Harvesters – Motorized harvester – Including plural operating units and drive
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-24
2001-11-20
Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3671)
Harvesters
Motorized harvester
Including plural operating units and drive
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318058
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a feeder house of a harvesting machine and in particular to a feeder house with a front face for the attachment of a front harvesting header wherein the front face is pivotable about a horizontal axis transverse to the direction of operation to adjust the header for changing contours of the ground.
2. Description of the Related Art
A feeder house for a harvesting machine, such as a combine, is known in which a vertical pivoting adjustment is integrated into the feeder house or the supply channel, in order to be able to pivot a header about a horizontal axis that extends transverse to the direction of operation of the harvesting machine. This enables adjustment to be made due to changing contours of the ground.
EP 685 147 A discloses a feeder house manufactured in two parts and having a pivot axis between the two halves of the housing along the bottom side of the slope conveyor. The disadvantage here is that the attainable pivot angle is relatively small, and that crop can intrude into the gap between the two housing halves.
DE 43 24 766 A discloses a feeder house with a front face at the front of the feeder house which pivots about a horizontal axis that is transverse to the direction of forward operation. The pivot axis is arranged at the bottom of the slope conveyor.
DE 23 02 499 A discloses a feeder house in which a front face is movable in a generally vertical direction by corresponding hydraulic cylinders but is not pivoted about a transverse axis. In this feeder house, as well as in that described in DE 43 24 766 A, the disadvantage is seen in the fact that the transition of the harvested crop from the header, in particular from the auger in the header, to the slope conveyor, is not always optimal, since the spacing between the auger and the slope conveyor changes as a function of the pivot angle or the height of the front face.
A feeder house is shown in EP 448 844 A and U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,295 in which the front face can be pivoted about an axis that is arranged approximately coaxial with the axis of a front roller of a chain conveyor. Here too, an optimal transition of the harvested crop is not possible from the header to the chain conveyor, since the chain conveyor must be spaced sufficiently far from the auger of the header in order to make possible a sufficiently large pivot angle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,395 discloses an add-on adapter assembly at the front of a feeder house to enable pivoting of a header about a fore and aft axis. The adapter assembly includes a first component that couples to the feeder house in the same manner as the header. A second component is mounted to the first component to pivot about a fore and aft axis. The header is then mounted to the second component of the adapter assembly. A rotary feeder is carried by the second component to assist in conveying crop material from the header into the feeder house.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to provide a feeder house that can adjust the header angle and maintain an optimum transfer of the harvested crop from the header to the slope conveyor of the feeder house. This is accomplished by providing a first conveyor and a second conveyor downstream of the first conveyor, with respect to the flow of the harvested crop, and by configuring the front mounting face to which the header is fastened so as to pivot about an axis that is approximately coaxial with the axis of the first conveyor. The first conveyor is arranged at an optimum spacing from the header so that the best possible transfer of the harvested crop from the header to the first conveyor can be achieved. Since the pivot axis of the front mounting face is aligned (at least approximately) with the axis of the first conveyor, the spacing between the header and the first conveyor remains constant at all times and optimum conveying of the harvested crop is guaranteed at all pivot angles of the header. The mounting arrangement can include a front face that makes possible a lateral pivoting motion of the header about the longitudinal axis of the harvesting machine in order to accommodate for uneven ground laterally. But a rigid attachment of the header to the mounting arrangement is also conceivable.
In the state of the art, as well as, in particular, from the EP 448 844 A, it has become known that the conveyor and the mounting arrangement are supported in bearings, each movable in two directions separately in a relatively costly manner. To reduce the expense and the cost of manufacture, it is proposed that the mounting arrangement be rotatably supported in bearings directly or indirectly on the axis of the first conveyor. Thereby the axes of the first conveyor and of the mounting arrangement are always coaxial.
In actual terms, it is conceivable to rigidly attach the axis of the first conveyor to the housing of the feeder house in such a way that it projects through a corresponding opening in the housing in order to support the mounting arrangement in bearings on a section of the axis that extends beyond the housing of the feeder house. As an alternative, the mounting arrangement can be supported in bearings on a section of the axis of the first conveyor positioned on the interior of the housing, in particular on the wall of the housing. It should be noted that the axis of the first conveyor, as a rule, is a driven shaft. In this case the designation “axis” is understood to mean the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
The axis of the first conveyor is preferably fastened rigidly to the housing, that is, not movable or able to be shifted, but may also be adjustable in a manner known in itself in the vertical and/or horizontal direction (with respect to the forward operating direction). Regardless of that fact, the first conveyor is free to rotate about its axis.
The second conveyor may be a chain conveyor, that includes a first and a second roller, of which at least one is driven, and about which a conveyor chain with corresponding lugs for the harvested crop circulates.
The first conveyor in particular is most likely to be a roller that conveys the harvested crop as an undershot conveyor or an overshot conveyor. The advantage of a roller lies in its shorter length in comparison to a chain conveyor, which permits a greater pivot angle, without the mounting arrangement making contact with the first conveyor. In addition, it is possible to position the first conveyor closer to the header which makes possible an improved transition of the harvested crop from the header to the feeder house.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a roller with paddles is used as the first conveyor. It conveys the harvested crop effectively and rapidly from the header to the second conveyor which conducts it to the harvesting machine.
Furthermore, additional support is provided for the mounting arrangement at the housing of the feeder house so that the pivot axis does not have to carry the entire load of the header and the mounting arrangement. This support can be provided primarily by pins that slide in corresponding slots. The pins may be attached to the mounting arrangement with the slots in the housing of the feeder house, or inversely, the pins may be fastened to the housing and the slots formed in the mounting arrangement.
The movement through the pivot angle of the mounting arrangement can be performed by one or more hydraulic cylinders or electric motors or in a simple and low cost mechanical manner. For a mechanical adjustment, a pin is proposed one end of which is connected to the mounting arrangement and the other end is provided with a nut that is mechanically carried by the housing of the feeder house. The pivot angle can be changed by turning the nut. Only one such pin may be provided on one side of the housing of the feeder house, or two pins can be applied to either side of the feeder house. The latter solution remains safe in operation in case of breakage of one pin, but a greater effort is required for an adjustment. It should be noted that the pin can
Deere & Company
Pezzuto Robert E.
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