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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is one of a limited series of applications filed on even
dates herewith and respectively pertaining to different improvement
inventions applicable generally to an axial flow combine of the type, for
example, shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,110, dated May 23,
1972, and assigned to the same assignee as the instant invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Combines for harvesting grain crops such as wheat, barley, oats and the
like have been known for many years. The use of combines to harvest grain
crops of this type has permitted the efficient production of said type
grain grown on very extensive fields with minimum use of labor and
consumption of time. Progressively, combines have been developed capable
of harvesting wider swaths of grain than previously harvested by earlier
combines and this has resulted in the combines being larger and more
powerful, as well as more expensive than such earlier combines.
The increase in cost of such aforementioned improved combines also has led
to attempts to develop combines capable of harvesting a wider variety of
seed or grain crops than capable of being handled by earlier combines,
adapting such combines for said harvesting of a wider variety of crops
however being made possible by minimum requirements of exchanging certain
elements of the combine for others, especially the headers and elevators.
For example, harvesting corn requires a different type of header to cut
and elevate the corn stalks and ears to the threshing mechanism than is
required for harvesting wheat, oats, and similar headed stalk crops.
Further, harvesting bean or other pod-like crops requires different header
structures from those used to harvest corn and wheat-like crops for
example.
With respect to the threshing and separating mechanism of the combine
however, it is preferred that the same be adapted to thresh and separate
substantially all types of seed type crops for purposes of threshing and
separating the seed from the stalks, vines and other waste material, the
latter being discharged upon the field as the combine moves along the same
in a harvesting operation.
It readily can be appreciated that adapting a combine to harvest, thresh
and separate a wide variety of crop materials of the type referred to
above makes it necessary that the combine handle a substantial variety of
different types of crops varying as to bulk, moisture content, toughness
of the stalk or vine included in the crops and otherwise. Preferably, by
adjusting the spacings between the rotors and concaves in threshing and
separating areas of the combine, this part of the apparatus has been
developed sucessfully and comprises, for example, the subject matter of
the following prior patents, all of which are assigned to the assignee of
the present invention.
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3,626,472 Dec. 7, 1971
3,645,270 Feb. 29, 1972
3,664,100 May 23, 1972
3,794,047 Feb. 26, 1974
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Notwithstanding the capabilities of the inventions comprising the subject
matter of the foregoing patents, it now has been found that additional
features render such universal type combines even more efficient and
effective. For example, referring to said aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos.
3,626,472 and 3,794,047 there is a ramp which extends between the upper
end of the bottom plate of the elevator, upwardly and rearwardly toward
the forward end of the rotor of the threshing and separating mechanism.
Said ramp also constitutes a transition or feed plate and, as shown in
said patents, said ramp or feed plate is of a fixed nature. Said combines
are of the type in which the lower span of the elevator feeds the crop
material upwardly and rearwardly toward the forward end of the rotors,
delivering the same to the rotors in a so-called undershot manner. The
rotors conventionally employ an auger at the forward end thereof which is
rotated by power means in a direction to feed the crop material inwardly
to the rotors for engagement by said rotors and concaves associated
therewith in the combine which is of the axial flow type, the same being
the type to which the present invention pertains.
Depending upon the nature and character of the crop and especially the
toughness thereof, moisture content, bulk and the like, it has been found
that a fixed type of ramp, transition or feed plate to guide the crop
material from the upper end of the elevator toward the forward end of the
rotor of the combine is not readily capable of accommodating all types of
such crop conditions efficiently. For example, if the bulk is too great at
any instant, because of a sudden surge or momentary increase in the amount
of the crop material being delivered by the elevator to the rotor, excess
material which cannot be accepted by the auger and rotor will be returned
by the upper span of the elevator toward the header for recycling of the
same by the lower span of the elevator. Obviously, such operation is
wasteful and undesirable. Therefor, it is the principle object of the
present invention to render a combine of the type described capable of
accommodating a wide variety of different types of crops, such as those
varying in bulk, moisture content, and the like by including certain
improvements consitituting the essential features of the present
invention, details of which are described hereinafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the principle object of the present invention to provide between the
upper end of the elevator of an axial flow type combine and the forward
end of the rotor and the threshing and separating elements incorporated in
the combine, a ramp, transition or feed plate which is spaced below
feeding means, such as an auger, mounted on the rotor forward end and
together therewith defines a passageway for crop material from the upper
end of the elevator to the forward rotor end, with the ramp defining the
lower boundary of the passageway and being adapted to guide crop material
from the elevator through the passageway upon operation of the auger.
It is another object of the invention to provide means for adjusting the
ramp toward and away from the auger to vary the cross-sectional size of
the passageway in accordance with the nature and bulk of the crop material
and thereby effect efficient feeding of crop material by the auger from
the elevator to the foward end of the rotor.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such ramp or feed plate
in the form of a plurality of articulated plate members, one of which is
hingedly connected to the combine adjacent the lower forward end of the
rotor and casing and is capable of being disposed at different angular
relationships relative to the axis of said hinged connection, and clamping
means secured in said plate in a desired angular adjusted position, the
adjustment being capable of being made exteriorly of the opposite sides of
the combine.
It is a further object of the invention to hingedly connect said plurality
of plate members together along an axis transverse to the axis of the
rotor, said plate members extending between opposite sides of the inlet
end of the combine and the outer end of the outermost plate member
extending to and underlying the upper end of the bottom plate of the
elevator and supported by transverse support means adjacent said bottom
plate of the elevator.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an additional guide
plate which is connected pivotally to the upper end of the bottom plate of
the elevator and extends upward and rearwardly therefrom toward the auger
and rotor of the combine, the upper end of said additional guide plate
being spring pressed into firm engagement with the hingedly connected pair
of plate members of the ramp or feed plate, whereby when the articulated
plate members of the ramp or feed plate are moved to different positions
toward and from the axis of the auger and rotor for example, the upper end
of the additional guide plate will firmly engage the upper surface of said
articulated plate members and thereby prevent any escape of crop material
therebetween.
It is still another object of the invention to provide the opposite edges
of the aforementioned plate member, which is hingedly connected at one end
adjacent the forward end of the rotor and concave of the combine, with
side members which extends substantially perpendicularly to the plate
member and are provided with arcuate slots which are segmental arcs of a
circle of which the pivotal axis of said plate member is the center, and
bolt means extending through holes in side plates of the combine also
extend through said arcuate slots and are operable to clamp said side
members of said plate member firmly against the sides of said combine
ajacent the inlet to said rotor and casing.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide such adjustable
mounting for the ramp or feed plate means in a combine having a pair of
axial flow rotors and casing as well as augers on the forward ends of said
rotor, such ramp or feed plate means extending transversely across the
full width of the inlet end of the combine for the delivery of crop
material to thw forward ends of the augers and rotors thereof, the flights
of the rotors respectively being in opposite spiral directions and the
power means of the combine respectively driving said rotors and augers in
opposite rotatable directions adapted to feed the crop material toward the
central portion of the inlet feed space in the combine which is
immediately above the ramp or feed plate comprising the present invention.
Details of the foregoing objects and of the invention, as well as other
objects thereof, are set forth in the following specification and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprising a part thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an exemplary combine of the axial flow type
to which the present invention pertains, part of the figure being broken
away to disclose details of the interior thereof.
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional elevation of the portion of the
combine in the area which is broken away in FIG. 1, the same being
illustrated on a substantially larger scale than employed in FIG. 1 and
showing details of the feed or transition plate comprising the essential
features of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevation showing partially in plan view details of
the portion of the combine which is illustrated in FIG. 2, as seen on the
line 3--3 of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIG. 1, the combine 10 is generally of the type illustrated,
for example, in said aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,626,472 and
3,794,047. Said combine is of the axial flow type and includes a housing
12 in which the threshing and separating mechanism of the combine is
included. Said housing is defined by opposite side plates 14. The forward
end of the combine 10 has a header 16 detachably connected thereto for
replacement by different types of crop cutting and converging mechanism.
The header 16 shown in FIG. 1 also includes a reel 18 and a converging
auger 20 which is at the forward end of the elevator 22 which is of the
undershot type.
After the grain is threshed and separated within the housing 12, the grain
is elevated by suitable means of conventional type to the grain bin 24 and
the straw, vines and other waste material of the crop are discharged
through the rear discharge compartment 26. All of the moving elements of
the combine 10 are driven by an internal combustion engine within the
engine compartment 28, said engine being of substantial horsepower and
adapted not only to drive all of the moving components of the combine but
also operating the drive wheels 30 of the combine which, together with the
rear wheels 32, render the combine mobile.
Referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the elevator 22 comprises an
upper plate 34 which extends transversely across the entire width of the
elevator and terminates in a rearwardly and downwardly curved extremity
36. The elevator 24 also includes a bottom plate which, as can be seen
from FIG. 1, normally extends upwardly and rearwardly from the header 16
to an auger 40 mounted on the forward end of a rotor 42, the forward end
of the latter being fragmentarily illustrated in FIG. 2. As can be seen
from FIG. 3, in the preferred construction of the combine 10, there is a
pair of augers 40 which are respectively operable adjacent the forward end
of substantially cylindrical casings 44 which also enclose the rotors 42.
The rotors 42 and casings 44 and the mounted crop threshing and separating
elements which, although not shown in the subject application, drawings,
are shown in said aforementioned patents, to which attention is directed
for further information on the same.
The power means within engine compartment 28 is suitably connected to the
rear ends of the rotors 42 to drive the same and the augers 40 mounted to
the forward ends thereof in opposite rotary directions, as indicated by
the arcuate arrows on the rotors shown in FIG. 3. Also, the spiral flights
46 of the augers 40 respectively are spiralled in opposite direction so
that when the rotors and augers are driven respectively in opposite rotary
directions, the flights 46 of the augers 40 respectively will tend to feed
the crop material toward the center of the combine, away from the opposite
side plates 14 thereof.
The elevator 22 also includes at opposite ends thereof, a series of
sprocket gears 48 mounted upon the upper shaft 50 of the elevator, as
shown in FIG. 2, and endless chains 52 extend around the sprocket gears
respectively at opposite ends of the elevator for purposes of supporting a
series of longitudinally spaced, transversely extending elevator bars 54
which aggressively engage the crop material which is slidably advanced
along the bottom plate 38 to deliver the same in an undershot manner to
the lower portions of the augers 40. It will be seen in FIG. 2 that the
upper end 56 of bottom plate 38 terminates adjacent the sprocket gears 48
and therefore it is necessary to provide suitable support and transport
means for the crop material between the upper or terminal end 56 of bottom
plate 38 of the elevator and the forward ends of the rotors 42.
In the combine inventions illustrated in said aforementioned patents,
stationary ramp members are provided which are spaced below the augers 40
and extend from the upper ends of the bottom plate 38 of the elevator to
the forward ends of the rotors. However, such an arrangement has been less
than continuously satisfactory due to the difference in either continuous
or momentary bulk of a certain type of crop material as compared with that
of another type or kind of crop material. Differences in moisture content
also will affect the nature of the feeding of the crop material from the
elevator to the augers and rotors. Accordingly, under circumstances where
a greater bulk, for example, of a certain type of crop material is being
delivered to the augers and rotors from the elevator than can readily be
accommodated by the passagway defined between said aformentioned ramp and
augers, the excess amounts of said bulk of material were carried away from
the augers by the upper spans of the endless material conveying apron of
the elevator comprising the chains 52 and bars 54. Such operation is
wasteful of energy since the material that is backfed down the elevator
has to be recycled and conveyed upwardly again to the augers, possibly
resulting in additional excess volume and thereby rendering the operation
of the combine inefficient.
The foregoing situation is substantially eliminated by the principal
feature of the present invention which comprises a type of ramp or feed
plate, also comprising a transition plate, which is spaced below the
augers 40 and which extends from the upper or terminal end 56 of the
bottom plate 38 of the elevator to the forward ends of the rotors 42 and a
forward inlet opening 57 of the casings 44. The ramp and augers 40 define
a passageway for crop material from the upper end 56 of the bottom to the
forward inlet opening of the casings 44, with the ramp defining the lower
boundary of the passageway and being adapted to guide crop material
through the passageway upon rotation of the augers 40. Details of such
improved ramp or feed plate are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, said details and
the function thereof being described as follows.
The ramp or feed plate 58 consists preferably of a pair of plates
respectively identified as a first plate 60 and a second plate 62. The end
of the first plate 60 which is nearest the rotor 42 is connected by
suitable hinge means 64 to a transversely extending pivotal means 66 which
extends between the opposite side plates 14 of the housing of the combine.
Said first plate also is of sufficient width to extend between said side
plates 14 and, secured to the opposite sides of plate 60 are a pair of
side members 68, the lower edges of which have inwardly turned flanges 70
which are affixed to the opposite side edges of plate 60 by any suitable
means such as rivets 72. The shape of the side members 68 is best
illustrated in FIG. 2 and it will be seen that they are provided with
similar arcuate slots 74 which comprise arcs of a circle having the axis
of pivotal means 66 as a center. Bolts 76 extend through suitable holes in
the side plate 14 of the housing 12 of the combine, as shown in FIGS. 2
and 3, whereby when nuts are tightened on said bolts the side members 68
are tightly clamped against the inner surfaces of said side plates 14, in
firm parallel relationship therewith, whereby it will be seen that the
plates 60 may be disposed at various angles about the axis of the pivot
means 66 and thereby vary the cross-sectional size of the passageway
defined between the plate 60 and the auger 40 which the crop material is
moved from the elevator to the rotors 42. One position of the plate 60 is
shown in full lines in FIG. 2, while another position at a greater angle
to the auger 40 is shown in phantom in said figure. An infinite number of
other angular positions is possible for purposes of providing a passageway
of suitable crosssectional size and profile through which a particular
crop material may be moved from the elevator to the rotors 42 without
appreciable backfeeding of any of the material down the upper span of the
flexible material conveying apron of the elevator and thereby resulting in
efficient feeding of the crop material in an undershot manner to the auger
40 for immediate transfer to the rotors 42 where said material is threshed
by operation of the rotors with respect to a concave, not shown, on the
casings of the types shown in said aforementioned patents, which are
adjacent the lower portions of the rotors 42.
The forward end of plate 60 also is hingedly connected to the uppermost end
of second plate 62, portions of the adjacent ends of said plates 60 and 62
being formed in cylindrical configurations to constitute hinged members
78, best shown in FIG. 3, which interfit and receive an elongated
transverse pin 80 therethrough to form a flexible connection between
plates 60 and 62. The lower forward end 82 of plate 62 is supported by a
stationary transverse member 84 shown in FIG. 2 which slidably supports
said forward end of plate 62 by gravity. It will be seen that the lower
forward end 82 of plate 62 underlies the upper end portion of bottom plate
38 of the elevator.
In order that there will be no appreciable possibility for crop material to
escape between the bottom plate 38 and the upper surface of second plate
62, the present invention also includes an additional guide plate 86 which
also extends between the opposite sides of the housing of elevator 22 and
the side plates 14 of the combine. The lower, forward end of additional
plate 86 is pivotally supported by transversely extending rod 88 around
which a cylindrical end 90 of plate 86 extends to establish a pivotal
support for said forward end of plate 86. The opposite end 92 preferably
is provided with a compressible sealing gasket strip 94, such as rubber or
material similar in nature thereto, which slidably abuts the upper surface
of plates 60 and/or 62, depending upon the adjusted position of said
plates for purposes of accommodating a particular type or kind of crop
being harvested by the combine.
To insure maximum sealing effect by the plate 86 and strip 94, the
cylindrical end 90 of plate 86 is provided with short openings 96 which
are best shown in FIG. 3 adjacent the lower portion thereof, for purposes
of receiving coiled portions of springs 98 having legs 100 on the opposite
ends thereof which respectively abut the upper surfaces of bottom plate 38
of the elevator and additional guide plate 86, as clearly shown in FIGS. 2
and 3, for purposes of constantly biasing the opposite end 92 of plate 86
and the sealing gasket strip 94 into firm engagement with the upper
surface of plate 60 and/or 62.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides
relatively simple, very durable and highly effective adjustable ramp or
feed plate mechanism extending between the upper end of bottom plate 38 of
the elevator and the forward ends of the rotors 42 for purposes of
adjusting the depth, in a substantially vertical direction, and thereby
the cross-sectional size, of the passageway for the crop material from the
elevator to the rotors while moving along the path of the material
therebetween. The adjustability of said depth is accomplished externally
of the combine by loosening the bolts 76 which, as shown in FIG. 3, are
readily accessible on the exterior of the housing 12 of the combine. Also,
the lower surface of the plates 60 and 62 are accessible from the exterior
of the combine. Adjustment of the feed plate primarily is accomplished
empirically, such as by making an adjustment, operating the combine for a
limited period and inspecting the results, and readjusting the position of
the plates 60 and 62 if found to be necessary. When the preferred
adjustment is ultimately made, the combine usually may be used
continuously for a specific kind of crop without further adjustment being
necessary.
While the invention has been described and illustrated in its several
preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not
to be limited to the precise details herein illustrated and described
since the same may be carried out in other ways falling within the scope
of the invention as illustrated and described.
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