US-12616093-B2 - Cleaning systems for combine harvesters having airbags or other movable side members, and related methods

Abstract

A cleaning system for a combine harvester has a chaffer and a blower configured to direct air rearward and upward through the chaffer. The chaffer has a perforated base, a plurality of longitudinal lateral walls, and a plurality of airbags, each of which is disposed adjacent to a lateral wall. An air supply is configured to inflate at least one of the airbags. Another cleaning system for a combine harvester also has a chaffer and a blower configured to direct air rearward and upward through the chaffer. The chaffer has a perforated base, a plurality of longitudinal lateral walls, a plurality of rigid members disposed adjacent to a corresponding lateral wall, and at least one actuator configured to move each rigid member relative to the corresponding lateral wall. Related methods are also disclosed.

Inventors

• Alastair Cameron Morrison
• Morten Leth Bilde
• Jonas Toft Andersen

Assignees

• AGCO INTERNATIONAL GMBH

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20211026

Priority Date

20201029

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A cleaning system for a combine harvester, the cleaning system comprising: a chaffer comprising: a perforated base; a plurality of longitudinal lateral walls rigidly connected to the perforated base; and a plurality of airbags, each disposed adjacent to a lateral wall of the plurality of longitudinal lateral walls, and adjacent the perforated base; a blower configured to direct air rearward and upward through the chaffer; and an air supply configured to inflate at least one of the airbags such that inflating at least one airbag of the plurality of airbags pushes the cut crop material to distribute the cut crop material laterally across the chaffer.
2. 2 . The cleaning system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of lateral walls comprises a left wall, a right wall, and at least one center wall.
3. 3 . The cleaning system of claim 1 , wherein the airbags are each open to atmosphere.
4. 4 . The cleaning system of claim 1 , wherein the air supply comprises a compressor.
5. 5 . The cleaning system of claim 4 , further comprising a valve configured to selectively provide air from the compressor to the airbags.
6. 6 . The cleaning system of claim 1 , wherein the air supply comprises a pneumatic cylinder.
7. 7 . The cleaning system of claim 1 , wherein the air supply is configured to selectively inflate fewer than all of the airbags.
8. 8 . The cleaning system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of biasing members configured to urge respective airbags toward respective lateral walls.
9. 9 . The cleaning system of claim 8 , wherein each airbag is between and in contact with one biasing member of the plurality of biasing members and one lateral wall of the plurality of lateral walls.
10. 10 . The cleaning system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of movable rigid members, wherein each airbag is disposed between one or the plurality of rigid members and one of the plurality of lateral walls, and wherein inflation of each airbag causes movement of a corresponding rigid member.
11. 11 . The cleaning system of claim 10 , wherein each rigid member is generally planar.
12. 12 . The cleaning system of claim 10 , wherein each rigid member comprises a metal plate.
13. 13 . A combine harvester comprising the cleaning system of claim 1 carried by a chassis.
14. 14 . A cleaning system for a combine harvester, the cleaning system comprising: a chaffer comprising: a perforated base; a plurality of longitudinal lateral walls; and a plurality of airbags, each disposed adjacent to a lateral wall of the plurality of longitudinal lateral walls; a blower configured to direct air rearward and upward through the chaffer; and an air supply configured to inflate at least one of the airbags, the plurality of lateral walls comprise a left wall, a right wall, and at least one center wall; wherein the plurality of airbags comprises a left airbag adjacent the left wall and a right airbag adjacent the right wall, wherein the at least one center wall is flanked by center airbags on both lateral sides thereof.
15. 15 . A cleaning system for a combine harvester, the cleaning system comprising: a chaffer comprising: a perforated base; a plurality of longitudinal lateral walls rigidly connected to the perforated base; a plurality of rigid members, each disposed adjacent to a corresponding lateral wall of the plurality of lateral walls; and at least one actuator configured to move each rigid member relative to the corresponding lateral wall such that moving the rigid member distributes cut crop material laterally across the chaffer; and a blower configured to direct air rearward and upward through the chaffer.
16. 16 . The cleaning system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one actuator comprises a camshaft.
17. 17 . The cleaning system of claim 15 , wherein each rigid member is generally planar.
18. 18 . The cleaning system of claim 15 , wherein each rigid member comprises a metal plate.
19. 19 . A method of operating a cleaning system of a combine harvester, the method comprising: passing cut crop material comprising grain and chaff to a chaffer comprising a perforated base, a plurality of longitudinal lateral walls, and a plurality of airbags, each airbag disposed adjacent to a lateral wall of the plurality of longitudinal walls; directing air from a blower upward through the chaffer; vibrating the chaffer to separate the grain from the chaff; inflating at least one airbag of the plurality of airbags with an air supply to push the cut crop material to distribute the cut crop material laterally across the chaffer; passing at least a portion of the grain downward through the chaffer; and transferring at least a portion of the chaff rearward on the chaffer.
20. 20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein inflating at least one airbag comprises pushing a movable rigid member away from a longitudinal lateral wall with the at least one airbag.

Description

FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to combine harvesters. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses and methods for controlling material flow and distribution through a grain-cleaning system. BACKGROUND Self-propelled combine harvesters are used by farmers to harvest a wide range of crops. Typically, a combine harvester cuts crop material, threshes grain therefrom, separates the threshed grain from the straw, and cleans the grain before storage in an onboard grain tank. Straw and crop residue is ejected from the rear of the combine harvester in the field. Combine harvesters may have one or more threshing cylinders that rotate on axes parallel to a direction of travel of the combine harvesters and thresh the cut crop material. Grain and chaff separated in this process falls due to gravity through a grate onto an underlying thresher pan, which is driven in an oscillating manner to convey the grain and chaff rearward to a rear edge, where the grain and chaff falls into a cleaning unit. The straw by-product is ejected from the rear of the combine. The cleaning unit of most combines operates according to a well-established process in which grain and chaff (also referred to in the art as material other than grain (MOG)) cascading down from the thresher and separator pans is subjected to an airstream created by one or more fans. A chaffer has a frame that supports a series of louvers, which are positioned to allow grain to fall downward through the chaffer while allowing a flow of cleaning air to pass upward and rearward through the chaffer. The cleaning air flow tends to force MOG rearward and restricts MOG from falling through the chaffer. The heavier grain falls through the chaffer and optionally through another cleaning sieve below before being conveyed to the grain tank. The speed of the airflow through the chaffer may be selected to balance various operational parameters for agronomic benefit, such as percentage of chaff removed from the crop material, percentage of grain lost from the rear of the machine, mass throughput, and fuel usage. Cleaning units in combine harvesters are described in more detail in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,426,943, “Combine Harvester Grain Cleaning Apparatus,” issued Aug. 30, 2016; U.S. Patent Application Publication 2014/0128133, “Harvester Having Chaffer with Tiltable Section,” published May 8, 2014; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,315, “Cleaning Means for an Agricultural Harvesting Machine,” issued Apr. 29, 1997. BRIEF SUMMARY A cleaning system for a combine harvester has a chaffer and a blower configured to direct air rearward and upward through the chaffer. The chaffer has a perforated base, a plurality of longitudinal lateral walls, and a plurality of airbags, each of which is disposed adjacent to a lateral wall. An air supply is configured to inflate at least one of the airbags. Another cleaning system for a combine harvester also has a chaffer and a blower configured to direct air rearward and upward through the chaffer. The chaffer has a perforated base, a plurality of longitudinal lateral walls, a plurality of rigid members disposed adjacent to a corresponding lateral wall, and at least one actuator configured to move each rigid member relative to the corresponding lateral wall. A method of operating a cleaning system of a combine harvester includes passing cut crop material comprising grain and chaff to a chaffer comprising a perforated base, a plurality of longitudinal lateral walls, and a plurality of airbags, each airbag disposed adjacent to a lateral wall of the plurality. The method also includes directing air from a blower upward through the chaffer, vibrating the chaffer to separate the grain from the chaff, inflating at least one airbag of the plurality with an air supply to distribute the cut crop material laterally across the chaffer, passing at least a portion of the grain downward through the chaffer, and transferring at least a portion of the chaff rearward on the chaffer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming what are regarded as embodiments of the present disclosure, various features and advantages of the disclosure may be more readily ascertained from the following description of example embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a simplified side view of a combine harvester, showing some crop-processing mechanisms therein; FIG. 2 is a simplified side view of a cleaning system that may be used in the combine harvester of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a simplified perspective view of a chaffer of the cleaning system of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a simplified perspective view of another chaffer that may be used in the cleaning system of FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a simplified perspective view of the chaffer of FIG. 3 with an airbag inflated; FIG. 6 is a simplified perspective view of another chaffer that