Rinse tank cutout and hose routing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10499562-B2
Application number	US-201715657819-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2017
Priority date	Jul 24, 2017
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A rinse tank for use with an agricultural machine that has a routing tunnel formed in a tank bottom wall for routing hoses through the routing tunnel between the rinse tank and a frame side-rail associated with the agricultural machine. The routing tunnel allows hoses to be routed from a first end of the agricultural machine to a second end of the agricultural machine. Additionally, brackets can be installed to the top wall of the frame side-rail. The brackets can be used to help locate the rinse tank about the frame as they are configured to fit within the routing tunnel. Additionally, the hoses can be routed through the brackets to prevent the hoses from being misplaced or damaged once the rinse tank is installed onto the frame side-rail.

First claim

We claim:

1. A tank with a hose routing system carried by an agricultural machine, the tank comprising:
a tank outer wall that faces outwardly away from the agricultural machine;
a tank inner wall that faces inwardly toward the agricultural machine;
a tank bottom wall that extends between and connects the tank outer and inner walls and faces downwardly toward a frame side-rail of the agricultural machine; and
a routing tunnel that extends into and defines a depression formed in the tank bottom wall with the routing tunnel and the frame side-rail enclosing a plurality of hoses extending from a first location beyond a first end of the routing tunnel to a second location beyond a second end of the routing tunnel,
wherein the bottom wall defines a multi-tiered cross-sectional profile that includes
an inner bottom wall section arranged toward the tank inner wall; and
an outer bottom wall section arranged toward the tank outer wall that overlies and extends along a portion of a top wall of the frame side-rail of the agricultural machine;

wherein the routing tunnel includes a tunnel top wall and a pair of tunnel side walls extending downwardly from the tunnel top wall to collectively define a channel that corresponds to an outer periphery of the depression formed in the tank bottom wall with the tunnel top and side walls and the top wall of the frame side-rail enclosing a longitudinal passage that extends through the routing tunnel with the plurality of hoses extending through the longitudinal passage, and
wherein the inner bottom wall section includes
a horizontal lower segment;
a first upright side segment extending upwardly from the horizontal lower segment of the inner bottom wall section to the outer bottom wall section; and
a second upright side segment extending upwardly from the horizontal lower segment of the inner bottom wall section toward the tank inner wall;

wherein the first upright side segment of the inner bottom wall section faces toward a side of the frame side-rail of the agricultural machine.

2. The tank of claim 1 , wherein the inner bottom wall section further comprises:
a first curved end defined by a first curved end segment that extends along an at least partially curved path between the first and second upright side segments at a first end of the inner bottom wall section; and
a second curved end defined by a second curved end segment that extends along an at least partially curved path between the first and second upright side segments at a second end of the inner bottom wall section;
wherein the first curved end is configured to nest with a first curved edge of the frame and the second curved end is configured to nest with a second curved edge of the frame.

3. The tank of claim 1 , wherein the outer bottom wall section has a base on one side of the depression extending between the routing tunnel and the tank outer wall and a lip on the other side of the depression extending between the routing tunnel and the inner bottom wall section; and
wherein the base and the lip are supported by a top wall of a frame side-rail with the base supported by an outer portion of the top wall of the frame side-rail and the lip supported by an inner portion of the top wall of the frame side-rail.

4. The tank of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of brackets mounted to a top wall of the frame side-rail of the agricultural machine.

5. The tank of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of brackets nest within the depression; and
wherein the plurality of hoses is routed through the plurality of brackets.

6. The tank of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of hoses is supported by a top wall of a frame side-rail.

7. The tank of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of hoses is routed through the routing tunnel between the tank and a frame side-rail from a first end of the agricultural machine to a second end of the agricultural machine.

8. The tank of claim 1 , wherein the depression forms a U-shaped passage.

9. A tank with a hose routing system carried by an agricultural machine, the tank comprising:
a top section and a bottom section with the bottom section of the tank supported by a frame of the agricultural machine;
a tank outer wall that faces outwardly away from the agricultural machine; and
a tank inner wall that faces inwardly toward the agricultural machine with the tank inner wall having inner wall upper segment arranged at the top section of the tank, an inner wall lower segment arranged at the bottom section of the tank, and a curved inner wall intermediate segment extending between the inner wall upper and lower segments along a curved path to present a concave surface of the inner wall toward a longitudinal axis of the agricultural machine;
wherein the bottom section of the tank further comprises:
a tank bottom wall arranged at the bottom section of the tank that includes an outer bottom wall section that extends inwardly from the tank outer wall toward the longitudinal axis of the agricultural machine and an inner bottom wall section that extends from the outer bottom wall section toward the longitudinal axis of the agricultural machine;
a routing tunnel that extends into and defines a depression formed in the outer bottom wall section with the routing tunnel including a first tunnel side wall, a second tunnel side wall, and a tunnel top wall;
a first curved end located at a first end of the inner bottom wall section; and
a second curved end located at a second end of the inner bottom wall section;

wherein the bottom section of the tank is configured to nest against the frame of the agricultural machine with the first and second curved ends of the inner bottom wall section corresponding to a first curved edge and a second curved edge of portions of the frame of the agricultural machine; and
wherein a plurality of hoses is routed through the depression defined by the routing tunnel from a first end of the agricultural machine to a second end of the agricultural machine.

10. The tank of claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of brackets mounted to a top wall of a frame side-rail of the frame of the agricultural machine.

11. The tank of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of brackets nest within the depression; and
wherein the plurality of hoses is routed through the plurality of brackets.

12. The tank of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of hoses is supported by a top wall of a frame side-rail of the frame of the agricultural machine.

13. A tank system with a hose routing system of an agricultural machine comprising:
a tank comprising:
a tank outer wall;
a tank inner, curved wall;
an outer bottom wall section that extends inwardly from the tank outer wall;
a depression formed in the outer bottom wall section to form a channel;
an inner bottom wall section that extends outwardly from the tank inner, curved wall;
an upright side segment that extends upwardly from the inner bottom wall;
a first curved end located at a first end of the upright side segment; and
a second curved end located at a second end of the upright side segment;

a plurality of hoses that extend from a first end of the agricultural machine to the second end of the agricultural machine; and
a plurality of brackets mounted on a top wall of a frame side-rail of the agricultural machine,
wherein the outer bottom wall section has a base on one side of the depression and a lip on the other side of the depression;
wherein the base is supported by an outer portion of the top wall of the frame side-rail; and
wherein the lip is supported by an inner portion of the top wall of the frame side-rail.

14. The system of claim 13

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Schwalbe Blaine
• Christiansen Ross

Classifications

• A01M7/0085 Primary

  Tanks · CPC title

• A01C23/008 Primary

  Tanks, chassis or related parts · CPC title