Abstract:
An intake subassembly for an agricultural harvesting machine, in particular a self-propelled forage harvester for corn, grass and the like, including a cutting cylinder, feed rollers, and compression rollers, has a cut-out clutch for bringing the feed rollers and the compression rollers to a sudden stop. The machine may have a monitor system for detecting and processing information relating to the status and motion of the components of the subassembly and generating a signal to interrupt and brake the detected motion, for example, in response to the presence of foreign objects or overloads in the subassembly.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to agricultural harvesting machines having intake mechanisms, in particular, silage cutters or forage harvesters for corn, grass and the like, comprising a cutting cylinder mounted in a cylinder housing and rotatably driven by the main drive unit in the machine. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,275,546; 4,286,424; 4,306,403; 4,496,105; 4,720,963; 4,776,154; 5,558,163; 5,592,029; 5,819;512 and. 5,921,071, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
     In machines of conventional design, the cutting cylinder typically has a switchable drive element connected thereto, and a drive train, for driving the rollers of an intake subassembly equipped with a foreign body detecting device. A reversing transmission unit for driving the intake subassembly in the reverse direction, and a cut-out clutch for bringing the intake subassembly to a sudden halt are mounted in the drive train. The cut-out clutch is moveable into one position for transferring the driving torque and into another position for blocking the rotation of the intake subassembly. 
     In conventional forage harvesters, the cutting cylinder is usually driven directly by the main drive system. The switchable drive element connected to the cutting cylinder may be a belt drive arrangement with a driving pulley fixed to the shaft of the cutting cylinder. The driven pulley is mounted on a shaft having a clutch at the opposite end thereof and this clutch is coupled to another clutch via toothed gears. The two clutches form part of the switchable transmission system and provides the forward and reverse rotation of the intake mechanisms of the forage harvester. The clutch on the cutting cylinder shaft also meshes with a gear wheel forming the input of a transmission unit. The cut-out clutch is also coupled to this transmission unit so that the rollers of the intake subassembly can be brought to a sudden stop should this be necessary. This transmission unit transfers the torque via further gears of the switchable transmission system to a shaft which applies the torque to a spur gear in order to drive the feed rollers and the compression rollers. A drive system of this type has the great advantage that, in the case where a rapid stop is needed due to the presence of a foreign body or an overload of the intake mechanism, the cutting cylinder of relatively large mass can continue to rotate, but the feed rollers and the compression rollers can be brought to a sudden stop. The masses subjected to braking are thereby kept as low as possible. In order to remove the foreign body or to disperse the overload on the intake mechanism, the rollers of the intake subassembly are driveable in the reverse direction. 
     The selection of the rotational direction of the intake subassembly may be controlled by the driver of the forage harvester by actuating switching elements in the driver&#39;s cab. If the intake subassembly is suddenly halted, the belt tensioner for the belt drive arrangement connected to the cutting cylinder is simultaneously moved by means of a hydraulic cylinder to relieve the tension on the belt. The whole intake subassembly is decoupled from the rotating cutting cylinder and comes to a sudden stop. Typically the feed rollers have to be reversed, to clear a foreign body, for example, and to deactivate the rapid-stopping device. For this purpose, a switching element may be actuated by the driver for switching over the reversing transmission unit and connecting up the belt drive arrangement. In general, a foreign body or an overload of the intake mechanism that caused the rapid-stoppage is fed out of the intake zone by the reversing process. 
     A method of disabling a spur-gear type reversing transmission unit is known from DE 30 29 050. The design of the drive system is such that a motor driven belt drive arrangement is used, inter alia, to drive a spur-gear type reversing transmission unit via a further belt drive arrangement, two electromagnetically operable clutches being arranged on the output shaft of this transmission unit. A spur gear connected to one clutch meshes with a spur gear on the input shaft and a spur gear associated with the second clutch likewise meshes with a spur gear mounted on the input shaft but via an intermediary gear. The purpose of this arrangement is to bring the rotating components to a complete halt in as short a time as possible. For this purpose, the two electromagnetically operable clutches are actuated simultaneously and the intake mechanism is blocked. 
     This prior drive arrangement is suitable for halting the rollers of the intake subassembly and the cutting cylinder in the event of an overload of the intake subassembly, as are conventional arrangements generally. In this case, there is substantially much more time available than is the case where the foreign body detecting device responds, if the device is to prevent the foreign body from entering the area swept by the cutting cylinder. If the two clutches of the prior device are actuated simultaneously, there is still a relatively large amount of run-on time available. The time needed to stop the rollers, upon the detection of a foreign body, may be too great to reliably prevent a foreign body from entering the area swept by the cutting cylinder. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an intake control system incorporating a monitor to control the state of the intake subassembly of an agricultural machine, such as a forage harvester. The monitor includes a sensor to detect motion of a component or components of the intake subassembly and generates a signal, which may be processed by a central controller, for example. 
     The monitoring device is capable of detecting movement in the intake subassembly, such as rotation of a component, and triggering a rapid stoppage of the rollers in the intake subassembly on the basis of the detected movement. If the driver of the harvesting machine initiates a rotation of the rollers in the working direction to continue harvesting, for example, or the reverse direction, the system will override the signal from the monitoring device and permit operation. The monitoring device is connected to the intake control system via a data bus, for example, to permit the signal from the monitor to be appropriately processed. It is advantageous if the monitoring device forms part of the intake control system, for example, by being integrated into the machine controller. 
     The controller may limit activating the rapid stoppage process to just one direction of rotation of the intake subassembly. This has the advantage that a crop overload caught between the rollers can be extracted in the reverse direction of rotation without triggering a rapid-stop action. 
     The monitoring device can also be integrated with the controller to undertake other monitoring functions or information-providing functions relating to the intake subassembly. Thus, for example, it is possible to detect when the whole of the rotating intake mechanism, or just parts thereof, have come to a halt after a stoppage has been initiated by the driver. The monitoring device may detect whether the rotational speed of the rollers in the intake subassembly is being reduced, or how long it takes before the rollers have come to a halt. The monitoring device may then generate a fault warning if a certain reduction in rotational speed is not achieved, or if the rollers have still not come to a standstill after a certain period of time. 
     Furthermore, following a rapid stop of the intake subassembly, information regarding the state of the cut-out clutch can be derived from the time taken to reach a halt. If this length of time should be greater than a given period, then a fault warning could be generated by the monitoring device. 
     The controller may be programmed to activate the monitoring device after the rollers have come to a stop, for example, after a shut down command. 
     The monitor system preferably incorporates at least one sensor for detecting the rotational speed of at least one component or drive member of the intake subassembly. The operational mode of the intake subassembly can then be derived from the other input variables to the intake control system. It is particularly advantageous if the input variables available to the intake control system can be used for the monitoring device so as to avoid the need for additional installations. However, a separate sensor may be introduced at any suitable location within the drive train which is connected to the switchable drive element driven by the cutting cylinder. 
     A further advantage is that existing machines can be retrofitted with a monitoring device and sensor, according to the invention. 
     The monitoring system may be designed such that an electrical signal is produced thereby, for moving the cut-out clutch into its blocking position, if a rotational movement of an intake subassembly component or a transmission member being monitored by the activated sensor is detected. The sensor may be associated with a drive member of a transmission unit located in the drive train for the intake subassembly, for example. The sensor is then accommodated within the transmission unit housing where it is protected from dirt and damage. If the sensor is associated with the output gear of the shift and reverse transmission unit, a compact construction is thereby obtained since the cut-out clutch is functionally associated with the shift and reverse transmission unit. 
     The sensor need not monitor just the stationary state of a transmission unit or a particular component, but it may also be used for determining the rotational speed of the rollers in an intake subassembly in order to calculate the length-of-cut of the foraged material, for example, this calculation may be performed in conjunction with the parameters of the cutting cylinder. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a monitoring device is provided in a system which includes the following: 1) a drive train; 2) at least one mechanism for shutting down an intake subassembly and moveable into a position for blocking the rotation of the intake subassembly or transferring drive torque; 3) a sensing device operationally connected to at least one of the following: a component of the intake subassembly and/or at least one component of the drive train. 
     The objects and advantages of the present invention, will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings which illustrate the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention and wherein similar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout the views. 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the intake subassembly together with the preceding cross augers and the following cutting cylinder. 
     FIG. 2 is a partial top view of the mechanism shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a block circuit diagram of the electrical arrangement. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cut-out clutch. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An intake subassembly  100  is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The remaining structure of the complete forage harvester, not shown, may be of conventional design. The intake subassembly  100  is equipped with two, parallel-axis feed rollers  1  and  2 , and two following parallel-axis compression rollers  3 ,  4 . The rotatable cutting cylinder  5 , which is driven counter clockwise as seen in the illustration of FIG. 1, is arranged immediately behind the compression rollers  3 ,  4  in the direction of movement of the foraged crop. The cutting cylinder  5  is rotatably mounted in a cylinder housing  6 , which may also be of conventional design. The rising conveyor shaft  7  for the foraged crop is attached to the cylinder housing  6 . The fixed shear bar  8  is located between the compression rollers  3 ,  4  and the cutting cylinder  5  as shown. Two opposed cross augers  9 , for supplying the material being foraged to the feed rollers  1 ,  2 , are laterally disposed in front of the feed rollers  1 ,  2 . A tray  10  is arranged below the cross augers  9 , as shown in schematic in FIG. 1. A foreign body detecting device  11 , preferably including a metal detector, is associated with the lower feed roller  2 . 
     The drive for the cutting cylinder  5  is provided via, for example, belt drive arrangement  12  directly from the drive motor of the forage harvester, also not shown. This belt drive arrangement  12  is the main drive of the forage harvester subassembly  100 . The appertaining driven pulley  110  is mounted at one end of the cutting cylinder shaft  112 . The driving pulley  30  of another belt drive arrangement  13  is fixed to the opposite end of the shaft  112 . The driven pulley  31 , which is likewise mounted on shaft  14 , is driven by means of this belt drive arrangement  13 . The belt  114  in the belt drive arrangement  13  is tensioned and detensioned by means of an idler pulley  15 . The idler pulley  15  can be pivoted into and out of position by means of a tension lever  16 , which itself is pivotal by a hydraulic cylinder, not shown, driven by a convention source of pressurized fluid, as is known in the art. 
     The pulley  31  provides the drive for a shiftable transmission unit  17  via the shaft  14  as shown in schematic in FIG.  2 . The rotational movement of the shaft  14  is conveyed to a controllable clutch  18  in the transmission unit  17 . A second controllable clutch  19  is associated with the clutch  18 . As is shown in FIG. 2, the first clutch  18  is equipped with two gears  116  and  118 , shown in FIG.  2 . Gear  116  engages a gear  120  on the second clutch  19  and gear  118  engages a gear  122  forming the input gear of a gear shift assembly  124 . The direction of rotation of the transmission unit  17 , which is a reversible transmission, can be shifted between the forward and reverse directions of rotation by means of the two clutches  18 ,  19  and the speed is determined by the gear assembly  124 , as is known in the art. This gear assembly  124  is coupled to a cut-out clutch  20  which is illustrated in more detail in FIG.  4 . The output member of the transmission unit  17  is a bevel gear set  21 . This bevel gear set  21  drives a conventional drive unit  23 , via a shaft  22 , in order to drive the feed rollers  1 ,  2  and the compression rollers  3 ,  4 . Drive unit  23  may be a belt and pulley arrangement, as shown in FIG. 2. A sensor  24  is installed near the bevel gear set  21  in the embodiment illustrated in FIG.  2 . 
     In normal operation, the idler pulley  15  is pivoted into a position in which the feed rollers  1 ,  2  and the compression rollers  3 ,  4  are driven at constant speed via the previously described drive train and the crop is advanced towards the cutting cylinder  5 . Should a foreign body be detected by the foreign body detecting device  11 , then the feed rollers  1 ,  2  and the compression rollers  3 ,  4  are brought to an immediate stop by appropriate activation of the cut-out clutch  20 . At the same time, the belt in the belt drive arrangement  13  is detensioned by pivoting the tension lever  16 . 
     Should a foreign body or an overload of the intake subassembly  100  be detected, for example in the roller section EB, then the cut-out clutch  20  and/or the belt drive arrangement  13  can be actuated automatically or switched manually by the operator of the forage harvester, to decouple the drive to the output shaft  22  from transmission unit  17 . In both of these cases, the operator of the forage harvester will then initiate a reversing process whereby the feed rollers  1 ,  2  and the compression rollers  3 ,  4  will be driven in the opposite rotational direction to expel any overload or foreign body from the subassembly  100 . Should the cut-out clutch  10  not be activated, it will then be switched from its braking or blocking position into its engaged operational position. Due to the reversal of the direction of rotation of the cut-out clutch  20 , the locking pawls  20   a,    20   b  will be simultaneously released from the cams  33   a,    33   b  thereby enabling them to rotate. The reversing process ends with the release of the idler pulley  15 . Following this reversing process, the driver can visually confirm the clearance of material from the feed rollers  1 ,  2 . In this state, switch  32  is now switched such that even the slightest rotation of the bevel gear set  21 , in either direction of rotation, as detected by sensor  24 , will immediately set off a signal so as to move the cut-out clutch  20  into its braking position. Thereafter, in order to continue operation the driver must restart the reversing process for a brief period so as to release the cut-out clutch  20  from its braking or blocking position and disengage switch  32 . 
     FIG. 3 shows a block circuit diagram representing the operating system for portion EB of subassembly  100 . Switching elements  25   a,    25   b  are manually controlled by the driver, by switches located in the cab of the forage harvester, for example. These elements are used to cause the feed rollers  1 ,  2  and the compression rollers  3 ,  4  to rotate in their normal working direction or in the reverse rotational direction as indicated symbolically by the arrows, or else to stop them. The actuation of either of these elements  25   a,    25   b  informs the intake control system  26  of the operational state that has been selected by the driver of the forage harvester. If the feed rollers and the compression rollers are stationary, then the actuation of the switching element  25   a  indicates that these rollers should be switched to rotate in the working direction. If, however, the switching element  25   b  is actuated while the feed rollers  1 , 2  and the compression rollers  3 , 4  are stationary, then they are switched to rotate in the reverse direction. If the feed rollers  1 , 2  and the compression rollers  3 , 4  are rotating in the working direction and the switching element  25   b  is actuated, then all rollers are disabled via the belt drive arrangement  13 . 
     The intake control system  26  is also connected to the foreign body detecting device  11  and sensor  24 . In the embodiment illustrated, the intake control system  26  also incorporates the sensing switch  32 . The belt drive arrangement  13  is enabled or disabled by an electro-hydraulic control means  28 , for example, including a hydraulic cylinder, not shown, and the belt tensioning device  15 ,  16 . The direction of rotation of the feed rollers  1 , 2  and the compression rollers  3 , 4  is pre-selected by the intake control system  26  by means of a controller  27  for the clutch  19 . The cut-out clutch  20  is actuated by a controller  29  in order to brake the feed rollers  1 , 2  and compression rollers  3 , 4  to a rapid stop. 
     The respective internal construction of the data bus system, the foreign body detector  11  and the control systems  26 ,  27 ,  28 ,  29 ,  32  are conventional. 
     FIG. 4 shows the cut-out clutch  20 . It is mounted directly on the outside of the transmission unit  17 . The cut-out clutch comprises two locking pawls  20   a,    20   b  which, in conjunction with the cams  33   a,    33   b,  trigger off the rapid-stopping process for the rollers. Actuation of these locking pawls  20   a,    20   b  is effected by means of a quick-acting solenoid  126  whereby the first pawl  20   b  opens the cut-out clutch  20  whilst the second pawl  20   a  stops the driven member of the intake subassembly portion EB. 
     The monitoring device can be used in connection with agricultural harvesting machines having an intake subassembly. However, it is fully clear to the person of ordinary skill in the art that the subject of the invention may also be used in other intake control systems incorporating a braking device. 
     While a preferred embodiment of the invention has herein been illustrated and described, this has been done by way of illustration and not limitation, and the invention should not be limited except as required by the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.