Abstract:
A harvested crop residue chopper—and distribution arrangement for a combine ( 10 ) has a straw chopper ( 60 ) with an outlet ( 80 ) arranged in the plane of the outlet ( 96 ), with at least one impeller blower ( 82 ) arranged downstream of the outlet ( 80 ) of the straw chopper (60) with impeller blades ( 84 ) that can be rotated in the plane of the impeller blower ( 98 ) about an axis of rotation ( 88 ), where the plane of the impeller blower ( 98 ) may be inclined relative to the plane of the outlet ( 96 ). The impeller blades ( 84 ) make be connected with a central body ( 92 ) that is connected to a cone ( 94 ) facing the outlet ( 80 ) of the straw chopper ( 60 ).

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to agricultural combines. More particularly, it relates to crop processing elements of those combines. Even more particularly, it relates to a harvested crop residue chopper and distribution arrangement for a combine with a straw chopper. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Agricultural combines are large machines that harvest, thresh, separate, and clean agriculturally planted harvested crop that carry corn. The cleaned corn, so obtained, is stored in a corn tank on the combine. As a rule, the threshed-out straw is either chopped and distributed on the field across the width of the cutter head or conducted around the straw chopper and deposited in a swath on the field without being chopped, in order to pick it up subsequently with a baler. The harvested crop residue remaining at the rear outlet of the cleaning arrangement, such as chaff and small straw particles, is distributed across the field by a chaff spreader or is conducted through the straw chopper and distributed across the field. 
         [0003]    DE 199 08 111 C and DE 101 33 965 A describe combines with a straw chopper and two impeller blowers, arranged side by side alongside each other, that follow the straw chopper for the widely distributed straw ejection across the field. The outlet of the straw chopper and the inlet of the impeller blowers are arranged in a housing, that include impeller blades rotating about an approximately vertical axis and are arranged in a plane for the sake of unidirectional harvested crop transfer. The impeller blades are fastened to a central circular cylindrical shaft underneath a cover plate and are brought into rotation by a drive element arranged above the cover plate. 
         [0004]    EP 1 074 175 A and US 2007/0015556A that is seen as establishing a class, describe impeller blowers in which the straw is thrown against the impeller blowers by means of an ejection drum without being chopped at an angle to the combine from above (EP 1 074 175 A) or through a straw chopper in the chopped form at an angle to the combine from below (US 2007/0015556A), the impeller blowers are built up by impeller blades on a circular disk and extend radially and vertically to the surface of the disk. The blades are configured in a wedge shape, where the outer ends of the blade have a greater vertical length than the inner ends of the blades. No blades are provided in the area of the axis of rotation. In EP 1 074 175 A, cylindrical bodies are located therethrough which the shaft driving the impeller blowers extends, while according to US 200710015556 A, a pot shaped attachment for the shaft is located there. 
         [0005]    DE 100 63 554 A describes a combine with a straw chopper that rotates about a vertical axis and includes a conical body about whose circumference the chopper knives are attached in a spiral arrangement. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 1,625,353 A describes a combine whose straw shakers eject the straw without chopping it onto an impeller blower with a vertical axis of rotation. The impeller blower includes a conical disk, with blades arranged at its outer edge that extend vertically and radially to the outside. 
         [0007]    As already noted, in the arrangement according to DE 199 08 111 C the outlet of the straw chopper and the inlet of the impeller blower are arranged in a single plane. However, such an arrangement has a disadvantage since the material delivered at the circumference of the straw chopper is inadequately grasped by the impeller blower, since only an (upper) part of it interacts with the lowest part of the impeller blade, while the remaining material falls to the ground. To avoid this problem, circular disks are attached underneath the impeller blades that rotate with the impeller blades, according to DE 101 33 965 A. 
         [0008]    If the disk underneath the impeller blades were omitted in order to avoid the aforementioned problem and a non orthogonal angle between the axis of rotation of the impeller blower and the plane of the outlet of the straw chopper were provided, as is known from US 2007/0015556 A, a considerable part of the harvested crop would be thrown against the inner regions of the blades and towards the axis of rotation by the straw chopper, which would result in a problematical delivery of the harvested crop on the basis of the lower centrifugal force existing there and the missing impeller blades in the area of the axis of rotation. This problem also exists in the case of the arrangements according to EP 1 074 175 A and US 2007/0015556 A. 
         [0009]    DE 100 63 554 A refers to only one straw chopper and cannot contribute to the solution of this problem, since it does not concern itself with the transition of the harvested crop residue from a straw chopper to an impeller blower, this is the same as U.S. Pat. No. 1,625,353 A that describes only one impeller blower. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The problem underlying the invention is seen in the need to make available harvested crop residue chopper and distribution arrangement of the kind cited initially for a combine, that permits an improved flow of harvested crop residue. This problem is solved according to the invention by the teaching of patent claim  1 , where the further patent claims cite characteristics that further develop the solution to great advantage. 
         [0011]    In accordance with one aspect of the Invention, a chopper and distribution arrangement for harvested crop residue is provided that includes a straw chopper with an outlet arranged in the plane of the outlet that chops the straw and/or the chaff conducted to it and ejects it in the plane of the outlet. An impeller blower (or two or more impeller blowers arranged side by side alongside each other) is arranged downstream of the outlet of the straw chopper that includes impeller blades that can be brought into rotation by an appropriate drive about an axis of rotation in the plane of a impeller blower. The plane of the outlet of the straw chopper and the plane of the impeller blower are inclined relative to each other—that is, they are not parallel to each other, but are arranged inclined to each other by an angle differing from 0°. Preferably the plane of the impeller blower is inclined downward relative to the forward operating direction of the combine and further to the rear than the plane of the outlet, so that the harvested crop residue ejected to the rear from the straw chopper is deflected downward by the impeller blower at the aforementioned angle. This angle avoids the aforementioned transition problems or the need for a lower disk located underneath the impeller blade. In order to prevent harvested crop residue from reaching the radially inner region of the impeller blower and being inadequately carried away from that area, the invention proposes that the impeller blades be connected to a central cylindrical body and to provide it with a conical shape facing the outlet of the straw chopper. The conical shape deflects harvested crop residue ejected by the straw chopper to the outside in a radial direction, so that it is grasped by the impeller blades and ejected. The actual body of the impeller blower of the inner region rotates at a low circumferential speed or none and covers it so that no harvested crop residue exists there. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    An embodiment of the invention is explained on the basis of the illustrations. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  shows a partial section of a side view of a combine with a straw chopper and impeller blowers. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  shows an enlarged side view of the straw chopper and an impeller blower in a first operating position. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the impeller blowers and their retention as seen from below. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  shows an enlarged side view of the straw chopper and of an impeller blower in a second operating position. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0017]    In the following description and claims, directions such as “front”, “forward”, “forwardly” refer to the forward operating direction of the combine  10  (i.e. pointing to the left in  FIG. 1 ). Directions such as “rear”, “rearward”, “rearwardly”, refer to a direction that is opposite to the forward operating direction of the combine  10 . 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  shows an agricultural combine  10  with a chassis  12  with wheels  14  in contact with the ground. Wheels  14  are fastened to the chassis  12  and are used for the forward propulsion of the combine  10  in the forward operating direction. The forward operating direction is to the left in  FIG. 1 . The operation of the combine  10  is controlled from the operator&#39;s cab  16 . A cutter head  18  is used in order to harvest crop containing corn and to conduct it to a slope conveyor  20 . The harvested crop is conducted by a guide drum  22  to a slope conveyor  20 . The guide drum  22  guides the harvested crop through an inlet transition section  24  to an axial harvested crop processing arrangement  26 . 
         [0019]    The harvested crop processing arrangement  26  includes a rotor housing  34  and a rotor  36 , arranged within it. The rotor  36  includes a hollow drum  38  to which crop processing elements are fastened for a charging section  40 , a threshing section  42 , and a separating section  44 . The charging section  40  is arranged at the front end of the axial harvested crop processing arrangement  26 . The threshing section  42  and the separating section  44  are located downstream in the longitudinal direction and to the rear of the charging section  40 . The drum  38  is in the form of a truncated cone located in the charging section  40 . The threshing section  42  includes a forward section in the form of a truncated cone and a cylindrical rear section. The cylindrical separating section  44  of the drum  38  is located at the end of the axial harvested crop processing unit  26 . In place of an axial harvested crop processing unit  26  a tangential threshing drum with a following axial threshing section or a straw chopper could also be used. 
         [0020]    Corn and chaff that fall through a thresher basket associated with the threshing section  42  and through a separating grate associated with the separating section  44  are conducted to a cleaning system  28  with a blower  46  and sieves  48 ,  50  with louvers. The sieves can be oscillated in a fore-and-aft direction. The cleaning system  28  removes the chaff and guides the clean corn over a screw conveyor  52  to an elevator for clean corn (not shown). The elevator for clean corn deposits the clean corn in a corn tank  30 . The clean corn in the corn tank  30  can be unloaded by means of an unloading screw conveyor  32  to a corn wagon, trailer, or truck. Harvested crop remaining at the lower end of the lower sieve  50  is again conducted to the harvested crop processing arrangement  26  by a screw conveyor  54  and an overhead conveyor (not shown). The harvested crop residue delivered at the upper end of the upper sieve  48  that consist essentially of chaff and small straw particles are conveyed by means of an oscillating sheet conveyor  56  to the rear and to a lower inlet  58  of a straw chopper  60 . 
         [0021]    Threshed-out straw leaving the separating section  44  is ejected through an outlet  62  from the harvested crop processing arrangement  26  and conducted to an ejection drum  64 . The ejection drum  64  that interacts with a sheet  66  arranged underneath it to eject the straw to the rear. A wall  68  is located to the rear of the ejection drum  64 . The wall  68  guides the straw into an upper inlet  70  of the straw chopper  60 . 
         [0022]    The straw chopper  60  is composed of a housing  72  with a rotor  74  arranged within it that can rotate about an axis extending horizontally and transverse to the direction of operation, and is also composed of chopper knives  76 , pendulously suspended in pairs and distributed around the circumference of the rotor  74 , that interact with opposing knives  78 , fixed to the housing. Two impeller blowers  82  arranged side by side alongside each other, are provided downstream of an outlet  80  of the straw chopper  60 . Only a single blower  82  can be seen in  FIG. 1 . The impeller blowers  82  include a number of impeller blades  84 , each of which is connected rigidly to an upper circular disk  86 , that can rotate about central axes  88 . The disks  86  with the impeller blades  84  that extend radially can be brought into rotation by a hydraulic motor  90  that is attached above a bottom sheet  102  which is connected with the housing  72  of the straw chopper  60 . At their radially inner ends the impeller blades  84  are connected to a cylindrical central body  92  that transitions into a cone  94  with a point on its end facing away from the disk  86 . The impeller blades  84  are rectangular and the height of the body  92  (without cone  94 ) is equal to the height of the impeller blades  84 . The cross section of the body  92  and the cone  94  is circular, although it could also have a multifaceted shape. 
         [0023]    As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , the straw chopper  60  defines an outlet plane  86  extending at an angle to the rear and upward in which the harvested crop residue is ejected. The impeller blades  84  of the impeller blowers  82  on the other hand rotate in a plane of the impeller blowers  98  that extends to the rear and downward. The harvested crop residue are conveyed by the impeller blower  82  in the plane of the impeller blower  98  and ejected to the rear and to the side and distributed on the field across the width of the cutter head  18 . The lowest regions of the cone  94  including its point are arranged underneath the plane of the outlet  96  in the operating position of the impeller blowers  82  according to  FIG. 2 . On the other hand the regions of the cone  94  located above these are arranged within the flow of the harvested crop residue ejected by the straw chopper. 
         [0024]    As indicated by the arrow  100  the cone  94  deflects the harvested crop residue (straw and/or chaff) impacted on it from the straw chopper  60  upward and to the side, so that it can be grasped by the impeller blades  84 . Due to the relatively large diameter of the body  92 , the circumferential speed of all the areas of the impeller blowers  94  that interact with the flow of the harvested crop residue are sufficiently large so as to readily accommodate the flow of the harvested crop residue. 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the impeller blowers  82  that operated in opposite directions during the operation. The directions of rotation are indicated by arrows on each impeller in  FIG. 3 . A harvested crop flow separating element  106 , arranged to the rear of the axes of rotation  88  of the impeller blowers  82 , includes a forward point that intrudes into the intermediate region between the impeller blowers, and two side walls, each of which adjoins an impeller blower  82 . Retainers  109  are used to attach the bottom sheet  102  with the impeller blowers  82  at the housing  72  of the straw chopper  60 . 
         [0026]    The impeller blowers  82  can be adjusted by means of appropriate adjusting mechanisms to pivot about an axis  108  that extends through the center of the body  92  and also extends horizontally and transverse to the direction of operation. This relative pivoting can be seen in  FIGS. 2 and 4 ; in which one pivoted position is shown in  FIG. 2  in the second pivoted position is shown in  FIG. 4 . The pivoting can be performed manually by an operator or by means of external forces in order to vary the ejection distance of the impeller blowers. 
         [0027]    It should be noted that an adjustable flap could still be arranged between the ejection drum  64  and the upper inlet  70  of the straw chopper  60  with which the straw can selectively slide past the rear of the straw chopper  60  and can be deposited in a swath on the field in the long straw deposit operation.