Abstract:
An inclined conveyor of an agricultural harvesting machine has at least one endless pulling element, at least one pulling-means guide operative for redirecting of the at least one endless pulling element and being pivotable, at least one tensioning device for tensioning the at least one pulling element, the tensioning device generating a return torque that acts on the at least one pulling-means guide.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to an inclined conveyor of an agricultural harvesting machine.  
         [0002]     An inclined conveyor of a combine harvester is made known in U.S. Pat. No. 2,696,290, with which a return shaft located in a housing is rotatably supported at its outer ends on two pivoting swing arms. Each of the two swing arms is rotatably connected with a tensioning spindle of a conveyor chain tensioning device, with which the pulling means of the inclined conveyor is tensioned. As the stream of harvested crops increases, the return shaft shifts upward, which is enabled via pivoting of the swing arms.  
         [0003]     The disadvantage of the known inclined conveyor is that the return shaft presses against the stream of harvested crops only with its natural weight, and this natural weight is not sufficient to compress the stream of harvested crops and reliably convey it to the rear region of the inclined conveyor.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The present invention is therefore based on the object of creating an inclined conveyor that avoids the disadvantages of the related art, and with which the redirecting roller compresses the stream of harvested crops and reliably conveys it to the rear region of the inclined conveyor.  
         [0005]     In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in an inclined conveyor of an agricultural harvesting machine, comprising at least one endless pulling means; at least one pulling-means guide operative for redirecting of said at least one endless pulling means and being pivotable; at least one tensioning device for tensioning said at least one endless pulling means, said tensioning device generating a return torque that acts on said at least one pulling-means guide.  
         [0006]     Due to the fact that the tensioning device also produces return torque that acts on the at least one pulling-means guide, it is ensured in a structurally simple manner that the tensioning device tensions the pulling means and presses the pulling-means guide against the harvested crops. The pulling-means guide advantageously includes a return shaft and at least one swing arm, whereby the swing arm is pivotably supported, thereby enabling the redirecting shaft to shift upward as the amount of harvested crops increases.  
         [0007]     In an advantageous further development of the present invention, the return torque presses the pulling-means guide in a lower position against a lower stop, thereby tensioning the pulling means while the return shaft simultaneously presses against the layer of harvested crops with a surface pressure.  
         [0008]     To compress the harvested crops conveyed on the bottom of the housing, in an advantageous further development of the present invention, the return torque pushes the pulling-means guide in a top position against the harvested crops, which lifts the return shaft.  
         [0009]     Advantageously, the return torque increases as the vertical orientation of the swing arm increases, to counteract the increasing stream of harvested crops and the resultant increasing force of the stream of harvested crops exerted on the return shaft.  
         [0010]     To enable the swing arm to be pivoted and shifted, in a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the inclined conveyor includes a housing with side walls, and the swing arm is provided with a guide bolt that is guided in a slot in a side wall.  
         [0011]     In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the inclined conveyor according to the present invention, the swing arm is rotatably connected with the tensioning device at a pivot point located above the guide bolt at a distance from the guide bolt, so that the tensioning device simultaneously tensions the pulling means and presses the swing arm downward.  
         [0012]     In an advantageous further development of the present invention, the tensioning device is located at least partially in the interior of the draw-in housing, to optimize the force gradient between the swing arm and the tensioning device at the pivot point.  
         [0013]     Advantageously, the side wall includes an opening in the region of the tensioning device, via which the tensioning device can be adjusted, so that the tensioning device is easily accessible from the outside and a wear-induced elongation of the pulling means is easy to detect.  
         [0014]     To prevent the pulling means from being tightened excessively or to prevent the tensioning element from becoming loose due to wear, a marking is provided in an advantageous further development of the present invention at the opening that indicates the length to which the compression spring should be preloaded.  
         [0015]     In a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the motion of the swing arm is limited by an upper stop to prevent the coils of the compression spring from touching each other when the compression spring is compressed by the upwardly-rotating swing arm.  
         [0016]     Due to the fact that the lower stop of the swing arm is adjustable from the outside, by way of which the lower position of the return shaft is adjustable, the smallest possible section of passage between the return shaft and the bottom of the housing can be set.  
         [0017]     Further advantageous embodiments are the subject of further subclaims and will be described with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]      FIG. 1  shows a side view of a self-propelled combine harvester,  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the inclined conveyor according to the present invention,  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  shows a section of the side view of an inclined conveyor according to the present invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]     An agricultural harvesting machine  2  configured as a self-propelled combine harvester  1  is shown in a side view in  FIG. 1 , on the inclined conveyor  3  of which a cutting mechanism  4  is located. Cutting mechanism  4  is composed of a cutting table  5  and a rotating reel  6  assigned to this cutting mechanism on the top. Crops  7  are cut by a cutter bar  8  installed in the front region of cutting table  5  and transferred to inclined conveyor  3  according to the present invention and located behind it using a feed screw  9  located in cutting table  5 . Crops  7  are grasped by a pulling means  11 —which rotates in a counterclockwise direction—of inclined conveyor  3  and are conveyed further in an undershot manner over a bottom  12  of inclined conveyor  3  to a threshing device  10  that mechanically processes crops  7 . A drive shaft  24  driven in a rotating manner in a counterclockwise direction is rotatably supported in outlet region  21  of inclined conveyor  3 , on which said drive shaft chain wheels  25  are mounted in a rotation-proof manner.  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of inclined conveyor  3  according to the present invention, rotating pulling means  11  of which are enclosed in a housing  13 , whereby housing  13  is essentially composed of two side walls  14  and a cover  15  and bottom  12 . Conveyor  16 , formed by pulling means  11 , is located inside housing  13 , said pulling means  11  including a plurality of conveyor chains  18  located in parallel with and equidistant from each other, whereby adjacent conveyor chains  18  are joined via conveyor strips  19 . Conveyor chains  18  of traction device  11  are redirected in an inlet region  20  of housing  13  with a first pulling-means guide  22 , and in an outlet region  21  of housing  13  with a further pulling-means guide  23 . Instead of conveyor chains  18 , a belt or a rope can be used, for example. Pulling-means guide  22  located in outlet region  21  of the housing is composed of drive shaft  24  supported in side walls  14 .  
         [0023]     Each conveyor chain  18  of traction device  11  encircles a chain wheel (see  FIG. 1 ) and engages in the teeth of the chain wheel, resulting in a form-fit functional connection. Pulling-means guide  23  located in inlet region  20  of housing  13  is composed of a return shaft  26  and two pivoting swing arms  27  configured as mirror images and rotatably supported on the two outer ends of return shaft  26 . Return shaft  26  includes a drum  28 , on the jacket of which flanges  29  are located with distance between them.  
         [0024]     Conveyor chains  18  of pulling means  11  rest on flanges  29  and encircle them. A guide bolt  30  is welded on each of the swing arms  27 , said guide bolt being guided in a slot  31  in side wall  14  located next to each swing arm  27 . Both side walls  14  are reinforced by reinforcing sheets  32  in the edge region of slots  31 . Both swing arms  27  are rotatably connected with a tensioning device  35  according to the present invention and to be described in greater detail at pivot points  34  located above guide bolts  30  at distances  33  from guide bolts  30 . An opening  36  is provided in side walls  14  in the region of the tensioning devices  35 , through which said opening tensioning devices  35  located in the interior of housing  13  are adjustable.  
         [0025]     An enlarged section of the side view of inclined conveyor  3  with a pulling-means guide  22  and a tensioning device  35  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 3 . The description below applies accordingly for the components of inclined conveyor  3 , which are configured either identically or as mirror images and are located further back and are therefore not visible. Tensioning device  35  is composed of a threaded rod  37  that is hingedly connected on one end via a yoke section  38  with swing arm  27  of pulling-means guide  22  and, at the other end, is screwed into a threaded blind hole  39  of a guide bolt  40 . Guide bolt  40  is supported in a displaceable and rotatable manner in a through hole  41  of a web plate  42  that is welded to the inside of side wall  14 . Guide bolt  40  passes through a compression spring  44  configured as coil spring  43 , whereby a collar  45  located on guide bolt  40  preloads compression spring  44  against web plate  42 . To secure guide bolt  40  from being screwed down by threaded rod  37 , threaded rod  37  and guide bolt  40  are braced against each other with a lock nut  46 .  
         [0026]     Tensioning device  35  according to the present invention generates a return torque  47  around guide bolt  30  with the spring force of preloaded compression spring  44 , in addition to the pulling means tensioning force. Return torque  47  acts on swing arm  27  and presses swing arm  27  in a lower position  48  against lower stop  49 . Stop  49  located on the inside of side part  14  is rotatable from the outside, by way of which lower position  48  of return shaft  26  is adjustable.  
         [0027]     Crops  7 , which are pressing against return shaft  26 , rotate swing arm  27  in the clockwise direction around guide bolt  30  into an upper position  50 , by way of which guide bolt  40  is moved within through hole  41  guiding it into a rear region of web plate  42  on which tensioning device  35  is mounted. This results in compression spring  44  being compressed further, and return torque  47  produced by tensioning device  35  around guide bolt  30  increases as the spring force increases. Return torque  47  acting on swing arm  47  presses return shaft  26  against harvested crops  7 . The strength of return torque  47  depends on the spring force of compression spring  44 , which is proportional to the spring path of compression spring  44 , and on distance  33  between pivot point  34  and guide bolt  30  of swing arm  27 .  
         [0028]     An upper stop  51  is rigidly mounted above swing arm  27  on the inside of side wall  14  of housing  13 , the stop limiting the swivel range of swing arm  27  in the upward direction.  
         [0029]     To always act upon pulling means  11  with the optimum tension, a marking  52  is provided on opening  36  provided in side wall  14 , the marking indicating the length to which compression spring  44  should be preloaded. During on-going operation, conveyor chains  18  of pulling means  17  elongate due to wear, by way of which pulling-means guide  22  along with tensioning device  35  travels into an anterior region of inclined conveyor  3 . Compression spring  44  relaxes, since the distance between collar  45  of guide bolt  40  and web plate  42  increases simultaneously. To restore the optimum preload of compression spring  44 , guide bolt  40  is screwed down by threaded rod  37  to the point where collar  45  is again located at the level of marking  52 .  
         [0030]     It is within the ability of one skilled in the art to modify the exemplary embodiment described in a manner not shown, or to use it in other machine systems to obtain the effects described, without leaving the scope of the present invention.  
         [0031]     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.  
         [0032]     While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an inclined conveyor of an agricultural harvesting machine, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0033]     Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.