Threshing corn header with screw crop conveyors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9974237-B2
Application number	US-201514877514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2015
Priority date	Oct 7, 2015
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A non-row sensitive corn threshing header comprising a forwardly disposed cutting apparatus for severing standing corn crop from the ground and a rearwardly disposed threshing apparatus for separating kernels from the plant, collecting the kernels, and discarding the remaining plant. The threshing apparatus includes a plurality of screw auger conveyors arranged in upper and lower planes that receive the crop and urge the crop into diminishing space between adjacent auger conveyors, the space defined by the auger flighting and the expandingly tapered auger shanks. Kernels are separated from the cob as the ears are urged rearwardly in the threshing apparatus. The header may include screens and the like for cleaning the grain of chaff prior to transferring to on-board storage or chaff removal may occur after the grain is off-loaded from the harvester.

First claim

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. An agricultural threshing header for harvesting a grain from a standing crop comprising:
a cutting apparatus connected to a front end of the header and extending laterally across the header;
a first plurality of screw crop conveyors connected to the header, positioned behind the cutting apparatus, and laterally spaced apart in an upper plane, each conveyor having a tapered shank portion arranged for rotation about a fore-aft axis and a fighting structure extending outwardly from the shank portion and helically arranged thereabout for urging crop aftward by conveyor rotation; and
a second plurality of screw crop conveyors connected to the header, positioned behind the cutting apparatus, and laterally spaced apart in a lower plane, each conveyor having a tapered shank portion arranged for rotation about a fore-aft axis and a fighting structure extending outwardly from the shank portion and helically arranged thereabout for urging crop aftward by conveyor rotation;
each conveyor further having a cylindrical boundary defined by rotation of the flighting, lateral spacing of the first and second pluralities of conveyors, respectively, causing overlap of cylindrical boundaries of laterally adjacent conveyors, vertical spacing between the first and second pluralities of conveyors causing overlap of cylindrical boundaries between vertically adjacent conveyors, the tapered shank portions reducing open space between adjacent conveyors in relation to aftward movement therebetween.

2. The threshing header of claim 1 , wherein the fore-aft axes of the first plurality of conveyors are disposed in an upper plane and the fore-aft axes of the second plurality of conveyors are disposed in a lower plane, the lower plane being parallel to and below the upper plane.

3. The threshing header of claim 2 , wherein the first plurality of conveyors rotate in a first direction and the second plurality of conveyors rotate in second direction opposite to the first direction.

4. The threshing header of claim 3 , wherein a fore-aft length of the second plurality of conveyors is greater than a fore-aft length of the first plurality of conveyors and the second plurality of conveyors extend more forwardly than the first plurality of conveyors.

5. The threshing header of claim 4 , further comprising a lateral collector disposed beneath the first and second pluralities of conveyors configured to convey grain toward a discharge location.

6. The threshing header of claim 1 , wherein the cutting apparatus is configured to sever the standing crop along its full lateral extent.

7. The threshing header of claim 1 , wherein the header is elevated such that a cutting apparatus height is thereby elevated to a vertical position proximately below a height of the grain to be harvested.

8. The threshing header of claim 7 , wherein the cutting apparatus is a rotary cutter, a sicklebar, a continuous loop saw cutter, an air knife, or a water knife.

9. An agricultural threshing header for separating a grain from a standing crop comprising:
a cutting apparatus connected to a front end of the header and extending laterally across the header; and
a threshing apparatus connected to the header and positioned behind the cutting apparatus, said threshing apparatus having a plurality of screw crop conveyors arranged for rotation about an equal plurality of generally parallel and spaced-apart fore-aft axes, each conveyor having a tapered shank portion with a forward diameter and an aft diameter, the aft diameter being greater than the forward diameter, each conveyor further having a flight member extending outwardly from the shank portion helically arranged thereabout to urge crop from fore to aft upon rotation of the conveyor,
the plurality of conveyors arranged into lateral upper and lower arrays, the conveyors positioned in the arrays so that flight members on adjacent conveyors overlap and open space between tapered shank portions on adjacent conveyors is reduced as the crop is urged aftward by the flight members, interaction between the crop and the shank portions separating the grain from the crop.

10. The threshing header of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of conveyors in the upper array rotate in a first direction and the plurality of conveyors in the lower array rotate in second direction opposite to the first direction.

11. The threshing header of claim 10 , wherein a fore-aft length of the plurality of conveyors in the lower array is greater than a fore-aft length of the plurality of conveyors in the upper array and the plurality of conveyors in the lower array extend more forwardly than the plurality of conveyors in the upper array.

12. The threshing header of claim 11 , wherein the cutting apparatus is configured to sever the standing crop along its full lateral extent.

13. The threshing header of claim 12 , wherein the header is elevated such that a cutting apparatus height is thereby elevated to a vertical position proximately below a height of the grain to be harvested.

14. The threshing header of claim 13 , wherein the cutting apparatus is a rotary cutter, a sicklebar, a continuous loop saw cutter, an air knife, or a water knife.

15. The threshing header of claim 12 , further comprising a lateral collector disposed beneath the threshing apparatus and configured to convey grain toward a discharge location.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc
• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Barry John

Classifications

• A01D45/028

  Harvesting devices mounted to a vehicle · CPC title

• A01D41/145 Primary

  Header lifting devices · CPC title

• A01F11/06 Primary

  for maize, e.g. removing kernels from cobs · CPC title

• A01D45/021

  Cornheaders · CPC title

• A01D47/00

  Headers {for topping of plants, e.g. stalks with ears} · CPC title