Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Harvesting Machi_
The present invention relates to a machine for
harvesting standing crops and especially, bu~ not
exclusively, cereal crops such as corn, without cutti.ng
the plants off close to -the ground, so as -to leave the
stems standing. The machine comprises a catcher case
fitted on the front of a vehicle, or mounted at the front
of an automotive harvester, and hav.ing a reaping wheel at
the front of the catcher case.
Machines for harvesting standing cereal crops
are already known (so-called combine harvesters) in which
a thresher wheel reaps and threshes the crop, the thresher
wheel comprising rigid bars which strike the plants
brutally to thresh them~
The present Applicant has filed a French Patent
Application No. 80 26111, dated 9 December 1980 relating
to a harvesting machine in which the plants are reaped
gently by brushing or combing the heads of the plants so
as to remove the grains from them. Such a machine is
suitable for harvesting rice, for example, without cutting
the stems and provides substantial advantages over manual
harvesting, or harvesting using a combine harvester. In
particular the waste of grains is reduced, and also less
power is required since the volume of straw absorbed
during harvesting is reduced.
This machine reduces damage to and loss of plants
in the crop and gives excellent results with specific
panicle type plants which are easily reaped, such as rice
and sainfoin. However such a machine, with a single
thresher wheel is less satisfactory for certain other
crops such as corn for example. In particular, the
reaping operation is likely to remove not just the material
to be harvested, individual grains in the case of corn, but
also complete heads or packets of grain, or leaves, or even
branches, and this is especially problematic also in the
case of shrubs, like tea for example.
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The present invention is applicable to harvesting
a variety o cropC, including fodder plants, medicinal
herbs, shrubs such as tea, and a variety of ce.reals
including corn by collecti.ng the harvested material
without cutting the plants off close to the ground (and
if desired without cutting the plant at all) while
threshing and removing chaff, straw or other waste.
The present invention provides a harvesting
machine for harvesting standing crops without cutting
the plants close to the ground, comprising a case for
mounting on the front of a wheeled vehicle to catch
threshed material~ a first thresher wheel disposed at
the front of said case for reaping and threshing the
standing crops, a second thresher wheel disposed behind
said first wheel for threshing material from said first
wheel, and transport and cleaning means for -transporting
threshed material from said first wheel to said second
wheel for further threshing and simultaneously extracting
waste from the threshed material thereon.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each
of said thresher wheels is provided with a respective
cooperating counter-board mounted for adjustment relative
-to the associated thresher wheel, said transport and
cleaning means including a movable cleaning grill for
riddling harvested material from the threshed material
thereon.
With this arrangement, the crop is partially
threshed on reaping, and part of the waste material is
eliminated immediately (impurities, dirt, chaff and straw
in the case of corn for example) the remaining material
being subjected to a further threshing operation so that
the threshing is significantly more efficient than was
previously possible. The further threshing operation
enables individual grains to be recovered from the
partially reaped material, which in the case of corn for
example may include grains with whole heads and leaves.
In an embodiment of the invention, the first
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thresh wheel and the associated counter-board are mounted
as a sub-assembly with said transport means, the machine
including adjustment means operable during harvesting
operation for pivoting said sub-assembly whereby to adjust
the height of said first thresher wheel above the ground
and the angle of said sub-assembly to the vertical. This
feature enables the sub-assembly to be adjusted to reduce
the risk of bending the stems of the plants to breaking
point. The reaped material can be subjected to a very
thorough threshing in the second thresher wheel. In the
case of fodder plants such as lucern, clover, sainfoin,
ray-grass, the stem left standing after the harvesting
machine in accordance with the invention has passed can
subsequently be reaped as fodder, whereas the use of a
combine harvester on such crops may lead to complete
destruction of the fodder.
In an embodiment of the invention said counter-
boards comprise perforated grills. The machine may also
include a further movable cleaning grill disposed behind
said second thresher grill, and shaker means for shaking
said cleaning grills whereby to riddle the threshed
material thereon, said grills being exchangeable. The
grills riddle the threshed material, extracting grains
in the case of corn for example, and the removal of waste
and foreign matter after the second threshing gives
improved and more efficient cleaning.
Preferably the machine comprises ventilation means
for passing a current of air over said grills, whereby to
extract chaff from the threshed material thereon. This
feature can give improved cleaning, for example blowing
chaff out.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the
machine includes first conveyor means at the rear of said
case for conveying harvested material in said case to a
side of said case, elevator means at said side for lifting
said harvested material, and further cleaning means
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disposed above said case for receiving material Erom
said elevator means. Advantageously, said further
cleaning means comprises first and second duc-ts for
receiving material from said elevator means in succession,
said duc-ts including respective grills for extracting
harvested material therefrom, and respective ventilator
ducts for directing a current of air across said grills
whereby to extract chaff from the material thereon.
Other features and advantages of the invention
will appear from the following description, given by way
of non-limitative example with reference to the accom-
paying drawings in which:-
Fig 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational view ofa harvesting machine in accordance with the invention;
Fig 2 is a diagrammatic view of the rear of the
machine of Fig. I;
Fig. 3 is a rear view, partly cut away, of an
alternative embodiment of the machine of Fig. l;
Fig. 4 is a top view of the machine of Figs ~ and 2
no~ showing part of the ventilation ducting;
FigO 5a, 5_, and 5c are diagramma-tic transverse
sectional views of different combs for beaters which can
be used in a machine in accordance with the invention;
Fig 6 is a sectional view of different bristles
which can form the combs of the beaters of Figs 5a, 5b
and 5c;
F:ig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of a mixed
comb having a blade;
Fig. 8 is an alternative assembly of the mixed
comb of Fig. 7, with only a blade;
Fig. 9 shows apparatus for lifting heads fitted on
the case of a machine in accordance with the invention;
Figs. 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d are diagrams represen-
ting different arrangements of threshers on a machine in
accordance with the invention for harvesting different
kinds of crops.
In -the following description of a harves-ting
machine in àccordance with -the invention, reference will
be made simultaneously to Fig. 1, showing a preferred
embodiment o:E the invention for harves-ting a cereal such
as corn and other figures showing different views, or
complementary detail, or alternatives.
The machine comprises essentially a metal case 1,
presenting an opening at its front and part of its top and
designed to collect grains separated from their stalks by
a double thresher device comprising a front main thresher
wheel with a horizontal axis for reaping the crop, and a
finishing -thresher wheel 3 disposed behind the first
thresher wheel, in the direction of movement of the vehicle
4 indicated diagrammati.cally on the right of Fig. 1 and
shown mounted on ground wheels 5. The harvesting machine
according to the invention moves forward towards the cereal
to be harvested, shown here as a head of corn ~. It also
comprises a table for simultaneously transporting and
cleaning the grains and expelling chaff and straw out of
the machine, indicated generally by the reference 7, and
disposed between the thresher wheels 2 and 3, as well as a
similar cleaning system disposed behind the finishing
thresher wheels and indicated generally by -the reference 8.
The front main thresher wheel 2 preferably comprises
eight spokes 9 bearing bea-ters 10 for reaping the grains
and disposed at the front of the case 1 in such a way that
its horizontal shaft, extending transversely to the direction
of movement of the vehicle, is slightly offset by a distance
x in front the leading edge of the case, formed by a catcher
bar 1.1 comprising a cylindrical tube on which the stalks to
be reaped can slide. This thresher wheel 15 is driven at a
variable speed by a hydraulic motor 12 disposed at the end
of its shaft. It also comprises a counter-board 13 comp-
rising a calibrating grill of curved shape which is maintained
and positioned along the circular path of movement of the
beaters 10, relative to the thresher wheel 2 by two external
adjustment rods 14, 15 mounted with compression springs 16
on side plates 17 (see Fig. 9) solid with the catcher bar -11
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and with the supports 18 for the shaft of the thresher
wheel 2 at the Eront of the case ]
In a preferred embodiment, the front part of the
case 1, on which the thresher wheel 2, counter-board 13
and side plates 17 are mounted, is formed by a horizontal
plate 19 hinged on a pivot shaft 20 on the case 1 itself,
so that the assembly of the thresher wheel, counter-board
and catcher bar 11 can pivot about the shaft 20, which
produces inclination of the threshing table indicated
generally by the reference 21, significantly reducing the
angle to which the stalks are bent and thus preventing
breakage of stalks remaining planted in the ground during
harvesting, and/or adaptation to differen-t kinds of cereal
to be harvested, and also forward shifting of the shaft of
the main thresher 2 to a maximum horiz.ontal value relative
to the catcher bar 11 produced by rotation from its upper-
most position, in which the front part 19 of the case is
raised to the maximum height at an angle a to the vertical,
to a position 11' lowered forward at an angle a of the
part 7. To perform this adjustment, two electrical
inclination jacks 22 are provided, solid with the side
plates 23, forming the fixed side walls of the case 1 and
whose moving rods 24 are pivoted on uprights 25 solid with
the movable front part 19 of the case.
~oreover, the shaft of the main thresher wheel 2
can be adjusted forward and backward by two lateral
electrical jacks 26, whose moving rods 27 are pivoted on
uprights 28 solid with the movable front plate 19 of the
case 1 and with the catcher bar ~I and to which the side
supports 18 of the thresher wheel 2 are connected by
electrical jacks 29 enabling the height of the thresher
wheel 2 to be adjusted All the jacks 22, 26 and 29 for
adjusting the inclination, the forward projection and the
height can be controlled from a control panel 30 visible
at the driver's position.
Also, besides the possibility to adjust the
inclination as indicated above, so as to reduce the height
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31 at which -the stalks heads or other crops 6 are contacted,
that is to say the height of the catcher bar 11 above the
ground 32 (without inclination of the assembly 2 and 19),
two hydraulic jacks 33 solid with the vehicle 4 are provided
with moving rods pivoted on two arms 34, themselves pivo-ted
on an upright 35 of the vehicle and carrying the case I o-f
the harvesting machine, the lower part of the machine also
being connected by -two arms 36 to -the lower par-t of the
chassis of the vehicle 4. This arrangemen-t enables the
catcher height to be adjusted during movement of the vehicle
(to compensate for varying stalk height) independently of
the inclination of the front par-t 19 of the case 1. The
control panel 30, provided with two revolution counters,
enables the speed of the two thresher wheels to be controlled.
In addition, a fixed deflector 36 solid with the
case 1 is provided at the top of the front of the case ~,
behind the main thresher wheel 2 and serving to deflect -the
grains thrown up down onto the table 7 transpor-ting the
grains to the finishing thresher wheel 3. Moreover, (see
also Fig. 9) a movable deflector 37 having a shape bent
down towards the rear, is solid with the thresher wheel 2,
being fixed to side cheeks 17 which form part of the assembly
thresher wheel 2, catcher bar Il, counter-board 13 - movable
front table 19 of the case I, which can pivot on -the fixed
case I about the pivot 20. This movable deflector 37 also
deflects grains thrown up into the case 1 on the table 7
transporting the grains. Additionally, to avoid grains
or straw being thrown by the thresher wheel 2 in front of
th~ case, an extractor apparatus 38 is provided, comprising
extractor needles 39 mounted on a transverse bar 40 solid
with the movable front part 19 of the case ~ by -the side
plates 17 and the deflector 37 and making an angle of 45
relative to the thresher wheel shaft.
Between the main thresher wheel 2 and the finishing
thresher wheel 3 is disposed, at a low height above the
movable front plate 19 and the floor plate of -the fixed
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case 1. a first cleaning grill forming the transpor-t and
cleaning table for grains going to the thresher wheel 3.
In fac-t, the grill 7 comprises a movable grill 41, solid
with the catcher bar 11 and merely resting at its rear
edge on the hinge 20 between the pla-te 19 and the fixed
case 1, and a movable grill 42 fixed to the case I at the
hinge 20 and extending rearwards to the vicinity o-f the
thresher wheel 3, so that the rear edge of the grill 41
rests on the front of the grill 42, which is shaken
energetically by a cam shaker 43. This arrangement enables
not only the grill 42 but also the grill 41 to be shaken,
and the grill 41 also follows the inclination position
adjustment of the pivoting front 19 of the case, the
grills 41 and 42 being pivoted about the shaft 20.
Behind the table 7, transporting the grains from
the thresher wheel 2, and formed by the two grills 41 and
42 is the thresher 3 with a counter-board 44 which is
formed by an interchangeable "chain mail" type of grill
mounted on the side plates 23 of the case 1, by means of
a system of rods 45 and springs 46 similar to tha-t of the
counter-board 13 for the main thresher wheel 2, but whose
springs, adjustable from the outside, are softer than
those of the co~nter-board 13. The finishing thresher
wheel 3 itself comprises beaters 47 solid with a horizontal
shaft driven in rotation by a hydraulic motor 48 shown only
very diagrammatically in Fig. 1. At its rear, the counter-
board 44, is extended by a second movable c].eaning grill 8,
disposed horizontally and energetically shaken by a cam
shaker 48. Lastly, a grain extractor 49, similar to the
extractor 38, 39, 40 associated with the thresher wheel 2
is fitted on a deflector 50 and e].iminates grains caught
in the beater 3 by making them drop onto the grill 8.
All the grains arriving from the main thresher
wheel 2 and from the finishing -thresher wh~el 3 are trans-
ported to an endless screw conveyor 51 in the bottom at
the rear of the case 1. This conveyor is connected drivingly
to the ca~ shakers 7, 41, 42 and 8 by endless bel-ts 52 and
53, and conveys the grains to the bottom of a vane -type
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elevator 54 (See also Flg. 2) which lifts them to an upper
cleaning apparatus indicated generally by the re:Eerence 55.
This cleaning apparatus comprises a blower 56 of variable
flow rate comprising, for example, a "Tarare" type fan
with -two outlet ducts 57 and 58 driven by a standard
hydraulic motor 5fi'. The ducts 57 and 58 are each sub-
divided into two elements leading to two inclined ducts 59
and 60 fitted in parallel one under the other, and in two
elements leading to two ducts 61 and 62. The ducts 59 and
60 are connected to the upper part of the e~evator 54 and
receive grains conveyed by the elevator onto respective
grills 63 and 64 which are inclined and subjec-ted to a
transverse air stream parallel to the grills. The grills
are actuated by respective shakers 63l and 64' driven by
an endless belt 65 off a pulley 66 from the blower shaft.
The ducts 61 and 62 send air laterally through respective
ventilation nozzles 7' and 8' at the first and second
shaker grills 7 (41, 42) and 8 disposed behind the -thresher
wheels 2 and 3 respectively, so as to clean the grains a
first time.
As shown in Fig. 2, the side of ducts 59 and 60
opposite the entry of ducts 58 is connec-ted to ducts 67
and 68 which lead down towards the ground, in order to
evacuate chaff and straw left in the grains. Moreover,
the bottom end of duct 60 is connected to a duct 69 taking
unthreshed grains and material after passing across the
grill 64 of the duct 60 in front of the thresher wheel 3,
where they are threshed again. Collection of clean and
calibrated grains is finally obtained in a trough 70 at
the bottom of duct 60, from where they are expelled in a
suitable way, not shown, to a storage hopper 71. The
dimensions and shapes of the grills naturally depend on the
kind of crops to be harvested.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the
cleaning block 55 and the blower 56 are disposed side by
side, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to reduce the overall
height of the threshing machine.
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Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic -top view of the apparatus
of Figs. 1 and 2, showing the main thresher wheel 2, the
-finishing -thresher wheel 3, and the upper cleaning block
55 with the blower 56. As shown also in Fig. 1, a box 72
wi-th hydraulic connectors provides connections be-tween
the hydraulic motors 12 and 48 of the thresher wheels 2
and 3 and the hydraulic connector of the vehicle 4 (in
particular a tractor) by flexible piping (not shown) in
which are included valves for starting and stopping the
motors Electric connectors 74 are also shown, which
enable the switches controlling the electrical jacks 22,
26 and 29 to be placed close to the driver's position 30,
for example on a small movable box. Lastly, the control
panel 30 comprises two revolution counters 75 enabling the
driver to control the speed of the two thresher wheels 2
and 3.
Additionally, the harvesting machine, in accordance
with the invention, comprises in itself all the accessories
necessary for its operation, and its installation in front
of a tractor only comprises coupling the lifting arms 36,
whose spacing is adjustable as in other agricultural
equipment.
For harvesting machines having a working width over
3 metres, an automotive design provides advantages in
efficiency, with an automotive chassis providing directly
a large storage hopper.
Hereinafter, referring to Figs. 5a, 5b, 5c and 6,
will be described different types of the combs 10 and 47
fitted on the beaters of the two thresher wheels 2 and 3
as a function of the roles of the two thresher wheels and
of the kind of crop to be harvested.
Extraction of grains from heads, bunches, pods or
husks presents very different resistances according to the
species involved and the invention is designed to perform
the recovery of the grain without damage, by a progressive
action of the combs, carefully chosen and assembled in
brushes fitted on the beater arms, and accordingly a range
-- 1 1 --
of combs such as shown in Figs. 5a, 5b and 5c are offered:
combs Eor stroking 76, trimming 77, stripping 78, extracting
79 and carding 80. The Eibres forming the different combs
can be made from different materials and have different
characteristics. Vegetable fibres can be used such as:
palm, provencal cane, flexible plastics fibres such as
Nylon or Rilsan (Registered Trade Marks), stif-f plastics
fibres such as polyvinyl chloride or polypropylene 81
(Fig. 6), reinforced fibres 82 or various forms of metallic
fibres, smooth or twisted or coated (83) appropriately as
a function of their usage.
An important characteristic of the fibres is their
springiness, which is particularly effective in the case of
Rilsan fibres. The thickness and shape of the fibres are
defined as a function of their use. Fibres are available
which are thin, of diameter under lmm, and fat, of diameter
up to 3mm, and their transverse section can circular, square
or diamond shape.
The fibres are assembled in thicknesses varying from
2 to 5 cm and pressed into metal grooves 84 fixed to the
spokes 85 of the thresher wheel (2 or 3) in a U-shaped
slot 86.
The progressive action is obtained by assembling
two or three types of fibres of different stiffness and
springiness in a single brush 87, which enables a full
range of powers of threshing to be obtained, ranging from
stroking grains by flexible fibres 76 to stripping by metal
fibres forming springs 79, 80.
In the case of utilisation of a machine in accordance
with the invention for harvesting medicinal plants and
bushes, such as rosemary, lavender and tea, mixed combs
are used which pluck the leaves and trim the pLant (Fig. 7).
The beater then comprises a combing part 89 which plucks
the leaves and a cutter blade 90 mounted on a frame 91
comprising an angle-piece parallel to the arm 85 of the
beater and fixed thereto, for example by bolts 92, which
are adjustable in sliders 93 on the arm 85 so as to enable
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radial adjustment of the blade, which in addi-tion is
slightly offset from the arm 85 behind the comb 89. The
cutting blade 90 enables the stalks of the crop to be
trimmed to a level. It is fixed to the angle frame 91
by suitable means such as by bolts 9~.
In E'ig. 8 is shown an alternative embodimen-t of
the arrangement of Fig. 7, in which the frame 91 is no
longer an angle-piece but a straight unangled arm fixed
to the arm 85 of the thresher wheel by the same kind of
fixing as shown in Fig. 7.
In Fig. 9, part of -the machine of Fig. 1 is shown
to an enlarged scale, with a thresher wheel 2, shown
sybollically by the contour 95 of the rotation of the
beaters and which, when lowered by pivoting about the
hinge 20, goes to position 95' shown in dotted lines, the
catcher edge 11 going to Il' and one of the height adjust-
ment jacks 26 connected to the supports 18 of the thresher
wheel shaft and a movable side plate 17 solid wi-th -the
movable front part of the case 1. As already explained,
when the crops are beaten down, after a storm for example,
which causes a problem for the machines to absorb the heads,
the driver of the machine according to the invention can
lower the machine to the desired height 31 (Fig. 1), for
example 20 to 30 cm above the ground 32, using the jacks
33, increase also the inclination of the thresher table 21
and choose the best position for the thresher wheel using
the electrical jacks 26 and 29.
However, if the crop is beaten right down flat onto
the ground, it is desirable to fit under the case 1 a
device for lifting the heads, which comprises a transverse
shaft which may coincide with the pivot shaft 20 for the
front part 19 of the case I and which comprises a set of
fingers 96 terminating at their front ends in removable
tapered points 97. The driver can vary the height of these
fingers by means of a small jack 98 placed at the side on
the case I of the vehicle~ Moreover operational flexibility
is ensured by a vertical compression spring 99 connected to
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-the bottom of the case at each side.
In Figs. lOa, lOb, lOc and lOd different -types of
harves-ting machines in accordance with -the invention are
shown schematically, designed for different kinds of crops.
For cereals and fodder plan-ts cultivated over the whole
surface of the ground, the thresher can comprise one or
two straight fxontal thresher wheels which are 2 to 4
metres long.
In the case of thick hedge crops, such as -tea, -the
thresher can be fitted on the front of a straddle tractor
and comprise three thresher wheels (Fig. lOa), namely a
main horizontal frontal thresher wheel 100 and two small
inclinable side wheels 101.
In the case of medicinal plants, cultivated in rows
spaced 1.5 to 3 metres apart, the thresher can be provided
with two thresher wheels 102 (Fig. lOb) of 0.6 to 0.8 metres,
mounted on the ends of arms which can be adjusted for angle
and height.
In Fig. lOc, -the case of harvesting tall plants
planted in line, such as cotton, is illustrated. The
thresher is provided with two vertical thresher wheels 103,
adjustable for angle and width and provided with needles
for extracting grain or fibres (Fig. 1) which can be caught
in the beaters.
Lastly, for harvesting seed from vegetable or flower
crops, which are generally grown in patches or lines, a
reduced capacity thresher in accordance with the invention,
fitted on a motor cultivator can be advantageously fitted
wi-th a thresher wheel 104 of diabolo shape -to embrace the
plants.
The operation of a harvesting machine according to
the invention is as follows:-
When it advances towards the cereals to be harvested,
the catcher bar 11 contacts the heads which bend and are
grasped and threshed, with a progressive action, by the
thresher wheel 2. The grains and possibly the chaff and
straw are thrown back onto the shaker grill 7, 41 and 42
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where the grains are sorted a Eirst time, the grains
Ealling through to the bottom of the case and cleaned a
first time by air blown -through from the duct 61 impelled
by the blower 56. Simultaneously, grains remaining on -the
beaters are detached by the ex-tractor 38 and di.rected back
onto the grill 7, as also grains which may be thrown up
into the air are deflected onto the grill 7 by the
deflectors F. 37. The rest of the grain, complete heads
and accumulations of grains are then -taken by -the finishing
thresher wheel 3, which delivers part of the grains to the
conveyor 51 through its counter-board and shaker grill 8,
which also receives cleaning air sent by the blower 56
through the duct 62.
The grains are next -taken to the upper cleaning
apparatus 55, where they undergo a further operation of
purification and cleaning in the ducts 59 and 60 on -the
grills 63 and 64 which are ventilated laterally and trans-
versely by air impelled by the blower 56 through the ducts
58. Lastly, the grains collected at 70 are evacuated to
the hopper 71, while any unthreshed grains and other mater-
ial are guided through the duct 69 in front of the thresher
wheel 3 to be threshed again.
