JP7610979B2 - Sugarcane harvester - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sugarcane harvester.

Sugarcane is planted in rows in a field, and the stalks are tough and extend upward. When harvesting such sugarcane, it is necessary to guide the row to be harvested and the adjacent rows of unharvested sugarcane so that they do not fall over inside the machine.
Therefore, in a sugarcane harvester, guide members for guiding the sugarcane laterally are provided on the left and right sides of the machine body. Conventionally, the guide members are provided in a continuous, long manner extending from a location on the front end side of the machine body to a location on the rear end side of the machine body, and the front end and the rear end are configured to be supported by the machine body (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2018-78836 A

In the conventional configuration described above, when an external force is applied to the front-rear middle part of the guide member during harvesting or while traveling, due to factors such as a ridge or other external fixed part coming into contact with the guide member, there is a disadvantage in that the middle part may bend and deform, or be pushed toward the inside of the machine and interfere with the traveling device, resulting in damage.

Therefore, there was a need to reduce the risk of damage to the guide members while still allowing the guide members to fully perform their function of guiding the sugar cane to the sides of the aircraft.

The sugarcane harvester of the present invention is characterized in that it is equipped with a cutting unit located at the front of the body for cutting crops, left and right front traveling devices, and left and right rear traveling devices, and on the left and right sides of the body, guide members are provided extending from the sides of the cutting unit to the rear sides of the rear traveling devices along the fore-and-aft direction of the body, the fore-and-aft central portion of the guide members is supported by the body frame, the guide members are divided into a front side split body and a rear side split body at the fore-and-aft central portion, and the rear of the front side split body is supported in a fixed position relative to the body frame.

According to the present invention, the central portion of the guide member is supported by the aircraft frame, so that even if an external force is applied to the central portion of the guide member, bending and deformation can be prevented.

As a result, even if the guide member is configured to extend from the front end of the machine to the rear end of the machine so that it can fully perform its guiding function of guiding the sugarcane to the side of the machine, it is possible to reduce the risk of the guide member being damaged.

The guide member is also divided into a front section and a rear section. As a result, it is smaller and lighter than a configuration in which the guide member extends continuously from the front end of the aircraft to the rear end of the aircraft, making it easier to assemble and remove for maintenance.

The sugarcane harvester according to the present invention is characterized in that it is equipped with a cutting unit located at the front of the machine body for cutting the crops, left and right front traveling devices, and left and right rear traveling devices, and on the left and right sides of the machine body, guide members are provided that extend from the sides of the cutting unit to the rear sides of the rear traveling devices in the fore-and-aft direction of the machine body, the front-to-rear center of the guide members is supported by the machine body frame, the driver's unit is provided at a position higher than the guide members, there are lifting steps for getting on and off the driver's unit, and the guide members are provided with lower guide bodies that are located lower than the lowest placement part of the lifting steps.

According to this configuration, since the front-rear center of the guide member is supported by the machine frame, for example, bending and deformation can be prevented even if an external force is applied to the front-rear center of the guide member. Therefore, even if the guide member is configured to extend from the front end of the machine to the rear end of the machine so that it can fully perform its guiding function of guiding the sugarcane to the side of the machine, it is possible to reduce the risk of the guide member being damaged. In addition, when the driver gets on and off the driver's section using the lifting step, the lower guide body located at a low position on the guide member can be used as a stepping stool, making it easier to get on and off.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the guide member passes on the side of the rear traveling device and has a plurality of side guide bodies facing forward and backward and spaced apart vertically at the point where the rear traveling device passes on the side.

With this configuration, multiple front-rear oriented side guide bodies are arranged at intervals vertically on the sides of the rear traveling device, making it even easier to prevent crops and other objects from coming into contact with the rear traveling device.

The sugarcane harvester according to the present invention is characterized in that it is equipped with a cutting section located at the front of the machine body for cutting the crops, left and right front traveling devices, and left and right rear traveling devices, and on the left and right sides of the machine body, guide members are provided that extend from the sides of the cutting section to the rear sides of the rear traveling devices in the fore-and-aft direction of the machine body, the front-to-rear center of the guide members is supported by the machine body frame, the front of the guide members are equipped with inclined guide sections that extend outwardly from the front end located at the rear lateral side of the cutting section toward the outside as it moves rearward, and the rear of the guide members are equipped with lateral guide sections that extend toward the inside of the machine body at the rear of the rear traveling devices.

According to this configuration, since the front-rear center of the guide member is supported by the machine frame, for example, bending and deformation can be prevented even if an external force is applied to the front-rear center of the guide member. Therefore, even if the guide member is provided in a state in which it extends from the front end of the machine to the rear end of the machine so that it can fully perform its guiding function of guiding the sugarcane to the side of the machine, it is possible to reduce the risk of the guide member being damaged. In addition, the crop to be cut and the adjacent crop that has been divided by the cutting unit are guided by the inclined guide member from the rear lateral side of the cutting unit. The inclined guide portion extends outward in a lateral direction as it moves rearward, so that the crop is gradually and smoothly guided outward in the lateral direction without any difficulty.

In addition, a lateral guide section is provided on the rear side of the rear traveling device, so that crops guided to the rear side of the machine by the guide member can be prevented from falling toward the rear traveling device when returning to the inside of the machine.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the battery is provided in a state where it is located above one of the left and right guide members.

FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 13 is a side view of the left guide member. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of the center of the left side of the aircraft. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the center of the left side of the fuselage.

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

[Overall structure]
Figures 1 to 3 show the whole of the sugarcane harvester, with Figure 1 being a left side view, Figure 2 being a plan view, and Figure 3 being a right side view. In this embodiment, the direction indicated by the symbol (F) in Figures 1, 2, and 3 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 configured as a wheel-propelled type, with front wheels 1 as steerable left and right front traveling devices, and rear wheels 2 as non-steerable left and right rear traveling devices that are driven to rotate, and the machine can travel by driving the rear wheels 2.

The machine body is equipped with a driving section 3, a harvesting section 4 that harvests the planted crops, a topper 5 that cuts off the upper leaves of the sugarcane, a feeder 6 as a transport device that transports the crop harvested by the harvesting section 4 rearward and upward, a separation device 7 that separates the crop (sugarcane) transported by the feeder 6 from impurities, a discharge conveyor 8 that transports the crop (harvested product) separated from the impurities diagonally upward and outward from the machine body and discharges it, and an engine 9 that supplies power to each section of the machine body.

The driver's section 3 is located at a high position at the front of the aircraft and is surrounded by the cabin 10. Although not shown, the cabin 10 is equipped with a driver's seat, a steering wheel, an operation panel, etc. The left and right side sections of the cabin 10 are each formed as a door section that can be opened and closed.

The cutting unit 4 is located at the front lower part of the machine body. The cutting unit 4 is equipped with left and right weeding devices 11 that separate and guide the crops to be harvested from the planted crops, and a cutting header 12 that cuts the crops planted in the field and sends them to the rear.

The left and right grass dividing devices 11 are equipped with a vertically oriented grass dividing rotor that is driven to rotate, and are supported via a link mechanism 14 on the front frame body 16 of the machine frame 15 so that they can be raised and lowered.

The harvesting header 12 is connected to the rear of the left and right grass-dividing devices 11, and is equipped with a roller (not shown) that pushes the crop into the area between the left and right side walls so that it falls forward and then scrapes it backward, and 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 and is equipped with a pair of left and right rotary cutters that rotate around a vertical axis.

The feeder 6 has a conveying width that is approximately the same as the conveying width of the harvesting header 12, and is provided at a low position where the conveying start end is connected to the rear of the cutting device 18. The feeder 6 is provided in a rear-upward tilted position so that the crops are conveyed toward the rear and upper part of the machine body. The feeder 6 is formed as a highly rigid structure that, as a whole, forms a conveying path that is approximately rectangular and tubular.

Inside the feeder 6, although not shown, scraping rotors are provided on both the top and bottom of the crop transport path at appropriate intervals between the left and right side walls along the transport direction, and the top and bottom scraping rotors are rotated in opposite directions to sandwich the harvested crop between them and transport it backwards.

The feeder 6 is configured to shred the long crops being transported at the end of the transport so that they are a length that is easy to handle when loaded onto a truck for transport.

The separator 7 uses the ventilation action of a fan that rotates around the vertical axis to separate and discharge to the outside impurities such as fine stems and culms and leaves contained in the crops discharged from the conveying end of the feeder 6. That is, the crops discharged from the rear end of the feeder 6 are subjected to the suction action of the fan on the way to being discharged, and relatively light impurities such as fine stems and culms and leaves are sucked upward and discharged to the outside. The crops (sugar cane), which are heavier than the impurities, fall directly downward without being sucked in by the fan.

Directly below the separator 7 and below the rear end of the feeder 6, a receiving hopper 19 is provided to receive and collect the crops discharged downward from the feeder 6. The crops received by the receiving hopper 19 are discharged to the conveying start end of the discharge conveyor 8.

The discharge conveyor 8 is supported in its entirety by a conveyor support frame 20 provided at the rear of the machine frame 15, and extends from the rear lower part of the machine toward the outside and upward of the machine. The discharge conveyor 8 is driven by a hydraulic motor (not shown), which holds and transports the crops, and drops and discharges them from the end of the transport onto the bed of a transport truck.

[Guide member]
4 and 5, guide members 21 are provided on the left and right sides of the machine body, extending from the sides of the cutting unit 4 to the rear sides of the rear wheels 2 along the fore-and-aft direction of the machine body. The guide members 21 are supported at their front and rear ends by the machine body frame 15.

The front part of the guide member 21 is provided with an inclined guide section 22 that extends laterally outward as it moves rearward from the front end. The rear part of the guide member 21 is provided with a lateral guide section 23 that extends toward the inside of the vehicle behind the rear wheel 2. Between the rear end of the inclined guide section 22 and the lateral guide section 23, an intermediate guide section 24 is provided that extends in a substantially horizontal position along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

The guide member 21 is supported at its front-to-rear center by the aircraft frame 15. Specifically, the guide member 21 is divided at its front-to-rear center into a front section 21A and a rear section 21B, and the rear end of the front section 21A and the front end of the rear section 21B are each supported by the aircraft frame 15.

To explain further, the front end of the front side divided body 21A of the guide member 21 is connected by a bolt to the front frame body 16 of the machine frame 15. A connecting bracket 25 is provided at the front end of the front side divided body 21A, and this connecting bracket 25 is attached to the square cylindrical front frame body 16 in an overlapping state from the outside and connected by a bolt. The front frame body 16 is located on the lateral side of the cutting part 4, and the inclined guide part 22 extends outward from that position to the lateral outer parts of the front wheels 1 and rear wheels 2.

As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6, the rear end of the front section 21A is supported by a lateral support frame 26 that extends from the aircraft frame 15. A connecting arm 27 that is curved and formed into a roughly L-shape when viewed in the front-rear direction is welded to the rear end of the front section 21A at a location inside the aircraft. An attachment plate 28 fixed to the lower end of the connecting arm 27 is bolted to the lateral support frame 26.

The front end of the rear division 21B of the guide member 21 is supported by the lateral support frame body 26, similar to the front division 21A. A connecting arm 27 curved in a generally L-shape when viewed from the front-rear direction is connected together by welding, and a mounting plate 28 fixed to the lower end of the connecting arm 27 is bolted to the lateral support frame body 26.

The rear end of the front divided body 21A and the front end of the rear divided body 21B are closely butted together in the fore-and-aft direction. In other words, the front divided body 21A and the rear divided body 21B are connected in a generally continuous manner in the fore-and-aft direction, allowing the unharvested crops (sugar cane) to be guided smoothly and without interruption.

The rear end of the front section 21A and the front end of the rear section 21B are connected by a connecting member 32. The connecting member 32 is removably connected by a bolt.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the left guide member 21 of the left and right guide members 21 is provided with a lifting step 33 for getting on and off the driver's section 3 at the midpoint between the front and rear of the front side division body 21A. The lifting step 33 has multiple placement sections 34 in a stepped shape, and the driver's section 3 is provided at a higher position than the guide member 21. The lifting step 33 is used when getting on to the driver's section 3 from the ground. The multiple placement sections 34 are offset in plan view so that the lower ones are positioned further out to the side, making it easier to get on and off.

The lowermost placement portion 34 is fixed to an intermediate support 35 extending from the front section 21A. The second placement portion 34 is fixed to the front section 21A. The third placement portion 34 is fixed to a support 37 extending from the boarding deck 36 of the cabin 10.
Handrails 39, 40 to be used when getting on and off are provided on the outer surface of the boarding deck 36 and the lower end portion of the outer surface of the door 38. The handrail 40 provided on the door 38 extends downward to approximately the same height as the lower end position of the door 38, preventing the driver from accidentally grabbing the sealing material (weather strip) of the door 38 when getting on and off.

The guide member 21 is provided with a lower guide body 41 that is located below the lowest placement portion 34 of the lifting step 33. The lower guide body 41 extends downward from the intermediate support body 35 in a generally U-shape.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rear section 21B passes to the side of the rear wheel 2 and has multiple side guide bodies 42 facing forward and backward that are spaced apart vertically at the point where the rear wheel 2 passes. The rear section 21B of the left guide member 21 is provided with three side guide bodies 42 that are spaced apart vertically.

As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the rear of the rear section 21B is provided with a lateral guide section 23 that extends toward the inside of the aircraft body behind the rear wheel 2. The lateral guide section 23 is inclined so that it is positioned lower from the rear end of the intermediate guide section 24 toward the inside of the aircraft body, and its inner end section is bolted to the main frame body 43 of the aircraft frame 15. As shown in Figure 5, the lateral guide section 23 is provided with a direction indicator 46 via a support stay 45.

As shown in Figures 9 and 10, a battery 47 is provided on the inside of the aircraft at a position corresponding to the front-to-rear center of the right guide member 21, which is one of the left and right guide members 21. In addition, a hydraulic oil tank 48 is provided on the front side of the battery 47.

The engine 9 auxiliaries 49 are provided in an area inside the aircraft from the right guide member 21 and below the battery 47. The auxiliaries 49 include a fuel pump 50 that sends fuel to the engine 9, a fuel filter 51 that removes dust contained in the fuel, and a water separator 52. The fuel pump 50, fuel filter 51, and water separator 52 are attached to a single stay 53. They can be installed in a pre-assembled state.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, the left guide member 21 is configured to be provided with a lower guide body 41, but the right guide member 21 may also be configured to be provided with a lower guide body 41, or such a lower guide body 41 may not be provided.

(2) In the above embodiment, the guide member 21 is configured to have multiple side guide bodies 42 spaced apart vertically at the point where the rear wheel 2 passes sideways, but the guide member 21 may be configured not to have multiple side guide bodies 42.

(3) In the above embodiment, the guide member 21 is configured to have an inclined guide portion 22 at the front, but the guide member 21 may be configured not to have such an inclined guide portion 22.

(4) In the above embodiment, the rear of the guide member 21 is provided with a lateral guide portion 23, but the guide member 21 may be configured not to include such a lateral guide portion 23.

The present invention can be applied to sugarcane harvesters.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Front traveling device 2 Rear traveling device 3 Driving section 4 Reaping section 15 Machine body frame 21 Guide member 21A Front divided body 21B Rear divided body 22 Inclined guide section 23 Side guide section 33 Lifting step 34 Placement section 41 Lower guide body 42 Side guide body

Claims (5)

The machine is provided with a reaping unit located at the front of the machine body for reaping crops, left and right front traveling devices, and left and right rear traveling devices,
A guide member is provided on the left and right sides of the machine body, extending from the side of the cutting unit to the rear side of the rear traveling device along the front-rear direction of the machine body,
The guide member has a front-rear center portion supported by a body frame,
The guide member is divided into a front divisional body and a rear divisional body at a front-rear central portion,
A sugarcane harvester, wherein a rear portion of the front side section is supported in a positionally fixed state relative to the body frame. The machine is provided with a reaping unit located at the front of the machine body for reaping crops, left and right front traveling devices, and left and right rear traveling devices,
A guide member is provided on the left and right sides of the machine body, extending from the side of the cutting unit to the rear side of the rear traveling device along the front-rear direction of the machine body,
The guide member has a front-rear center portion supported by a vehicle frame,
The driving section is provided at a position higher than the guide member, and a step for getting on and off the driving section is provided,
The sugarcane harvester, wherein the guide member is provided with a lower guide body located below the lowest placement portion of the lifting step. The sugarcane harvester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide member passes on the side of the rear traveling device and has a plurality of side guide bodies facing forward and backward and spaced apart vertically at the point where the rear traveling device passes on the side. The machine is provided with a reaping unit located at the front of the machine body for reaping crops, left and right front traveling devices, and left and right rear traveling devices,
A guide member is provided on the left and right sides of the machine body, extending from the side of the cutting unit to the rear side of the rear traveling device along the front-rear direction of the machine body,
The guide member has a front-rear center portion supported by a vehicle frame,
The front portion of the guide member is provided with an inclined guide portion that extends outwardly from a front end portion located at a rear lateral side portion of the cutting unit toward the rear,
A sugarcane harvester, wherein a lateral guide portion is provided at the rear of the guide member, the lateral guide portion extending toward the inside of the machine body at the rear of the rear traveling device. 2. The sugarcane harvester according to claim 1 , wherein a battery is provided in a state where it is positioned above either one of the left and right guide members.

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