Patent GB-1163486-A (GB)
Title: Combine Blower Attachment
Inventor: LOUKS ROBERT ALEX
IPC: A01F12/48
Filed: 1967-11-17
Abstract: 1,163,486. Combine harvesters. R. A. LOUKS and V. H. SIETMANN. 17 Nov., 1967 [21 Nov., 1966], No. 52357/67. Heading AlF. . In a separating unit and riddle unit of a combine harvester, a blanket of air is maintained above the threshed material so that a greater yield of grain can be obtained when harvesting on uneven terrain. The cleaning mechanism comprises at least one riddle 16 (Fig. 5) in conjunction with air from a lower cleaning fan 18 and, in some instances, an upper fan 19 (Fig. 23, not shown) in conjunction with the separator unit 14. The pan 21 contains a grain auger 22 which transports the grain transversely to an elevator (not shown). Air under static pressure, drawn from the top of the combine through a casing (47) Fig. 1 (not shown), is discharged from fan 18 through housing 38 to the cleaning mechanism. Hand operated valves 42 and 43 for controlling respectively the volume and direction of air are inserted in housing 38. Flexible conduits 49 and 51 are attached at one of their ends respectively to outlet pipes 52 and 53 forming valve control unit 32 and at their other ends to manifold housings 54, (56) with horizontal outlet slots 64. The valve control unit 32 comprises an auxiliary tube 66 connected to the centre of a support plate 67 (Fig. 7) with a common opening. A valve plate 69 is slidably supported by lugs to plate 67. One end of valve plate 69 has limit lugs 71 whilst the other is pivoted by means of an adjustable link 72 on a pendulum 73 (Fig. 3, not shown). The spacing between pipes 52 and 53 is such that when the machine is on level terrain, with pendulum 73 suspended in a vertical position, even amounts of air are discharged to manifold housings 54 and 56 spaced either side of and attached to the riddle. Should the machine tilt laterally, movement of the pendulum towards the support plate 67 increases the supply of air to conduit 51 and so prevents grain from accumulating on one side of the riddle. Conduits 49 and 51 cross over each other within the housing 13 so that air is delivered to the appropriate manifold when machine 10 tilts. In a second embodiment, the manifolds 54 and (56), instead of being mounted on the riddle, are mounted on the housing 13 above the separator unit 14 so that the blanket of air acts over the threshed material directly from the concave (Fig. 14, not shown). An upper blower unit 90, Fig. 18, may be used instead of the blower 18. The support plate (97) is modified to a generally triangular shape and is provided with an arcuate slot. A connecting passage . 111, (Fig. 22, not shown), ensures that a small amount of air under pressure is always directed through both conduits. Another modification uses a simple Y- connection in place of the control valve which is designed as a replacement unit when the harvester is operating on substantially level terrain. The plate 57 is replaced by a rectangular enclosure (116) (Fig. 28, not shown) placed just above the riddle surface and encompassing both slots 64 of the manifold housings. Air, on being expelled from these slots, is forced upwardly and outwardly of the enclosure slot (117) providing a suspension of dirt etc. from the heavier grain.