System and method for directing soil buildup on a conveyor on a sugarcane harvesting machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10993374-B2
Application number	US-201715846697-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2017
Priority date	Dec 19, 2017
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

A conveyor system of a sugarcane harvesting machine includes an inclined conveyor having a first shaft at a lower end and a second shaft at an upper end thereof. The belt is driven along the inclined conveyor between the first shaft and the second shaft, and the belt includes an upper portion and a lower portion between the lower end and the upper end. A floor is partially disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion of the belt, and a wiper is coupled to a bottom end of the belt such that the wiper extends from the belt in a direction towards the floor. As the upper portion of the belt travels from the lower end to the upper end of the inclined conveyor, the wiper moves with the belt and contacts and moves material that collects on a top surface of the floor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A conveyor system of a sugarcane harvesting machine, comprising:
an inclined conveyor including a lower end and an upper end thereof, the inclined conveyor configured to receive cane billets at the lower end;
a belt including a length, a top side, and a bottom side, the belt driven along the inclined conveyor between the lower end and the upper end, the belt including an upper portion and a lower portion between the lower end and the upper end;
a floor at least partially disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion of the belt;
at least one flap coupled to the top side of the belt, the flap configured to transport cane billets to the upper end of the inclined conveyor; and
at least one wiper coupled to the bottom side of the belt, the wiper extending from the bottom side of the belt in a direction towards the floor, wherein the at least one wiper is offset from the at least one flap along the length of the belt;
wherein, as the upper portion of the belt travels from the lower end to the upper end of the inclined conveyor, the wiper moves with the belt and is configured to contact and move material that collects on a top surface of the floor.

2. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one wiper comprises a plurality of wipers coupled to the bottom side of the belt and spaced from one another along a length of the belt.

3. The conveyor system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of wipers is equally spaced from one another along the length of the belt.

4. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one wiper is disposed in contact with the top surface of the floor as it travels from the lower end to the upper end.

5. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the floor and the at least one wiper have approximately the same width.

6. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one wiper comprises a plurality of fingers extending from the bottom end of the belt.

7. The conveyor system of claim 6 , wherein:
the at least one wiper comprises a plurality of wipers coupled to the bottom end of the belt and spaced from one another along a length of the belt;
a first wiper of the plurality of wipers comprises a first plurality of fingers, wherein each of the first plurality of fingers is spaced from the other of the plurality of fingers to define gaps therebetween; and
a second wiper of the plurality of wipers comprises a second plurality of fingers, wherein the second wiper is aligned with the first wiper such that the second plurality of fingers is aligned with the gaps defined between the first plurality of fingers.

8. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one wiper projects upward towards a bottom surface of the floor as it travels from the upper end to the lower end.

9. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the inclined conveyor comprises a plurality of support rollers for supporting the belt.

10. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the upper shaft is rotatably driven by a motor to move the belt along the inclined conveyor.

11. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the upper portion and lower portion are substantially parallel to one another between the lower end and the upper end.

12. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the belt comprises a plurality of rollers that extend transversely across a width of the belt, and the at least one wiper is coupled to at least one of the plurality of rollers.

13. A sugarcane harvesting machine, comprising:
a main frame;
at least one ground-engaging mechanism for supporting the main frame;
a feed mechanism configured to receive a crop and chop it into billets;
a conveyor system located at a rear portion of the machine and configured to receive the billets and transport the billets to a discharge location, the conveyor system comprising:
an inclined conveyor including a lower end and an upper end, the inclined conveyor configured to receive the billets at the lower end;
a belt including a length, a top side, and a bottom side, the belt driven along the inclined conveyor between the lower and upper ends of the inclined conveyor, the belt including an upper portion and a lower portion between the lower end and the upper end;
a floor at least partially disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion of the belt;
at least one flap coupled to the top side of the belt, the flap configured to transport can billets to the upper end of the inclined conveyor; and
at least one wiper coupled to bottom side of the belt, the wiper extending from the bottom side of the belt in a direction towards the floor, wherein the at least one wiper is offset from the at least one flap along the length of the belt;
wherein, as the upper portion of the belt travels from the lower end to the upper end of the inclined conveyor, the wiper moves with the belt and is configured to contact and move material that collects on a top surface of the floor.

14. The sugarcane harvesting machine of claim 13 , wherein the at least one wiper comprises a plurality of wipers coupled to the bottom side of the belt and spaced from one another along a length of the belt.

15. The sugarcane harvesting machine of claim 13 , wherein the at least one wiper is disposed in contact with the top surface of the floor as it travels from the lower end to the upper end.

16. A conveyor system of a sugarcane harvesting machine, comprising:
a belt positioned between a lower end and an upper end of the system to transport cane billets therebetween;
an upper portion of the belt configured to travel from the lower end to the upper end;
a lower portion of the belt configured to travel from the upper end to the lower end, wherein the upper portion and the lower portion are spaced from one another and disposed approximately parallel to one another between the lower and upper ends;
a floor partially disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion of the belt;
at least one flap coupled to the top side of the belt, the flap configured to transport cane billets to the upper end of the inclined conveyor; and
at least one wiper coupled to a bottom side of the belt, the wiper extending from the belt in a direction towards the floor, wherein the at least one wiper is offset from the at least one flap along the length of the belt;
wherein, when coupled to the upper portion of the belt, the at least one wiper extends downward toward a top surface of the floor and is configured to contact material that collects on the top surface;
wherein, when coupled to the lower portion of the belt, the at least one wiper extends upward toward a bottom surface of the floor.

17. The conveyor system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one wiper comprises a plurality of wipers coupled to the bottom side of the belt and spaced from one another along a length of the belt.

18. The conveyor system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one wiper is disposed in contact with the top surface of the floor as it travels from the lower end to the upper end.

19. The conveyor system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one wiper comprises a plurality of fingers extending from the bottom end of the belt.

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Craig Paul I
• Almeida Kent M
• Cortez Jacob

Classifications

• A01D45/10 Primary

  of sugar cane {(for digging sugar cane A01D31/00)} · CPC title

• A01D61/02 Primary

  Endless belts · CPC title

• B65G45/14

  Moving scrapers · CPC title

• B65G2201/0202

  Agricultural and processed food products · CPC title

• B65G15/44

  for impelling the loads · CPC title