US-12622355-B2 - Harvester machine having at least one height elastic lateral frame

Abstract

A harvesting machine ( 2 ) is disclosed that includes an intake channel ( 10 ) that is connected to a height control ( 70 ), wherein the height control ( 70 ) lifts or lowers the intake channel ( 10 ), an attachment frame ( 8 ) that is connected to the intake channel ( 10 ), at least one lateral frame ( 78 ) pivotably connected to the attachment frame ( 8 ), at least one ground support ( 80 ) attached to each lateral frame ( 78 ), and at least one trailing arm ( 82 ) that is pivotably connected to the respective at least one lateral frame ( 78 ), and the at least one trailing arm ( 82 ) is fastened to the at least one ground support ( 80 ) There is evaluation electronics ( 36 ) that compares a force sensor signal ( 52 ) with a nominal value ( 60 ) and issues an adjusting command ( 44 ).

Inventors

• Steffen Sudhues
• Dirk Webermann
• Raphael Stückmann
• Jochen Scharmann
• Michael Pokriefke

Assignees

• CARL GERINGHOFF GMBH & CO. KG

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20230808

Priority Date

20190919

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A harvesting machine ( 2 ) comprising: an intake channel ( 10 ) that is connected to a height control ( 70 ), wherein the height control ( 70 ) lifts or lowers the intake channel ( 10 ); an attachment frame ( 8 ) that is connected to the intake channel ( 10 ); at least one lateral frame ( 78 ) pivotably connected to the attachment frame ( 8 ) at a side; at least one ground support ( 80 ) attached to each lateral frame ( 78 ); and at least one trailing arm ( 82 ) that is pivotably connected to the respective at least one lateral frame ( 78 ), and the at least one trailing arm ( 82 ) is fastened to the at least one ground support ( 80 ).
2. 2 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one ground support ( 80 ) includes a wheel.
3. 3 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) that at least partially supports weight of the at least one lateral frame ( 78 ).
4. 4 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) can be adjusted by an adjustment device ( 100 ).
5. 5 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) can be adjusted by the adjustment device ( 100 ) to alter pretension of the at least one adjustable tension spring ( 98 ).
6. 6 . A harvesting machine ( 2 ) comprising: an intake channel ( 10 ) that is connected to a height control ( 70 ), wherein the height control ( 70 ) lifts or lowers the intake channel ( 10 ); an attachment frame ( 8 ) that is connected to the intake channel ( 10 ); at least one lateral frame ( 78 ) pivotably connected to the attachment frame ( 8 ); at least one ground support ( 80 ) attached to each lateral frame ( 78 ); and at least one trailing arm ( 82 ) that is pivotably connected to the respective at least one lateral frame ( 78 ), and the at least one trailing arm ( 82 ) is fastened to the at least one ground support ( 80 ) and is adjustable by means of a motor-driven adjustment drive ( 86 ) into a position.
7. 7 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 1 , further comprising adjust cylinders at the intake channel ( 10 ) to provide additional height control for the intake channel ( 10 ).
8. 8 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) is selected from the group consisting of a mechanical spring, a hydraulic spring, or a pneumatic spring.
9. 9 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 1 , further comprising of evaluation electronics ( 36 ) that compares a force sensor signal ( 52 ) with a nominal value ( 60 ) and issues an adjusting command ( 44 ).
10. 10 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one trailing arm ( 82 ) that is connected to the respective at least one lateral frame ( 78 ) so as to be pivotable at an axis ( 84 ).
11. 11 . A harvesting machine ( 2 ) comprising: an intake channel ( 10 ) that is connected to a height control ( 70 ), wherein the height control ( 70 ) lifts or lowers the intake channel ( 10 ); an attachment frame ( 8 ) that is connected to the intake channel ( 10 ) and having a first end portion and a second end portion; a first lateral frame ( 78 ) pivotably connected to the first end portion of the attachment frame ( 8 ) at a side; a second lateral frame ( 78 ) pivotably connected to the second end portion of the attachment frame ( 8 ) at a side; a first ground support ( 80 ) attached to the first lateral frame ( 78 ); a second ground support ( 80 ) attached to the second lateral frame ( 78 ); a first trailing arm ( 82 ) that is connected to the first lateral frame ( 78 ) so as to be pivotable, wherein the first trailing arm ( 82 ) is adjustable and fastened to the first ground support ( 80 ); and a second trailing arm ( 82 ) that is connected to the second lateral frame ( 78 ) so as to be pivotable, wherein the second trailing arm ( 82 ) is adjustable and fastened to the second ground support ( 80 ).
12. 12 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 11 , wherein the first ground support ( 80 ) includes a first wheel ( 80 ), and the second ground support ( 80 ) includes a second wheel ( 80 ).
13. 13 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 11 , further comprising at least one first adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) that at least partially supports weight of the first lateral frame ( 78 ) and at least one second adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) that at least partially supports weight of the second lateral frame ( 78 ).
14. 14 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 13 , wherein the first adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) and the second adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) can be adjusted by at least one adjustment device ( 100 ).
15. 15 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 14 , wherein the first adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) can be adjusted by a first adjustment device ( 100 ) to alter pretension of the first adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) and the second adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) can be adjusted by a second adjustment device ( 100 ) to alter pretension of the second adjustable tension spring ( 98 ).
16. 16 . A harvesting machine ( 2 ) comprising: an intake channel ( 10 ) that is connected to a height control ( 70 ), wherein the height control ( 70 ) lifts or lowers the intake channel ( 10 ); an attachment frame ( 8 ) that is connected to the intake channel ( 10 ) and having a first end portion and a second end portion; a first lateral frame ( 78 ) pivotably connected to the first end portion of the attachment frame ( 8 ); a second lateral frame ( 78 ) pivotably connected to the second end portion of the attachment frame ( 8 ); a first ground support ( 80 ) attached to the first lateral frame ( 78 ); a second ground support ( 80 ) attached to the second lateral frame ( 78 ); a first trailing arm ( 82 ) that is connected to the first lateral frame ( 78 ) so as to be pivotable, wherein the first trailing arm ( 82 ) is adjustable and fastened to the first ground support ( 80 ) and is adjustable by means of a first motor-driven adjustment drive ( 86 ) in a first position; and a second trailing arm ( 82 ) that is connected to the second lateral frame ( 78 ) so as to be pivotable, wherein the second trailing arm ( 82 ) is adjustable and fastened to the second ground support ( 80 ) and is adjustable by means of a second motor-driven adjustment drive ( 86 ) in a second position.
17. 17 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 11 , further comprising adjust cylinders at the intake channel ( 10 ) to provide additional height control for the intake channel ( 10 ).
18. 18 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one first adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) is selected from the group consisting of a mechanical spring, a hydraulic spring, or a pneumatic spring, and the at least one second adjustable tension spring ( 98 ) is selected from the group consisting of a mechanical spring, a hydraulic spring, or a pneumatic spring.
19. 19 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 11 , further comprising of evaluation electronics ( 36 ) that compares a force sensor signal ( 52 ) with a nominal value ( 60 ) and issues an adjusting command ( 44 ).
20. 20 . The harvesting machine ( 2 ) according to claim 11 , wherein the first trailing arm ( 82 ) that is connected to the first lateral frame ( 78 ) so as to be pivotable at a first axis ( 84 ) and the second trailing arm ( 82 ) that is connected to the first lateral frame ( 78 ) so as to be pivotable at a second axis ( 84 ).

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/761,617, filed Mar. 18, 2022 (pending), which is the National Stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2020/075481, filed Sep. 11, 2020, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to German Patent Application DE 10 2019 125 282.2, filed Sep. 19, 2019. Each of these three patent applications are herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, including without limitation, the specification, claims, and abstract, as well as any figures, tables, appendices, or drawings thereof. BACKGROUND As harvesting machines, for example, combine harvesters are conceivable. The cutting mechanisms can be single-part or multi-part grain cutting mechanisms that can be articulated to each other and convey the crop by means of screw conveyors or conveyor belts. Often, grain cutting mechanisms provided for the harvesting work are provided with rigid frames having fixedly installed at their leading ends, as an example of cutting elements, a cutter bar with a plurality of adjacently arranged knife blades which, with oscillating knife movements, cut the crop present at the cutter bar from the stubble remaining on the field so that it can drop on the cutting mechanism and from there can be conveyed for further processing through the intake channel to the harvesting machine or for windrowing. With such rigid frames and rigidly installed cutter bars with the knife blades connected thereto, it is however difficult, in particular in case of uneven ground conditions, to cut and pick up the crop close to the ground when the crop is lying close to the ground or is to be cut close to the ground. This holds true in particular also for multi-part harvesting attachments with larger working widths of more than 6 m. A cutting angle adjustment for the cutting elements is advantageous in order to be able to better adjust the cut and the transfer of the cut crop to the conveying members of the cutting mechanism to the respective crop and to the harvesting conditions present at the harvest. Even though ground copying controls are known with which the cutting mechanisms can be guided close to the ground, they react frequently too slowly in order to continuously precisely adjust to the ground conditions even in difficult conditions, such as uneven ground conditions and laid grain or crop that is growing close to the ground such as, for example, soybean, and in this way harvest and convey with as little loss as possible the entire crop. Also, the ground copying controls are frequently only designed to adjust a cutting mechanism as a whole in its height position and/or pivot position. A height adjustment of a segment of a cutting mechanism is usually not possible via the harvesting machine. In case of grain cutting mechanisms, there is the general problem that they are held at long intake channels whose pivot angle positions are adjusted by hydraulic cylinders that, across their length, must perform comparatively long adjusting travels in order to adjust the intake channel by only a few angle degrees upwardly or downwardly. In order to prevent damages due to contacting ground or rocks, the cutting mechanisms are frequently adjusted and guided too high during the harvest work by the drivers of the harvesting machines with acceptance of crop losses. From U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,371A, it is known to employ a leaf spring pack for supporting the cutter bar that is held at a swinging arm so that the cutting mechanism can adjust more flexibly to the ground conditions. The leaf spring pack however permits only a limited pivoting action of the rigid swinging arm. By mounting the leaf spring pack below the swinging arm, the ground clearance of the cutting mechanism is reduced. From the publication WO 2002/102138 A1, it is known to use of a parallelogram linkage in order to provide a cutting mechanism with the possibility for a better adjustment to the ground. The parallelogram linkage is however cost-intensive and requires many movable component groups that are partially exposed close to the ground to an increased wear because of intensive soiling. SUMMARY The present invention concerns a cutting mechanism for attachment to a harvesting machine with a frame part that is connected to an attachment frame that comprises connection means for attachment to an intake channel of a harvesting machine, wherein the frame part comprises swinging arms pointing in working direction having cutting elements for cutting the crop attached to their leading ends, a support action of the frame part rotatable about an axis in a rotary bearing in the attachment frame, and a motor-driven adjustment drive for adjustment of the cutting angle of the cutting elements connected to the frame part, wherein upon actuation thereof the angle of attack of the cutting elements to the ground changes. It is the object of the present invention to support the cutting elements in a height-elasti