Abstract:
An automatic coupling and latching assembly, for coupling a combine feeder and a combine header from the cab of a combine harvester, said assembly comprising a stationary gearbox with a telescopic jackshaft assembly extending therefrom, a shift fork activation unit, and comprising spring loaded retainers, is disclosed.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to the drive-train coupling of combine feeder interfaces and combine headers; and it particularly relates to automatically coupling the same via a stationary gearbox. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0002]    The combine harvester, or simply combine, is a machine that harvests, threshes, and cleans crops, especially grain plants. The combine was originally patented in 1834 by Hiram Moore, the same year as Cyrus McCormick was granted a patent on the mechanical reaper. Early combines, some of which were quite large, were drawn by horse and mule teams and used a bull wheel to provide mechanical power. Later, tractor-drawn, PTO-powered combines were used. Some combines used shakers to separate the grain from the chaff, and used straw-walkers to eject the straw while retaining the grain. Tractor-drawn combines evolved to have separate gas or diesel engines to power the grain separation. Today&#39;s combines are self-propelled and use diesel engines for power. Rotary designed combines were significant advancements in the art in the late 1970s. Today&#39;s combines are equipped with removal heads, or headers, designed for particular crops. There is the standard head or grain platform, which is used for many crops including grain, legumes and many seed crops. There are also wheat heads, dummy heads or pickup headers, specialized corn heads, row crop heads, etc. The headers or heads are generally interchangeable and made to fit combine feeder interfaces through which the crop enters the feeder housing and can advance into the combine. 
         [0003]    Conventionally, combine feeder housings are equipped with quick-connect coupling mechanisms at the interface between the feeder and the header. The quick-connect mechanism enables an operator, standing outside of the combine, to manually exchange one header for another, and to manually latch the feeder to the header. For example, attached to the back of each header are two (left and right of center) quick-connect latches. Attaching the combine feeder housing to these header latches is accomplished by an operator driving the combine up to a header, hydraulically lowering the combine&#39;s feeder housing, and driving the combine forward until the feeder housing&#39;s interface, which is equipped with two quick-connect yokes, contacts the header latches. Then the combine&#39;s feeder housing is hydraulically lifted, allowing the quick-connect yokes, on the feeder interface, to slide up and against the quick-connect latches on the header, and thereafter the header can be raised in concert with raising the feeder. However, it is still necessary thereafter for the operator to leave the cab in order to latch and lock the drive train. That is, the operator must connect, by hand, various drive belts, chains, and hydraulic hoses in order to couple the header drives with the feeder drives. 
         [0004]    In co-pending application Ser. No. 11/483,926, filed Jul. 10, 2006, there is disclosed an automatic header latching mechanism for connecting the feeder drive and header drive. However its operation requires that the gearbox slide back and forth along the feeder interface. 
         [0005]    A new coupling device which negates manual intervention, during the feeder housings coupling to and uncoupling from the combine header drive mechanisms, using a stationary gearbox, would satisfy a longfelt need, and represent a surprising advancement in the art. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention permits a combine operator to automatically connect the combine&#39;s feeder PTO shaft to the combine&#39;s header drive shafts without leaving the cab of the combine. This automatic coupling device comprises a stationary in-line gearbox having a telescopically extendible jack shaft, which jack shaft&#39;s telescopic action is initiated by a shift fork assembly having pneumatic, electronic and/or hydraulic actuators triggered from the cab of the combine. The telescopic jack shaft rotatably extends from the gearbox, in-line along either side of the feeder interface, so as to be in alignment with and engageable to an oversized receivable coupler element, which coupler transfers power from the feeder drive to the header drive. In alignment therewith, but extending from the opposite side of the feeder housing from where the gearbox is located, there may be a second but longer shaft extending from the gearbox to a point where it is insertable in a matching oversize receivable coupler element. Said second but longer shaft may also be telescopically actuated by a fork shift, as a first coupling, to extend into the oversized receivable or second coupling member. 
         [0007]    The header can be lifted by driving a combine up to it and lifting its feeder. When the feeder is lifted, the header&#39;s interface tilts into the feeder adapter interface, is latched, and the drives can then be coupled from the instrument panel in the cab of the combine. 
         [0008]    The telescopic jack shafts on the gearbox, when actuated by shift fork assemblies, will engage the oversized receivable header coupler members on both sides of the feeder. The shift fork assemblies can also activate a header latch pin locking and unlocking mechanism which cooperates along a line substantially parallel to but separate from the gearbox line. The couplings of the present invention can be spring-loaded to fully engage or disengage from the header drive shafts as a consequence of slowly rotating the combine feeder drive shaft in one direction or the other. Electronic initiation and modulation will safeguard against either premature engagement or premature disengagement of the latching and coupling system. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a combine harvester coupled to a header with the coupling mechanism of the present invention mounted on one side of the combine&#39;s feeder housing interface with the header; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a close-up frontal view of the coupling mechanism of the present invention, showing the telescopic jack shaft extending from the gearbox, through the shift fork, and entering the receivable coupling members located on a header drive line; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a right frontal perspective view of the device of the present invention secured to the feeder interface of a combine harvester, prior to coupling with a header; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a direct frontal view of the device of the present invention and the feeder interface uncoupled from the header drive; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a direct frontal views of the device of the present invention and the feeder interface, when coupled to the header drive; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a direct frontal view of the feeder interface and the device of the present invention with the latch pin unlatched; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the latch pin cable and uncoupled device of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the bottom of the shift fork element of the present invention; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a top view of a single cylinder and pivot arm embodiment for actuating the shift fork of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    It should be understood that the detailed description below while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, is given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. Embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 
         [0019]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 , in accordance with the present invention, combine harvester  10  can be driven up to and can lift header  13 , and from cab  11  activate shift fork assembly  14  by pushing a button or throwing a switch or touching a screen to cause the header  13  and feeder  12  to couple their respective drive trains to one another. That is to say, cylinder  16 , by opening and closing, causes its plunger arms at  18  to move shift fork element  17  in the direction B to effectively couple the feeder  12 , via shaft  20 , to the header  13 , via oversized receivable coupling member  21 , and effectively connecting the drive from gearbox  15  with the header drive line  23 . The combine&#39;s drive power is transferred via gearbox  15 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , to a short jackshaft  24 , which is splined in order to engagingly receive a matingly splined sleeve  36  having another splined jackshaft  20  extending from sleeve  36 , which together with sleeve  36  can telescopically extend the reach of jackshaft  24 . Together these telescopically extendable elements  20  and  36  form a first coupling member and are engagingly extending the drive power of a combine feeder drive line  24 . The combine header drive line  23  has affixed at its distal end, a second coupling member known as the oversized receivable element  21  which has an enlarged angular mouth and an internally splined socket  43  for matingly and engagingly receiving jackshaft  20 . Actuator cylinder  16  is controlled from cab  11  so as to move the top of shift fork  17  in the direction of B, which will tilt the bottom  47  of shift fork  17 , to telescopically move the first coupling member via shaft  20  in the direction A towards socket  43  of the header drive line  23 . It is also noted that spring loaded retainers  60  and  61  will serve to secure the connection between the splined shaft and the matingly splined receivable socket  43 . 
         [0020]    Referring now more specifically to  FIG. 3 , the elements of the shift fork assembly  14  to be affixed along the two opposite sides of the feeder housing  12  interface are shown. That is, gearbox  15  is stably fixed at the right bottom side of the feeder  12  inlet or as we have previously referred to it, the interface. Gearbox  15  is fixedly secured, at the combine&#39;s feeder  12  interface, against moving in any direction which would be coaxial with the drive shafts extending from the gearbox. The hydraulic cylinders  16  may be positioned at the top of the feeder housing  12  interface with rods  18  extending therefrom laterally to connect with shift forks  17  that extend downwardly from the rod  18  and cylinder  16  actuators. Alternatively, (as in  FIG. 9 ) there may be a single actuator cylinder  16 , having pivot arm  25  for actuating the first coupling jack shaft  20  on each side of feeder  13 . At the bottom of shift forks  17  are the fork sections having prongs  19  which define an opening  40  (See  FIG. 8 ). Short jackshaft  24  extends from gearbox  15  in the direction of shift fork  17 , through opening  40  while long shaft  50  extends from gearbox  15  in the opposite direction. Drive line  23  of the header  13  is supported by bracket  22  of the header. Telescopic shaft  20  having splines is insertable into the receivable mouth  21  having matching splines, enabling secure transfer of power to drive shaft  23 . Thus, the header drive  23  and the feeder drive extension short jackshaft  24  and longer shaft  50  may be coupled via the insertion of shaft  20  into the receivable mouth  21  of header shaft  23 . Cylinder  16  is actuated to pull shift fork  17  at its top end allowing its bottom end to shift shaft  20  into socket  21 . 
         [0021]      FIGS. 4 and 5  are schematic front views of the feeder housing  12  interface together with the coupling and latching devices generally shown at  14 . As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , prior to actuation of cylinder  16 , when shift fork  17  is at rest,  20  and  21  are uncoupled. As can be seen in  FIG. 5 , once cylinder  16  is actuated, causing shift fork  17  to shift, then shaft  20  couples with socket  21 . These actions are complimented with the coinciding action of the latch cable  30  as can be seen in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , which is in an unlatched position in  FIG. 6  but will move into latched position by virtue of pin  35  which will move laterally to latch with the header hooks (not shown) upon actuation of cylinders  16 . 
         [0022]    Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the structure of the preferred form may be changed in the details of construction in that the combination and arrangement of parts may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as is hereinafter claimed. Additional concepts based upon this description may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are intended to protect the invention broadly as well as in the specific form shown.