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BR-102024017893-A2 - LOCKING DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING AN AGRICULTURAL MACHINE AND AGRICULTURAL HARVESTER

BR102024017893A2BR 102024017893 A2BR102024017893 A2BR 102024017893A2BR-102024017893-A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a new locking device for the suspension of agricultural machinery, such as harvesters of tall and stem-bearing plants, which was developed to optimize the manufacturing and assembly lines of agricultural machinery, but mainly to increase safety during machine maintenance work. More specifically, the locking device is formed by a primary structural body (110) configured to be pivotally mounted on the chassis (12) of the agricultural machine (10) by means of an anchor pin (112), a secondary structural body (114) configured to be adjustablely mounted on said primary structural body (110) and comprises spaced arched walls (114a) configured to compose a locking area (120), and also has locking pins (116) applied in through holes (118) provided in both the primary (110) and secondary (114) structural bodies, these through holes (118) of at least one of said primary (110) and secondary (114) structural bodies comprising an oblong configuration.

Inventors

  • ALESSANDRO ROBERTO PEREIRA
  • JEAN CARLOS PEREIRA DE CAMARGO
  • DANIEL ROHRER PEREIRA
  • JOSE ROBERTO PRADO

Assignees

  • CNH INDUSTRIAL BRASIL LTDA

Dates

Publication Date
20260317
Application Date
20240830

Claims (11)

  1. 1. LOCKING DEVICE FOR THE SUSPENSION OF AN AGRICULTURAL MACHINE, characterized by comprising: a primary structural body (110) configured to be pivotally mounted on the chassis (12) of the agricultural machine (10) by means of an anchor pin (112); a secondary structural body (114) configured to be adjustablely mounted on said primary structural body (110) and having arched walls (114a) spaced apart and configured to compose a locking area (120); locking pins (116) applied in through holes (118) provided in both the primary (110) and secondary (114) structural bodies, wherein said through holes (118), of at least one of said primary (110) and secondary (114) structural bodies, comprise an oblong configuration.
  2. 2. LOCKING DEVICE, according to claim 1, characterized in that said oblong configuration is applied only to the through holes (118) arranged in said primary structural body (110), only to the through holes (118) of said secondary structural body (114), or to the through holes (118) of both the primary (110) and secondary (114) structural bodies.
  3. 3. LOCKING DEVICE, according to claim 1, characterized in that said primary structural body (110) is formed in a single piece.
  4. 4. LOCKING DEVICE, according to claim 1, characterized in that said primary structural body (110) is manufactured by means of plates and sheets fitted together and locked by means of fastening means, such as welding, screws and glues.
  5. 5. LOCKING DEVICE, according to claim 1, characterized in that said secondary structural body (114) is manufactured in a single piece.
  6. 6. LOCKING DEVICE, according to claim 1, characterized in that said secondary structural body (114) is manufactured with independent parts that are fitted and fixed in order to compose the arched walls (114a).
  7. 7. LOCKING DEVICE, according to claim 6, characterized in that said secondary structural body (114) comprises two arched walls (114a) arranged and locked between two base structures (114b) in which said through holes (118) are disposed.
  8. 8. LOCKING DEVICE, according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a locking pin (122) disposed on the opposite side to the anchor pin (112) of the primary structural body (110).
  9. 9. LOCKING DEVICE, according to claim 8, characterized in that said locking pin (122) further comprises a spring-type return element (124).
  10. 10. AGRICULTURAL HARVESTER, of the type for harvesting tall and stemmed plants, comprising a chassis (12) supported by a drive assembly, of the type wheels (14, 16) or tracks (17), which is driven by a motor mechanism of the machine (10), said agricultural harvester (10) being characterized by further comprising a suspension system having at least one suspension cylinder (102) and a locking device (100) as defined in any of claims 1 to 9, and which is configured to lock said suspension cylinder (102).
  11. 11. AGRICULTURAL HARVESTER, according to claim 10, characterized by being configured for harvesting sugarcane and/or sorghum.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates, in general, to a new locking device for the suspension of agricultural machinery, particularly those intended for harvesting tall and stemmed plants, this new locking device being designed and developed to optimize the production lines of agricultural machinery, but mainly to provide better conditions to accommodate the dimensional and assembly variations usually present during the manufacturing processes of agricultural machinery. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] In the state of the art, there are numerous models of agricultural equipment and machinery developed to increase productivity in the harvesting of various types of plant crops, for example, grain harvesters, forage harvesters, and also agricultural machines designed for harvesting so-called tall and stem-bearing plants, such as sugarcane. [0003] Agricultural machinery designed for harvesting these tall, stem-bearing plants is designed and developed to facilitate the harvesting of this specific type of crop, because its intrinsic characteristics require specific conditions for its proper processing, from cutting to transfer to transshipment vehicles and/or trailers. [0004] In this context, it is known that these agricultural harvesting machines for tall and stem-bearing plants are significantly heavy, given that they consist of a chassis responsible for supporting a plurality of components and mechanisms, such as the engine, the operator's cabin, hydraulic and/or pneumatic pumps, as well as a series of conveyor and chopper rollers designed to convey and chop the sugarcane into billets, which are transferred to the transshipment vehicles and/or trailers through an elevator assembly that is usually composed of a metal structure made up of a plurality of individual parts and pieces that, when combined, support various components, making it quite heavy and ultimately increasing the total weight supported by the machine's chassis. [0005] As technicians in the field should appreciate, during maintenance processes on these machines, especially for access to the lower region of the machine, it is usual for the suspension system itself to be activated to raise the chassis and, as a safety measure and to allow the hydraulic system that usually feeds the cylinders to be switched off, locking systems, mechanisms and devices are used that block the cylinders, preventing them from returning to their retracted condition and thus ensuring that technicians can carry out their activities on the agricultural machine without risk of accidents. [0006] Although the known solutions used in the state of the art have proven to be functional and, in a way, quite safe to guarantee the safety of the work carried out by operators and technicians, it was observed that they could be improved, especially with regard to their operational conditions involving the handling and movement between the unlocked and locked conditions at the cylinders of the suspension system of agricultural machines. [0007] More specifically, according to the state of the art, it has been observed that during the manufacturing and assembly processes of agricultural machinery, it is quite common for parts and components to present dimensional variations which, although minimal when considered in isolation, at the time of assembly of these parts and configuration of the machine, the sum of these small dimensional variations can lead to minor misalignments between some components. For example, in locking devices known in the state of the art, as best represented in Figures 2A and 2B, these small misalignments can lead to interference between the cylinder rod and the internal walls of the locking device and, consequently, hindering or preventing the correct locking of the agricultural machine's suspension system, which, in the end, can compromise the safety conditions of operators and maintenance technicians. [0008] Thus, as can be seen, although functional and able to perform their usual and necessary activities and functions, these state-of-the-art agricultural machines, especially those intended for sugarcane harvesting, could include suspension locking mechanisms and devices that suffer less interference and/or are easily adapted to the dimensional variations that normally arise during the manufacture and assembly of agricultural machines and, with this, optimize operating conditions, but mainly guarantee the safety of technicians during maintenance work. [0009] Thus, these are, among others, the problems, inconveniences, objectives and solutions that are intended to be overcome and achieved with the development of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0010] Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a new locking device for the suspension cylinder of agricultural machinery, such as those intended for harvesting tall and stemmed plants, said locking device being formed by technical, constructive and functional