Stalked crop harvesting header drive

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10238032-B2
Application number	US-201615253433-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2016
Priority date	Aug 31, 2015
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A stalked crop harvesting header comprising multiple harvesting units each comprising a pair of deck plates defining a channel, a pair of snapping rollers mounted below the deck plates and adapted to pull stalks downwardly through the channel, a pair of gathering chains provided with cams, the gathering chains extending between a first pair of gears located at the front end of the harvesting unit and a second pair of gears located at a back end of the harvesting unit, wherein each harvesting unit further comprises a pair of stalk guiders positioned to rotate around axes coinciding with respective axes of the first pair of gears, wherein the stalk guiders each comprising an upper stalk guiding wheel and a lower stalk guiding wheel which are interconnected, and wherein a cutting element is provided below the lower stalk guiding wheel to cut stalks while being guided by the stalk guiders.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A stalked crop harvesting header comprising multiple harvesting units, wherein each harvesting unit comprises a set of deck plates defining a channel, a set of snapping rollers mounted below the deck plates, a pair of gathering chains, wherein each harvesting unit is provided with a stalk cutting wheel and at least one stalk guiding wheel, wherein the stalk cutting wheel and the at least one stalk guiding wheel are rotatably mounted about a rotation axis and are interconnected via transmission means so that the at least one stalk guiding wheel is provided to be driven at a first rotational speed while the stalk cutting wheel is driven at a second rotational speed which is higher than the first rotational speed.

2. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission means are formed as a planetary gearbox.

3. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 1 , wherein each harvesting unit is provided with a pair of stalk cutting wheels and at least one corresponding pair of stalk guiding wheels, mounted at either side of the front end of the channel.

4. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 3 , wherein the gathering chains extend between a first pair of gears located at either side of the front end of the channel and a second pair of gears located at a back end of the channel, wherein the first pair of gears is interconnected with a corresponding one of the pair of stalk guiding wheels.

5. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 4 , wherein each gear of the first pair of gears rotates around a respective shaft, and wherein the respective shafts are further connected to corresponding stalk guiding wheels so that the stalk guiding wheels and first pair of gears are interconnected via the respective shafts.

6. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 1 , wherein each said transmission device is covered by a frame carrying the stalk guiding wheel and the stalk cutting wheel.

7. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 6 , wherein the stalk guiding wheels comprise an upper stalk guiding wheel and a lower stalk guiding wheel, and wherein the stalk cutting wheel is mounted below the lower stalk guiding wheel.

8. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 1 , wherein the stalk guiding wheel is disk-shaped and comprises indentations at a periphery of the disk.

9. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 8 , wherein the indentations are adapted to capture at least one stalk such that the stalk extends within the peripheral edges of the disk-shaped wheel.

10. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 8 , wherein the stalk cutting wheel is disk-shaped having a diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the stalk guiding wheel and wherein the stalk cutting wheel extends at least partially over the indentations so that a stalk entering an indentation is cut by the stalk cutting wheel.

11. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 1 , wherein each harvesting unit is further provided with a stalk chopper below the snapping rollers for chopping the stalk into pieces while it is pulled downward.

12. An agricultural harvester carrying a stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 1 .

13. A harvesting unit adapted for being part of a stalked crop harvesting header, wherein the harvesting unit comprises a set of deck plates defining a channel, a set of snapping rollers mounted below the deck plates, a pair of gathering chains, wherein the harvesting unit is provided with a stalk cutting wheel and at least one stalk guiding wheel, wherein the stalk cutting wheel and the at least one stalk guiding wheel are rotatably mounted about a rotation axis and are interconnected via transmission means so that the at least one stalk guiding wheel is provided to be driven at a first rotational speed while the stalk cutting wheel is driven at a second rotational speed which is higher than the first rotational speed.

14. A stalked crop harvesting header comprising:
a conveyor; and
at least one harvesting unit having a front end and a back end, the at least one harvesting unit comprising:
at least two deck plates defining a channel;
at least two snapping rollers mounted below the at least two deck plates;
at least two gathering chains;
a stalk cutting wheel; and
at least one stalk guiding wheel,
wherein the stalk cutting wheel and the at least one stalk guiding wheel are rotatably mounted about a rotation axis and are interconnected via a transmission so that the at least one stalk guiding wheel is provided to be driven at a first rotational speed while the stalk cutting wheel is driven at a second rotational speed which is higher than the first rotational speed.

15. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 14 , wherein the transmission is formed as a planetary gearbox.

16. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 14 , wherein the stalk cutting wheel is a first stalk cutting wheel, and the at least one stalk guiding wheel is at least two stalk guiding wheels mounted at either side of a front end of the channel.

17. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 16 , wherein the at least one harvesting unit further comprises:
at least two first gears located at either side of the front end of the at least one harvesting unit;
at least two second gears located at either side of the back end of the at least one harvesting unit,
wherein the at least two gathering chains extend between respective ones of the at least two first gears and respective ones of the at least two second gears, and
wherein each of the least two first gears is interconnected with a corresponding one of the at least two stalk guiding wheels.

18. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 17 , wherein each gear of the at least two first gears rotates around a respective shaft, and wherein the respective shafts are further connected to corresponding ones of the at least two stalk guiding wheels so that the at least two stalk guiding wheels and the at least two first gears are interconnected via the respective shafts.

19. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one harvesting unit comprises a frame covering the transmission and carrying the at least one stalk guiding wheel and the stalk cutting wheel.

20. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 19 , wherein the at least one stalk guiding wheel comprises an upper stalk guiding wheel and a lower stalk guiding wheel, and wherein the stalk cutting wheel is mounted below the lower stalk guiding wheel.

21. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one stalk guiding wheel is disk-shaped and comprises indentations at a periphery thereof.

22. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 21 , wherein the indentations are adapted to capture at least one stalk such that the stalk extends within the peripheral edges of the disk-shaped wheel.

23. The stalked crop harvesting header according to claim 21 , wherein the stalk cutting wheel is disk-shaped having a diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the at least one stalk guiding wheel and wherein the stalk cutting wheel extends at least partially over the indentations so that a stalk entering an indentation is cut by the stalk cutting wheel.

24. An agricultural harvester carrying a stalked crop harvesting he

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Missotten Bart M A
• De Smet Tom
• Tallir Frederik
• Vandamme Willem
• Bonne Geert

Classifications

• A01D34/015

  Cutting mechanisms not covered by another group · CPC title

• A01D57/01 Primary

  Devices for leading crops to the mowing apparatus · CPC title

• A01D69/06

  Gearings · CPC title

• A01D45/00

  Harvesting of standing crops (A01D44/00 takes precedence; threshing machines adapted for special crops, threshing devices for combines adapted for special crops A01F11/00; harvesting of mushrooms A01G18/70) · CPC title

• A01D2101/00

  Lawn-mowers · CPC title