THE HARVESTING AND ASSORTING MACHINE

Abstract: Harvester machine used for threshing and assorting of grain etc. The purpose of the invention is to provide a harvester in which the separation and cleaning processes of the grain as well as the translation of the straw have been joined and connected to the devices mounted to revolve about the same axis, standard. This harvester is made up of a vertically revolving threshing drum (2) in the form of a truncated cone which separates the grain and screening unit (8) revolving around the drum at different speed which cleans the grain by means of blower (9). These activities take place concurrently. The harvester also includes a chute conveyor (17) which collects the partly threshed grain with returns in order to be rethreshed. The typical feature of the invention is that the threshing clearance can be easily adjusted by mere lifting and lowering the drum; moreover the angle of inclination of the threshing drum and the grate and screening unit can be different, with a further change of inclination if required, the outermost of the threshing machinery and the size of the screen unit can be chosen as desired by altering the diameters, height and the angle of inclination of the truncated cones. Both the separation and the cleaning process of the grain takes place under gravitational and centrifugal force assisted by means of air-circulating impellers. The grate and screening unit, assorting the grain, has been mounted at the bottom with a large thrust bearing (14) and on top is supporting by the rubber rolls (15) which rotate the unit. To keep the outermost sieve clean the thresher drum housing can be provided if desired with a brush which is either stationary or engaged with gears on both ends.

Description: The harvesting and assorting machine The object of the invention is a harvester machine used for threshing and assorting of grain, peas, turnip rapes and other seedlings. The plant to be threshed is termed grain in the following text. Currently there are two conventional types of harvesting machines available. The older harvesters have first a transverse beater device which separates the grain from the ears. After that the grain-straw mass is conveyed to the straw-shakers at the rear which separate the grain from the straw under gravitational force. Next the grain travels onto horizontal screens on which the grain is cleaned by means of gravitational force and fans or blowers. In the newer harvesters the threshing drum is a long- _ _d_nal rotating cylinder and the separation of the grain from the straw takes place at the rear of the said drum under gravitational force, after which the grain is passed onto the screens like in the older harvesters. The disadvantage of these harvesters is that the size, the length, of the vehicle grows considerably owing to the successive placement of the separation and cleaning devices. The purpose of the invention is to provide a harvester In which the separation and cleaning processes of the grain as well as the translation of the straw have been joined and connected to the devices mounted to revolve about the same axis, standard. This harvester is made up of a vertically revolving threshing drum in the form of a truncated cone which separates the grain from the ears and the grain from the straw, and of the grate and screening unit revolving around the drum at different speed which cleans the grain by means of blower. These activities take place concurrently. Other features of the invention have been explained in the patent claims. Objectives and advantages of the invention are depicted and illustrated in the following text and accompanying drawing. Figure 1 shows the harvester broken away to illustrate the sectional side elevation. Alternative solutions are illustrated on both sides of the median. The cut grain is passed on the feed-in elevator (endless conveyor) 1 onto the impellers 3 at the bottom of the thresher drum 2. The rotating impellers set up air circulation acting on the-material and the upward move¬ ment which is further assisted by fingers in the auger housing 4 whereby the grain is delivered onto the rotary thresher drum with which the innermost screening sieve 5 in the form of a truncated cone functions as the grate unit rotating at different speed. The beater devices 6 (rods or bars) on the periphery of the thresher drum together with the fingers on the grate unit assist in translating the straw upwards in the threshing process and finally passing it into the straw discharge unit 7. This discharge unit consists of blade elements on top of the thresher drum and straw beater, which are well- known devices. Concurrently with threshing process the cleaning process of the grain takes place in the screening unit 8 under gravitational and centrifugal force assisted by means of air-circulating impellers 9. The outermost sieves (there may be several of them) can be cone-shaped or parabolas as shown in the drawing. The air flow comes through a screen ring 16 of fine mesh screen material, circulates in the screening unit and in the thresher drum housing 10 and passes out of the drum through an outlet 11 in the head portion of the thresher drum housing. The inclination and rotary speed of the screening unit is so adjusted as to advance the upward movement of the grain into a wider space. The circular or longitudinal perforations of the sieves are so adjusted as to make the screening as efficient as possible. The cleaned grain falls onto the bottom of the thresher drum housing from where it is passedto the grain conveyor 12. The grain conveyor is any kind of well-known type. The partly threshed grain with returns which need rethreshing can be collected from the top of the grate and screen unit by means of chute conveyor 17 to be re hreshed. To keep the outermost sieve clean the thresher drum housing can be provided if desired with a brush either stationary or engaged with gears on both ends and revolves by means of the screening unit. The essential feature of the invention is that the.'threshe drum is in the form of a truncated cone mounted to revolve about a vertical axis 13. Thus the threshing clearance can be easily adjusted by mere lifting the drum. Further the cone shape enables the threshing and separation processes to take place in an increasingly widening space. Because the drum is mounted around a vertical axis it is easy to take o or maintenance. The rotary grate and screen! ng unit has been mounted at the bottom with a large thrust bearing 14 and on top is supported by the rubber rolls 15 which are attached to 95 the housing 10 and rotate the unit. Thus also the grate and screening unit is easy to disengage for maintenance after the threshing drum has been removed. The sieves are parts of a cone or a parabola in order to be replaced through the easy access maintenance flap doors in the LO O housing without taking off the who!p. grate and screening unit. The efficiency of the threshing machinery and the size of the screen unit can be chosen as desired by altering the diameters, height and the angle on inclination of 1 0 5 the truncated cones. Moreover the angle of inclination of the grate and screening unit is not necessarily the same as that of the thresher drum and also the mutual distances of the sieves can be adjusted. The advantages of this invention are that due to the coherent structure 130 of the mechanism the harvester can be made smaller and lighter-weight than the conventional types. Similar threshing machinery that is mounted to revolve about a vertical axis, (standard), has been introduced in the USA with the patent No. 2905182 (130-27) Sept. 22, 115 1959, here later referred to Patent 1 as well as in Norwegian patent No. 99180 (A 01 F7/06) April 14, 1959, here later referred to Patent 2. Compared to the above patents the most essential feature of this invention lies in the fact that both the thresher 120 drum and the grate and screening unit revolve, yet at different speeds. In the harvester type of Patent 1 only the grate unit revolves whereas in the harvester type of Patent 2 only the thresher drum revolves. In this harvester due to the rotary screening unit it is possible to have 125 several successively mounted sieves, so as to improve the cleaning accuracy. Further the form of the screening unit of either a cone or a parabola enables the screening process to take place both under the gravitational and centrifugal 130 force according to the angle of inclination and rate of revolution of the screening unit. The rotary screen¬ ing unit can easily be provided with a cleaning brush. The harvester type of Patent 1 has only a small screen¬ ing unit on top of the thresher drum while in the thresher 135 drum housing of this invention the screening unit extends from top to bottom so that the screening can take place concurrently with the separation process of the grain. A further advantage is that the area of the screening unit is noticeably larger. 140 In the harvester type of Patent 1 the straw has to travel between stationary and movable radial arms which might cause a danger of blockage. In the harvester of this invention this danger has been avoided by mounting the grate and screening unit with thrust bearings at 145 the bottom. Naturally the operations of this invention are restricted to the presentation as depicted in the text and accompany¬ ing drawing but can be modified and altered in many ways within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims: 150 What I claim 1. A harvester machine used for threshing and assorting of grain, peas, turnip rapes and other seedlings, in which the separation and cleaning processes of the grain as well, as the translation of the straw have been joined 255 and connected to the devices mounted to revolve about the same axis, standard, w e l l o w n for a verticallyrevolving threshing drum (2) in the form of a truncated cone and for the grate and screening unit (8) revolving around the drum at different speed, and for 16.0 the innermost sieve, i.e. the grate unit (5) in the form of a truncated cone and for the outermost sieves cone- shaped or parabolas. 2. The said machine, w e l l k n o w n that both the separation and cleaning processes of the grain take place 165 under gravitational, and centrifugal force. 3. The said machine, w e l l k n o w n that the truncated cone drum ( 2) and the grate and screening unit (8) can be built with changes in angles of inclinations. 170 4. The said machine, w e l l k n o w n that the grate and screening unit (8) assorting the grain, is mounted at the bottom with a large thrust bearing (14) and on top is supported by the rubber rolls (15) rotating the unit. 175 5. The said machine, w e l l k n o w n that the sieves (8) are parts of a cone or a parabola in order to be replaced through the easy access maintenance flap doors in the housing without taking off the whole grate and screening unit. 6. The said machine, w e l l k n o w n that the grate and screening unit (8) is provided with brushes, either stationary or engaged with gears on both ends, cleaning the outermost sieve.

Inventors: POHJALA LAURI, POHJALA, LAURI
Applicants: POHJALA LAURI, POHJALA, LAURI
Application year: 1985
Main classification: A01F7
IPC codes: A01F12