Feeder conveyor assembly tensioning mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10149437-B2
Application number	US-201715446645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2017
Priority date	Mar 1, 2016
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

A feeder for a combine harvester, the feeder including a housing and a conveyor assembly mounted in the housing. The conveyor assembly includes a frame having lateral support arms, and moveable belts guided by sprocket wheels. The sprocket wheels are mounted on a drive shaft proximate an outlet section of the housing and on a conveyor shaft proximate an inlet section of the housing. The sprocket wheels are mounted on a drive shaft proximate an outlet section of the housing and on a conveyor shaft proximate an inlet section. The conveyor assembly is equipped with a first and second tensioning mechanism, the first mechanism being configured to push the conveyor shaft forward with respect to the frame, the second mechanism including spring-operated tensioning arms and tensioning rolls mounted above the support arms.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A feeder apparatus for a combine harvester, for transporting crops from a combine header towards a threshing and cleaning installation of the combine harvester, the feeder apparatus comprising:
a feeder housing having an inlet section and an outlet section; and
a conveyor assembly mounted in the housing, the conveyor assembly comprising:
a frame comprising a first and a second support arm, the first and second support arms being mutually parallel and extending between the inlet and outlet sections of the housing;
a drive shaft rotatably mounted between the first and second support arms, proximate the outlet section of the feeder housing;
at least two sprocket wheels mounted on the drive shaft, the at least two sprocket wheels comprising sprockets;
a conveyor shaft rotatably mounted between the first and second support arms, proximate the inlet section of the feeder housing;
at least two sprocket wheels mounted on the conveyor shaft, at positions corresponding to the at least two sprocket wheels on the drive shaft, the at least two sprocket wheels comprising sprockets;
toothed belts arranged around each of the at least two sprocket wheels on the drive shaft and around each of the at least two sprocket wheels on the conveyor shaft, the toothed belts comprising teeth engaging with the sprockets of the sprocket wheels mounted on the drive and conveyor shafts, so that rotation of the drive shaft actuates movement of the toothed belts;
transversal crop transporting slats attached to adjacent ones of the belts;
a first belt tensioning mechanism comprising a pair of first tensioning arms configured to be able to push the conveyor shaft forward with respect to the first and second support arms; and
a second tensioning mechanism comprising a pair of second tensioning arms carrying between them and above the first and second support arms, the second tensioning mechanism further comprising a tensioning axle and tensioning rolls mounted on the tensioning axle, the belts running over the tensioning rolls, the second tensioning arms being spring-operated in a manner to be able to push the tensioning axle upwards with respect to the support arms.

2. The feeder apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein front ends of the first tensioning arms are rotatably connected to the conveyor shaft and back end of each of the first tensioning arms is rotatably connected to an auxiliary axle that is itself bolted to a tensioning piece, the position of which is adjustable with respect to the frame.

3. The feeder apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the tensioning piece is connected to a tensioning bolt, the position of which is adjustable by turning the bolt with respect to a surface that is fixed to the feeder housing.

4. The feeder apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second tensioning arms are angle-shaped, each of the second tensioning arms having an upright leg portion, a corner portion, and a level leg portion, ends of the level leg portions carrying the tensioning axle, the corner portions being rotatable about a single axis parallel to the drive shaft and the conveyor shaft, and wherein a lower end of the upright leg portion of each of the second tensioning arms is displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the support arms of the frame.

5. The feeder apparatus according to claim 4 , comprising for each of the second tensioning arms:
a rod connected at one end to the frame, the other end being threaded;
a plunger with a central opening through which the rod is inserted, the plunger being slideable with respect to the rod, the plunger being placed in contact with the lower end of the upright leg portion of the second tensioning arm;
a spring placed against a backside of the plunger;
a hollow cylinder held stationary with respect to the frame, the spring being inserted in the cylinder, the rod being inserted through the spring; and
a tensioning bolt engaging with the threaded end of the rod, so that turning the bolt compresses the spring, thereby pushing the plunger against the lower end of the upright leg portion by a force determined by the compression of the spring.

6. The feeder apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the frame is pivotable with respect to the feeder housing, about a pivot axis that coincides with the rotation axis of the drive shaft.

7. The feeder apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the frame comprises intermediate support arms parallel to the first and second support arms and positioned between the first and second support arms, the intermediate support arms being provided with longitudinal strips at their underside, the strips being configured for guiding the transversal crop transporting slats as they move along a lower portion of the feeder housing.

8. The feeder apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the drive shaft or the conveyor shaft is provided with stationary cylinders which are parallel to and concentric with the rotation axis of the drive shaft or the conveyor shaft, the cylinders extending at least underneath the sprockets of the at least two sprocket wheels mounted on the drive shaft or the conveyor shaft, the stationary cylinders comprising helicoidal scrapers at least on the portion of their surface that extends underneath the sprockets of the at least two sprocket wheels mounted on the drive shaft or the conveyor shaft.

9. The feeder apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one conveyor drum mounted on the conveyor shaft and provided at one or more positions along the conveyor shaft, with one or more retractable fingers, protruding through openings in the at least one conveyor drum, and wherein the fingers are configured to protrude furthest away from the at least one drum when they pass through an area in front of the feeder housing.

10. The feeder apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the following relationships are upheld for each of the belts engaging with a sprocket wheel mounted on the conveyor shaft:
L p =X.D s =X .( T.Z D )/ R f =X .( D p .π)/ R f , with:

L p =the length of the neutral line of the belt, the belt comprising teeth and a flat belt portion, wherein the neutral line is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the conveyor shaft and situated at half the thickness of the flat belt portion, wherein:
X=an integer,
D s =the distance between two adjacent slats,
T=the pitch of the teeth on the belt,
Z D =the number of sprockets on a sprocket wheel mounted on the conveyor shaft,
R f =the number of retractable fingers at one position along the longitudinal direction of the conveyor shaft, and
D p =diameter of the neutral line of the belt in an area where the belt is in contact with the sprocket wheel on the conveyor shaft.

11. The feeder apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one conveyor drum comprises at least one rectangular opening for providing access to the eccentric portion of the conveyor shaft, wherein the opening is closed by a removable rectangular cover plate during normal operation of the apparatus, and wherein the cover plate is provided with a plate on a side of the cover that is transversally oriented with respect to the movement of the belts, the plate being furthermore oriented away from the plane of the cover plate.

12. A combine harvester comprising a header, a threshing and cleaning installation, and a feeder apparatus according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Van Overschelde Pieter
• Depoortere Björn
• Duquesne Frank R G
• Jongmans Dré W J
• Missotten Bart M A
• Tallir Frederik
• Vandamme Willem

Classifications

• A01D41/16 Primary

  Devices for coupling mowing tables to conveyors · CPC title

• A01D61/02

  Endless belts · CPC title

• A01F12/10 Primary

  Feeders · CPC title