Abstract:
Disclosed is an assembly for mitigating soil compacted by wheels or belts of a vehicle moving over soil and carried by the vehicle. The assembly operates with a series of blades affixed to a rotatable shaft and displaying an elliptical pattern. A hood confines about the top half of the blades and spans about the width of the assembly. A motor rotates the rotatable shaft. A mounting assembly mounts the assembly to the vehicle behind and in alignment with the vehicle wheels or belts. A cylinder assembly reversibly moves the assembly from a home position downwardly into compacted soil for its mitigation.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims benefit of provisional application 62/363,381, filed Jul. 18, 2016. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The present disclosure relates to mitigation of soil compaction caused by heavy vehicles and more particularly to self-soil compaction by the heavy vehicles that cause such soil compaction, such as typified by a harvesting combine. 
         [0004]    Soil compaction, as we know it today, is caused primarily by heavily laden vehicles supported by tires or crawler lugged belts passing over the soil, and certain tillage tools, such as a disc, which compresses the soil as it pushes the soil sideways. Even standing water can cause soil compaction. Soil compaction reduces the ability of the soil to absorb water and air and, therefore, reduces crop yields and increases soil erosion. The degree to which soil is compacted by a specific weighted axle passing over it is affected by the ratio of silt to sand and the percent moisture in the soil. The more fine silt particles and higher moisture content, the more the soil compacts, forms tracks or ruts, and reduces water and air movement. 
         [0005]    Tracks or depressions in the soil caused by tires or crawler lugs in a high moisture content area of soil changes as the soil dries out. The compacted areas of soil tend to become harder, retain their shape, and set up similar to the brickmaking process. Therefore, it is advantageous and requires less energy to till the soil and break up shapes of soil immediately after it is deformed by compaction and prevent the “bricks” from forming. Soil tilled immediately after being compacted also restores the air and water movement process. An untended compacted wheel track or rut will fill with water and hold it for a long period of time until it is tilled. This is a major problem for a farmer using the no-till growing system. The lowest cost scenario is to apply nutrients and seed into the soil as left by the harvesting machine with no separate tillage steps between harvesting and planting. 
         [0006]    This disclosure is directed to the remediation of compacted soil by the very vehicle creating the compacted soil condition. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The most advantageous mechanism to remove axle load tracks and the underlying compaction is a system, which is integrated into the vehicle that is forming the tracks, such as, for example, a tractor, grain harvester, or grain transporter. The compaction mitigation method or tool should not add to the compaction or throw soil sideways, such as does a disc harrow. The compaction mitigation system should leave the soil nearly level and containing as much air or as “fluffy” as possible. In the case of harvesting, it should mix crop residue into the soil and chop off weeds. It should be effective regardless of the shape of the compacted tracks resultant of the tire or crawler track lugs. The general shape of a compacted track is elliptical with the highest level of compaction in the center of the ellipse. Therefore, the center of the ellipse requires the deepest penetration by the compaction mitigation tool. Mitigating the compaction track during the harvesting process would result in a major cost reduction by eliminating the need to deep rip the entire harvested field. 
         [0008]    Disclosed, then, is an assembly for mitigating soil compacted by wheels or belts of a vehicle moving over soil and carried by the vehicle. The assembly operates with a series of blades affixed to a rotatable shaft and displaying an elliptical pattern. A hood confines about the top half of the blades and spans about the width of the assembly. A motor rotates the rotatable shaft. A mounting assembly mounts the assembly to the vehicle behind and in alignment with the vehicle wheels or belts. A cylinder assembly reversibly moves the assembly from a home position downwardly into compacted soil for its mitigation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the present method and process, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of an articulated combine fitted with the disclosed soil compaction mitigation assembly in an up or home (idle) position; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of an articulated combine fitted with the disclosed soil compaction mitigation assembly in a down or working (active) position; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is an overhead view of the articulated combine of  FIG. 1  showing remediated tracks resultant of the disclosed soil compaction mitigation assembly; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a rear view of the articulated combine of  FIG. 1  showing the disclosed soil compaction mitigation assemblies in the up or home (idle) position; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a rear view of the articulated combine of  FIG. 1  showing the disclosed soil compaction mitigation assemblies in a down or working (active) position; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a bottom view of the articulated combine of  FIG. 1  showing the disclosed soil compaction mitigation assemblies; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  has the rear wheel assembly removed to show the disclosed soil compaction mitigation assembly in the up or home/idle position; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  has the rear wheel assembly removed to show the disclosed soil compaction mitigation assembly in a down or working (active) position; 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a rear view of the articulated combine of  FIG. 1  showing one of the disclosed soil compaction mitigation assemblies in the up or home/idle position and the other disclosed soil compaction mitigation assembly in a down or working (active) position; 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is a bottom view of the articulated combine of  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 11  is an isometric view of a blade for the disclosed soil compaction mitigation assembly; 
           [0021]      FIG. 12  is an isometric view of an alternative blade for the disclosed soil compaction mitigation assembly; 
           [0022]      FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view a portion of the blades of  FIGS. 11 and 12  showing their dual cutting or sharpened edges; 
           [0023]      FIG. 14  is an alternative embodiment where the rear wheel assembly is removed to show the disclosed soil compaction mitigation assembly in the up or home/idle position and fitted a sensing wheel correlative with the depth of the wheel rut; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 15  is rear view of the alternative embodiment shown in  FIG. 14 . 
       
    
    
       [0025]    The drawings will be described in greater detail below. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    Referring initially to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an articulated harvester,  10 , consists of a powered PPU (crop processing power unit),  12 , a rear grain cart,  14 , and an articulation joint,  16 , that connects PPU  12  with rear grain cart  14 . The details of articulation joint  16  are disclosed in commonly owned application Ser. No. 14/946,827 filed Nov. 20, 2015. PPU  12  carries a grainhead,  18 , operator&#39;s cab,  20 , grain cleaning and handling assembly, and engines. PPU  12  is devoid of any grain storage, such being exclusive in rear grain cart  14 . While both PPU  12  and rear grain cart  14  are shown being carried by wheel assemblies, one or both could be tracked. A screened air inlet,  15 , is located atop PPU  12  where the air likely is the cleanest around harvesting combine  10 . The operator is granted access to cab  20  by a stair assembly,  26 , that extends upwardly from just above the ground and is more fully disclosed in commonly owned application Ser. No. ______, filed ______ (U.S. Provisional 62/375,986; attorney docket DIL 2-035). 
         [0027]    An off-loading auger assembly,  22 , is in the folded home position and being carried by rear grain cart  14 . Grain cart  14  also bears a foldable roof,  24 , shown in an open position, but which can fold inwardly to cover grain stored in rear grain cart  14 . Foldable roof  24  may be made of metal, plastic, or other suitable material, but may be made of durable plastic for weight reduction and easy folding/unfolding. A grain storage bin is carried by grain cart  14  may be made of plastic also in keeping with desirable weight reduction; although, it could be made of metal also at the expense of weight. All plastic parts may be filled with particulate or fiber reinforcement in conventional fashion and could be laminate in construction. Further details on rear grain cart  14  can be found commonly owned application Ser. No. 14/946,842 filed Nov. 20, 2015. 
         [0028]    In  FIG. 3 , tracks,  28  and  30 , caused by wheels,  32  and  34 , respectively, of PPU  12  are seen. The rear wheels for grain cart  14  will just reinforce tracks  28  and  30  by moving in these tracks when articulated combine  10  is driven in a straight line. Two sets of tracks may be created when articulated combine  10  turns in either direction. The disclosed soil compaction mitigation assemblies carried by rear grain cart  14  create remediated tracks,  36  and  38 , from tracks  28  and  30 , respectively. Remediated tracks,  36  and  38  are characterized by aerated or fluffy soil with weeds having been cut and organic matter (e.g., MOG or “material other than grain” and weeds) being mixed in with the soil. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , rear wheels,  40  and  42 , of rear grain cart  14  add to the soil compaction of front wheels  32  and  34 . Compacted soil tracks are mitigated with soil compaction mitigation assemblies,  44  and  46 , carried by rear grain cart  14  and being in alignment with rear wheels  40  and  42 . The width of mitigation assemblies  44  and  46  desirably are at least as wide at rear wheels  40  and  42  with additional width helping to mitigate the wider compacted tracks left by a turning combine. Mitigation assemblies  44  and  46  are in an up or home or idle position in  FIG. 4 . They can be attached to the axle assembly for rear wheels  40  and  42 . They may operate independently or they may be synchronized. Various embodiments will be explored below. For the articulated combine in the drawings, the axle for the towed grain cart is steerable. 
         [0030]    Mitigation assemblies  44  and  46  are in a down or operating (track mitigating) position in  FIG. 5 . A hydraulic motor,  48 , drives mitigation assemblies  44  and  46 . A rotating connector shaft,  50 , driven by motor  48  to assemblies  44  and  46 , drives both assemblies synchronously. Both assemblies are connected to an axle,  52 , for rear grain cart  14  by a pair of braces,  54  and  56 , connected, respectively, to assemblies  44  and  46  (see also  FIG. 6 ). A metal bar or bracket,  58 , runs between assemblies  44  and  46  to complete the triangular structural support assemblies therefor. Other structural configurations could be envisioned for assemblies  44  and  46 , provided that they did not interfere with a hitch assembly,  60 , carried by rear grain cart or its use in towing. 
         [0031]    Assemblies  44  and  46  have a series of rotating blades,  62   a  through  62   g,  for assembly  44 , and  64   a  through  64   g,  for assembly  46 . Given the generally elliptical nature of the compacted tracks, blades  62   d  and  64   d  will be the longest with the blade pattern also being generally elliptical, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . It should be recognized that the length of the blades is drawn for illustration and not necessarily to scale for elliptical tracks encountered in the field. Each set of rotating blades rotates within generally semi-circular hoods,  66  and  68 , for assemblies  44  and  46 , respectively. The rotating blades are fixed to a rotating shaft,  70 , for assembly  44 , and  72 , for assembly  46 . Motor  48  drives rotating shaft  72  and shaft  70  via rotating connector shaft  50 . 
         [0032]    Referring additionally to  FIGS. 7 and 8  and specifically to assembly  46 , brace  56  is pivotally attached to a bracket,  58 , carried by axle  52  about its center. Another bracket,  59 , is carried towards the bottom of axle  52  and pivotally joins one end of a cylinder,  61 , with the other end of cylinder  61  pivotally connected to assembly  46  for pivoting assembly  46  from its up or home position to a down or active/operating position. Assembly  44  will have an identical cylinder assembly and brackets carried by axle  52  to raising and lowering assembly  44 . The cylinder assemblies can be attached to bar  58  spanning between the assemblies or independently to each assembly.  FIGS. 9 and 10  shows a configuration of assemblies with bar  58  and rotating connector shaft  50  removed where shafts  71  and  73  driven by their own motors and each cylinder assembly independently raises and lowers each assembly. In  FIG. 9 , assembly  44  is in a down or operating position, while assembly  46  is in a raised or home position. It will be appreciated that any cylinder assembly could be hydraulic, pneumatic, or electric driven, and could be a linear actuator, electric motor, or other powered device. 
         [0033]    With additional reference to  FIG. 8 , the semi-circular shape of hood  68  is seen; although, it should be recognized that additional shapes may be used. Hood  68  (and similarly hood  66 ) performs important functions in the operation of the assemblies given that it is desired that the remediated tracks be generally even with the adjoining soil and that no soil should be thrown outside of the tracks. In the down or operating position, the trailing edge of hood  68  is set generally at about the level of the adjoining soil so that such trailing edge creates the level and smoothness desired of the remediated tracks. Additionally, hood  68  functions to retain the soil churned up by the blades from being thrown. Hood  68  confines the churned up soil to be retained therewithin with the trailing edge then performing its function. To that end hoods  66  and  68  also have sides for trapping the loose soil. 
         [0034]    Referring now to  FIG. 11 , a blade,  74 , having a generally elongated “O” configuration has a pair of apertures through the center of each long side through which rotating shaft  70  or shaft  72  is placed for rotating of blade  74 . In the drawings, all of the blades, but for the end blades, are shown in this configuration, which is a known blade configuration. In  FIG. 12 , a blade,  76 , is shown as a generally elongated “C” with a central aperture for a rotating shaft. This is the end blade configuration shown in the drawings. Of course, a variety of different blade configurations could be used in accordance with this disclosure. In order for the blades to be effective in churning up the compacted tracks, their edges need to be sharp.  FIG. 13  shows a cross-section of either blade  74  or blade  76  with both edges being sharpened. This is because the blades in assemblies  44  and  46  can be reversed in rotational direction. This enables the machine to which the assemblies are attached to remediate tracks whether the machine is going forward or backward. In order for the blades to be effective in both a forward direction and a rearward (backing up) direction, they need to be sharp on both edges, as shown in  FIG. 13 . 
         [0035]    With reference to  FIGS. 14 and 15 , illustrated is an alternative and currently preferred embodiment wherein provision is made to determine the depth of the wheel rut in order adjust assemblies  44  and  46  to the determined or sensed wheel rut depth. While a variety of sensing systems can be envisioned, a representative such sensing system is illustrated where a wheel assemblies,  78  and  80 . A detailed description of wheel assembly  78  will be given for illustrative purposes, it being understood that wheel assembly  80  will be substantially the same. Wheel assembly  78  includes a wheel,  82 , carried by a generally horizontal bracket,  84 , pivotally attached to a generally vertically oriented bracket,  86 , which is turn is attached at its upper end to bracket  58 , which has been extended in length from the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . Additionally a sprocket,  88 , is carried where brackets  84  and  86  pivotally connect, as is a sprocket,  90 , at the upper end of bracket  86 . A chain,  92 , runs around sprockets  88  and  90 . Additionally, a sensor,  94 , is located with sprocket  90  and senses the rotation of sprocket  90  resulting from the rotation of sprocket  88  resulting from the position of wheel assembly  78  as it travels in the wheel rut. Sensor  94  in turn is used to determine the depth for assembly  46 , which is determined by cylinder assembly  61  in conventional fashion. The skilled artisan will appreciate that, while wheel assemblies  78  and  80  could be coordinated to operate in unison (same depth), it may be advantageous that each operate independently to account for the depth of each wheel rut being different due to, for example, terrain, soil type, soil density, and/or a variety of additional factors. 
         [0036]    Alternative to the foregoing discussion regarding wheel  82  in  FIGS. 14 and 15 , cylinder  56  could be in a free-float mode so that wheel  82  and assembly  46  moved up and down in concordance. Essentially, assembly  46  would follow the ups and downs of wheel  82 . Of course, assembly  46  would be set to a pre-determined depth level relative to wheel  82  and thereafter follow the up and down movement of wheel  82 . 
         [0037]    While the apparatus, system, and method have been described with reference to various embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope and essence of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. All citations referred herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference.