Removable auger trough

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11369060-B2
Application number	US-201916278564-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2019
Priority date	Feb 19, 2018
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

An agricultural vehicle including at least one threshing rotor and an auger bed located underneath the at least one threshing rotor. The auger bed has a working position and a cleaning position. The auger bed includes a frame, a plurality of augers rotatably coupled to and supported by the frame, and a trough portion moveably connected to the frame. In the working position the bottom surface of the trough portion is positioned underneath the plurality of augers and in the cleaning position the entire trough portion is moved relative to the frame so that the bottom surface of the trough portion is not positioned underneath at least a portion of the plurality of augers, creating an open space underneath the portion of the plurality of augers for allowing an unwanted material to pass therethrough.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An agricultural vehicle, comprising:
at least one threshing rotor; and
an auger bed located underneath the at least one threshing rotor and having a working position and a cleaning position, the auger bed including:
a frame comprising a front support member;
a trough portion movably connected to the frame and having a working position and a cleaning position, the trough portion comprising a bottom surface forming a plurality of parallel auger troughs, each of the plurality of parallel auger troughs comprising a selectively closeable opening at the end of the auger trough portion adjacent the front support member; and
a plurality of augers rotatably coupled to and supported by the frame, each auger being at least partially disposed within a respective one of the plurality of parallel auger troughs,
wherein the trough portion is configured to move to simultaneously close the selectively closeable openings of the plurality of parallel auger troughs in the working position and simultaneously expose the selectively closeable openings of the plurality of parallel auger troughs in the cleaning position, allowing an unwanted material to pass therethrough.

2. The agricultural vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the trough portion is slideably coupled to the frame.

3. The agricultural vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the trough portion slides relative to the frame such that the trough portion slides rearwardly away from the front support member of the frame.

4. The agricultural vehicle of claim 1 , wherein in the working position the plurality of augers have a first direction of rotation, and in the cleaning position the plurality of augers have a second direction of rotation opposite to the first direction of rotation for moving the unwanted material out of the auger bed.

5. An auger bed for an agricultural vehicle, comprising:
a frame comprising a front support member;
a trough portion connected to the frame and having a working position and a cleaning position, the trough portion comprising a bottom surface forming a plurality of parallel auger troughs, each of the plurality of parallel auger troughs comprising a selectively closeable opening at the end of the auger trough portion adjacent the front support member;
a plurality of augers rotatably coupled to and supported by the frame, each auger being at least partially disposed within a respective one of the plurality of parallel auger troughs; and
at least one door member movably connected to the trough portion and configured to simultaneously close the selectively closeable openings of the plurality of parallel auger troughs in the working position and simultaneously expose the selectively closeable openings of the plurality of parallel auger troughs in the cleaning position, allowing an unwanted material to pass therethrough.

6. The auger bed of claim 5 , wherein the selectively closeable opening of each of the plurality of parallel auger troughs extends at least partially along a distance of the each of the plurality of parallel auger troughs.

7. The auger bed of claim 5 , wherein the at least one door member comprises a plurality of selectively closable doors.

8. The auger bed of claim 7 , wherein each door of the plurality of selectively closable doors is in the form of a bomb hatch door, wherein each bomb hatch door comprises a pair of door panels pivotally coupled to the trough portion.

9. The auger bed of claim 8 , wherein each bomb hatch door further comprises at least one actuator configured for opening and closing the pair of door panels.

10. The auger bed of claim 8 , further comprising a plurality of linkage members connected in between each door panel and the trough portion.

11. The auger bed of claim 5 , wherein the selectively closeable opening of each of the plurality of parallel auger troughs is in the form of a cutout in the bottom surface of the trough portion.

12. The auger bed of claim 11 , wherein the at least one door member comprises a plurality of movable covers, each of which is movably attached to the trough portion and configured for selectively covering the selectively closeable opening of a respective one of the plurality of parallel auger troughs such that in the working position each cover covers the selectively closeable opening of a respective one of the plurality of parallel auger troughs and in the cleaning position the each cover uncovers the selectively closeable opening of a respective one of the plurality of parallel auger troughs.

13. The auger bed of claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of movable covers is one of pivotally attached and slideably attached to the trough portion.

14. The auger bed of claim 5 , wherein in the working position the plurality of augers have a first direction of rotation, and in the cleaning position the plurality of augers have a second direction of rotation opposite to the first direction of rotation for moving the unwanted material out of the auger bed.

15. The auger bed of claim 5 , wherein the at least one door member comprises a single cover which is movably attached to the trough portion and configured for selectively covering the selectively closeable opening of the selectively closeable opening of each of the plurality of parallel auger troughs.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Hillen Curtis F
• Farley Herbert M
• Lauwers Andrews V
• Boyd Iii Robert S
• Walker Eric L

Classifications

• A01F12/46 Primary

  Mechanical grain conveyors · CPC title

• A01D41/12

  Details of combines · CPC title

• A01D57/00

  Delivering mechanisms for harvesters or mowers · CPC title

• A01F12/44

  Grain cleaners; Grain separators · CPC title

• A01D41/1276

  for cleaning mechanisms · CPC title