Rubber track unit for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10308296-B2
Application number	US-201414896206-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2014
Priority date	Jun 5, 2013
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A track unit may include one or more bogies arranged between front and rear guide wheels. The bogies are provided with wheel pairs that are rotatably arranged about a longitudinal axis of the bogie itself, and capable of adapting individually to transversal oscillations caused by the terrain. The bogies can furthermore be equipped to adapt to longitudinal oscillations as well, by the longitudinal portion of the bogie being rotatable about a transversal axis. The track unit may also be equipped with a cutter, non-rotatably mounted on one or both outer faces of the rear guide wheel, in a position where said wheel is in direct contact with the track, the cutter configured to cut crop material transported upwards between the rear guide wheel and the track when the track unit moves forward.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A track unit for a vehicle, comprising:
a track, a chassis, a drive sprocket, multiple guide wheels, and one or more bogies,
said bogies comprising at least two pairs of wheels, the wheels of each pair being mounted on either side of a longitudinal portion of the bogie arranged along a longitudinal axis of the bogie,
wherein the wheels of each pair are mounted on a transversal axle portion, said axle portion being rotatably connected to said longitudinal portion for rotation about said longitudinal axis;
wherein said longitudinal portion is further rotatable about a transversal axis.

2. The track unit according to claim 1 , wherein each pair of wheels is mounted on a separate axle portion.

3. The track unit according to claim 1 , comprising multiple bogies suspended from the chassis, said bogies being suspended independently from each other.

4. The track unit according to claim 1 , wherein said transversal axis is extending between two pairs of wheels of the bogie.

5. The track unit according to claim 4 , wherein said longitudinal axis and said transversal axis are lying in the same horizontal plane.

6. The track unit according to claim 4 , wherein said longitudinal portion is rotatable about a non-rotatable axle oriented along said transversal axis, said non-rotatable axle being fixed to a first end of a support bracket, with the opposite end of said support bracket being rotatably mounted on the chassis of the track unit, so as to be rotatable about an axis lying to one side of the bogie, and wherein a variable length actuator is mounted between said first end of the bracket and the chassis.

7. The track unit according to claim 1 , wherein each bogie comprises two pairs of wheels.

8. The track unit according to claim 1 , said multiple guide wheels comprising a front and rear guide wheel, wherein a cutter is non-rotatably mounted on at least one outer face of the rear guide wheel, in a position where said rear guide wheel is in direct contact with the track, the cutter being configured to cut crop material that is transported upwards between the rear guide wheel and the track when the track unit moves forward.

9. A track unit for a crop harvesting vehicle, the unit comprising:
a track,
a chassis,
a drive sprocket,
a front and rear guide wheel and
one or more bogies,
wherein a cutter is non-rotatably mounted on at least one of the outer faces of the rear guide wheel, in a position where said rear guide wheel is in direct contact with the track, the cutter ( 51 ) being configured to cut crop material that is transported upwards between the rear guide wheel and the track when the track unit moves forward;
wherein said rear guide wheel comprises a non-rotatable axle with one or more wheels rotatably arranged on said axle, with a plate immovably connected to an end face of said non-rotatable axle and said cutter being fixed to said plate;
wherein a side plate is fixed to one or two of said wheels, on the same outer face as said immovably connected plate, and comprising a ring portion that extends outward radially with respect to said immovably connected plate, and wherein the cutter is fixed to an edge area of the immovably connected plate while overlapping said ring portion and the side surface of the track.

10. The track unit according to claim 9 , wherein said ring portion is flush with said immovably connected plate.

11. The track unit according to claim 9 , wherein the cutter has a triangular shape with a base connected to the immovably connected plate, a central portion overlapping the ring portion of the side plate and a tip portion overlapping the side of the track.

12. The track unit according to claim 11 , wherein the central portion and the tip portion of the cutter are provided with slanted strips adjacent the ring portion of the side plate and to the side surface of the track respectively.

13. An agricultural vehicle comprising:
at least one track unit comprising:
a track, a chassis, a drive sprocket, multiple guide wheels, and at least one bogie,
the at least one bogie comprising at least two pairs of wheels, wherein a wheel of each of the at least two pairs of wheel are mounted on either side of a longitudinal portion of the bogie arranged along a longitudinal axis of the at least one bogie,
wherein the wheels of the at least two pairs of wheel are mounted on a transversal axle portion, said axle portion being rotatably mounted to the longitudinal portion for rotation about said longitudinal axis such that said bogies can pivot about said longitudinal axis allowing transversal oscillation of a bottom portion of said bogies.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Piens Patrick
• Vandendriessche Jean-Pierre
• Verheye Carlos J A

Classifications

• B62D55/088

  with means to exclude or remove foreign matter, e.g. sealing means, self-cleaning track links or sprockets, deflector plates or scrapers · CPC title

• B62D55/10 Primary

  Bogies; Frames (track-tensioning means B62D55/30) · CPC title

• B62D55/112

  with fluid springs, e.g. hydraulic pneumatic · CPC title

• B62D55/15

  Mounting devices, e.g. bushings, axles, bearings, sealings {(with lubrication means B62D55/092)} · CPC title