Self-cleaning rock sump for an agricultural harvester and related systems and methods

A self-cleaning sump for an agricultural harvester may include a collection chamber defining a top end and a bottom end. The self-cleaning sump may also include a sump door positioned at the bottom end of the collection chamber, with the sump door being movable between an opened position and a closed position. Additionally, the self-cleaning sump may include a cleaning device movable within the collection chamber between a raised position and a lowered position and an actuator coupled to the cleaning device. The actuator may be configured to actuate the cleaning device between the raised and lowered positions independent of the sump door. When the actuator is activated, the cleaning device may be configured to contact collected material contained within the collection chamber as the cleaning device is moved within the collection chamber between the top and bottom ends of the chamber.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present subject matters relates generally to agricultural harvesters and, more particularly, to a self-cleaning rock sump for an agricultural harvester and related systems and methods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically, a combine harvester has at its front end an intake feeder system that cuts crop from the around and feeds it to a threshing mechanism. The intake feeder system comprises a header and a feeder elevator that raises the crop to the level of the mouth of the threshing mechanism. Commonly, the header, which takes different forms depending on the type of crop, is wider than the elevator and is provided with two augers arranged one at each side of the header to push the cut crop towards the central elevator. The threshing mechanism separates the grain from the stalks, or straw, and the chaff. The grain is stored in a tank on board the harvester while the straw and the chaff are discharged from the rear end of the harvester.

The threshing is carried out by passing the crop between a rotating cylinder and a surrounding concave. The cylinder has threshing elements on its surface that separate the grain by beating and crushing the crop against the surrounding concave, and the latter has openings through which the separated grain can fall to be transferred to the storage tank. Depending on the design of the harvester, the cylinder may be disposed longitudinally or transversely.

If rocks or large stones are picked up by the intake feeder system, they can damage the threshing mechanism. To prevent such foreign materials from being conveyed to the threshing mechanism, a feed beater is typically provided between the aft end of the feeder elevator and the threshing mechanism to separate the foreign materials from the harvested crop materials. For instance, the feed beater may be configured to impact rocks and large stones, forcing such materials downwardly into a rock sump positioned below the beater.

After operating the harvester for a given time period, the rock sump can become full of rocks and other foreign materials and, thus, must be cleaned. Typically, a rock sump includes a door at its bottom end that is configured to be manually opened to allow the collected foreign materials to fall out of the sump via gravity. However, in many instances, the foreign materials contained within the rock sump become lodged or trapped within the sump, thereby preventing the collected materials from dropping out of the sump when the door is opened. In such instances, the operator is required to manually dislodge the collected material from within the sump, which is often very time consuming and labor intensive.

Accordingly, a self-cleaning rock sump that allows rocks, stones and/or other foreign material to be efficiently and effectively evacuated or cleaned from the sump would be welcomed in the technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a self-cleaning sump for an agricultural harvester. The self-cleaning sump may include a collection chamber defining a top end and a bottom end. The self-cleaning sump may also include a sump door positioned at the bottom end of the collection chamber, with the sump door being movable between an opened position and a closed position. Additionally, the self-cleaning sump may include a cleaning device movable within the collection chamber between a raised position and a lowered position and an actuator coupled to the cleaning device. The actuator may be configured to actuate the cleaning device between the raised and lowered positions independent of the sump door. When the actuator is activated, the cleaning device may be configured to contact collected material contained within the collection chamber as the cleaning device is moved within the collection chamber between the top and bottom ends of the chamber.

In another aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a system for automatically cleaning an agricultural harvester. The system may include a sump having a collection chamber that defines a top end and a bottom end. The sump may also include a sump door positioned at the bottom end of the collection chamber, with the sump door being movable between an opened position and a closed position. The system may also include a cleaning device movable within the collection chamber between a raised position and a lowered position and an actuator coupled to the cleaning device. The actuator may be configured to actuate the cleaning device between the raised and lowered positions independent of the sump door. In addition, the system may include a controller configured to electronically control an operation of the actuator. When the actuator is activated by the controller, the cleaning device may be configured to contact collected material contained within the collection chamber as the cleaning device is moved within the collection chamber between the top and bottom ends of the chamber.

In a further aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a Method for automatically cleaning a sunup of an agricultural harvester, wherein the sump includes a collection chamber defining a top end and a bottom end. The method may include moving, with a computing device, a sump door of the sump from a closed position to an opened position. In addition, the method may include actuating, with the computing device, a cleaning device within the collection chamber independent of the door such that the cleaning device is moved from a raised position to a lowered position relative to the collection chamber, wherein the cleaning device is configured to contact collected material contained within the collection chamber as the cleaning device is moved between the raised and lowered positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In general, the present subject matter is directed to a self-cleaning rock sump for an agricultural harvester. Specifically, in several embodiments, the sump may include a collection Chamber at least partially defining an internal volume for retaining rocks, stones, and other foreign materials falling between the feeder elevator and the threshing mechanism of the harvester. Additionally, the rock sump may include a sump door positioned at or adjacent to the bottom end of the collection chamber that is configured to be moved between a closed position, where the door defines a bottom wall of the chamber, and an opened position, where the door is pivoted away from the chamber such that the bottom of the chamber is open. Moreover, in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, the disclosed rock sump may also include a cleaning device movable within the collection chamber. As such, when the door is moved to the opened position, the cleaning device may be actuated between the between the top and bottom ends of the collection chamber to knock down or otherwise remove collected materials that may otherwise be stuck or lodged within the chamber.

In several embodiments, the cleaning device may include a grate (e.g., a finger grate) configured to be disposed at a raised position adjacent to the top end of the collection chamber during normal operation of the harvester. In such embodiments, the openings or voids defined by the grate may be large enough to allow rocks and/or other foreign material to fall through the grate and into the collection chamber. Additionally, when actuated, the grate may be configured to be lowered within the collection chamber from the raised position to a lowered position at which the grate is located closer to the bottom end of the collection chamber. As the grate is lowered, the grate fingers or elements may contact any foreign material lodged or stuck within the chamber, thereby knocking the material down and allowing it fall out of the chamber.

Moreover, it should be appreciated that the present subject matter is also directed to related systems and methods for cleaning a rock sump of an agricultural harvester. Specifically, in several embodiments, a controller (e.g., a computing device) may be communicatively coupled to both a door actuator configured to actuate the sump door between its opened and closed positions and a grate actuator configured to actuate the grate between its raised and lowered positions. In such an embodiment, the controller may be configured to electronically control the operation of the actuators to execute an automatic sump cleaning mode during which the sump is cleaned. For instance, upon receipt of a suitable input from the operator of the harvester, the controller may be configured to control the operation of the door actuator to move the door from its closed position to the opened position. Once the door has been opened, the controller may be configured to control the operation of the grate actuator to move the grate within the collection chamber from its raised position to its lowered position, thereby allowing the grate to be used to clean out the sump. In such an embodiment, the controller may, for example, cycle the grate between its raised and lowered positions to ensure that the sump has been properly cleaned prior to closing the sump door.

Referring now toFIG. 1, a side view of one embodiment of a combine harvester10is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, particularly illustrating a portion of the harvester10cut-away to allow various internal components of the machine to be viewed. As shown, the harvester10may include an intake feeder system12having a header with a cutter14and a reel16, an elevator18, and a feed beater20arranged between the top of the elevator18and an associated threshing mechanism22of the harvester10. In several embodiments, the feed beater20may take the form of a rotor with projecting paddles. In addition, as shown inFIG. 1, a rock trap or sump100may be positioned directly below the feed beater.

As is generally understood, the feed beater20may be configured to convey harvested crop material towards the threshing mechanism22while rocks and other foreign materials, which are generally heavier and denser than the crop, are impacted and downwardly discharged into the interior of the rock sump100. For example, the rotation of the feed beater20may propel the rocks and other foreign materials downwardly through straw and chaff into the rock sump100. As a result, the foreign materials may be separated from the crop material prior to reaching the threshing mechanism22, thereby preventing damage to the threshing mechanism22.

Referring now toFIGS. 2-4, several views of one embodiment of a self-cleaning rock sump100are illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. For purposes of discussion, the rock sump100will be described herein with reference to the harvester10described above with reference toFIG. 1. However, it should be appreciated that, in general, the disclosed self-cleaning rock sump100, as well as the related systems and methods, may generally be utilized with any suitable harvester having any suitable configuration to allow rocks and other foreign material collected by the harvester to be efficiently and effectively evacuated from the rock sump100.

As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the rock sump100may generally include a collection chamber102defining an internal volume extending vertically between a top end104and a bottom end106for collecting and retaining rocks and other foreign material separated from the crop material via the feed beater20. For instance, as shown inFIGS. 2-4, the collection chamber102may be located directly below the feed heater20such that foreign material conveyed towards the heater20from an aft end108of the elevator18is directly downwardly into the collection chamber102. In one embodiment, the collection chamber102may include a front wall110extending downwardly relative to a floor112of the feeder12that defines a forward end of the chamber102and a back wall114spaced apart from the front wall110that defines a rear end of the chamber102. Additionally, opposed sidewalls116(one of which is shown inFIGS. 3 and 4) may extend between the front and rear walls110,114to defines the sides of the collection chamber102.

Moreover, as shown inFIGS. 2-4, the rock sump100may also include a sump door118positioned at or adjacent to the bottom end106of the collection chamber102. In general the door118may be configured to be pivotally coupled to a wall of the chamber102(e.g., at pivot point120defined relative to the back wall114of the chamber102) to allow the door118to be pivoted or moved relative to the chamber102between a closed position and an opened position. As shown inFIG. 2, when in the closed position, the door118may generally define the bottom wall of the collection chamber102, thereby allowing rocks and other foreign materials collected within the chamber102to be retained therein. However, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 4, when in the opened position, the door118may be pivoted away from the bottom end106of the collection chamber102to allow the foreign materials to be evacuated from the chamber102.

In several embodiments, a door actuator122may be coupled to the sump door118(e.g., via a door coupling member124) to allow the door118to be moved between its closed and opened positions. For instance, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, the door actuator122corresponds to a fluid-driven actuator, such as a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. However, in other embodiments, the door actuator122may correspond to any other suitable actuation device configured to move the door118between its closed and opened positions, such as a solenoid-driven actuator, a rack-and-pinion type actuator, or any other suitable actuation device.

Additionally, in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, the rock sump100may also include a cleaning device configured to be moved within the collection chamber102between a raised position (FIGS. 2 and 3) and a lowered position (FIG. 4). Specifically, in several embodiments, the cleaning device may include an actuatable grate126(e.g., a finger grate) configured to extend forward-to-aft between the front and back walls110,114of the collection chamber102and side-to-side between the opposed sidewalls116of the chamber102. The grate126may generally include a plurality of fingers or grate elements128spaced apart from one another between the front and back walls110,114of the collection chamber102and/or between the opposed sidewalls116of the chamber102such that open spaces or voids (not shown) are generally defined between adjacent grate elements128to allow rocks and other foreign material to pass through the grate126. It should be appreciated that, although the cleaning device will generally be described herein as including an actuatable grate126, the cleaning device may be formed from or include any other suitable component(s) that, when actuated relative to the collection chamber102, is configured to contact or knock down materials remaining within the chamber102.

During normal operation of the harvester10, the grate126may be configured to be located at its raised position to maximize the capacity of the collection chamber102. For example, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, when at the raised position, the grate126may be located at or adjacent to the top end104of the collection chamber102. Thus, rocks and other foreign material separated from the crop material via the feed beater20may fall through the grate126and collect within the interior volume defined by the collection chamber102. However, when it is desired to clean the rock sump100, the gate126may be actuated from its raised position to its lowered position. For example, as shown inFIG. 4, when actuated to the lowered position, the grate may be moved away from top end104of the collection chamber102to a location closer to the bottom end106of the chamber102. Accordingly, as the grate126is being lowered relative to the collection chamber102, the grate elements128of the grate126may contact and break-up or otherwise knock down any foreign materials that have become stuck or lodged within the chamber102, thereby allowing the foreign materials to be completely evacuated from the chamber102.

As shown inFIGS. 2-4, a grate actuator130may be coupled to the grate126(e.g., via a grate coupling member130extending through the back wall114of the chamber102) to allow the grate126to be moved within the collection chamber102between its raised and lowered positions. For instance, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, the grate actuator130corresponds to a fluid-driven actuator, such as a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. However, in other embodiments, the grate actuator130may correspond to any other suitable actuation device configured to actuate the grate126between its raised and lowered positions, such as a solenoid-driven actuator, a rack-and-pinion type actuator, or any other suitable actuation device.

Additionally, as shown inFIGS. 2-4, the grate actuator130may, in several embodiments, be separate from the door actuator122. As such, the grate126may be actuated independent of the door118and vice versa. For example as will be described below, when cleaning the rock sump100, the door118may be initially actuated independent of the grate126to move the door118from its closed position to its opened position. Thereafter, once the door118has been moved to the opened position, the grate126may be independently actuated relative to the collection chamber102to allow the grate126to be lowered towards the bottom end106of the chamber102to clean out any lodged or stuck materials.

As indicated above, in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, the disclosed rock sump100may be included within or form part of an associated system200for cleaning or evacuating foreign materials from an agricultural harvester. Specifically, in several embodiments, the system200may include a controller202configured to electronically control the operation of both the door actuator122and the grate actuator130to allow the controller202to automatically execute a sump cleaning mode for cleaning out the rock sump100. For example, upon receipt of a command from the operator of the harvester10via a suitable input device204(e.g., a button, knob, or any other suitable input device located within the cab of the harvester10), the controller202may be configured to control the operation of the actuators122,130in a manner that allows rocks and other foreign material to be fully evacuated from the sump100.

In general, controller202may correspond to any suitable processor-based device known in the art, such as one or more computing devices. Thus, in several embodiments, the controller202may include one or more processor(s)206and associated memory device(s)208configured to perform a variety of computer-implemented functions. As used herein, the term “processor” refers not only to integrated circuits referred to in the art as being included in a computer, but also refers to a controller, a microcontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmable circuits. Additionally, the memory208of the controller202may generally comprise memory element(s) including, but pot limited to, computer readable medium (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), computer readable non-volatile medium (e.g., a flash memory), a floppy disk, a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disk (MOD), a digital versatile disc (DVD) and/or other suitable memory elements. Such memory208may generally be configured to store suitable computer-readable instructions that, when implemented by the processor(s)206, configure the controller202to perform various computer-implemented functions, such as one or more aspects of the control methodology described herein. In addition, the controller202may also include various other suitable components, such as a communications circuit or module, one or more input/output channels, a data/control bus and/or the like.

It should be appreciated that the controller202may correspond to an existing controller of the harvester10or the controller202may correspond to a separate controller. For instance, in one embodiment, the controller202may form all or part of a separate plug-in module that may be installed to allow for the disclosed system and method to be implemented without requiring additional software to be uploaded onto existing control devices of the harvester10

In several embodiments, the various components of the rock sump100may be disposed in the configuration shown inFIG. 2prior to initiation of the automatic sump cleaning mode, with the sump door118being located at the closed position and the grate126being located at the raised position. Thereafter, as shown inFIG. 3, when the sump cleaning mode is initiated, the controller202may be configured to initially control the operation of the door actuator122to move the sump door118from its closed position to its opened position. By doing so, any loose rocks and other foreign material contained within the collection chamber102may drop from the rock sump100. However, as indicated above, in many instances, all or a portion of the foreign material may remain stuck or lodged within the collection chamber102upon opening of the sump door118.

Thus, to break-up or dislodge any remaining foreign materials within the collection chamber102, the controller202may be configured to actuate the grate126relative to the chamber102. Specifically, once the door118has been moved to its opened position, the controller202may be configured to control the operation of the grate actuator130such that the grate126is moved within the collection chamber102from its raised position to its lowered position. As such, the grate126may serve to push any remaining materials out of the collection chamber102as it is being lowered within the chamber102. Additionally, in one embodiment, the contract202may be configured to cycle the grate126between its raised and lowered positions two or more times while the door118is maintained at its opened position to ensure that the collection chamber102has been sufficiently cleaned. Once the rock sump100has been cleaned, the grate126may be returned to its raised position while the door118may be moved back to its closed position to allow rocks and other foreign material to be collected within the sump100during operation of the harvester10.

It should be appreciated that, in embodiments in which the actuators122,130correspond to fluid-driven actuators, the controller202may be configured to electronically control the operation of the actuators122,130by controlling the operation of a valve(s) associated with each actuator122,130. For instance, as shown inFIGS. 2-4, the controller202may be communicatively coupled to a first pressure-regulating valve(s)210configured to regulate the flow of fluid supplied to the door actuator122and a second pressure-regulating valve(s)212configured to regulate the flow of fluid supplied to the grate actuator130. In such an embodiment, by electronically controlling the operation of the valves210,212, the controller202may, in turn, independently control the operation of each actuator122,130. In other embodiments, depending on the configuration of each actuator122,130, the controller202may be communicatively coupled to any other suitable component(s) for controlling the operation of the actuator(s)122,130. For instance, in an embodiment in which each actuator122,130corresponds to a solenoid-driven actuator, the controller202may be communicatively coupled directly to each actuator122,130for controlling its operation. Alternatively, in an embodiment in which each actuator122,130corresponds to a rack-and-pinion type actuator, the controller202may be communicatively coupled to a suitable rotational driver (e.g., an electric motor) for controlling the operation of each actuator122,130.