Patent Application
20220266302
The present disclosure relates to farming equipment, particularly to a screw auger conveyor, and more particularly to a screw auger conveyor with a removable screen attachment.
Grains, seeds and crops that have been processed by threshing machines, such as a combine harvester, frequently contain undesired foreign particles such as soil, weed seeds, chaff, broken kernels and other foreign particles. It is necessary to remove such materials prior to storing the grain because these materials interfere with air flow when the grain is being dried and stored and can cause areas of spoiled grain.
Numerous different types of agriculture equipment are known that are able to clean and separate particular crops from the extraneous material. For example, some equipment uses winnowing techniques, wherein the uncleaned crops are tossed in a stream of moving air or dropped into a hopper that has forced air circulation. Other types of equipment use a combination of screening or sifting whereby the recently harvested crops are passed over one or more appropriately sized screens, the foreign matter being urged through the screens via augers or vibration.
Typically, such large pieces of farming equipment are centrally located, and farmers are required to bring their harvested crops to the central locations to have them screened. In the time it takes to transport the crops to the winnowing or screening facility, and then wait for other farmers' crops to be cleaned, significant spoiling of the crop may have occurred.
There is therefore a need for a piece of farming equipment that can be owned by individual farmers. The embodiments of the invention as disclosed herein have evolved with the general object of improving upon prior rotary auger conveyors to provide grain screening capabilities, which are portable, easy to use and which at the same time are inexpensive to manufacture, rugged and reliable.
It is an object of the invention to provide an auger conveyor with removable screen attachments and method of using same.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention there is provided an essentially cylindrical crop cleaning device, said device comprising: a housing having first and second ends and first and second longitudinal opposing sides, said housing having defined within it an upper housing, configured to receive an upper fighting, and a lower housing, configured to receive a lower fighting; a lid having first and second ends and first and second longitudinal opposing sides configured to cooperate with said first and second ends and first and second longitudinal opposing sides of said housing; a plurality of hinges connecting said first side of said housing to said first side of said lid; a crop entry port positioned in said upper housing, partially on said first end of said housing and partially on said first end of said lid; a cleaned crop exit port, positioned in said upper housing, partially on said second end of said housing and partially on said second end of said lid; a screened area, within said upper housing and said lid, said screened area defining a path surrounding said upper fighting, between said crop entry port and said cleaned crop exit port; a lower fighting operationally installed in said lower housing; and a waste exit port situated in said lower housing towards said second end of said housing, wherein, when said upper fighting is installed, the crop to be cleaned is propelled along said path within said screened area, from said crop entry port through said cleaned crop exit port, waste materials that pass out of said screened area fall into said lower housing are are augured towards and through said waste exit port by said lower fighting.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of cleaning a crop, using the claimed device, comprising the steps: installing an appropriate gauge of arced screen in said upper housing and said lid; securing said upper auger in said path defined by said screened area; attaching a transfer auger device to said crop entry port; attaching a transport or swing out auger to said cleaned crop exit port; activating said upper and lower flightings; and delivering crop to be cleaned into said transfer auger.
The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like elements are identified with like symbols.
To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced.
1C illustrate aspects of the housing in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
3C and 3D illustrate aspects of the complete assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
Devices and methods for carrying out the invention are presented in terms of embodiments depicted within the FIGS. However, the invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention, and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and the configurations shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope.
In one embodiment of the invention, the apparatus comprises of an essentially cylindrical body having a lower compartment or housing and a lid. The housing is sized and configured to receive upper and lower screw auger flightings, wherein the upper fighting is surrounded by removable screens. In operation, the crop to be cleaned is fed into one end of the upper screw auger area and the fighting causes foreign matter to pass through the screens into the bottom of the housing. The cleaned crop exits the other end of the upper screw auger area. The lower screw auger fighting propels the separated foreign matter to an exit port.
The various embodiments of the invention have fixtures and fittings along the edges of the housing to allow rapid and easy replacement of the screens. The screens may have differing gauges ranging down to 64th to accommodate seed & grain cleaning. The screens may be made from wire mesh, bar grading, perforated metal, channel grating, fiberglass grating, and can be made from a wide variety of materials including, aluminum, stainless, and plastic. Indeed, in some instances, when the crop to be augured does not need to be cleaned, the screens can be blank plates with no perforations.
The crop to be augured or cleaned may be delivered to the entry port on the housing by means known to those in the field including but not limited to transfer augers. Transfer augers typically have 8″ or 10″ diameter connector pipes, which attach directly to the entry port on the housing, and are powered by gas, electric or a hydraulic drive. These transfer augers have a low profile, usually less than 12″ high and are light and maneuverable thereby allowing the hopper of the transfer auger to fit under crop hopper bottom bins and trailers for fast and easy unloading.
After the crop has been cleaned, it exits the housing and is typically transported to the storage bins or hoppers or to transport trucks by way of a transport or swing out auger.
The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out in the specification. The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to be read in conjunction with both this summary, the detailed description and any preferred and/or particular embodiments specifically discussed or otherwise disclosed. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of illustration only and so that this disclosure will be thorough, complete and will fully convey the full scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
The upper screen 108 is sized and proportioned to fit within the lid 110, and is similarly attached to a ladder 122 along the outer edge of the lid 110 by means of fasteners 118.
In conclusion, variations in the embodiments of the invention as described herein include grain, seed, or crop cleaning devices having a frame or housing with a plurality of parallel augers or flightings mounted in the frame or housing for simultaneously auguring the grain, seed, or crop from one end of the device to the other end of the device, wherein the grain, seed, or crop is cleaned while auguring. The augers or flightings that transfer the grain, seed, or crop being surrounded by cylindrical screens. The screens having openings in their mesh smaller than the size of grain, seed, or crop so as to retain the grain, seed or crop within the cylindrical screens. The auguring action causes the grain, seeds, or crop to travel to a cleaned crop exit port at the end of the auger. The screens allow the chaff and other foreign particles smaller than the openings in the screens to travel out through the openings to clean the grain, seed, or crop. The smaller particles gravitating into the base or lower part of the frame or housing, beneath the screened auger(s) or flighting(s). An auger in the base or lower part of the frame or housing then augers the smaller particles out of a waste exit port to be collected and discarded.
As described herein, one particular embodiment of the invention is a device that provides an improved auguring technique using flightings and variously gauged screened area defining a path for grain to be cleaned. One of the flightings is located in an upper portion of the device and transports the crop to be cleaned through the screened area where it is separated from any contaminating material that it may contain, such as weeds, dirt and husks. The contaminating material falls through the appropriately gauged screens to another fighting which transports it to a waste port.
The device described herein can be mounted in between an apparatus, such as a transfer auger, that delivers the crop to be cleaned to a crop entry port 304 on the device, and an apparatus, for example a transport or swing out auger, then transports the cleaned crop to a storage facility or delivery wagon,
The transfer auger-type apparatus that delivers the crop to be cleaned to the currently claimed device can be of any of those known in the field of agriculture. Similarly, the transport or swing out auger that removes the cleaned crop from the currently claimed device can be of any known apparatus.
The crop entry port 304 and cleaned crop exit port 306 are typically 8″ or 10″ in diameter and the transfer auger and transport or swing out augers are selected to fit these dimensions respectively.
The positioning of the transfer auger and the transport or swing out auger, which are not part of the currently claimed device, can be positioned in locations to suit the geographical location of the process. The end of the currently claimed device, where the cleaned grain, seed or crop exits, can be elevated if required. The effect of tilting the currently claimed device causes the grain, seed or crop to be cleaned by travelling up an elevated angle. This tilting of the device causes the grain, seed, or crop increase its residency time within the augured screened area, causing a more thorough cleaning process.
In some embodiments of the invention, the upper fighting 308 may also have paddles 1002 attached at various intervals that causes the grain, seed, or crop being cleaned to be more thoroughly agitated. The paddles help to keep the screens clear, and prevent plugging of the grain, seed or crop being cleaned.
In one embodiment, it is contemplated that the auguring device is manufactured to fit one or more existing upper flightings 308, In another embodiment, the device may be manufactured to include a specific upper fighting 308 or range of upper flightings 308. The upper flightings 308 may be of any screw flight types, including standard, short long and variable pitch, notched/folded, and ribboned. The upper flightings 308 may be fitted with a variety of shapes and sizes of paddles to increase the residency of the crop in the device and thereby lead to a more thorough cleaning of the crop.
The screens that are fitted into the lid 110 and in the upper housing 124 can be selected to remove the specific type of garbage (weed seeds, dirt, etc.) from whole grains, seeds or crops. In one embodiment one screen may run the entire length of the device, being supported on the arced ledges 608 and upper and lower rafters 604, 604, 510, and 512, and secured in place by way of the angled beams 116, ladders 122 and fasteners 118. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, two or more screens may be installed within the lid and two or more further screens installed in the upper housing 124. In the embodiments having multiple screens, the screens are optionally overlapped and supported on arced ledges 608 and specifically widened central rafters 604 and 512. Again the screens are secured in place by way of angled beams 116, ladders 122 and fasteners. Since the size of the grain may vary it is intended that the mesh be smaller than at least a large majority of the grain being handled. However, it is contemplated to provide screens in several different size meshes for different size grain.
The ladders 122 comprise two parallel side rail pieces of metal, which may be strip, angle or box. Cross members are welded at intervals to opposing edges to form a ladder. Typically, four ladders 122 are used in the construction of each complete assembly 104. One of the side rails is attached to the inner ‘hinge’ edge of the upper housing 124, and another side rail is attached to the inner ‘opening’ edge of the upper housing 124. Another one of the side rails is attached to the inner ‘hinge’ edge of the lid 110, and another side rail is attached to the inner ‘opening’ edge of the lid 110. The angled beams 116 are then bolted to the opposing side rails, that extend horizontally into the upper housing 124 and lid 110, clipping the lower screen 106 and upper screen 108 in place. At certain points along the upper housing 124 and lid 110. The arced upper rafters 510 and upper rafters 202 support the abutting side rails of the opposing ladders 122.
The lid 110 on the device allows the apparatus to function in the rain or in damp conditions and thereby protects the grain, seed or crop being cleaned from becoming wet. It is important to keep the grain, seed and crops dry to prevent spoiling due to subsequent growth of mold. The lid 110 can be secured in place in the closed position by means of the lid locks 502 situated along the opening edge of the lid 110.
A chain, or some other mechanism, is fastened to the opening side of the lid 110 and the opening side of the upper housing 124 to prevent the lid 110from opening too far and thereby spraining the hinges 402 situated on the opposite sides of the lid 110 and upper housing 124.
Each end of the complete assembly 104 has a watertight seal 506 that cooperates with a water tight channel 508 around the crop entry port 304 and the cleaned crop exit port 306. In one embodiment this functionality is achieved by the lid 110 being fabricated to be a little bit narrower than the main body so that when the lid is closed it sits inside. Then there is a cap, such as a jeb cap, that extends over the outside edge such that when it rains, the water drips right off the edge and not into the housing 102. Moreover, the combination of the watertight seals 506 and water tight channels 508 and jeb cap prevents the interior of the complete assembly 104 from rusting.
When the cleaned crop exits the port 306 it may be collected in a box that is attached to the swing out auger. A connection pipe connects to a swing out auger and there is a stopper that encompasses the cleaned crop exit port 306. The box connection has a wall with a hole exactly the same size as the cleaned crop exit port 306. The wall is about a quarter inch thick, it sits right up again the stopper 602. The bolt-on connectors are bolted onto the opposing side of the box wall to stop the box wall and cleaned crop exit port 306 from sliding apart. This connection can still allow the swing out auger box and the cleaned crop exit port 306 to swivel.
Regarding the lower fighting 112, this can be powered either a small electric motor or by hydraulic means. The hydraulic or electric motor is mounted on the outer surface of the lower housing 120 that drives the lower fighting 112, as shown in
Regarding the upper fighting 308, it runs from the crop entry port 304 to the cleaned crop exit port 306, connecting the grain, seed or crop in the transfer hopper to the connection box which is connected to the swing out auger. The box is a connection unit which allows it to turn 90 degrees. It connects to the bottom auger. The tractor turns the PTO which directly or indirectly turns both the swing out auger and the upper fighting 308.
The advantages conferred by the instantly claimed embodiments of the invention include the ability of the farmer being able to clean his grains, seeds or crops on his farm as opposed to having to take it to a cleaning facility. More importantly, it is possible to provide immediate grain, seed or crop cleaning system, which reduces spoilage. The device therefore saves time of transportation to facility and reduces cost associated with transporting to and using a cleaning facility cleaning.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments described were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.
