Abstract:
The invention pertains to a combine head with a frame to which a transverse conveyor spiral is secured that extends transversely with respect to the forward direction of the combine head, where several conveyor belt assemblies are pre-arranged at this transverse conveyor spiral in a laterally sequential manner in the forwa4rd direction and are equipped with conveyor belts, and in the harvesting mode of operation, convey material to be harvested rearward to the transverse conveyor spiral, which in turn conveys it transversely with respect to the forward direction and toward the middle of the combine head, wherein a cover is present between adjacent conveyor belt assemblies in order to seal off the inner zones of the conveyor belt assemblies. It is proposed that the conveyor belt—that is located upstream with respect to the material to be harvested and to be transported transversely with respect to the forward direction—projects beyond the adjacent region of the cover in the conveyor belt region that is immediately adjacent to the cover.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention pertains to a combine head with a frame to which a transverse conveyor spiral is secured that extends transversely with respect to the forward direction of the combine head, where several conveyor belt assemblies are pre-arranged at the transverse conveyor spiral in a laterally sequential manner in the forward direction and are equipped with conveyor belts, and, harvesting mode of operation convey material to be harvested rearward to the transverse conveyor spiral, which in turn conveys it transversely with respect to the forward direction and toward the middle of the combine head, wherein a cover is present between adjacent conveyor belt assemblies in order to seal off the inner zones of the conveyor belt assemblies.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Combine heads with conveyor belts have been described in GB 1 501 639 A, GB 1 574 033 A, and GB 1 602 067 A. These heads have a frame with a base, side walls, and a rear wall. A transverse conveyor spiral is arranged in front of the rear wall. Several conveyor belts arranged in a laterally sequential manner are located above the base, and between a mower bar at the front side of the base and the transverse conveyor spiral, and rotate around front and rear rollers and transport the material to be harvested and that has been cut off by the mower bar, rearward toward the transverse conveyor spiral which then delivers it in its middle region to the oblique conveyor of a harvester combine. A rotating reel is located above the mower bar and the conveyor belts and feeds the material to be harvested and that is standing upright to the mower bar. Smaller gaps remain between the belts&#39; lateral edges adjacent to one another and are covered over at the top by roof-shaped metal covers.  
         [0003]     A different head, with conveyor belts that rearwardly transport the material to be harvested, is described in EP 1 495 665 A, where plate-shaped covers cover over the lateral edges of the conveyor belts and the intermediate zones that remain between adjacent conveyor belts. The covers are intended to prevent the material to be harvested, or other contaminants, from penetrating the inner zone of the conveyor belt assemblies.  
         [0004]     At the rear side of the conveyor belts in the case of the combine heads that are being described, the transverse conveyor spiral transports the material to be harvested transversely with respect to the forward direction and toward the middle of the combine head. In the case of larger throughput quantities of the material to be harvested, said material is pushed from the rear to the rear sides of the conveyor belts, and this can lead to the undesired consequence that certain quantities of material find their way between the conveyor belt located upstream relative to the material conveyance direction of the transverse conveyor spiral and the cover and thence through into the inner zone of the conveyor belts and there cause damage.  
         [0005]     A conveyor belt is described in DE 299 10 397 U for the conveyance of bulk materials and materials comprising individual units. In order to prevent the situation in which bulk material residues find their way into the inner zone of the conveyor belt and adversely affect the conveyor belt or its securement elements and drive elements there, it is proposed that the lateral ends of the conveyor belt have a projection or a thickened region that projects outward from the surface of the conveyor belt. The problem in the case of which the material to be transported is transported transversely with respect to the conveyance direction does not present itself here, however, so that the person skilled in the art is not induced to use such a projection on a combine head of the type designated at the beginning.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The problem that forms the underlying basis of the invention is seen in the feature that a combine head with conveyor belt assemblies is to be provided for which penetration of the material to be harvested into the conveyor belt assemblies is to be feared either not at all or to a reduced extent.  
         [0007]     In accordance with the invention, this problem is solved via the teaching of patent claim  1 , wherein features are listed in the additional patent claims that further develop this solution in an advantageous manner.  
         [0008]     It is proposed that the conveyor belt—that is located upstream with respect to the flow direction of the material to be harvested and to be transported transversely with respect to the forward direction by means of the transverse conveyor spiral—be provided with a surface that projects beyond the cover in the conveyor belt region that is immediately adjacent to the cover. In its region that is adjacent to the cover, the conveyor belt that is located upstream is, accordingly, separated farther from the axis of rotation of the rollers around which the conveyor belt rotates than the adjacent region of the cover.  
         [0009]     In this way, the situation is achieved in which the material to be harvested flows along at an adequate distance from the cover&#39;s edge located upstream. Penetration of the material to be harvested into the inner zone of the conveyor belt assemblies is thus to be expected either not at all or only to a significantly reduced extent.  
         [0010]     In a way that is known, it is suggested that the cover extend over the conveyor belt located downstream on the outside thereof at the side where its edge is located. Penetration of material to be harvested into the inner zone of the conveyor belt assembles at this position is not to be feared.  
         [0011]     As has been mentioned, the conveyor belt located downstream outwardly projects beyond the cover in the region thereof that is adjacent to the cover. Various possibilities exist for realizing this spatial arrangement within the framework of the train of thought in accordance with the invention. In a first embodiment, the conveyor belt located upstream is provided, in its region adjacent to the cover, with an outwardly projecting thickened region. The material is outwardly deflected at the thickened region and cannot penetrate the gap between the conveyor belt and the cover. The cross section of the thickened region is arbitrary, e.g., rectangular. A wedge-shaped cross section of the thickened region, where this wedge-shaped cross section becomes outwardly wider in the flow direction, has proven to be especially suitable since the material to be harvested is deflected in a successive manner. In addition, the situation is avoided in which material accumulates at the thickened region as could be the case at outwardly projecting edges.  
         [0012]     In the case of another possible embodiment, the cover has a section that is displaced inward with respect to the adjacent region of the conveyor belt located upstream. Here, accordingly, this displacement is realized via a suitable shape of the cover that can become outwardly wider between its section, which is displaced inward, and the conveyor belt that is located downstream. This embodiment can also be combined with a thickened region that outwardly projects beyond the conveyor belt. It would also be possible to allow the cover to extend as far as the inside of the conveyor belt located upstream.  
         [0013]     The cover and the conveyor belt region located upstream and projecting beyond the cover are expediently located at the rear side of the conveyor belt assemblies since especially secure sealing off appears sensible there because of the material to be harvested that has to be transported in the lateral direction via the transverse conveyor spiral. However, the lower side and/or the upper side of the conveyor belt can also be sealed off in the way that has been described. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     Two embodiments of the invention described in more detail below are illustrated in the drawings. Shown are:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1 , a schematic lateral view of a harvesting machine with a combine head with conveyor belt assemblies;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2 , a plan view of the combine head;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3 , a plan view of a conveyor belt assembly;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4 , a rearward view of a first embodiment of two adjacent conveyor belt assemblies;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5 , an enlarged section from  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 6 , a rearward view of a second embodiment of two adjacent conveyor belt assemblies; and  
         [0021]      FIG. 7 , an enlarged section from  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0022]     A harvesting machine  10  shown in  FIG. 1  in the form of a harvesting combine is supported on wheels  12  or  14  that are forwardly driven and rearwardly steerable, and it has a driver&#39;s cabin  16  from which it can be operated by a driver. A grain tank  18  follows on in the rearward direction from the driver&#39;s cabin  16  and can release the material delivered to it to the outside via an emptying pipe  20 . The grain tank  18  is mounted on a frame  22  in which material fed into it is subdivided on its way into its large and small components via a threshing drum  24 , a threshing basket  26 , and a spiral drum  28 . Additional separation of the harvested material is carried out on shakers  30 , which follow on therefrom, and also on a preparatory base  32  and on sieves  34 , wherein the completely threshed material fraction is finally conveyed into the grain tank  18 , and the large components of the harvested material are deposited on the base via the shakers  30 , and the light components are blown, likewise onto the base, from the sieves  34  by means of a blower  36 . Material lying or standing upright on the base is fed to the threshing drum  24  via an oblique conveyor  38  and a rock collecting tray  40 , after it has been picked up from the base by means of a device in the form of a combine head  42  for picking up harvested material. As a prelude to the embodiments below, it is to be stated that direction-related data in the following sections, such as in front of, behind, above, and below, pertain to the forward direction V of the harvesting machine  10 .  
         [0023]     The combine head  42  comprises a frame that consists of side walls  46 , a rear wall  48  with a transverse support  50  that is arranged at the top side thereof, and a base  52 . The central region of the transverse support  50  is detachably suspended from the oblique conveyor  38  by suitable means, e.g., hooks. A blade-carrying bar  54  with knives that move back and forth is arranged at the front side of the base  52 . An incline  56 , which extends across the breadth of the combine head  42  and which slopes slightly downward toward the rear, is located in the forward direction V behind the blade-carrying bar  54 . Lateral tips or lateral combine heads can be installed at the front side of the side walls  46 .  
         [0024]     Several conveyor belt assemblies  58 , which are arranged laterally next to one another, follow on behind the incline  56 , and are associated with a conveyor device, which extends rearwardly and oppositely to the forward direction V. A transverse conveyor spiral  60  is provided behind this conveyor device, it extends transversely with respect to the forward direction V and it is assembled from a pipe  61  with conveying spirals  63  welded thereto. Controlled fingers  65 , for hauling in material, are provided in the central region of the pipe (see  FIG. 2 ). The conveyor belt assemblies  58  slope slightly upwardly and rearwardly. Metal base plates  52  are located at their lower side and have been adapted, in terms of their shape, to the conveyor belt assemblies  58  and to the transverse conveyor spiral  60 .  
         [0025]     A reel  44 , which is capable of being driven and which is installed on the frame in a height adjustable manner and in a manner in which it is capable of being moved in the forward direction, is located above the blade-carrying beam  54  and the conveyor belt assemblies  58 , and it extends transversely with respect to the forward direction V. A console  64  is welded to each of the two lateral ends of the frame of the combine head  42 , namely above and in front of the transverse support  50 , and a reel support arm  66 , which is capable of swiveling about an axis  68  that extends horizontally and transversely with respect to the forward direction V, is mounted on each of the aforementioned consoles. In order to swivel the reel support arm  66  about the axis  68 , a vertical adjustment drive system  78  in the form of a hydraulic cylinder extends between a retaining unit  76 , which is installed on the side wall  46 , and a console  74  that is welded to the reel support arm  66  below the first bend  70 .  
         [0026]     At its two ends, the reel  44  is mounted in a rotatable manner on a reel retaining unit  80 . The reel retaining unit  80 , for its part, is supported in a movable manner on the reel support arm  72  in question. A horizontal adjustment drive system  82  in the form of a hydraulic cylinder extends between the reel retaining unit  80  and the console  74 .  
         [0027]     The reel  44  can be made to rotate about its longitudinal axis by means of a hydraulic motor not illustrated in the figures, and preferably arranged at the end of the reel that is located on the right in the forward direction. In the harvesting mode of operation, the reel rotates counterclockwise as viewed in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0028]     The reel is equipped with six prong supports  86  that are secured to supporting star shaped units  88  and that carry prongs  84  that are respectively arranged next to one another. The position of the prong supports and that of the prongs  84  during the rotation of the reel  44  is varied by means of conventional control mechanisms, so that at all times, the prongs  84  extend approximately downward from the prong supports and slightly toward the rear. The position of the prongs  84  is preferably adjustable.  
         [0029]     Covers  90  are arranged above the intermediate regions and between the conveyor belt assemblies  58 . Similar covers  92  are also located between the side walls  46  and the outwardly arranged conveyor belt assemblies  58 . The covers  90 ,  92  are secured in a detachable manner, preferably by means of screw-threaded bolts. They prevent accumulation of harvested material and other contaminants from occurring in the inner zone of the conveyor belt assemblies  58 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 3  shows an individual conveyor belt assembly  58  in detailed form. It comprises a first, rear, circularly cylindrical roller  94  and a second, front, circularly cylindrical roller  96  around which a continuous conveyor belt  98  rotates that is equipped with flights  100  with a rectangular cross section that project outward. The surface between the flights  100  is smooth in the embodiment that is illustrated. In the case of other embodiments, one could also select other surfaces, e.g., roughened ones or ones that are corrugated, along with other cross-sectional shapes and separations of the flights  100 . The conveyor belt  98  comprises a flexible material, such as rubber or a suitable synthetic material.  
         [0031]     The conveyor belt assembly  58  additionally comprises a retaining frame that consists of two front retaining elements  102  and two rear retaining elements  104 . At each of its two ends, the front roller  96  is mounted in a rotatable manner in a front retaining element  102 . In an analogous manner, the rear roller  94  is equipped at each of its two ends with a shaft  106  extending through the two rear retaining elements  104  and mounted in a rotatable manner therein. The shaft  106  can be continuous, i.e., the roller  94  is pushed onto the shaft  106 , or it can consist merely of lateral stubs extending only as far as end washers at which the hollow roller  94  is supported. The mounting of the front roller  96  on the front retaining element  102  takes place by means of roller bearings  132 , and that of the shaft  106  of the rear roller  96  on the rear retaining element  104  by means of roller bearings  124 .  
         [0032]     The front retaining elements  102  are in each case connected to the rear retaining elements  104  by means of an adjustment mechanism  108  in order to be able to adjust the tension of the conveyor belt  94  and in order to achieve rectilinear tracking of the conveyor belt  94 . The adjustment mechanism  108  comprises screw-threaded rods  110  with oppositely cut screw threads that, in each case, extend into the retaining elements  102 ,  104 . A hexagon  112  installed rigidly on it permits rotation of the screw-threaded rod  110  and hence drawing apart and drawing together of the retaining elements  102 ,  104 . Lock nuts  114  permit the screw-threaded rod  110  to be fixed to the retaining elements  102 ,  104 , so that rigid securement of the retaining elements  102 ,  104  to one another becomes possible. It would be conceivable to provide the adjustment mechanism  108  with a sealing system, comprising a labyrinth, for the retaining elements  102 ,  104 .  
         [0033]     As a rule, the two front retaining elements  102  are connected to one another by means of a transverse strut that has not been drawn in  FIG. 3 . Another transverse strut also preferably connects the two rear retaining elements  104  of the conveyor belt assembly  58 .  
         [0034]     Support of the retaining elements  102 ,  104  on the frame of the combine head  42  takes place at four positions. When considered in the forward direction V, a front retaining block  116  is secured to the frame approximately in the middle of the conveyor belt assembly  58 , namely between two adjacent conveyor belt assemblies  58  or between a side wall  46  and the conveyor belt assembly  58  that is arranged next to the side wall. A strut  118 , which is fixed in position on the upper side of the rear retaining element  104 , extends laterally outward therefrom and adjoins the upper side of the front retaining block  116  where it is secured in a detachable manner by means of a screw  120 .  
         [0035]     Moreover, rear retaining blocks  122 , which extend in the forward direction V, are secured to the frame  52  in the vicinity of the rear end of the rear retaining element  104 . The shafts  106  of the rear rollers  94  extend through the roller bearings  124 , which are arranged in corresponding openings in the rear retaining elements  104 , and are also mounted in roller bearings  134  that are located in associated openings in the rear retaining blocks  122 . The shafts  106  extend outward beyond the rear retaining blocks  122 . The securement of the rear retaining elements  104  to the frame  52  takes place via the roller bearings  124 , the shaft  106 , the roller bearings  134 , and, finally, the retaining blocks  122 .  
         [0036]     In this way, the rear retaining elements  104  are mounted on the shaft  106  in a manner that permits rotation about the longitudinal axis of this shaft, namely by means of the roller bearings  134 , and after removing the screws  120  from the front retaining blocks  116 , this permits the conveyor belt assembly  58  to be swiveled, in its entirety, upwardly about the axis of rotation of the shafts  106 . The adjacent covers  90 ,  92  are to be removed beforehand by removing screws that hold the covers  90 ,  92  on the retaining blocks  116 ,  122  and on the incline  56 . Cleaning and servicing tasks are significantly facilitated in the case of conveyor belt assemblies  58  that swivel upwardly.  
         [0037]     The conveyor belts  98  are driven by a toothed wheel  136  that is driven mechanically from the harvesting machine  10 . The toothed wheel  136  drives the rear roller  94  of the left conveyor belt assembly  58  via a claw coupling mechanism  128  and the left shaft  106  of this conveyor belt assembly  58 . The rear roller  94  of the left conveyor belt assembly  58  in turn drives the left shaft  106  of the central conveyor belt assembly  58  via its other shaft  106  and an additional claw coupling mechanism  128 , and this conveyor belt assembly is in turn connected in the same way to the right conveyor belt assembly  58  in a manner that permits drive to take place. Each claw coupling mechanism  128  comprises two halves that are each provided with claws that engage with the claws of the other half. Damping elements  141 , which comprise an inherently elastic material, are arranged between the claws of the halves in order to be able to level out peaks in the drive moment, e.g., during the start-up phase.  
         [0038]     On the inside of the upper strand of the conveyor belts  98 , reaper cleaners  168  (see  FIG. 3 ) are laterally located at each end and remove contaminants from the conveyor belt  98  and release them to the outside.  
         [0039]     Two adjacent conveyor belt assemblies  58 , which are drawn in on the left and in the middle in  FIG. 2 , are illustrated in the form of a rearward view in  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 5  shows an enlarged section from  FIG. 4 . The material to be harvested is transported in the direction of the arrow  170  by means of the transverse conveyor spiral  60 . A sealing arrangement, which is arranged symmetrically in regard to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , is located between the conveyor belt assemblies  58  drawn in on the right and in the middle in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0040]     In order to prevent the situation in which the material to be harvested penetrates the gap between the conveyor belt  98  located upstream and drawn in on the left in  FIG. 5  and the cover  90  and that gives rise to damage in the inner zone of the conveyor belt assemblies  58 , the conveyor belt  98  located upstream is provided with a thickened region  172  that is located in the flow direction of the material to be harvested, namely between the flights  100  and the cover  90 . The thickened region  172  has a triangular cross section and becomes wider, in a wedge-shaped manner, toward the outside and in the flow direction characterized by the arrow  170 . The cover  90  that follows in the flow direction immediately adjoins the thickened region  172  and covers over the top of the following end region of the conveyor belt  98  in the flow direction. The cover  90  surrounds the upper section of the conveyor belts  98  from above, and it covers the conveyor belt  98  rearward regions that face the transverse conveyor spiral  60  in a semicircular manner.  
         [0041]     The surface of the thickened region  172 , which outwardly projects (i.e., upwardly and rearwardly) beyond the adjacent cover  90 , brings about the situation in which the material to be harvested is deflected toward the outside and cannot penetrate the gap between the cover  90  and the conveyor belt  98 .  
         [0042]     The cover  90  also covers over the upstream end region of the conveyor belt  98  of the conveyor belt assembly  58  that is located downstream and that is drawn in on the right in  FIG. 5 . Penetration of the material to be harvested into the inner zone of the conveyor belt assemblies  58  is not to be feared there, since there is no open gap between the cover  90  and the conveyor belt  98  in the flow direction of the material to be harvested.  
         [0043]      FIGS. 6 and 7  show a rearward view of a second embodiment of conveyor belt assemblies  58 . Elements that correspond to those of the first embodiment are characterized by the same reference numbers.  
         [0044]     The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment ( FIGS. 4 and 5 ) by virtue of the different shape for the cover  90 ′ that comprises an upstream section  174  a downstream section  176  and a transition region  178  located between them.  
         [0045]     The upstream section  174  of the cover  90 ′ is displaced inward relative to the adjacent region of the conveyor belt  98  located upstream of it, so that the conveyor belt  98  projects outwardly (i.e., upwardly and rearwardly) beyond the section  174 , and this makes it difficult for material to be harvested to penetrate the gap between the cover  90 ′ and the conveyor belt  98 . The retaining block  122 , which is drawn in on the left in  FIG. 7 , is arranged lower relative to the other retaining block  122 , in order to permit movement between the conveyor belt  98  and the section  174  of the cover  90 ′. In the transition section  178 , the cover  90 ′ extends obliquely upward in the flow direction of the material to be harvested, as indicated by the arrow  170 , whereas it is oriented horizontally in the downstream region and it outwardly covers laterally over the end of conveyor belt  98  of the downstream conveyor belt assembly  58 . Here also, the cover  90 ′ surrounds the upper section of the conveyor belts  98  from above in the manner that is illustrated in  FIG. 7 , and it covers over the rearward regions, which face the transverse conveyor spiral  60 , of the conveyor belt  98  in a semicircular manner.  
         [0046]     Having described the preferred embodiment, it will become apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.