DE-102017222409-B4 - Arrangement for switching a combine harvester between swath laying and broadcast spreading operation

Abstract

Arrangement (80) for switching a combine harvester (10) between swath laying and broadcast spreading operation, comprising a front element (82) and a rear element (84) arranged downstream of the front element (82) with respect to a material flow direction of the crop residues, wherein the rear element (84) is rigid in itself, is articulated at its upstream end about a first pivot axis to a chassis (12) of the combine harvester (10) and is movable between a swath laying position and a wide spreading position by means of an adjusting drive (86). and the front element (82) is movable between a swath laying position and a wide spreading position, is articulated at its upstream end about a second pivot axis on the chassis (12) of the combine harvester (10), is rigid in itself and is coupled to the adjusting drive (86) by a spring (102).

Inventors

• Gregor Diessner
• Oliver Klein
• Martin Rittershofer

Assignees

• DEERE & COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20171211

Claims (9)

1. Arrangement (80) for switching a combine harvester (10) between swath laying and broadcast spreading operation, comprising a front element (82) and a rear element (84) arranged downstream of the front element (82) with respect to a material flow direction of the crop residues, in which the rear element (84) is rigid in itself, is articulated at its upstream end about a first pivot axis to a chassis (12) of the combine harvester (10) and is movable between a swath laying position and a broadcast spreading position by means of an adjusting drive (86), and the front element (82) is movable between a swath laying position and a broadcast spreading position, is articulated at its upstream end about a second pivot axis to the chassis (12) of the combine harvester (10), is rigid in itself and is coupled to the adjusting drive (86) by a spring (102).
2. Order (80) according to Claim 1 , wherein the spring (102) is a gas spring or a coil spring.
3. Order (80) according to Claim 1 or 2 , wherein the front element (82) and/or the rear element (84) is or are flat in itself and/or the front element (82) is shorter than the rear element (84).
4. Arrangement (80) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the adjusting drive (86) is a linear actuator which is coupled to the rear element (84) via a first crank (96).
5. Order (80) according to Claim 4 , wherein the spring (102) is coupled at one end to the first crank (96) and at the other end to a second crank (98) which is connected to the front element (82).
6. Order (80) according to Claim 4 or 5 , wherein the first crank (96) is coupled to a first shaft (94) rotatable about the first pivot axis, to which the rear element (84) is attached and/or the second crank (98) is coupled to a second shaft (92) rotatable about the second pivot axis, to which the front element (82) is attached.
7. order (80) according to one of the Claims 1 until 6 , wherein the front element (82) is coupled to a gas spring (114) which is supported at the other end on the chassis.
8. Arrangement (80) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the elements (82, 84) direct the crop residues in the wide spreading position into a straw chopper (60) and guide them past it in the swath laying position.
9. Combine harvester (10) with a crop processing device (26) having an outlet (62) for crop residues, downstream of which an arrangement (80) follows according to one of the preceding claims.

Description

The invention relates to an arrangement for switching a combine harvester between swath laying and broadcast spreading operation, comprising a front element and a rear element arranged downstream of the front element with respect to a material flow direction of the crop residues, wherein the rear element is rigid in itself, pivotally connected at its upstream end about a first pivot axis and movable between a swath laying position and a broadcast spreading position by means of an adjusting drive, and the front element is movable between a swath laying position and a broadcast spreading position, as well as a combine harvester equipped therewith. State of the art Agricultural combine harvesters are large machines that harvest, thresh, separate, and clean grain-bearing crops. The resulting clean grain is stored in a grain tank attached to the combine. The threshed straw is typically either chopped and spread across the field across the header or guided around the straw chopper or spreader and laid in a windrow on the field for later baling. To switch between swath laying and chopping operation, flaps are used in the prior art, which are usually flat, one-piece elements ( US 4 056 107 A ) or curved or angled, single-piece elements ( DE 10 2008 001 460 A1 ). are designed. While the one-piece flap in the downward-adjusted position causes a relatively large deflection angle for the material flow, which impedes the flow, a disadvantage of the curved or angled flap is that it also causes a downward deflection of the material flow in the upper position, which would not be necessary in principle and also impedes the flow. A two-part flap for switching between swath laying and wide spreading operation is integrated into the EP 3 153 001 A1 As described, this flap comprises a rear element, rigid in itself and concavely curved in the direction of material flow, which is pivotally attached to the combine harvester's chassis at its upstream end, and a front element made of flexible material, which is attached to the chassis at its upstream end and rests against and is coupled to the rear element at its downstream end. The radius of curvature of the front element thus changes when the rear element pivots, resulting in a relatively acute-angled transition of the material flow to the front element and from there to the rear element. However, the front element will deform during operation due to the impact of the material flow. This makes the intended acute-angled deflection virtually impossible, at least with higher material throughputs. The WO 2014/035822 A1 The figure shows a combine harvester with a crop residue deflector system. The device has a front plate hinged to the combine's chassis at its front end. A rear plate is hinged to the rear of the front plate and further supported by an arm on the chassis. In a swath position, the front plate is oriented downwards and backwards, and the rear plate forms an acute angle with the front plate. In this position, the crop residue is directed onto a chute. In a spread position, the front plate is rotated even further downwards, directing the crop residue into a straw spreader. The rear plate is then inactive and extends backwards and upwards behind the straw spreader inlet. This arrangement is only possible if the crop is directed downwards at a relatively steep angle in both positions. Task The object underlying the invention is seen as being to provide an improved arrangement compared to the prior art for switching a combine harvester between swath laying and wide spreading operation, as well as a combine harvester equipped therewith. Solution This problem is solved according to the invention by the teaching of claims 1 and 9, wherein further claims list features which advantageously develop the solution further. An arrangement for switching a combine harvester between swath laying and broadcast spreading operation comprises a front element and a rear element arranged downstream of the front element with respect to the material flow direction of the crop residues. The rear element is rigid, pivotally mounted at its upstream end about a first pivot axis, and movable between a swath laying position and a broadcast spreading position by means of an adjustment mechanism. The front element is movable between a swath laying position and a broadcast spreading position. The front element is pivotally mounted at its upstream end about a second pivot axis, is rigid, and is coupled to the adjustment mechanism. which may be an externally powered actuator or a manually adjustable control element. In other words, a two-part arrangement is proposed that is adjustable between a swath-laying position and a broadcast-spreading position. The arrangement comprises two rigid elements, which are movably mounted to the combine harvester's chassis at their upstream ends via corresponding pivot axes. Both elements are coupled to an adjustment mechanism to move them between the swath-laying and broadc