Patent Application
20250234811
The present invention pertains to agricultural crop collecting and processing devices, such as agricultural balers or the like.
Agricultural balers are used to consolidate and package crop material for storage and handling of the crop material for later use. In an exemplary operation, a mower-conditioner cuts and conditions the crop material for windrow drying in the sun. When the cut crop material is dried, a baler, for example a round baler or a square baler, travels along the windrows to pick up the crop material and form it into bales.
In a typical baler, the cut crop material is gathered from the ground at the front of the baler, drawn into a pickup assembly, and into a crop feeding channel where the material can be further cut before being introduced into a bale-forming chamber. The crop feeding channel is generally defined between a rotor and a bottom floor. The bottom floor supports the crop material as it passes through the crop feeding channel and is pushed by the rotor to the bale forming chamber. The crop feeding channel defines a narrower region in the crop flow path, and clogging or plugging of the crop feeding channel is a common problem, especially if the harvester is being operated at higher speeds and thus passing greater amounts of crop material through the crop feeding channel at a given time. Once a clog occurs, the harvester must be stopped to remove the plug from the crop feeding channel, reducing harvesting efficiency.
Some harvesters are designed to mitigate clogging by making the crop feeding channel expandable, which can be done by making the bottom floor movable to some degree away from the rotor. As the bottom floor moves away from the rotor the height of the crop feeding channel increases, and temporarily increases the volume of crop material that can be passed through, possibly preventing the formation of an obstruction, or releasing an existing obstruction. Example of such devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,549,506 and 9,839,181, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Many movable bottom floors are mounted to the chassis to pivot about a single point. Actuators, such as one or more telescoping hydraulic actuators, may be provided at each lateral side of the bottom floor and operated to affirmatively control the position of the bottom floor. Springs also may be provided to allow the bottom floor to pivot by action of an outside force (e.g., the rotor pushing the crop material into the bottom floor). In some cases, the bottom floor might be movable about a virtual pivot or about multiple rotation points, but such mechanisms require multiple actuators at each lateral end of the bottom floor to properly control the position of the bottom floor throughout its range of travel.
While various bottom floor mechanisms are known, the inventors have determined that the state of the art can still be advanced.
In a first exemplary aspect, there is provide an agricultural machine comprising: a chassis; a rotor operatively connected to the chassis to rotate about a rotor axis in a rotation direction; a bottom floor located adjacent to the rotor and extending along the rotor axis from a first lateral side to a second lateral side; and a respective linkage operatively connecting each lateral side of the bottom floor to the chassis. The bottom floor extends along the rotation direction from a bottom floor leading end to a bottom floor trailing end, and is spaced from the rotor to define a crop flow passage between the rotor and the bottom floor. The respective linkages are configured to allow the bottom floor to move about multiple rotation axes to move away from the rotor axis by application of force generated against the bottom floor in the crop flow passage.
In a second exemplary aspect, there is provided a method of operating an agricultural machine comprising a chassis; a rotor operatively connected to the chassis to rotate about a rotor axis in a rotation direction; a bottom floor located adjacent to the rotor and extending along the rotor axis from a first lateral side to a second lateral side, the bottom floor extending along the rotation direction from a bottom floor leading end to a bottom floor trailing end, wherein the bottom floor is spaced from the rotor to define a crop flow passage between the rotor and the bottom floor; and a respective linkage operatively connecting each lateral side of the bottom floor to the chassis and configured to allow the bottom floor leading end and the bottom floor trailing end to move away from the rotor axis by application of force generated against the bottom floor in the crop flow passage. The exemplary method comprises: receiving crop material in the crop flow passage at the bottom floor leading end; moving the bottom floor leading end away from the rotor axis by a force generated at a first location on the bottom floor by the crop material; moving the crop material towards the bottom floor trailing end; and moving the bottom floor trailing end away from the rotor axis by a force generated at a second location on the bottom floor by the crop material.
This summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, inventive features, and advantages of the devices or processes described herein will become apparent in the detailed description set forth herein, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
For the purpose of illustration, there are shown in the drawings certain embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements, dimensions, and instruments shown. Like numerals indicate like elements throughout the drawings. In the drawings:
The terms “forward”, “rearward”, “left” and “right”, when used in connection with the agricultural machine and/or components thereof are usually determined with reference to the direction of forward operative travel of a vehicle towing the machine, or a self-propelled vehicle incorporating the machine, but they should not be construed as limiting. The term “longitudinal” refers to the forward travel direction. The term “transverse” and “lateral” refer to a direction perpendicular to the forward travel direction and generally parallel to the ground surface when the machine is in operation.
An exemplary embodiment of a harvester assembly 200 that may be used with balers in general, with the baler 10 of
The exemplary harvester assembly 200 may be provided as an integral part of the baler (i.e., the parts being formed and connected directly to the baler chassis 18), or it may be provided partially or entirely as a removable subassembly. The harvester assembly 200 generally includes a feeder assembly 202 that is fixed to the baler chassis 18, and a bottom floor assembly 204 that is movable relative to the feeder assembly 202.
The feeder assembly 202 includes a rotor 206 that is rotatably mounted to the baler chassis 18, either directly or as part of a subassembly forming the feeder assembly 202, to rotate about a rotor axis 208 that extends along the lateral direction (into the page in
The bottom floor assembly 204 generally includes a bottom floor 216 that is located adjacent to the rotor 206 and extends along the rotor axis 208 in the lateral direction from a first lateral side to a second lateral side. The bottom floor 216 extends along the rotation direction R from a bottom floor leading end 216a to a bottom floor trailing end 216b. The bottom floor 216 defines a surface that faces and is spaced from the rotor 206 to define a crop flow passage 218. Rotation of the rotor 206 in the rotation direction R drives crop material along the crop flow passage 218 from the bottom floor leading end 216a to the bottom floor trailing end 216b, and from there to downstream processing components (e.g., the bale-forming chamber 20). The bottom floor assembly 204 also may include features such as movable counterknives and the like, which, for clarity, are not shown here.
The crop flow passage 218 has a height H, as defined as the distance between the outer perimeter of the rotor 206 and the nearest point on the bottom floor 216. The shape and position of the bottom floor 216 dictates the height H at any given point along the crop flow passage 218.
The bottom floor 216 is connected at each lateral side to a respective linkage that allows the bottom floor leading end 216a and bottom floor trailing end 216b to move towards and away from the rotor axis 208. In the shown example, each linkage comprises a rocker arm 220 having a rocker pivot 222 (e.g., bearing or bushing) that connects the rocker arm 220 to the chassis 18 so that the rocker arm 220 can rotate relative to the chassis 18 about a rocker axis 224. The rocker axis 224 may be parallel to and offset from the rotor axis 208, but this is not strictly required. The rocker arm 220 is shown in broken lines in
The rocker arm 220 also includes a bottom floor pivot 226 that connects the rocker arm 220 to a lateral end of the bottom floor 216, so that the rocker arm 220 can rotate relative to the bottom floor 216 about a bottom floor rotation axis 228 that preferably is parallel to the rotor axis 208. The bottom floor pivot 226 preferably is located immediately adjacent to the bottom floor leading end 216a, but this is not required in all cases.
At each lateral end of the bottom floor 216, one or more actuators 230, but preferably a single actuator 230, is connected between the rocker arm 220 and the bottom floor 216 (i.e., one single actuator 230 at one lateral end, and one single actuator 230 at the other lateral end). Each actuator 230 has a first operating end 230a that is operatively connected to the rocker arm 220, and a second operating end 230b that is operatively connected to the bottom floor 216. The rocker pivot 222 may be located along the rocker arm 220 between the bottom floor pivot 226 and the first operating end 230a, but this is not necessarily required in all embodiments.
The actuator 230 may comprise any mechanism suitable to selectively displace the first operating end 230a relative to the second operating end 230b in a controlled manner. In the shown example, the actuator 230 is a hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly, with the first operating end 230a at the end of the cylinder, and the second operating end 230b at the end of the piston (e.g., at a bearing that connects the piston to the bottom floor assembly 204, so that telescopic expansion and contraction of the piston relative to the cylinder cause the first and second operating ends 230a, 230b to move away from and towards each other, respectively. Such telescoping hydraulic actuators are generally known in the art and need not be described in more detail herein.
Other alternative actuators 230 may comprise electrical motors, pneumatic motors, and so on. Each single actuator 230 may comprise one or more mechanisms that are connected at the first and second operating ends 230a, 230b as described above. For example, a single actuator 230 may be provided in the form of a single hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly such as shown, or as two or more parallel hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies that are connected to the same first and second operating ends 230a, 230b and operated simultaneously to effectively form a single actuator. A single actuator 230 also may include a linkage, such a slider (described below), bell crank, multi-bar linkage, or the like, to transmit motion, as known in the art.
In use, the actuator 230 is operated to selectively move the bottom floor 216 towards and away from the rotor axis 208. In this example, telescopically contracting the actuator 230 moves the first and second operating ends 230a, 230b closer together, to move the bottom floor trailing end 216b closer to the rotor axis 208 and decrease the height H primarily at the downstream end of the crop flow passage 218, and telescopically expanding the actuator 230 moves the first and second operating ends 230a, 230b further apart, to move the bottom floor trailing end 216b farther from the rotor axis 208 and increase the height H primarily at the downstream end of the crop flow passage 218. Such movement may be desirable to set a desired operating height H for particular crop conditions, to help evacuate a plug of crop material that becomes lodged between the rotor 206 and the bottom floor 216 (i.e., by increasing the height H), to provide room for service access, etc. The amount of relative motion can be modified by selecting the actuator 230 stroke length, the locations of the first and second operating ends 230a, 230b, and so on.
Referring now also to
It will be apparent from the foregoing that the first operating end 230a can move from a first position proximal to the bearing 232 to a second position further spaced from the bearing 232, as the shaft 234 slides along the bearing 232. Consequently, the second operating end 230b moves away from the rotor axis 208 as the first operating end 230a moves from the first position to the second position (assuming that the actuator 230 remains at the same state of extension—i.e., the actuator 230 is not operated to move the first and second operating ends 230a, 230b towards or away from each other). Thus, the movable connection allows the bottom floor 216 to move independently of the operation of the actuator 230, and, in the absence of a downward travel stop, even further than is able by operation of the actuator 230 alone.
A spring 236 is provided to control the operation of the movable connection. In this case, the spring 236 is located between the bearing 232 and the distal shaft end 234b, and captured in place between a distal thrust plate 237a that is secured to the shaft 234, and a proximal thrust plate 237b that is between the spring 236 and the bearing 232. As the first operating end 230a of the actuator 230 moves away from the bearing 232, the spring 236 is compressed between the thrust plates 237a, 237b. This generates a resilient force that biases the first operating end 230a back towards the bearing 232, and thus towards the first position as shown in
The spring 236 may comprise any suitable mechanism, such as a coil spring (shown), a torsion or leaf spring, a resilient elastomeric or polymeric material, a pressurized air bag, or pneumatic piston and cylinder assembly or accumulator, and so on. Preferably, only a single spring 236 is provided at each end of the bottom floor 216, but this is not strictly required in all cases.
The harvester assembly 200 also includes travel stops that are positioned on the chassis 18 (either directly or via a harvester assembly 200 substructure or the like) to control the movement range of the bottom floor 216. For example, as shown in
One or both stop surfaces 238, 240 also may be configured to help guide the bottom floor 216 as it moves. For example, the illustrated exemplary second stop surface 240 includes a concave recess 240a that loosely receives a corresponding convex protrusion 242 located on the bottom floor assembly 204 (e.g., the very end of the trailing end 216b), to provide a pivot location about which the bottom floor 216 can rotate under certain circumstances, such as described below.
It will be appreciated that the first and second stop surfaces 238, 240 can be located to contact any suitable part of the bottom floor assembly 204. For example, the first stop surface 238 may be positioned to contact the rocker arm 220 near the bottom floor pivot 226, and the second stop surface 240 may be positioned to contact the bottom floor trailing end 216b. In other cases, contact may be made at other locations. For example, the bottom floor assembly 204 may include additional protrusions or surfaces that contact the stop surfaces 238, 240 to prevent motion towards the rotor axis 208. An example of one such alternative arrangement is shown in
In operation, obstructions, such as plugs of crop material, occasionally enter the crop flow passage 218. As this happens, the rotor 206 presses on the obstruction, thus generating a force F against the bottom floor 216. At this point, cutting action of knives and other forces might break up the obstruction without moving the bottom floor assembly 204, so that the system continues to operate in the state shown in
As the second distance D2 increases, the rocker arm 220 and bottom floor 216 rotate relative to each other about the bottom floor pivot 226 to spread apart. As this happens the bottom floor 216 pivots down (counterclockwise as shown in the illustration) with the center of rotation being approximately at the interacting concave surface 240a and convex protrusion 242 (the actual pivot axis can move, and the convex protrusion 242 might slide along the second stop surface 240). At the same time, the rocker arm 220 pivots down (counterclockwise as shown in the illustration) about the rocker pivot 222. Thus, bottom floor leading end 216a moves away from the rotor axis 208 to increase the height H of the crop flow passage 218 primarily at the floor leading end 216a.
As the obstruction moves backwards along the crop flow passage 218, the force F generated by the rotor 206 acting on the obstruction migrates from the bottom floor leading end 216a to the bottom floor trailing end 216b, leading to the state shown in
It will be understood that the spring 236 may be preloaded to define a minimum magnitude of force necessary to move the bottom floor 216 in response to the force F. Thus, the movement described above can be reserved for cases in which the obstruction is particularly large and incompressible.
If the obstruction is sufficiently large, it will move the bottom floor assembly 204 into contact with the second stop surface 240. Operation from here is essentially the same as described in relation to
As the obstruction moves backwards along the crop flow passage 218, the force F migrates to the bottom floor trailing end 216b, leading to the state shown in
It will be appreciated that, upon encountering (or anticipating) an obstruction that will lead to the states described in relation to
While the bottom floor 216 is mounted to the chassis 18 by two discrete pivot connections (rocker pivot 222 and bottom floor pivot 226), it will be appreciated from the foregoing that the bottom floor 216 can rotate about multiple pivot axes to achieve the illustrated movement. In particular, the bottom floor 216 rotates about a first pivot axis at the bottom floor trailing end 216a, and then about a second pivot axis at the bottom floor leading end 216a. The pivot axes are not necessarily discrete throughout any particular portion of the overall range of movement—that is, the pivot axis can migrate as the bottom floor assembly 204 articulates, such that the multiple pivot axes are a collection of discrete locations along a path of one or more moving and/or virtual pivot axes.
It is also noted that, in some embodiments, the bottom floor assembly 204 may be configured to remain in contact with the second stop surface 240 at all times (i.e., all states of extension of the actuator 230). In this case, the force F will be transmitted to generate the load L on the second operating end 230b of the actuator 230 in any case in which the obstruction is larger than the width of the crop flow passage 218.
From the foregoing, it will be understood that the described embodiments provide useful and unique methods for addressing the issue of crop clogging and other obstructions in a harvester assembly 200, such as those used in balers and similar equipment. In brief, and as shown in
Embodiments such as described herein can provide significant benefits over known mechanisms for addressing crop plugging and the like in harvesting assemblies and systems. For example, when operating with the actuator fully contracted, a conventional movable bottom floor that pivots at a single location might provide about 10 millimeters (mm) of drop at the bottom floor leading end and about 43 mm of drop at the bottom floor trailing end, whereas an embodiment as described herein might provide about 24 mm of drop at the bottom floor leading end and about 35 mm of drop at the bottom floor trailing end, yielding an overall increase in expansion of the crop flow passage to permit obstructions to pass. Similarly, when operating with the actuator in the fully-extended position, a conventional movable bottom floor that pivots at a single location might provide about 10 mm of drop at the bottom floor leading end (the same as when the actuator is retracted) and about 161 mm of drop at the bottom floor trailing end, whereas an embodiment as described herein might provide about 50 mm of drop at the bottom floor leading end, and about 153 mm of drop at the bottom floor trailing end, which again yields a net improvement in expansion of the crop flow passage to permit obstructions to pass.
Additionally, embodiments such as described herein provide more degrees of articulation than a convention single-pivot bottom floor, and offer somewhat independent “floating” movement of the bottom floor leading and trailing ends to allow the bottom floor to displace at a location that generally follows the location of the obstruction. This can help maintain more efficient operation of the harvesting assembly while processing an obstruction, and provide other possible benefits.
Still further, the floating action of the bottom floor preferably can be obtained using a single actuator at each lateral end of the bottom floor assembly. This overcomes the additional cost and service requirements of conventional multi-pivot or articulated bottom floors that require multiple actuators at each end of the bottom floor.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing specification. Accordingly, it is to be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein but is intended to include all changes and modifications that are within the scope and spirit of the invention.
It should be noted that the term “exemplary” and variations thereof, as used herein to describe various embodiments, are intended to indicate that such embodiments are possible examples, representations, or illustrations of possible embodiments. Such terms are not intended to connote that such embodiments are necessarily extraordinary or superlative examples.
Except as otherwise made clear by principles of differentiation or specific narrowing language, the terms “coupled,” “operatively coupled,” and variations thereof, as used herein, means the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary (e.g., permanent or fixed) or moveable (e.g., removable or releasable). Such joining may be achieved with the two members coupled directly to each other, with the two members coupled to each other using a separate intervening member and any additional intermediate members coupled with one another, or with the two members coupled to each other using an intervening member that is integrally formed as a single unitary body with one of the two members. If “coupled” or variations thereof are modified by an additional term (e.g., directly coupled), the generic definition of “coupled” provided above is modified by the plain language meaning of the additional term (e.g., “directly coupled” means the joining of two members without any separate intervening member), resulting in a narrower definition than the generic definition of “coupled” provided above. Such coupling may be mechanical, electrical, or fluidic or a combination thereof.
The operation and advantages, as well as other options and variations, of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing specification. Accordingly, it is to be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein but is intended to include all changes and modifications that are within the scope and spirit of the invention.
