Abstract:
A forage harvester header includes a plurality of intake and mowing arrangements disposed side-by-side across the width of the header and adapted for being driven about respective upright axes. Located behind the intake and mowing arrangements and leading to a centrally located discharge channel is a transverse conveying channel having upright conveying drums associated therewith to aid in moving the harvested crop stalks toward the discharge channel. A table is provided across the top of the center two intake and mowing arrangements and mounted centrally in the table is a conveyor arrangement which operates to gather and deliver rearwardly any crop stalks which emerge from the transverse conveying channel and go across the table in the vicinity of the conveyor arrangement.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention concerns forage harvesters and more specifically to crop control devices for headers for such harvesters.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    EP-0 069 898 A describes a multi-row harvesting machine, particularly for corn, in which two cutting and intake drums with cutting arrangements underneath them are arranged side-by-side relative to each other, which cut crop standing on a field and deliver it to intake rolls, that conduct the cut crop to a chopper arrangement. In order to remove the harvested crop from the intake drums and deliver it to the intake rolls, strippers are provided that are arranged ahead of the center of the intake channel formed by the intake rolls. The free ends of the strippers form a vertical slot between which a guide component is provided, that projects upward out of the slot between the free ends of the strippers.  
           [0003]    DE 195 27 607 A proposes a mowing arrangement for crops having stalks, that is provided with several mowing disks arranged alongside each other with conveyor disks arranged above them. The harvested crop is taken out of the conveying disks by removal disks and conducted to intake rolls arranged in an intake channel, that conduct it to a chopper arrangement. The removal disks of the two center conveyor disks are arranged immediately ahead of the intake channel. Above these removal disks, an edge extending transverse to the direction of operation is provided that is formed by the rear side of the center divider point, and prevents cut crop stalks from being drawn towards the front through the inner removal disks.  
           [0004]    In known machines for mowing crops having stalks (DE 195 31 918 A) that are provided with several mowing and intake drums arranged alongside each other, the crop harvested by the outer mowing and intake drums is initially transported to the side at the rear side of the machine in a transverse channel and then introduced into the intake channel, that is, deflected through  90 ° towards the rear, or opposite to the direction of operation.  
           [0005]    It occurs occasionally that, for example, during the harvest of silo corn, only one or two rows of plants remain standing at the edge of a field. These plant rows can be cut and drawn in only with the outer mowing and intake drums of the machine. In the case of a very wide machine, for example, a configuration encompassing eight or ten plant rows, the plants must be transported over a longer path through the transverse conveying channel to the center of the machine. Since no other plants are coming in to the center mowing and intake drums, the plants that have been cut are not supported by material entering the transverse conveying channel, but remain lying in it relatively loosely. As a result of a high center of gravity, the plants will bend downward more and more during the transport in the transverse conveying channel and then slide out of the transverse conveying channel with their lower ends. At the sides ahead of the intake channel, slope conveyor drums are not in a position to grasp the plants projecting with their lower ends out of the transverse conveying channel. The plants come to rest in the transverse direction in front of the transverse conveying drums and then block any further flow of the harvested crop. The clamping effect could be improved by a narrowing of the transverse conveying channel, but in normal operation, that is when plants are being taken in over the entire width of the machine, problems with throughput will be encountered.  
           [0006]    The guide components known from EP 0 069 898 A and the edge arranged above the center strippers of DE 195 27 607 A cannot solve the problem either.  
           [0007]    The problem underlying the present invention is seen in the need for improving the conveying of harvested crop in a forage harvester, particularly if only one part of the mowing and intake drums is being supplied with plant material.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    According to the present invention, there is provided a stalk crop harvesting implement having a header with improved feeding characteristics.  
           [0009]    An object of the invention is to provide a header for a forage harvester which effectively controls the delivery of the harvested crop stalks to a discharge channel of the header.  
           [0010]    A more specific object of the invention is to provide a header having a plurality of intake and mowing arrangements located in side-by-side relationship to each other across the width of the header and ahead of a transverse conveying channel leading to a discharge channel, and to equip the header with a conveying arrangement for gathering and delivering to the rear any crop stalks which emerge from the conveying channel.  
           [0011]    These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the ensuing description together with the appended drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a schematic, right front perspective view of a forage harvester header constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a schematic, right front perspective view of the front of a forage harvester header constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a schematic, right front perspective view of a forage harvester header constructed in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]    Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a forage harvester header  10  having a frame  12  on which eight intake and mowing arrangements  14  are arranged side-by-side to each other. The intake and mowing arrangements  14  each consist, in a manner known in itself, of conveyor disks arranged coaxially over associated mowing disks having a plurality of pocket-shaped recesses distributed over their circumference. The conveyor disks grasp and transport the stalk-like harvested crop that was cut from the surface of the field by means of the mowing disks. The number of intake and mowing arrangements  14  of the header  10  can be chosen freely, hence more or fewer than eight intake and mowing arrangements  14  can be employed. On the rear side of the intake and mowing arrangements  14 , the harvested crop is taken out of the conveyor disks by removal devices (not shown in the drawing for the sake of clarity), that are configured as rotating disks or stationary elements, and conveyed sideways toward the center of the header  10  by transversely spaced conveyor drums  16  that interact with the intake and mowing arrangements  14 , and that are equipped with projecting driver teeth which penetrate corresponding slots in a rear wall of the frame  12 .  
         [0016]    At the center of the rear of the header  10 , a discharge channel  18  of the header  10  is arranged. The harvested crop is conveyed into the discharge channel  18  in the center of the header  10  by a pair of slope conveyor drums  20 , that are also equipped with toothed drivers. The conveyor drums  20  are arranged on opposite sides of and ahead of the discharge channel  18 . The axes of rotation of the slope conveyor drums  20  are inclined toward the front. The intake and mowing arrangements  14  are driven about approximately vertical axes of rotation, or axes that are inclined slightly forward. The transverse conveyor drums  16  and the slope conveyor drums  20  are coupled to a drive so that they may be put into rotation. The header  10  is that for a self-propelled forage harvester and the power for driving the various drives is provided by an engine of the machine, which also powers drive wheels for moving the harvester over a field in the forward direction of travel. The header  10  includes a carrier frame  28  located centrally behind the discharge channel  18  which is fastened, so that it can be removed, to the forward end of the self-propelled forage harvester. The directions of rotation of the intake and mowing arrangements are opposite on the opposite sides of a vertical longitudinal center plane of the header  10 , where each of the three inner intake and mowing arrangements  14  rotate in an opposite direction than does the outermost intake and mowing arrangement  14 .  
         [0017]    If the header  10  is moved over a field, standing plants  24  are pushed to the side, if necessary by means of stalk dividers  22 , and grasped by the intake and mowing arrangements  14 , which operate independent of rows, and cut from the ground. Then the plants  24  are transported transverse to the forward direction of operation to the center of the header  10  in the transverse conveying channel  26 , that is defined between the rear wall of the header  10  and the transverse conveyor drums  16 , on the one hand, and the intake and mowing arrangements  14 , on the other hand. There they are conveyed by the slope conveyor drums  20  into the discharge channel  18 .  
         [0018]    It should be noted that the configuration of the transverse conveying channel  26  can be selected freely within the scope of the invention. FIGS. 1 through 3 are concerned with a channel formed between the rear wall of the header  10  and the intake and mowing arrangements  14  arranged ahead of it through which the harvested crop is transported by the intake and mowing arrangements  14  interacting with the transverse conveyor drums  16  arranged behind them or with driven removal disks or transverse conveying bands (DE 195 27 607 A; DE 195 31 918 A and DE 198 56 444 A). A transport of the harvested crop in the transverse conveying channel  26  independent of the intake and mowing arrangements  14  is also conceivable, which can be accomplished by separate conveyors, for example, in the form of a conveyor band or screw conveyors (GB 2 012 154 A).  
         [0019]    In case only an outer intake and mowing arrangement  14  is supplied with harvested crop, it is conceivable, in particular, that individual plants cannot be retained securely in the transverse conveying channel  26  by the other intake and mowing arrangements  14  due to an insufficient supply of harvested crop. These plants  24  may fall over, as is the plant identified in FIG. 1 with the number call-out  24 ′, as a result of its relatively high center of gravity, and slide out of the transverse conveying channel  26  with its lower end. In such a case, it is possible that the plant comes to rest on a plate-shaped center table  30  arranged between the two central intake and mowing arrangements  14 . In known headers  10  for mowing of the stalks of crop such as corn, the operator must stop the engine of the forage harvester, climb out of the operator&#39;s cab and manually remove the plants  24 ′ from the center table  30 .  
         [0020]    In order to avoid this disadvantage, a conveying arrangement  32 , in the form of a star-shaped conveyor disk equipped with drivers  38 , is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the center table  30  so that the disk lies in a vertical plane that is parallel to the forward operating direction. The conveying arrangement  32  penetrates an opening in the center table  30 . It is connected, so as to be driven, with an intake and mowing arrangement  14  by a shaft  36  and a gear box  34 . It is driven about a horizontal axis extending transverse to the forward direction of operation of the forage harvester, where the shaft  36  and the axis of rotation of the conveying arrangement  32  are located underneath the center table  30 . The conveying arrangement  32  conveys plants  24 ′, that have slid out of the transverse conveying channel  26 , automatically again into the transverse conveying channel  26 , since its upper side rotates in the direction towards the discharge channel  18  in normal harvesting operation. There the plants are conveyed by the slope conveyor drums  20  into the discharge channel  18 .  
         [0021]    Since the conveying arrangement  32  is coupled so as to drive the intake and mowing arrangements  14 , the conveying arrangement  32  is driven in the reverse direction when the header is operated in the reverse direction. It supports the depositing on the center table  30  of the harvested crop thrown out of the discharge channel  18  during the reverse operation. If, after the reverse operation, the normal harvesting operation is again resumed, it conveys the harvested crop that was deposited on the center table  30  again into the transverse conveying channel  26 , from which it reaches the discharge channel  18 .  
         [0022]    Referring now to FIG. 2, only the center four intake and mowing arrangements  14  are pictured. This embodiment differs from that shown in FIG. 1 in that instead of a single conveying arrangement  32 , two conveying arrangements  32  are shown arranged on the table  30  for rotation about parallel axes, with one arrangement  32  being located directly ahead of the other. The two conveying arrangements  32  are driven so as to rotate in the same direction and make it possible for plants deposited over the entire fore-and-aft dimension of the center table  30  to be conveyed back into the transverse conveying channel  26  and from there into the discharge channel  18 . In its remaining configuration, the header  10  is identical to that shown in FIG. 1, where corresponding components are identified by the same number call-outs.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the forage harvester header  10  is equipped with a conveying arrangement  40  in the form of a fore-and-aft extending belt conveyor located in the center of the table  30  and including transverse ribs  42 . A rear roller supporting the conveyor belt of the conveying arrangement  40  is driven by the gear box  34  of the intake and mowing arrangement  14  immediately to the left of the conveying arrangement  40 , the direction of driving being such that the upper side of the conveyor belt, which is located above the center table  30 , moves in the direction towards the discharge channel  18  during the normal harvesting operation. Any plants that have possibly emerged from the transverse conveying channel  26  are again conveyed automatically into the transverse conveying channel  26  in this way and reach the discharge channel  18  from there. Otherwise, the header  10  shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the headers shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.  
         [0024]    The operation of the header  10  of each of the embodiments is thought to be apparent from the foregoing description, suffice it to say that the conveying arrangements at the center of the headers act to intercept crop stalks which have emerged from the transverse channel  26  and deliver them back to the channel  26 .  
         [0025]    Having described the preferred embodiment, it will become apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.