Patent Application
20170142901
None.
Not applicable.
The present disclosure relates to harvesting combines and more particularly to articulated (jointed) combines employing, inter alia, a leveraged articulation joint with provision to measuring grain flow rate and a grain conduit to the rear module.
The subject of an articulated harvester, some of which are based on current commercial grain harvester designs, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,317,326, 4,428,182, 6,012,272, 6,125,618, 6,339,917, 6,604,351, 6,606,844, 6,604,995, 6,604,350, 6,484,485, 6,612,101, 6,233,911, 6,240,711, 6,167,982, 7,553,228, 8,286,984, 8,292,008, and 8,435,104. A harvester/grain cart combination can be converted to an “articulated” combine as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,910,845. Various grain handling and grain unloading techniques are disclosed, inter alia, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,143,863 and 7,198,449. The disclosures of these patents are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Most of the articulated combines cited above exhibit compromised design features due to the design basis being limited to current commercial grain harvester designs. For example, current commercial grain harvester designs have an onboard grain bin with the forward bogey along with grain heads, cleaners, etc. That does not make such designs faulty, as they represent a substantial advancement in the harvester art for manufactures that want to maintain current grain harvester architecture.
Current features for today's agricultural harvesters can be based on features disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,286,984, 8,292,008, and 8,435,104.
An agricultural combine has multiple steering requirements. Precise control is needed as the row-harvesting units, such as a cornhead, are guided through the rows of grain. When the end of the field is reached, a tight turning radius is needed to proceed back across the field in order to harvest the crop immediately adjacent to the just-completed rows or round. Concomitant with its field performance, this large vehicle also must be controlled on the roadway at speeds of around 20 mph and around tight corners. Steering with the common rear wheel only steering configuration at higher road speeds often is unstable. Another steering associated problem is to turn multiple axle, heavily-loaded bogies with large tires in a tight radius while minimizing sliding the tires in the horizontal direction which places high stresses in the suspension, piles up dirt in the field, and causes excessive tire wear.
To date, no articulated combine is commercial. Clearly, there is a need for a practical articulated combine that can be commercialized.
A grain harvesting articulated combine includes of a forward tractor or crop processing power unit (PPU), a rear grain cart, and an articulation joint that connects the PPU with the rear grain cart. The PPU has a front, a rear, and a centerline. The improved articulation joint includes a transverse drawbar attached to the PPU about its rear and about the PPU centerline. The transverse drawbar has an aperture facing the rear grain cart and is located underneath the PPU forwardly of the rear of the powered PPU. An arcuate beam is attached to the rear of the powered PPU. A grain auger assembly runs from the PPU to the rear grain cart for transferring clean grain to the rear grain cart. The grain auger assembly has a forward end and a rear end and is formed from an outer tube and an inner tube rotatingly carried within the outer tube. A bracket is affixed to the forward end of the grain auger assembly outer tube the bracket and has an aperture. A pin runs through the transverse drawbar aperture and through the bracket aperture. A pair of articulation cylinders is affixed to the transverse drawbar and to the grain auger assembly outer tube. A sliding member is slidably carried by the arcuate beam and is affixed to the grain auger assembly outer tube.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the present method and process, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The drawings will be described in greater detail below.
The actual leveraged hinge joint will be located considerably forward of the rear of the front module and will be a pinned, hinged joint running through a substantial drawbar situation in the belly of the front module. The hitch tube then runs rearward past the rear end of the front module and then an additional distance to the front of the rear module.
At the rear of the front module and above the hitch tube will be a circular beam (bridge henceforth) attached at both sides of the lower rear of the front module, such that a sliding member attached to and above the tubular hitch can traverse the length of the bridge in a side-to-side motion as the hitch is moved side to side as the angle of articulation of the two modules is changed to effect steering of the vehicle.
Since the hitch is moving side-to-side relative to the components of the front module, the optimum location to inject grain flow into the auger within the hitch tube is necessarily at the front of the hitch, directly above the rotation focal point hinge pin. And further, since the grain flow must be at some high speed versus gravitation speed in a short fall, also disclosed is a mechanism that can accelerate the grain flow from a sideways horizontal motion of the collection auger under the cleaning system into a largely forward-horizontal motion that is then deflected into a large downward flow by deflecting off of an angle front wall of the hitch structure, while maintaining (now downwardly) velocity to allow it to inject between rapidly progressing auger flights within the tube hitch. Coincident to the front wall, is an impact sensor pad that is the flow rate, measuring device common to combine harvester grain elevators in the trade, although functioning in an upside-down orientation versus those sensor uses.
Referring initially to
An off-loading auger assembly, 22, is in the folded home position and being carried by rear grain cart 14. Grain cart 14 also bears a foldable roof, 24, shown in an open position, but which can fold inwardly to cover grain stored in rear grain cart 14. Foldable roof 24 may be made of metal, plastic, or other suitable material, but may be made of durable plastic for weight reduction and easy folding/unfolding. A grain storage bin, 28, (see also
Referring to
Referring to
A pair of articulation cylinder assemblies, 38 and 40, run from drawbar 26 to grain auger assembly 36 for steering articulated combine 10. These articulation assemblies attach to grain auger assembly 36 by bracket assemblies, such as a bracket assembly, 42 (see also
As best seen in
While the apparatus and method have been described with reference to various embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope and essence of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. In this application all units are in the metric system and all amounts and percentages are by weight, unless otherwise expressly indicated. Also, all citations referred herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
