Material conveyance system in a combine harvester

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10342179-B2
Application number	US-201615567341-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2016
Priority date	Apr 17, 2015
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A combine harvester is provided with a conveyance system for transporting crop material discharged by overhead grain separating apparatus to a grain cleaning shoe. The conveyance system includes a series of oscillating pans which move the grain in a generally longitudinal direction. A return pan conveys the collected material forwardly to a front discharge edge from where the material falls onto a stratification pan below. The stratification pan conveys the collected material rearwardly to a rear discharge edge from where the material falls into the grain cleaning shoe. At least one of the return pan and the stratification pan is non-rectangular and has a non-transverse discharge edge.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A crop material conveyance pan for a combine harvester, the pan comprising:
a first return pan; and
a second return pan;
wherein at least one of the first return pan the second return pan comprises a transversely inclined non-rectangular major surface;
wherein the non-rectangular major surface is bounded by three edges having a material-retaining profile;
wherein the non-rectangular major surface is bounded by a crop discharge edge at least a portion of which is non-orthogonal with respect to adjacent edges of the non-rectangular major surface; and
wherein a gap exists, when viewed from above, between a portion of the rear edge of the first return pan and the discharge edge of the second return pan.

2. A combine harvester having a normal forward direction of travel which defines a longitudinal and a transverse direction, the harvester comprising a crop material conveyance pan, the pan being coupled to a drive mechanism for driving the pan in an oscillating manner, wherein the pan comprises first and second return pans, wherein at least one of the first return pan and the second return pan comprises a transversely inclined floor portion, wherein at least one of the first return pan and the second return pan has a discharge edge which is disposed at a non-zero angle to a transverse vertical plane, and wherein a gap exists, when viewed from above, between a portion of the rear edge of the first return pan and the discharge edge of the second return pan, wherein separated crop material can fall through the gap.

3. The combine harvester according to claim 2 , comprising a grain separating apparatus, wherein said crop material conveyance pan is positioned under the grain separating apparatus and serves to catch crop material separated by the grain separating apparatus and convey collected material in a generally forward direction to the discharge edge.

4. The combine harvester according to claim 3 , wherein the grain separating apparatus comprises an axial-flow crop processing rotor having a rotation axis which is aligned fore and aft, the rotor having a downturning side and an upturning side.

5. The combine harvester according to claim 4 , wherein the grain separating apparatus comprises a pair of axial-flow crop processing rotors having respective rotation axes which are aligned fore and aft and mutually side-by-side, and wherein each rotor has a downturning side and an upturning side.

6. The combine harvester according to claim 5 , wherein the pair of axial-flow crop processing rotors are driven to rotate in opposite directions defining transversely inner upturning sides and outer downturning sides.

7. The combine harvester according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first return pan and the second the return pan comprises a contoured floor portion which guides crop material sideways to a trough, and wherein the discharge edge comprises a forward edge zone and a rearward edge zone disposed rearward of the forward edge zone, and wherein the trough guides crop material to the forward edge zone.

8. The combine harvester according to claim 7 , wherein at least one of the first return pan and the second the return pan comprises a central longitudinal trough, and the discharge edge comprises a rearward edge zone on both sides of a central forward edge zone.

9. The combine harvester according to claim 8 , wherein the floor of the at least one of the first return pan and the second return pan comprises an opening which defines a secondary discharge edge.

10. The combine harvester according to claim 9 , wherein the floor defines a material guidance trough configured to guide crop material around the secondary discharge edge.

11. The combine harvester according to claim 2 , wherein the grain separating apparatus comprises a pair of axial-flow crop processing rotors having respective rotation axes which are aligned fore and aft and mutually side-by-side, and wherein each rotor has a downturning side and an upturning side, wherein the first return pan is positioned under a front portion of the grain separating apparatus and the second return pan is positioned under a rear portion of the grain separating apparatus, wherein the first return pan comprises sloping floor portions which are each inclined transversely and downwardly towards a zone below the upturning side of the rotors, and wherein the second return pan comprises sloping floor portions which are each inclined transversely and downwardly towards a zone below the downturning sides of the rotors.

12. The combine harvester according to claim 11 , wherein the floor of the first return pan comprises a central longitudinal trough, and wherein the floor of the second return pan comprises a central longitudinal crest.

13. The combine harvester according to claim 2 , wherein the first return pan has a non-transverse rear edge.

14. The combine harvester according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first return pan and the second return pan is formed from moulded plastic.

15. A combine harvester having a normal forward direction of travel which defines a longitudinal and a transverse direction, the harvester comprising:
a drive mechanism;
a grain-separating apparatus;
a crop material conveyance pan coupled to the drive mechanism for driving the crop material conveyance pan in an oscillating manner, the crop material conveyance pan comprising first and second return pans positioned under the grain separating apparatus, wherein:
the first and second return pans are longitudinally offset from one another;
at least one of the first and the second return pans has a non-transverse discharge edge;
each return pan is configured to catch crop material separated by the grain-separating apparatus and convey collected material in a generally forward direction to a respective discharge edge,
at least one of the first return pan and the second return pan comprises a transversely inclined floor portion; and
the first return pan has a non-transverse rear edge;

wherein a gap exists, when viewed from above, between a portion of the rear edge of the first return pan and the discharge edge of the second return pan, wherein separated crop material can fall through the gap.

Assignees

• Agco Int Gmbh

Inventors

• During Kenneth
• Bilde Morten Leth
• Marden David

Classifications

• A01F12/44 Primary

  Grain cleaners; Grain separators · CPC title

• A01F12/446 Primary

  Sieving means · CPC title

• A01F7/067

  with material-flow influencing means · CPC title

• A01F12/56

  Driving mechanisms for the threshing parts · CPC title

• A01F12/46

  Mechanical grain conveyors · CPC title