provided, which partitions are arranged either above the endless belt and touching it, or between parallel single belts and extending over these, or as N \DM\P6I515 1 9 dC I LLI segments rigidly connected to the conveyor belt and arranged so as to circulate therewith.
8. An agricultural harvester according to any one of the foregoing claims, wherein a second preparation surface is arranged downstream of the preparation surface, which second preparation surface is offset downward relative to the preparation surface by the height of a first drop and is arranged above the sieve means by the height of a second drop.
9. An agricultural harvester according to any one of the foregoing claims, wherein the second preparation surface exhibits an oscillatory drive.
10. An agricultural harvester according to any one of the foregoing claims, wherein the fan exhibits a flow duct directed to the first drop and a diffuser that *e is directed to the second drop and to the sieve means, the diffuser distributing the wind onto the widened regions of the sieve means by means of guide means. 15 11. An agricultural harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the transfer means is a rotating part.
12. An agricultural harvester according to any on, of tre embodiments substantially as herein described and illustrated wifh r,-Trence to the accompanying drawings. DATED: 11 December 1998 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: SAME-DEUTZ-FAHR S.p.A. N\ DOMpa85151 96 do d Is