Dual belt conveyor for agricultural machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10375889-B2
Application number	US-201515529407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2015
Priority date	Dec 10, 2014
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

A dual conveyor assembly for a windrower includes upper and lower conveyors. Each conveyor includes an endless conveyor element and rotatable supports spaced along a longitudinal conveyor path and entrained by the endless conveyor element. The endless conveyor elements define vertically spaced opposed runs that define the longitudinal conveyor path therebetween. The opposed runs are operable to be driven together to move a flow of severed plant material along the path. At least one of the opposed runs is shiftable relative to the other opposed run in an upright direction, while the runs are driven together, such that the opposed runs remain in moving engagement with the flow of severed plant material as the amount of severed plant material passing between the opposed runs varies.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A windrower operable to be advanced along a ground surface of a field to cut a forage plant crop and to transport a flow of severed plant material to a location spaced laterally from the windrower, said windrower comprising:
a header supported to sever the forage plant crop and discharge the severed plant material;
a dual conveyor assembly located rearwardly of the header to collect severed plant material and transport a flow of severed plant material to the location,
said dual conveyor assembly including upper and lower conveyors, each of the upper and lower conveyors including a conveyor frame, an endless conveyor element, and rotatable supports supported by the respective conveyor frame spaced along a longitudinal conveyor path and entrained by the respective endless conveyor element, said dual conveyor assembly further including a linkage pivotally attached to the upper and lower conveyor frames at respective upper and lower pivot joints and at least one motor drivingly connected to a driven one of the rotatable support shafts configured to drive at least one of the endless conveyor elements,
wherein said endless conveyor elements cooperatively define inlet and outlet openings of the dual conveyor assembly, with the opposed runs being driven in a normal downstream direction along the path toward the outlet opening, wherein said dual conveyor assembly presents the outlet opening from which the flow of severed plant material is discharged by the dual conveyor assembly, said dual conveyor assembly extending laterally so that the outlet opening is spaced laterally outboard of the header, and wherein said dual conveyor assembly further comprises a conveyor support yoke attached to and supporting the lower conveyor frame and a drive mechanism configured to pivot the endless conveyor elements about the lower pivot joint to adjustably position the outlet opening of the endless conveyor elements relative the ground surface,
said endless conveyor elements defining vertically spaced opposed runs that define the longitudinal conveyor path therebetween, with the opposed runs operable to be driven together to move the flow of severed plant material along the path,
wherein said linkage shiftably interconnects the conveyor frames and permits relative shifting movement therebetween along an upright direction such that at least one of said opposed runs is shiftable relative to the other opposed run in the upright direction, while the runs are driven together, such that the opposed runs remain in moving engagement with the flow of severed plant material as the amount of severed plant material passing between the opposed runs varies.

2. The windrower as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said rotatable supports of each conveyor support opposite end margins of the respective endless conveyor element, and said opposed runs extend along the path between the respective end margins.

3. The windrower as claimed in claim 1 wherein said upper conveyor is shiftably supported above the lower conveyor to move along the upright direction.

4. The windrower as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said upper conveyor is biased downwardly into engagement with the flow of severed plant material.

5. The windrower as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said linkage is pivotally attached relative to the conveyor frames, with the linkage pivoting as the upper conveyor frame shifts along the upright direction.

6. The windrower as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said upper pivot joint is located upstream of the lower pivot joint so that movement of an upper one of the opposed runs urges the upper pivot joint and the upper conveyor to move upstream, with any upstream movement of the upper pivot joint causing the linkage to pivot about the lower pivot joint so that the upper conveyor shifts downwardly to bias the upper conveyor element into engagement with the flow of severed plant material.

7. The windrower as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said linkage interconnects the conveyor frames so that the upright direction and the longitudinal conveyor path cooperatively define a conveyor shift angle.

8. The windrower as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said conveyor shift angle is an oblique angle.

9. The windrower as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising a spring attached to the upper conveyor frame to urge the upper conveyor to shift relative to the lower conveyor along the upright direction.

10. The windrower as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said spring urges the upper conveyor upwardly away from the lower conveyor.

11. The windrower as claimed in claim 10 wherein said conveyor support yoke projects upwardly above the upper conveyor to present an upper yoke margin, and said spring comprising a tension spring attached to and depending from the yoke adjacent the upper yoke margin, with the tension spring pulling upwardly on the upper conveyor.

12. The windrower as claimed in claim 3 wherein rotatable supports including endmost supports that are rotatably mounted on the upper conveyor frame, with the endmost supports engaging and supporting respective end margins of the upper endless conveyor element.

13. The windrower as claimed in claim 12 wherein said rotatable supports include an intermediate support spaced longitudinally between the endmost supports, with the intermediate support engaging and supporting the opposed run of the upper endless conveyor element.

14. The windrower as claimed in claim 1 wherein said header presents opposite laterally spaced header ends, said dual conveyor assembly presents an inlet opening positioned laterally between the header ends, and said upper and lower conveyors extend laterally between the inlet and outlet openings to with the opposed runs being driven in a normal downstream direction toward the outlet opening.

15. The windrower as claimed in claim 1 wherein the drive mechanism configured to adjustably position the outlet opening is a powered winch configured to raise or lower the outlet opening relative an adjacent storage bin of a hauling vehicle such that the dual conveyor assembly discharges the flow of severed plant material to the adjacent storage bin.

16. The windrower as claimed in claim 1 wherein the dual conveyor assembly includes a first motor drivingly connected to a driven one of the rotatable support shafts configured to drive the upper endless conveyor element and a second motor drivingly connected to a driven one of the rotatable support shafts configured to drive the lower endless conveyor element.

Assignees

• Agco Corp

Inventors

• Figger Robert L
• Matousek Robert A
• Bollinger Shane A

Classifications

• A01D61/006 Primary

  with rollers, e.g. adjustable · CPC title

• A01D34/64

  mounted on a vehicle, e.g. a tractor, or drawn by an animal or a vehicle (A01D34/695 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A01D43/07

  in or into a trailer (A01D43/077 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A01D57/20 Primary

  with conveyor belts · CPC title

• A01D61/02

  Endless belts · CPC title