CLEANING DEVICE FOR CLEANING CROPS AS WELL AS HARVESTING MACHINE

Abstract

The invention relates to a cleaning device (2) for cleaning crops comprising a roller bed (4) comprising several rollers (3) rotatable about a rotational axis (3a), whereby gaps (10) are or can be provided between said rollers (3) in such a manner that impurities present together with the crop on an upper side (4a) of the roller bed (4) can be discharged through the gaps (10) while, at the same time, the crop can be kept on the upper side (4a), whereby the rollers (3) of the roller bed (4) can be driven in such a way that the impurities can be discharged through the gaps (10).

According to the invention, tappets (6) movable in the direction of conveyance (F) are arranged above the upper side (4a) of the roller bed (4) in such a way that crop present on the upper side (4a) of the roller bed (4) can be carried along by these tappets (6) in the direction of conveyance (F), whereby, to that end, said tappets (6) extend between at least two driver means (8; 12), whereby at least the tappets (6) arranged above said upper side (4a) of said roller bed can be moved by the at least two driver means (8; 12) in the direction of conveyance (F).

Claims

1. Cleaning device (2) for cleaning crops (E) comprising a roller bed (4), which comprises several rollers (3) rotating about a rotational axis (3a), whereby gaps (10) are provided or can be provided between said rollers (3) in such a way that impurities (V) located on an upper side (4a) of said roller bed (4) together with the crop (E) can be discharged through said gaps (10) while, at the same time, keeping said crop (E) on said upper side (4a), whereby said rollers (3) of said roller bed (4) can be driven in such a way that said impurities (V) can be discharged through said gaps (10), tappets (6) movable in a direction of conveyance (F) are arranged at least above said upper side (4a) of said roller bed (4) in such a way that crop (E) located on said upper side (4a) of said roller bed (4) can be carried along by said tappets (6) in the direction of conveyance (F), whereby, to that end, said tappets (6) extend between at least two driver means (8; 12), whereby at least the tappets (6) arranged above said upper side (4a) of said roller bed (4) can be moved by said at least two driver means (8; 12) at a tapper velocity (v6) in the direction of conveyance (F).

2. Cleaning device (2) according to claim 1, at least two driver means (8; 12) are each designed as endless driver means andare endless belts (8), each endless belt (8) running across at least one drive pulley (9a) and/or at least one deflection pulley (9b) and can be driven via the respective associated drive pulley (9a), orare endless chains (12), each endless chain (12) running across at least one drive pinion (13a) and/or at least one deflection pinion (13b) and can be driven via the respective associated drive pinion (13a), so that the tappets (6) extending between said at least two endless driver means (8; 12) and being attached to said endless driver means (8; 12) can be moved at the tapper velocity (v6) in an endlessly circulating manner.

3. Cleaning device (2) according to claim 1 or 2, said driver means (8; 12) are arranged in relation to said roller bed (4) in such a way that the tappets (6) attached to said endless driver means (8; 12), when said driver means (8; 12) can be driven alternatingly above said upper side (4a) and partially below a bottom side (4b) of said roller bed (4) always parallel to the direction of conveyance (F) at the tapper velocity (v6) so that a tappet (6) can be moved via said driver means (8; 12) in the direction of conveyance (F) when this tappet (6) is located above said upper side (4a) of said roller bed (4), and a tappet (6) can be moved via said driver means (8; 12) in the direction opposite the direction of conveyance (F) when this tappet (6) is located below said bottom side (4b) of said roller bed (4).

4. Cleaning device (2) according to one of the above claims, a lower edge (6a) of said tappets (6), said lower edge (6a) facing towards the roller bed (4) continuously or at least on the upper side (4a) of the roller bed (4) and being adapted to a course of the surface of the roller bed (4), so that said tappets (6) protrude, at least in part and/or at times, into a funnel-shaped area (10a) immediately adjacent the gap (10).

5. Cleaning device (2) according to claim 4, said lower edge (6a) of said tappets (6) runs undulated or in a zigzagged configuration.

6. Cleaning device (2) according to claim 4 or 5, said lower edge (6a) of said tappets (6) is in contact, at least in a certain area, with said rollers (3) of said roller bed (4).

7. Cleaning device (2) according to one of the above claims, said tappets (6) are designed ribbon-shaped and a lateral face (6b) of said movable ribbon-shaped tappet (6) carrying along the crop (E) on the upper side (4a) of the roller bed (4) extends, at least in part, between said driver means (8; 12), said lateral face (6b) being aligned approximately perpendicular or slightly angled, preferable at an acute angle, in relation to the direction of conveyance (F).

8. Cleaning device (2) according to one of the above claims, the rotational axes (3a) of the drivable rollers (3) of the roller bed (4) are aligned in parallel or perpendicular or at an angle between 0 and 90 relative to the direction of conveyance (F) of the crop (E).

9. Cleaning device (2) according to one of the above claims, adjacent rollers (3) of the roller bed (4) can be rotated in opposite directions about their rotational axes (3a).

10. Cleaning device (2) according to one of the above claims, at least a part of said rollers (3) of the roller bed (4) comprises a structured surface (11).

11. Cleaning device (2) according to claim 10, said structured surface is designed as a helical or spiral structure (11) on the surface (3b) of the roller (3).

12. Cleaning device (2) according to one of the above claims, said tappets (6) are made from a polymer and/or rods reinforcing said tappets (6) extend between the driver means (8; 12).

13. Cleaning device (2) according to one of the above claims, the tapper velocity (v6) can be adjusted independent of a roller velocity (v3) at which the rollers (3) rotate about their rotational axis (3a).

14. Harvesting machine (100) comprising a cleaning device (2) according to one of the above claims.

15. Harvesting machine (100) according to claim 14, said at least two driver means (8; 12) of said cleaning device (2) are combined with driver means (5a) of a conveyor belt (5) adjacent the cleaning device (2).

Description

[0030] The invention is subsequently illustrated further by means of drawings. These show in:

[0031] FIG. 1 a schematic design of a harvesting machine;

[0032] FIG. 2 a perspective representation of the cleaning device according to the invention in the harvesting machine according to FIG. 1;

[0033] FIG. 3 a front view of the cleaning device according to FIG. 2;

[0034] FIG. 3a, 3b detailed views from FIG. 3; and

[0035] FIG. 4 a lateral view of the cleaning device according to FIG. 2.

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a schematic part of a harvesting machine 100 in which the crop E, for example, potatoes or sugar cane, is fed within a defined path of conveyance via a funnel 1 to a cleaning device 2 according to the invention which is located inside the harvesting machine 100. Alternatively, instead of the funnel 1, a feeder belt (not shown) may be provided for feeding in the crops E. The cleaning device 2 serves to sort out or filter out respectively and discharge impurities V carried along on or together with the crop E by the harvesting machine 100. Hereby, the yet uncleaned crop E and/or other unusable plant residue are fed via the funnel 1 onto a roller bed 4 of the cleaning device 2, shown in detail in FIG. 2, and are forwarded on the roller bed 4 in a direction of conveyance F towards a conveyor belt 5 or inclined conveyor respectively. Via the conveyor belt 5 the cleaned crop E is forwarded in the harvesting machine 100 in an upwards direction towards the nest following component of the chain of conveyance.

[0037] According to the invention, the cleaning device 2 serves, on the one hand, to clean the crops E fed in via the funnel 1 or the feeder belt and, on the other, to forward the fed-in crops E along the direction of conveyance F towards the conveyor belt 5, as described before. In order to achieve this, it is provided, according to FIG. 2, for the cleaning device 2 to be provided with several band-shaped tappets 6, each of the tappets 6 being affixed on both sides via bridges 7 to two endless belts 8 as driver means. The two belts 8 each run across a drive pulley 9a and a deflection pulley 9b so that, in operation when the drive pulley 9a is powered, the tappets 6 are also taken along. This causes the tappets 6 to move on an upper side 4a of the roller bed 4 at a tapper velocity v6 in the direction of conveyance F and on a bottom side 4b of the roller bed 4 deflected in a direction opposite the direction of conveyance F. Further, pressure rollers 9c may be provided in the area of the drive pulleys 9a ensuring a parallel path of the belts between the drive pulley 9a and the deflection pulley 9b.

[0038] Hereby, the endless belts 8 may be designed as cam belts or flat belts circulating on toothed or flat discs 9a, 9b, 9c. Thus, the belts 8 are primarily driven by a frictional connection or a positive locking connection. Alternatively, it may be provided to utilize endless chains 12 as endless driver means which circulate, in a corresponding manner, on drive pinions 13a and deflector pulleys 13b with the tappets 6 being arrange between them. The cleaning device 2 shall be described below primarily by means of endless belts 8 as exemplary driver means.

[0039] According to an embodiment not shown, the endless driver means 8, 12 of the cleaning device 2 may also be combines with endless driver means 5a in the conveyor belt 5 according to FIG. 1. In that case, further deflector pulleys or rollers (not shown) may be provided between the two elements 2, 5 on which the driver means 8, 12 run or are in contact with and which ensure a suitable positioning of the endless driver means 8. The tappets 6 on the conveyor belt 5 can ensure that the crops E already cleaned are forwarded at about the same speed of conveyance as on the cleaning device 2.

[0040] In this embodiment example, a lower edge 6a of the tappets 6 is designed to be wave-shaped so as to adapt the lower edge 6a facing the roller bed 4just as shown in FIG. 3to the path of the surface of the roller bed 4. Thus, the lower edge 6a of the tappet 6 follows approximately the contours of the roller bed 4. In this embodiment example, this applies both to the tappets 6 on the upper side 4a of the roller bed 4 and the deflected tappets 6 on the bottom side 4b of the roller bed 4. Hereby, the tappets 6 may also be in contact with the rollers 3 or, respectively, rub against these in operation. To that end, the position of the bridges 7 or the tappets 6 respectively on the belt 8 must by adjusted accordingly. Lateral faces 6b of the tappets 6 extend, starting from the lower edge 6a, upwards approximately perpendicular to the roller bed 4 or, respectively, to the direction of conveyance F, whereby the crop E can be carried along via the lateral faces 6b or, respectively, forced in the direction of conveyance F. The lateral faces 6b may also be slightly angled in relation to the direction of conveyance F.

[0041] The roller bed 4 itself comprises several rollers 3 that can be driven at an angular velocity or, respectively, roller velocity v3 about a rotational axis 3a, upon which rollers the fed-in crop E rests and the rotational axes 3a of which are aligned in parallel to each other and in parallel to the direction of conveyance F in this embodiment example. According to FIG. 3, a gap 10 is formed always between the rollers 3, whereby, in the harvesting machine 100, impurities V forwarded together with the crop E, for example, soil, stones or other unusable plant residue or leaves, can be discharged through these gaps 10. Hereby, the gaps 10 are to be dimensioned in such a way that the crop E itself normally cannot pass through the gaps 10.

[0042] According to an embodiment shown in FIG. 3b, the gaps 10 may be formed even subsequently. According to this, the rollers 3 are normally in contact with each other. The rollers 3 each have an elastic surface 3b which can be deformed by the impurities V when these end up in a funnel-shaped area 10a between the rollers 3 and are pressed between these by virtue of the rotational movement of the rollers 3. This subsequently forms a gap 10 between the rollers 3 through which the impurities V can be discharged. Thereafter, the gap 10 closes again by virtue of the elasticity of the surface 3b.

[0043] In this construction the tappets 6 have the function of effecting the transport of the corps E lying on the roller bed 4 or on the rollers 3 respectively in the direction of conveyance F in that the lateral face 6b facing the direction of conveyance F presses the crop E in the direction of conveyance F when the belts 8 are powered. Since the lower edge 6a of the tappet 6 is adapted to the path of the surface of the roller bed 4 the tappets 6 can even transport crops E located, at least in part, in the funnel-shaped area 10a above the gaps 10 between the rollers 3 (see FIGS. 3a, 3b). This allows the removal of even elongated crops E, for example sugar cane, or smaller crops E present between the rollers 3 in the funnel-shaped area 10a and obstructing the conveyance of following crop E in the direction of conveyance F and, therewith, the overall flow of material of the crop E which this gets jammed or acts on following crop E in a blocking or accumulating manner. Moreover, the removal via the tappets 6 can help avoid impending squashing of the crops E in the gaps 10 or in the funnel-shaped areas 10a above them.

[0044] Hereby, a distance A (see FIG. 4) of the tappets 6 on the belt 8 can be adapted to the crop E to be cleaned and forwarded. A suitable distance A as well as a suitable selection of the tappet velocity v6 can ensure that the crop E introduced via the funnel 1 at a certain feed-in velocity can be discharged efficiently at a corresponding discharge velocity, without the crop E accumulating on the roller bed 4 thereby compromising the harvesting process.

[0045] Hereby, the tappets 6 are provided in supplement of further optional measures ensuring the transport and the cleaning of the crops E on the cleaning device 2. Thus, for example, the rollers 3 of the roller bed 4 may be provided with a surface structure 11 (indicated in FIG. 2 merely schematically), for example, in the shape of threaded or spirally coiled sides on the surface of the respective roller 3. This leads to the crop E laying on the surface of the roller bed 4 is carried along and, therewith, transported in the direction of conveyance F when the spirally coiled roller 3 is correspondingly rotated. Depending on the size of the crops E is may be sufficient to provided such a surface structure 11 at every other roller 3 in order to cause at least a flow of material of the crop E in the direction of conveyance F to thereby support the transport by means of the tappets 6.

[0046] In support of the transport the roller bed 4 may also be angled downwards in the direction of conveyance F. However, it is also possible to provide an upwards conveyance via a roller bed 4 rising in the direction of conveyance F, whereby the upwards conveyance is then facilitated by thee tappets 6.

[0047] At the same time, a surface structure 11 on every or every other roller 3 also ensures shaking of the crop E on the roller bed 4 so that coarse impurities V connected loosely to the crop E, for example, soil or stones, fall off and can be discharged via the gaps 10. Even the rotational motion of the rollers 3 as such may contribute to this since it makes the crop E lying on top also rotate and loosely connected dirt falls off easily.

[0048] For the purpose of cleaning or, respectively, discharging the impurities V through the gaps 10 it is provided, in addition, that adjacent rollers 3 rotate in opposite direction of rotation about their rotational axes 3a so the impurities V present above the gaps 10 or, respectively, in the funnel-shaped area 10a, for example, including unusable plant residue or leaves, are pulsed or sucked respectively into the or, respectively, through the gaps 10 so that they can be discharged downwards. In support of this, it may be provided that each roller 3 is structured, whereby, in that case, an opposing threading is chosen in order to push the impurities V into the gap 10.

[0049] Thus, in summary, the cleaning device 2 according to the invention may ensure both the cleaning of the crops E and the transport of the crops E via the tappets 6 along the direction of conveyance F. Hereby the tapper velocity v6 can be chosen independent from the roller velocity v3 since the roller bed 4 is primarily responsible for the cleaning of the crops E and the tappets 6 are primarily responsible for the transport of the crops E.

[0050] By virtue of the fact that the tappets 6 are transported back in a deflected manner at the bottom side 4b of the roller bed 4, the bottom side 4b of the roller bed 4 can be cleaned at the same time. Impurities V jammed in the gaps 10 or the funnel-shaped areas 10a below and, therefore, cannot be completely discharged and/or adhere or stick to the rollers 3, can be carried along and/or loosened by the tappets 6 below the roller bed 4. To that end, the deflected tappets 6 move at the bottom side 4b only just below the rollers 3 of the roller bed 4. Hereby, the lower edge 6a may also rub or scratch against the rollers 3 at the bottom side 4b of the roller bed 4b to allow this to happen.

[0051] As a material for the rollers 3, for example, metal can be chosen which is coated with a vulcanized Polymer coating. The tappets 6, too, may be made of or coated with a polymer. Depending on the particular application, the tappets 6 may also be reinforced by rods extending between the bridges 7.

[0052] The endless belts 8 are preferably made of a fabric-reinforced polymer band which is made endless in a suitable manner. Hereby, depending on the particular application, two or more such belts 8 may be used which are powered in a suitable manner by the respective drive pulley 9a and between which the tappets 6 are arranged, whereby the belts 8 are to be suitably synchronized.