After-threshing arrangement for a combine harvester

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9510513-B2
Application number	US-201313932382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2013
Priority date	Oct 15, 2012
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

An after-threshing arrangement for a combine harvester ( 10 ) comprises a returns conveyor ( 72 ), which is located downstream from a returns auger ( 52 ), and an after-threshing device ( 74 ), which is located within a housing ( 98 ), with a vertical rotation axis, which can be acted on in an axial direction from above with the returns from the outlet ( 86 ) of the returns conveyor ( 72 ), and a radially situated discharge opening ( 118 ) by means of which the after-threshed returns can be supplied to a conveyor ( 42 ) for the transport of the after-threshed returns to a cleaning device ( 46 ). For the active conveyance of the returns, an impeller ( 90 ) with a horizontal rotation axis is located between the outlet ( 86 ) of the returns conveyor ( 72 ) and the after-threshing device ( 74 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An after-threshing arrangement for a combine harvester ( 10 ), comprising the following:
an upwardly extending returns conveyor ( 72 ) having a housing ( 76 ) having a lower end and an upper end, with the lower end of the housing being provided with an inlet and with the upper end being provided with an outlet ( 86 );
a returns auger ( 52 ) coupled to said inlet of said returns conveyor ( 72 ) for conveying returns received from a cleaning device ( 46 ), with the returns conveyor ( 72 ) conveying the returns upward to, and discharging the returns from, the outlet ( 86 );
an impeller housing ( 88 ) having a funnel-shaped filling chute ( 89 ) joined to the housing ( 76 ) of the returns conveyor ( 72 ) at the returns conveyor outlet ( 86 ) and having a downwardly directed funnel-shaped ejection chute ( 91 ) having an outlet ( 97 );
an after-threshing device ( 74 ) including a housing ( 98 ) having lower and upper cover plates joined by an upright wall disposed arcuately about a vertical rotation axis and including a discharge chute ( 114 ) joined to, and extending radially from said upright wall and having a discharge opening ( 118 );
said after-threshing device ( 74 ) further including a rotary after-threshing element comprising a disk ( 100 ) mounted on said lower cover plate for rotation about said rotation axis, and said upper cover plate being provided with an inlet opening ( 99 ) and being coupled to said impeller housing ( 88 ) such that the outlet ( 97 ) of the ejection chute ( 91 ) is at the inlet opening ( 99 ), whereby the disk ( 100 ) can be acted on in an axial direction from above with the returns from the outlet ( 86 ) of the returns conveyor ( 72 ), with disk ( 100 ) acting to discharge the returns through the radially situated discharge chute ( 114 ) and hence through said discharge opening ( 118 ), by means of which after-threshed returns can be supplied to a conveyor ( 42 ) for conveyance of the after-threshed returns to the cleaning device ( 46 ); and
an impeller ( 90 ) being located within said impeller housing ( 88 ) and having a horizontal rotation axis located between the outlet ( 86 ) of the returns conveyor ( 72 ) and the inlet opening ( 99 ) of the housing ( 98 ) of the after-threshing device ( 74 ) and including a paddle arrangement ( 92 , 94 , 96 ) mounted for rotating about said horizontal rotation axis and sweeping into said funnel-shaped filling and ejection chutes ( 89 ) and ( 91 ) for active conveyance of the returns directly from the outlet ( 86 ) of the returns conveyor ( 72 ) to the inlet opening ( 99 ) of the housing ( 98 ) of the after-threshing device ( 74 ).

2. The after-threshing arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the returns conveyor ( 72 ) is a paddle elevator and the outlet ( 86 ) is located in a plane oriented more or less vertically.

3. The after-threshing arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the paddle elevator includes a chain ( 82 ) trained about a lower deflection wheel ( 78 ) having a lower rotation axis and an upper deflection wheel 80 having an upper rotation axis; and a rotation axis of the impeller ( 90 ) and the lower and upper rotation axes, respectively, of the deflection wheels ( 78 ) and ( 80 ) of the chain ( 82 ) of the returns conveyor ( 72 ) run parallel to each other.

4. The after-threshing arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the impeller ( 90 ) is driven by the upper deflection wheel ( 80 ) of the upper and lower deflection wheels ( 78 ) and ( 80 ) of the returns conveyor ( 72 ).

5. The after-threshing arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the impeller housing 88 is generally cylindrical.

6. The after-threshing arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the paddle arrangement of the impeller ( 90 ) comprises an inner, rigid element ( 92 ) joined to, and projecting radially in opposite directions from, a drive shaft ( 96 ) and with a pair of vanes ( 94 ) of flexible material respectively extending radially from, and being fastened to opposite ends of, said rigid element ( 92 ) and extending radially from said rigid element ( 92 ).

7. The after-threshing arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the after-threshing device ( 74 ) comprises:
said disk ( 100 ) being located in the housing ( 98 );
carriers ( 102 ) fastened on said disk ( 100 ) as vanes, wherein said carriers ( 102 ) extend radially outward; and
threshing rods ( 104 ) fastened on a trailing side of the carriers ( 102 ) relative to a direction of rotation of the disk ( 100 ) and extending upward from the carriers ( 102 ), wherein the threshing rods ( 104 ) are bent in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the disk ( 100 ).

8. A cleaning device ( 46 ), comprising:
a blower ( 62 ):
two sieves ( 64 , 66 ) arranged above one another and disposed to receive air from the blower ( 62 ); and
an after-threshing arrangement according to claim 1 .

9. A combine harvester ( 10 ) for harvesting crop comprising:
a frame ( 12 );
wheels ( 14 , 16 ) supporting the frame for travel over the ground;
a threshing device ( 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 , 30 , 36 ) supported on the frame for threshing crop; and
a cleaning device ( 46 ) according to claim 8 that is supported on the frame ( 12 ) to receive and clean the threshed and after-threshed crop.

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Wilde Von Wildemann Philipp

Classifications

• A01F7/00 Primary

  Threshing apparatus · CPC title

• A01F2012/188

  Rethreshing devices · CPC title

• A01F12/52 Primary

  Arrangements for returning unthreshed grain to the threshing device · CPC title