Rotor feeder unit for agricultural machines, method for operating a rotor feeder, and method for operating an agricultural machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10098281-B2
Application number	US-201615299068-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2016
Priority date	Oct 20, 2015
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A rotor feeder unit for an agricultural baler. The rotor feeder unit includes a rotor feeder carrying a set of tines, a rotor feeder unit bottom distant from the rotor feeder forming a lower boundary of a conveying channel through the rotor feeder unit, and scrapers placed in conveying direction behind the rotor feeder. The rotor feeder is rotatable about an axis of rotation. The scrapers extend in between the tines and have a leading face cooperating with the tines. The rotor feeder unit also includes a scraper position adjusting arrangement adapted for displacement of the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom. The scraper position adjusting arrangement is further adapted for rotating the scrapers about the axis of rotation of the rotor feeder for angularly displacing the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotor feeder unit for an agricultural machine, comprising:
a rotor feeder having a cylindrical base body carrying tines plates, each of the tine plates including a plurality of tines, the rotor feeder being rotatable about an axis of rotation;
a rotor feeder unit bottom distant from the rotor feeder forming a lower boundary of a conveying channel through the rotor feeder unit;
scrapers placed in conveying direction behind the rotor feeder, each of the scrapers extending in between the tines and having a portion extending around the cylindrical base body, each of the scrapers further comprises a leading face cooperating with the tines; and
a scraper position adjusting arrangement configured for displacement of the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom, the scraper position adjusting arrangement further configured for rotating the scrapers about the axis of rotation of the rotor feeder for angularly displacing the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom and for displacing the extending portion of the scrapers relative to the cylindrical base body.

2. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 1 , wherein the scraper position adjusting arrangement is provided with an arrangement for translating the leading face of the scrapers relative to the axis of rotation of the rotor feeder or rotating the leading face of the scrapers around an axis of rotation offset from the axis of rotation of the rotor feeder.

3. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 1 , wherein the scraper position adjusting arrangement comprises:
a scraper bar having the scrapers arranged thereon and having a longitudinal axis extending substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor feeder;
a guide defining a path along which the scraper bar is movable; and
an arrester for arresting the scraper bar in a position along the path.

4. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 3 , wherein the guide defines a path for at least three points of the scraper bar in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the scraper bar.

5. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 4 , wherein the guide comprises at least one slot in opposing side walls of the rotor feeder unit between which side walls the scraper bar extends, wherein the at least three points of the scraper bar are defined by guiding pins arranged on the scraper bar and extending in the at least one slot.

6. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 1 , wherein the scraper position adjusting arrangement is adapted for manual operation thereof.

7. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 1 , wherein the scraper position adjusting arrangement comprises an actuator acting on the scrapers and configured for displacing the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom.

8. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 7 , wherein the scraper position adjusting arrangement comprises a controller configured for controlling the actuator and at least one sensor for measuring at least one operational parameter of the rotor feeder unit or of an agricultural machine in which the rotor feeder unit is arranged, wherein the controller is configured for receiving measuring data from the sensor and for displacing the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom based on the at least one operational parameter of the rotor feeder unit.

9. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one operational parameter includes a parameter related to a mechanical load on the rotor feeder unit during operation.

10. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one operational parameter includes rotor torque.

11. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 1 , wherein the scraper position adjusting arrangement is adapted for allowing displacement of the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom as a function of the force exerted by crop material on the leading face of the scrapers.

12. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 1 , wherein the scraper position adjusting arrangement comprises:
a scraper bar having the scrapers arranged thereon and having a longitudinal axis extending substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor feeder; and
a guide defining a path along which the scraper bar is movable, the guide having at least one slot formed as a circular curve that has the axis of rotation of the rotary feeder as the center thereof, the circular curve serving to define the path along which the scraper bar is movable.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Rosseel Bram
• Devroe Jeroen
• Liefooghe Dries
• Kindt Dieter

Classifications

• A01F15/042

  Plungers · CPC title

• A01D89/002 Primary

  Rotors · CPC title

• A01F15/10 Primary

  Feeding devices for the crop material {e.g. precompression devices} · CPC title

• A01F2015/102

  the pressing chamber is fed from the bottom side · CPC title

• A01F2015/108

  Cutting devices comprising cutter and counter-cutter · CPC title