Crop flow guide vanes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11234373-B2
Application number	US-201916539076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2019
Priority date	Aug 13, 2019
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

An agricultural vehicle crop feeder system having housings defining a crop passage, a conveyor assembly, a rotor, a guide plate, and one or more guide vanes extending from the guide plate. The conveyor assembly propels crop material along a feeder flow direction to the rotor. The rotor has inlet vanes that receive the crop material in a receiving region located below the rotor's axis. The leading edges of the rotor inlet vanes travel towards the receiving region on a first transverse side of the rotor axis and away from the receiving region on a second transverse side of the rotor axis. The guide plate is adjacent the receiving region. The guide vane extends into the crop passage on the first side of the rotor axis, and angled relative to the flow direction with its trailing edge closer to the first rotor axis, in the transverse direction, than the leading edge.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A crop feeder system for an agricultural vehicle, the crop feeder system comprising:
one or more housings defining a crop passage;
a conveyor assembly located in the one or more housings and in the crop passage, the conveyor assembly being movable to propel a flow of crop material along a feeder flow direction from a first conveyor end to a second conveyor end, the crop material being distributed along a width of the conveyor assembly in a transverse direction, the transverse direction being perpendicular to the feeder flow direction;
a first rotor located in the one or more housings and mounted to rotate about a first rotor axis, the first rotor extending along the first rotor axis from a proximal first rotor end that is relatively close to the conveyor assembly to a distal first rotor end that is relatively far from the conveyor assembly, the first rotor having one or more respective inlet vanes located at the proximal first rotor end, the one or more inlet vanes being positioned to receive a first portion of the flow of crop material from the conveyor assembly in a first receiving region located below the first rotor axis, each of the one or more inlet vanes having a respective leading edge that, upon rotation of the first rotor about the first rotor axis, travels towards the first receiving region on a first transverse side of the first rotor axis and away from the receiving region on a second transverse side of the first rotor axis;
a first guide plate located within or defining a portion of the one or more housings, the first guide plate being positioned adjacent the first receiving region and extending in the transverse direction along at least a portion of the width of the conveyor assembly; and
at least one first guide vane extending from the first guide plate into the crop passage on the first transverse side of the first rotor axis, each first guide vane extending from a leading edge that is relatively far from the first receiving region to a trailing edge that is relatively close to the first receiving region, and being oriented at a respective angle relative to the feeder flow direction with the trailing edge closer to the first rotor axis, in the transverse direction, than the leading edge.

2. The crop feeder system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first guide vane comprises a plurality of first guide vanes.

3. The crop feeder system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of first guide vanes are each oriented at a respective angle relative to the feeder flow direction, with the respective angle of a first guide vane that is most distant from the first rotor axis being greater than the respective angle of a first guide vane that is closest to the first rotor axis.

4. The crop feeder system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one second guide vane extending from the first guide plate into the crop passage on the second transverse side of the first rotor axis, each second guide vane extending from a leading edge that is relatively far from the first receiving region to a trailing edge that is relatively close to the first receiving region, and being oriented at a respective angle relative to the feeder flow direction with the leading edge closer to the first rotor axis, in the transverse direction, than the trailing edge.

5. The crop feeder system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one third guide vane extending from the first guide plate into the crop passage on the second transverse side of the first rotor axis, each third guide vane extending from a leading edge that is relatively far from the first receiving region to a trailing edge that is relatively close to the first receiving region, with the leading edge and trailing being equidistant to the first rotor axis in the transverse direction.

6. The crop feeder system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first guide vane is movably mounted relative to the first guide plate, and movable between a first position in which the at least one first guide vane extends a first distance into the crop passage, and second position in which the at least one first guide vane extends a second distance into the crop passage or is removed from the crop passage.

7. The crop feeder system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first guide vane is movably mounted relative to the first guide plate to change the respective angle relative to the feeder flow direction between a first angle in which the leading edge and the trailing edge are offset from each other relative to the transverse direction by a first distance, and a second angle in which the leading edge and the trailing edge are offset from each other relative to the transverse direction by a second distance, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

8. The crop feeder system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first guide plate is located below the conveyor assembly.

9. The crop feeder system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first guide plate is located below a rotary beater located between the conveyor assembly and the first rotor.

10. The crop feeder system of claim 1 , further comprising a second rotor located in the one or more housings adjacent to the first rotor along the transverse direction, the second rotor being mounted to rotate about a second rotor axis, the second rotor extending along the second rotor axis from a proximal second rotor end that is relatively close to the conveyor assembly to a distal second rotor end that is relatively far from the conveyor assembly, the second rotor having one or more respective inlet vanes located at the proximal second rotor end, the one or more inlet vanes being positioned to receive a second portion of the flow of crop material from the conveyor assembly in a second receiving region located below the second rotor axis, each of the one or more inlet vanes having a respective leading edge that, upon rotation of the second rotor about the second rotor axis, travels towards the second receiving region on a first transverse side of the second rotor axis and away from the receiving region on a second transverse side of the second rotor axis;
a second guide plate located within or defining a portion of the one or more housings, the second guide plate being positioned adjacent the second receiving region and extending in the transverse direction along at least a portion of the width of the conveyor assembly; and
at least one fourth guide vane extending from the second guide plate into the crop passage on the first transverse side of the second rotor axis, each fourth guide vane extending from a leading edge that is relatively far from the second receiving region to a trailing edge that is relatively close to the second receiving region, and being oriented at a respective angle relative to the feeder flow direction with the trailing edge closer to the second rotor axis, in the transverse direction, than the leading edge.

11. The crop feeder system of claim 10 , wherein the first rotor rotates in a first direction around the first rotor axis, and the second rotor rotates in an opposite direction around the second rotor axis.

12. An agricultural combine comprising:
a chassis configured for movement across a surface;
a conveyor assembly located in the one or more housings and on the crop passage, the conveyor assembly being movable to propel a flow of crop material along a feeder flow direction from a first conveyor end to a second conveyor end, the crop material being distributed along a width of the conveyor assembly in a transverse direction, the transverse direction being perpendicular to the feeder flow direction;
a first rotor located in the one or more hous

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• O'Donnell Shaun A
• Lesher Joshua A
• Duquesne Frank R G
• Baltz Clinton T

Classifications

• A01D41/12

  Details of combines · CPC title

• A01F12/10 Primary

  Feeders · CPC title

• A01D61/008 Primary

  for longitudinal conveying, especially for combines · CPC title

• A01F12/24

  One-part threshing concaves · CPC title

• A01F7/02 Primary

  with rotating tools (threshing cylinders or concaves A01F12/18) · CPC title