SELF-CLEANING DISC CUTTER ROTOR ASSEMBLY

Abstract: A mechanism for removing dirt and debris from the interior (35; 55) of a divider member (32; 52) mounted on the end disc (26) of a disc cutterbar (2O) used in a disc mower-­ conditioner (1O) is disclosed. Air inlet openings (38, 39; 58, 59) are provided to permit the introduction of air into the interior chamber (35: 55) of the hat-shaped divider member (32; 52). The divider member (32; 52) is provided with a plurality of fan blades (44; 62) mounted to the top plate (34; 54} thereof to exhaust air from within the interior chamber (35., 55) and create a flow of air from the air inlet openings (38, 39; 58, 59) through the interior chamber (35; 55) and exiting a discharge opening (45; 65) formed between the divider top plate (34; 54) and a stationary cover (47; 67) mounted thereabove. This flow of air cleans the interior chamber (35; 55) of dirt and debris. An optional filter (7O) can be utilized to reduce the amount of dirt and debris permitted to enter the interior chamber (35 55) through the air inlet openings (38, 39; 58, 59).

Description: The present invention relates generally to disc cutterbars used for severing standing crop material by impact action and, more particularly, to an improved end rotor assembly operable to clean dirt and debris from the interior chamber thereof during operation. Disc mower-conditioners of the type shown and described in US-A-4.539.797, for example, utilize a disc cutterbar having a pair of opposing end disc members, each equipped with a hat-shaped divider or deflector member mounted thereon to facilitate the flow of crop material over the cutterbar. One embodiment of such an end disc member can be seen in US-A-4.428.185. It has been found that these end rotor divider or deflector members consistently fill with airborne particles of the crop material being harvested by the disc mower- conditioner. The filling of the interior chambers of the divider members by such particles creates an imbalance in the rotors, resulting in damage to the bearings thereof and occasionally resulting in the combustion of the hay particles within the interior chambers from heat due to increased friction. Various attempts to seal the divider members to prevent the introduction of debris therewithin were found not to be successful. Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a disc cutterbar including a divider or deflector member with a mechanism for cleaning debris from within the interior chamber of this divider member during the rotating movement thereof. In DE-A-1.632.829, which basically is concerned with a drum mower having pneumatic means for supporting the mower via an air cushion on the ground, an advantageous side effect is obtained to the extent that the pneumatic means create an air flow from top to bottom through the interior chamber of each mower drum and which is operable to clean any debris from within this interior chamber. However, the present invention is concerned with a disc mower as opposed to a drum mower and hence, the machine subject of the instant invention has a gearbox positioned generally beneath the cutter assemblies. Also, the machine subject of the invention is supported on the ground in the conventional manner, i.e. this machine does not comprise any pneumatic means for generating an air cushion to floatingly support it on the ground. Hence the teaching of DE-A-1.632.829 cannot be applied as such to the mower arrangement which is subject of the present invention. According to this invention a disc cutterbar is provided which includes : at least one disc cutter assembly with a generally hollow divider mounted thereon for rotation therewith to facilitate the flow of cut crop material across the disc cutterbar; said hollow divider defining an interior chamber and having a hollow shaft positioned therewithin and projecting upwardly therefrom; air inlet means permitting the introduction of a flow of air into said interior chamber; and fan means fixed to said divider for, upon rotation of this divider, creating said flow of air and urging this flow of air from the air inlet means through the interior chamber to an outlet opening to thereby expel debris from within said interior chamber; and which is characterized in that : said hollow shaft incorporates said air inlet means which includes, on the one hand, at least one access opening in the hollow shaft generally at a location above the divider to permit the flow of air to enter this shaft and, on the other hand, at least one inlet opening in said hollow shaft generally at a location below the top end of the divider to permit the entrance of air from within this shaft into the interior chamber; and the outlet opening is positioned at a level generally between said access and inlet openings. Preferably, the or each divider member is provided with a plurality of fan blades mounted to the top plate thereof to exhaust air from within the interior chamber thereof and to create a flow of air from the air inlet means through this interior chamber and exiting the outlet opening formed between the divider top plate and a stationary cover mounted thereabove. This flow of air cleans the interior chamber of dirt and debris. An optional filter can be utilized to reduce the amount of dirt and debris permitted to enter the interior chamber through the air inlet openings. A self-cleaning deflector or divider member for use on an end cutter disc of a disc cutterbar thus is provided. According to the invention, the high rotational speed of the divider member is utilized during operation of the disc cutterbar to create a flow of air through the interior chamber of said divider member whereby accumulation of debris within said interior chamber is avoided by virtue of the air flow cleaning said interior chamber on the one hand and said air flow forming a pneumatic seal on the other hand. The prior art problems of rotor imbalance and fire hazards caused by debris accumulated in the divider member thus are avoided. The advantages of this invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a disc mower-conditioner incorporating the principles of the instant invention; Fig. 2 is a left side elevational view of the disc mower-conditioner seen in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view of the disc cutterbar as seen along lines 3-3 of Fig. 2, with the extraneous harvester structure removed; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the disc cutterbar seen in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the disc cutterbar taken along lines 5-5 of Fig. 3 to show the structural configuration of the end rotor through which rotational power is supplied to the transmission gears within the cutterbar casing; Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along lines 6-6 of Fig. 3 to show the structural details of the other end rotor which is cooperable with a hollow support shaft inter-connecting the disc cutterbar with the mower-conditioner frame; Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the end rotor shown in Fig. 5 and taken along lines 7-7 of this Fig. 5; portions of the upper cover being removed to more clearly show the positioning and relationship of the fan blades, the hollow shaft and the power input shaft; Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the end rotor assembly shown in Fig. 6 and taken along lines 8-8 of this Fig. 6; portions of the upper cover being removed to show the positional relationship of the fan blades, the top plate of the divider member and the hollow support shaft; Fig. 9 is an elevational view of an alternative embodiment of the divider member at the left end of the disc cutterbar, utilizing access doors to permit access to be gained to the interior chamber of the divider member; and Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the divider member shown in Fig. 9 and taken along lines 10-10 of this Fig. 9. Referring now to the drawings and, particularly, to Fig. 1, a top plan view of a crop harvesting machine, commonly referred to as a disc mower-conditioner, incorporating the principles of the instant invention, can be seen. Any left and right references are used as a matter of convenience and are determined by standing at the rear of the machine and facing in the direction of operative travel. As best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the disc mower-conditioner 10 is supported over the ground G by a wheeled frame 12. The embodiment as shown in the drawings is commonly referred to as a pull-type machine and, therefore, is equipped with a draft tongue 13 and a PTO driveline 14 to input rotational power from a pulling tractor (not shown). The machine 10 is provided with a header 15 floatingly supported from the frame 12 in a conventional manner. The header 15 is provided with a disc cutterbar 20, described in further detail below, and a conditioning mechanism 16, including an upper roll 17 and a lower roll 18, positioned immediately rearwardly of the cutterbar 20 to receive and condition severed crop. Conditioned crop material which is discharged from the conditioning mechanism 16 is engaged with the rearwardly converging baffle shields 19 that deposit this conditioned crop into a consolidated windrow upon the ground G in a conventional manner. The disc cutterbar 20 is best seen in Figs. 3 and 4. The power input shaft 22 receives rotational power from the PTO driveline 14 and transfers the rotational power through a series of intermeshing gears 29 in a conventional manner to rotatably power the operation of the disc cutter assemblies 25, each of which has a pair of outwardly extending knives 27 that engage the standing crop material and, by rotation along a circular arc exhibited by the arc 21, effect a severing thereof from the ground. One skilled in the art will readily realize that the transmission gearing 29 within the cutterbar casing 28 is arranged in a conventional manner with a pair of idler gears being disposed between the drive gears associated with adjacent disc cutter assemblies 25 so that adjacent disc cutter assemblies rotate in opposing directions. Referring now to Figs. 3-8, the construction and operation of the self-cleaning end rotor assemblies 30, 50 can be seen. As best seen in Figs. 3, 5 and 7, the left end rotor assembly 30 is provided with, on the one hand, a disc member 26 carrying knives 27 to sever standing crop material and, on the other hand, a truncated conical divider or deflector member 32 mounted on the disc member 26 to facilitate the flow of crop material over the cutterbar 20 and inwardly toward the conditioning mechanism 16. The member 32 commonly is referred to as a divider member because of its original function when disc cutterbars became popular. However, this type of members presently also may have a crop deflector and/or crop conveyor function either in addition to or in lieu of the original crop divider function. Yet the name commonly used for this part did not change. The hat-shaped divider member 32 includes a generally vertical outer wall member 33 and a top plate 34 forming the upper surface of the divider member 32 and defining an interior chamber 35 between the top plate 34 and the disc member 26. A support shaft 37 is connected to the frame 12 of the disc mower-conditioner 10 to support the disc cutterbar 20 at a position proximate to the ground. The support shaft 37 is stationary and passes through the interior chamber 35 of the divider member 32 so that the divider member 32 is rotatable with the disc member 26 around the support shaft 37. The support shaft 37 is provided with a plurality of inlet openings 38 to permit the passage of air from within the hollow support shaft 37 into the interior chamber 35. To permit the introduction of air from the atmosphere into the hollow support shaft 37, access openings 39 are provided in the upper portion of the support shaft 37. Because of the passage of the power input shaft 22 through the center of the hollow support shaft 37, a bearing 41 is mounted in a web-like structure 42, which is part of said hollow support shaft 37, to retain the bearing 41 on the one hand and also to permit the passage of air from the access openings 39 through the hollow support shaft 37 and through the air inlet openings 38 into the interior chamber 35 of the divider member 32 on the other hand. The top plate 34 of the divider member 32 is provided with an exhaust mechanism 40 in the form of a plurality of fan blades 44 positioned to expel air from within the interior chamber 35 through an outlet opening 45 formed as a labyrinth positioned between the top plate 34 and an upper cover 47 detachably affixed to the support shaft 37 by fasteners 48. The rotation of the divider member 32 creates a vacuum within the divider 32 by operation of the fan blades 44 to create a flow of air along the paths indicated by lines 49 to clean dirt and debris from within the interior chamber 35. Referring now to Figs. 3, 6 and 8, the structure and operation of the right end rotor assembly 50 can best be seen. Similar to the left end rotor assembly 30, the right end rotor assembly 50 includes a disc member 26 having knives 27 mounted thereon for severing standing crop material and a divider or deflector member 52 mounted on the disc members 26 to facilitate the flow of severed crop material over the disc cutterbar 20 and inwardly toward the conditioning mechanism 16. Again this divider member 52, like the first divider member 32, may have a crop conveyor and/or a crop deflector function either in addition to or in lieu of the original crop divider function. The divider member 52 is provided with a generally vertical, truncated conical outer wall 53 and a top plate 54 affixed to the outer wall 53 and forming the upper surface of the divider 52 and defining an interior chamber 55 therewithin. A hollow support shaft 57 interconnects the harvester frame 12 and the disc cutterbar 20 to support the cutterbar 20 adjacent the surface of the ground. The support shaft 57 is provided with air inlet openings 58 to permit the flow of air from within the hollow support shaft 57 into the interior chamber 55 of the divider member 52. Since the support shaft 57 does not rotatably support a power input shaft, as does the left support shaft 37, the access opening 59 for the introduction of the air from the atmosphere into the hollow support shaft 57 is shown to be located at the top of the support shaft 57. One skilled in the art will readily realize that alternative access openings 59 could be satisfactorily provided. The top plate 54 of the divider member 52 is also provided with an exhaust mechanism 60 in the form of a plurality of fan blades 62 mounted to the top plate 54. The fan blades 62 are arranged to create a vacuum within the interior chamber 55 and expel air through a discharge opening 65 formed as a labyrinth between the top plate 54 and an upper cover 67 detachably affixed by fasteners 68 to the stationary support shaft 57. As described above with respect to the left end rotor assembly 30, the rotation of the divider member 52 permits the fan blades 62 to cause a flow of air from within the hollow support shaft 57, through the air inlet openings 58 into the interior chamber 55 and to be exhausted through the outlet opening 65, as indicated by the air flow lines 69. The operation of the disc mower-conditioner 10 to harvest standing crop material includes the rotation of the disc cutter assemblies 25 at a rotational speed in excess of 2500 revolutions per minute. Accordingly, the divider or deflector members 32, 52 also are rotated at this rotational speed along with the disc members 26 to which they are affixed. This high rotational speed permits the fan blades 44,62 to create a vacuum within the respective interior chambers 35,55 and thereby create a flow of air indicated by the air flow lines 49,69. This flow of air discharges dirt and debris from within the interior chambers 35, 55 during operation of the disc cutterbar 20 and effectively provides self-cleaning end rotor assemblies 30, 50. Furthermore, the flow of air through the discharge openings 45, 65 prevents the entrance of dirt and debris through these openings 45, 65 and effectively provides a seal between the top plates 34, 54 and the upper covers 47, 67 so long as the divider members 32, 52 are rotating. The size, shape and location of the air inlet openings 38, 58 and the access openings 39, 59 effectively filter large particles of debris from entering the respective interior chambers 35, 55. However, additional optional filtering mechanisms, such as the filter 70 in Fig. 6, can be provided to further filter the flow of air into the interior chambers 35, 55. One skilled in the art will readily realize that for the above described mechanism to operate effectively, the divider members 32, 52 must be constructed so that all cracks and holes, except the air inlet openings 38, 58 and access openings 39, 59, are sealed to prevent the entry of material into the interior chambers 35, 55. Referring now to Figs. 9 and 10, an alternative embodiment of the divider member 32 can be seen. It should be noted however that the structure described below would be equally applicable to the right divider member 52. The basic structure is described with respect to Fig. 5 above as indicated by the common reference numerals. The outer wall member 33 is provided with a pair of opposing door openings 101 covered by detachable access doors 105. This structure is duplicated on opposite sides of the divider member 32 to maintain rotor balance. Each access door 105 is affixed to the outer wall member 33 by at least four fasteners 103 positioned at the respective corners of the door 105. A fin 110 is connected to the outside of each access door 105 by each pair of vertically aligned fasteners 103. Each fin 110 is composed of a base portion 112 oriented parallel to and adjacent the outer wall member 33 and attached access door 105 and a protruding leg 114 integral with the base portion 112 but bent outwardly away from the outer wall member 33. Each fin 110 is configured such that the protruding leg 114, with respect to the direction of rotation of the divider member 32, leads the fasteners 103 to protect them from wear due to engagement with crop material. The fins 110 also improve the aggressive feeding of severed crop material over the cutterbar 20. Although the operation of the fan blades 44 effects a discharge of most of the debris from within the interior chamber 35 and, perhaps more importantly, effects a flow of air through the labyrinth discharge opening 45 to prevent the entrance of debris through this opening 45, it has been found that some material nevertheless can enter the divider 32 and collect at the bottom of the chamber 35. A removal of the fasteners 103, which are threaded into nuts 104 fixed, such as by welding, to the inside of the divider member 32, permits the fins 110 and the access doors 105 to be removed to thereby gain access to the interior chamber 35. In this manner, any dirt or debris that may have collected within the interior chamber 35 may be removed to minimize the build-up of such material therewithin.

Claims: A disc cutterbar (20) including : at least one disc cutter assembly (25) with a generally hollow divider (32; 52) mounted thereon for rotation therewith to facilitate the flow of cut crop material across the disc cutterbar (20); said hollow divider (32; 52) defining an interior chamber (35; 55) and having a hollow shaft (37; 57) positioned therewithin and projecting upwardly therefrom; air inlet means (38, 39; 58, 59) permitting the introduction of a flow of air (49; 69) into said interior chamber (35; 55); and fan means (40; 60) fixed to said divider (32; 52) for, upon rotation of this divider (32; 52), creating said flow of air (49; 69) and urging this flow of air (49; 69) from the air inlet means (38, 39; 58, 59) through the interior chamber (35; 55) to an outlet opening (45; 65) to thereby expel debris from within said interior chamber (35; 55); and characterized in that : said hollow shaft (37; 57) incorporates said air inlet means (38, 39; 58, 59) which includes, on the one hand, at least one access opening (39; 59) in the hollow shaft (37; 57) generally at a location above the divider (32; 52) to permit the flow of air (49; 69) to enter this shaft (37; 57) and, on the other hand, at least one inlet opening (38; 58) in said hollow shaft (37; 57) generally at a location below the top end of the divider (32; 52) to permit the entrance of air from within this shaft (37; 57) into the interior chamber (35; 55); and the outlet opening (45; 65) is positioned at a level generally between said access and inlet openings (39, 38; 59, 58). A disc cutterbar (20) according to claim 1 characterized in that said hollow shaft (37, 57) is stationary and rotatably supports said divider (32; 52). A disc cutterbar (20) according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the air inlet means (38, 39; 58, 59) comprises a plurality of air inlet openings (38; 58) provided in the hollow shaft (37; 57) at circumferentially spaced apart locations. A disc cutterbar (20) according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that the air inlet means (38, 39; 58, 59) is operable to filter particles of debris from the flow of air (49; 69) entering the interior chamber (35; 55) of said divider (32; 52). A disc cutterbar (20) according to claim 4, characterized in that a filter (70) is inserted in the at least one access opening (39; 59) in the hollow support member (37; 57). A disc cutterbar (20) according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that the outlet opening (45; 65) is provided generally at the top end of the hollow divider (32; 52). A disc cutterbar (20) according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that : the fan means (40; 60) comprises a plurality of fan blades (44; 62) mounted to a divider top plate (34; 54) defining the top of said interior chamber (35; 55); and said outlet opening (45; 65) is formed between said divider top plate (34; 54) and a cover (47; 67) positioned thereabove. A disc cutterbar (20) according to claim 7 when appended either directly or indirectly to claim 2 and characterized in that : said cover (47; 67) is affixed to said hollow shaft (37; 57); and said cover (47; 67) and said divider top plate (34; 54) are dimensioned, shaped and positioned relative to each other to determine the outlet opening (45; 65) therebetween in the form of a labyrinth and so that the flow path (49; 69) of the air discharged from the interior chamber (35; 55) is curved outwardly. A disc cutterbar (20) according to claim 8 characterized in that the upper cover (47; 67) is detachably affixed to said hollow shaft (37; 57). A disc cutterbar (20) according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that said divider (32; 52) comprises a removable access door (105) detachably connected to the divider outer wall (33; 53) for covering an opening (101) formed therein and for permitting access to the interior chamber (35; 55) of this divider (32; 52). A disc cutterbar (20) according to claim 10 characterized in that said outer wall (33; 53) is provided with a pair of opposing openings (101) therein covered by respective detachably connected access doors (105). A disc cutterbar (20) according to claim 10 or 11 characterized in that the or each access door (105) is affixed to said outer wall (33; 53) by fasteners (103) shielded by wear protection members (110). A disc cutterbar (20) according to claim 12 characterized in that the or each wear protection member (110) is in the form of a generally vertically oriented fin connected to the corresponding said access door (105) by a pair of generally vertically aligned fasteners (103). A disc cutterbar (20) according to claim 13 characterized in that the or each fin (110) includes a base portion (112) extending generally parallel to and adjacent the outer wall (33; 53) and an integral protruding leg (114) extending outwardly from the base portion (112) at an angle to said outer wall (33; 53). A disc cutterbar (20) according to claim 14 characterized in that said protruding leg (114) of the or each fin (110) leads the corresponding fasteners (103) with respect to the direction of rotation of the corresponding divider (32; 52). A disc cutterbar (20) according to any of the claims 13 to 15 characterized in that the or each access door (105) has a pair of said generally vertical fins (110) detachably connected thereto. A disc cutterbar (20) characterized in that a divider (32; 52) in accordance with any of the preceding claims is provided on each one of the opposing end disc cutter assemblies (25). A disc cutterbar (20) according to claim 2 or any of the claims 3 to 17 when appended either directly or indirectly to claim 2 and characterized in that the or each hollow shaft (37; 57) is adapted for mounting the cutterbar (20) to a frame (12) of a harvesting machine (10) at a suitable position adjacent the ground for severing standing crop material from the stubble on the ground. A disc cutterbar (20) according to claim 18 characterized in that the harvesting machine (10) of which said disc cutterbar (20) forms part, is a mower-conditioner which further also includes a conditioning mechanism (16) disposed rearwardly of said disc cutterbar (20) to receive severed crop therefrom and to condition said severed crop.

Inventors: HALE, JOHN K., KOCH, EARL E., VOLER, FRANJA F.
Applicants: FORD NEW HOLLAND, INC. (A DELAWARE CORP.)
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A01D34
IPC codes: A01D75, A01D34