Crop cutting device, agricultural machine comprising such crop cutting device and crop cutting method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11266073-B2
Application number	US-201916582466-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2019
Priority date	Sep 25, 2018
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A crop cutting device including knives pivotally mounted below a crop guiding surface. Each knife is pivotable between a retracted position in which it is located below the guiding surface and an extended position. At least a cutting edge of the knife projects above the surface. A selector mechanism selectively holds spring loaded parts of operating members to maintain the corresponding knife in its retracted inoperative position while the operating member is moved to its second position. The selector mechanism includes a shaft carrying a plurality of cam elements which are mounted on the shaft and arranged to be moved to a position for blocking a respective spring loaded part upon rotation of the shaft from a non-holding to a holding position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A crop cutting device comprising:
a guiding surface including a plurality of substantially parallel slots extending in a direction of travel of crop over the guiding surface;
a plurality of knives pivotally mounted below the guiding surface, wherein each knife is aligned with a respective slot and is pivotable about an axis extending substantially perpendicular to the slots between a retracted inoperative position in which it is located substantially below the guiding surface and an extended operative position, wherein at least a cutting edge of the knife projects above the guiding surface;
a plurality of movable operating members, wherein each operating member is associated with a respective knife and is movable from a first position in which the knife is in its retracted inoperative position to a second position in which the knife is in its extended operative position, and wherein each operating member includes a spring loaded part which allows the knife to move to its retracted inoperative position while the operating member is in its second position; and
a selector mechanism for selectively holding at least the spring loaded part of at least one operating member to maintain a corresponding one of the plurality of knives in its retracted inoperative position while an operating member associated with another one of the plurality of knives is moved to its second position,
wherein the selector mechanism includes a rotatable shaft extending substantially perpendicular to the slots and carrying a plurality of cam elements, wherein each cam element is arranged to be moved to a position for directly contacting and blocking a respective spring loaded part upon rotation of the shaft from a non-holding position to a holding position,
wherein the cam elements are substantially parallel, and
wherein each cam element is individually mounted on the shaft.

2. The crop cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the cam elements comprise a plurality of cams spaced apart in peripheral direction of the shaft.

3. The crop cutting device according to claim 2 , wherein each cam has a contact surface extending from the shaft in radial direction and facing the spring loaded part, and an inclined back part.

4. The crop cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein each cam element has a central opening of which the shape and dimensions match the cross-sectional shape and dimensions of the shaft.

5. The crop cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein the shaft is axially movable between a locked position in which the cam elements are aligned with the spring loaded parts and an unlocked position in which the cam elements are offset with respect to the spring loaded parts and in which the shaft can rotate.

6. The crop cutting device according to claim 5 , wherein the shaft is biased to its locked position.

7. The crop cutting device according to claim 5 , wherein the shaft is arranged to be latched in its locked position when the operating members are not in their first position.

8. The crop cutting device according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one actuator connected to the operating members for collectively moving the operating members between their first and second positions.

9. The crop cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein in its retracted inoperative position each knife is located entirely below the guiding surface, and wherein the cutting device further comprises a lifting mechanism for raising at least a part of each knife above the guiding surface.

10. The crop cutting device according to claim 9 , wherein the lifting mechanism comprises a camshaft arranged below the knives and extending substantially perpendicular to the slots, the camshaft comprising a cam for each knife.

11. The crop cutting device according to claim 10 , wherein at least some of the cams are offset in an angular direction with respect to other cams.

12. The crop cutting device according to claim 9 , further comprising at least one actuator connected to the operating members for collectively moving the operating members between their first and second positions, wherein the lifting mechanism is releasably connected to the at least one actuator.

13. An agricultural machine comprising:
a pickup for collecting a crop; and
a crop cutting device comprising:
a guiding surface including a plurality of substantially parallel slots extending in a direction of travel of crop over the guiding surface;
a plurality of knives pivotally mounted below the guiding surface, wherein each knife is aligned with a respective slot and is pivotable about an axis extending substantially perpendicular to the slots between a retracted inoperative position in which it is located substantially below the guiding surface and an extended operative position, wherein at least a cutting edge of the knife projects above the guiding surface;
a plurality of movable operating members, wherein each operating member is associated with a respective knife and is movable from a first position in which the knife is in its retracted inoperative position to a second position in which the knife is in its extended operative position, and wherein each operating member includes a spring loaded part which allows the knife to move to its retracted inoperative position while the operating member is in its second position; and
a selector mechanism for selectively holding at least the spring loaded part of at least one operating member to maintain the corresponding knife in its retracted inoperative position while an operating member associated with another knife is moved to its second position,
wherein the selector mechanism includes a rotatable shaft extending substantially perpendicular to the slots and carrying a plurality of cam elements, wherein each cam element is arranged to be moved to a position for directly contacting and blocking a respective spring loaded part upon rotation of the shaft from a non-holding position to a holding position,
wherein the cam elements are substantially parallel, and
wherein each cam element is individually mounted on the shaft,

wherein the crop cutting device is arranged downstream of the pickup.

14. A method of cutting a crop, comprising the steps of:
guiding the crop in a direction of travel over a guiding surface from which a plurality of knives extend, the knives being arranged in a row substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the crop, so that a cutting length of the crop is defined by a spacing between adjacent knives in the row; and
varying the cutting length by preventing at least some of the knives in the row from extending from the guiding surface,
wherein the step of varying the cutting length includes mounting cam elements on a rotatable shaft and rotating the shaft from a non-holding position, in which the cam elements leave the knives free to extend, to a holding position, in which the cam elements directly contact and prevent the at least some of the knives from extending from the guiding surface, and
wherein the cam elements are individually mounted on the rotatable shaft.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the individual cam elements have at least two different configurations including different numbers of cams.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the individual cam elements are releasably mounted on the shaft and wherein the step of varying the cutting length further includes releasing the cam elements from the shaft, rearranging the cam elements, and remounting the rearranged cam elements on the shaft.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Claeys Danny N O
• Graulus Jeremy
• Bucharzewski Marek
• Giuliani Enrico
• Vanheule Jan
• De Gersem Hans Joseph

Classifications

• A01D43/08

  with means for cutting up the mown crop {, e.g. forage harvesters} · CPC title

• A01F15/10 Primary

  Feeding devices for the crop material {e.g. precompression devices} · CPC title

• A01D90/04

  with additional cutting means · CPC title

• A01F29/095 Primary

  Mounting or adjusting of knives · CPC title

• A01F29/01

  specially adapted for being mounted on or drawn by a tractor, e.g. field choppers · CPC title