Patent EA-003042-B1 (EA)
Title: Harvesting equipment for stalk plants
Inventor: KRONE BERHARD
IPC: A01D45/02
Filed: 2000-07-19
Abstract: 1. A harvesting equipment (1) for harvesting corn or similar stalk plants, said harvesting equipment comprises at least a rotary endless conveyor (10; 11) for transporting the harvested plants and forming at the end a supply zone (14) wherein the plants are conveyed towards an inlet of a processing device, in particular a chopper, said endless conveyor comprises transporting chain links (25; 26) articulated to one another, said harvesting equipment further comprises at least a lower cutting plane (A) comprising oriented outwards cutting means and at least retaining plane (B; C) for the plant stalks located above the cutting plane and comprising retaining means oriented outwards, characterized in that a front face (77; 78) of the endless conveyor (10; 11) facing the cutting and retaining means is substantially closed. 2. The harvesting equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the endless conveyor (10; 11) has a lower cutting plane (A) and two retaining planes (B; C) located above, each is provided with retaining means for the plant stalks. 3. The harvesting equipment according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the retaining means (53; 54) of the upper retaining plane (C) are shifted against direction of rotation relative to the retaining means (51; 52) of the lower retaining plane (B) in the working zone of the endless conveyor (10; 11). 4. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the transporting chain links (25; 26) are made one piece or formed by strongly connected parts in between. 5. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that for forming the closed front surface of corresponding transporting chain links (25; 26) a deflecting screen (41) is arranged between the cutting plane (A) and the first retaining plane (B), and another deflecting screen (47) is arranged between the first (B) and the second (C) retaining planes, wherein said deflecting screens (41; 47) extend between hinged axes (60; 61) of corresponding transporting chain links. 6. The harvesting equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that said deflecting screens (41; 47) are barrel shaped and the deflecting screens (41; 47) of adjacent transporting chain links (25; 26) form in the supply zone (14), in which the change of the rotation direction of the endless conveyor occurs, a substantially closed unbroken rotation trajectory viewed atop. 7. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the endless converter (10; 11) is mounted in a frame, the frame is provided with a cutting blade (34) relative to which the endless transporter is relatively movable. 8. The harvesting equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that said endless conveyer comprises in the cutting plane (A) a lower carrier (32; 33) which cooperates with the cutting blade (34) as a return blade. 9. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the closed front surface of the endless conveyer (10;11) is provided with at least one scraper (42; 48) relative to which the endless conveyer is relatively movable said scrape(s) (42; 48) is (are) arranged in the supply zone (14) of the endless conveyer. 10. The harvesting equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that said scraper(s) is (are) designed in the form of substantially vertical rigid elements, each positioned between cutting planes and/or retaining plane (A:B:C) of the endless conveyer. 11. The harvesting equipment according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that said scraper(s) clean substantially completely the space between the cutting plane (A) and the retaining plane (B) and/or two retaining planes (B:C). 12. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that said scraper is arranged in the supply zone (14) and extends by its free end substantially in the forward movement direction (F) and enters into a curved bending zone of the endless conveyer. 13. The harvesting equipment according to claim 12, characterized in that said scrapers are positioned on both sides of the inlet opening of a unit for further material processing and form side guides surfaces for the harvested plants. 14. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that said scrapers are integrated into one design part for two reflecting screens (41;47) lying above each other. 15. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that said scrapers are made of a spring steel. 16. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 9 to 15, characterized in that said scrapers are compliantly supported by a spring stop. 17. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 9 to 16, characterized in that the first retaining plane (B) of the endless conveyer is formed owning to that each transporting link (10; 11) comprises in the retaining plane (B) at least one carrier (51; 52) which is a part of a platelet body (45) lying in the transporting plane, the platelet body (45) has at least one protrusion forming a carrier (51; 52) the projection protrudes transversely to the direction (U1; U2) of the endless conveyer rotation. 18. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 9 to 17, characterized in that the second retaining plane (C) of the endless conveyer is formed owning to that each transporting link (25; 26) comprises in the retaining plane (C) at least one carrier (53; 54) which is a part of a platelet body (46) lying in the transporting plane, the platelet body (45) has at least one protrusion forming a carrier (51; 52) the projection protrudes transversely to the direction (U1; U2) of the endless conveyer rotation. 19. The harvesting equipment according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the platelet body (45; 46) comprises two protruding projections (51; 52; 53; 54). 20. The harvesting equipment according to claim 19, characterized in that substantially equal spaces are formed between the projections (51; 52; 53; 54) of each platelet body (45; 46) and the projections (51; 52; 53; 54) lying in the same plane (B; C) of the adjacent platelet body (45; 46). 21. The harvesting equipment according to one claims 17 to 20, characterized in that the platelet bodies (45; 46) of the retaining planes (B: C) have two protrusions (51; 52) and (53; 54) each. 22. The harvesting equipment according to one claims 17 to 21, characterized in that the protrusions (51; 52) of at least one retaining plane (45) are made as flat bodies oriented in the form of a parallelogram. 23. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 17 to 22, characterized in that the protrusions (53; 54) are made widening against the rotation direction (F) thus decreasing the space (55) between the projections (53; 54) in the working zone (18) against the rotation direction (F). 24. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 17 to 23, characterized in that the projections of the platelet bodies (45; 46) are made in the form substantially of a parallelogram (51; 52) in the lower retaining plane (B), and in the form of a triangle (53; 54) in the upper retaining plane (C) the harvested plants (3) are retained from one side in a acute angle (W) between the parallelogram-shaped protrusion (51; 52) and the front edge (45a) of the platelet body (45) and from the other side in an angle between the triangle-shaped protrusion (53; 54) and the front edge (46a) of the platelet body (46) of the upper retaining plane (C). 25. The harvesting equipment according to claim 24, characterized in that a receiving area (55) for harvested plants (3) formed by projections (51; 52; 53; 54) of said retaining planes (B; C) and working as retaining elements narrows against the rotation direction (F). 26. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 17 to 25, characterized in that the front edge (45a; 46a) of the platelet bodies (45; 46) between projections (51; 52; 53; 54) is made substantially in the form of an arc of a circle. 27. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 17 to 26, characterized in that each platelet body (45; 46) has at one end a widening (64; 65) substantially in the form of an arc of a circle parallel to the rotation direction (U1; U2) and at the other end a corresponding recess (68; 69), wherein the platelet bodies (45; 46) of the adjacent transporting links (25; 26) being assembled engage with a small gap. 28. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 17 to 27, characterized in that the platelet body (44), having a carrier (31) as a return blade, has at one end a segment in the form of an arc of a circle parallel to the rotation direction (U1;U2) and at the other end a corresponding recess (70), wherein the platelet bodies (45; 46) of the adjacent transporting links (25; 26) being assembled engage with a small gap. 29. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 17 to 28, characterized in that the deflecting screens (41; 47) and the front edges (44a; 45a; 46a) of the platelet bodies (44; 45; 46) are curved in the form of an arc of a circle. 30. The harvesting equipment according to claim 26, characterized in that a curvature radius substantially correspondents to the radius of an enveloping or driving wheel positioned near the supply zone (14) of the endless conveyer (10; 11) to the processing unit. 31. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 17 to 28, characterized in that each transporting link (25; 26) of the endless conveyer is designed to be made of two sections (37; 38) and to be fixed. 32. The harvesting equipment according to one of claims 1 to 31, characterized in that the adjacent transporting links (25; 26) have a coupling (73) to provide a rotatable movement. 33. The harvesting equipment according to claim 32, characterized in that the rotatable coupling (73) between adjacent transporting links (25; 26) using a supporting pin (49) attached to the