WO2024217638A1

WO2024217638A1 - Pick-up attachment for a harvesting machine

Info

Publication number: WO2024217638A1
Application number: PCT/DE2024/100359
Authority: WO
Inventors: André HEMMESMANN; Holger STRUNK; Cristiano SCHWARTZ; Reimer Uwe Tiessen; Jonas SCHOLZ
Original assignee: Carl Geringhoff Gmbh & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft
Priority date: 2023-04-21
Filing date: 2024-04-22
Publication date: 2024-10-24

Abstract

The invention relates to a pick-up attachment (10) for a harvesting machine, wherein the pick-up attachment comprises a machine frame (12), a receiving rotor (14) with receiving tools (16) for receiving harvested crop from the ground (18), a hold-down device (20), a feed screw base (22) and a feed screw (24). The receiving rotor (14), the hold-down device (20), the feed screw base (22) and the feed screw (24) are connected to the machine frame (12) and form a machine frame unit with the machine frame (12), wherein an adapter frame (26) is provided, to the forward-facing side of which, as seen in the direction of travel (FR), the machine frame (12) is hingedly connected and to the rearward-facing side of which the harvesting machine can be coupled. This ensures a highly reactive ground guidance even at high advancing speeds without the raking quality and the flow of harvested crop being negatively impaired.

Description

Pick-up attachment for a harvester

The invention relates to a pick-up attachment for a harvesting machine preferably having a pre-press housing, preferably for a forage harvester, particularly preferably for a self-propelled forage harvester, comprising a machine frame, a pickup rotor with pickup tools for picking up crops from the ground, a hold-down device, an intake auger base and an intake auger.

Forage harvesters are harvesting machines used for harvesting and collecting crops, cutting crops into short parallel lengths and conveying the chopped material into containers or separate vehicles. Typical crops are grasses, stalk-like crops such as alfalfa or field grass, pulses, mixtures and/or row crops such as corn or millet. The chopped material can either be fed directly to livestock as feed or stored by silage or drying to be later fed to livestock as feed. The forage harvester can harvest the crop directly by cutting across the full width or from single or multiple rows or by collecting it from the swath. Forage harvesters can be tractor-mounted, tractor-drawn or self-propelled.

A harvesting attachment is a usually removable device for picking up the harvested crop into the forage harvester. A pick-up attachment as a harvesting attachment is specifically a device for picking up previously cut crops. The crops can be laid out in rows or swaths.

Self-propelled forage harvesters have now reached an engine power of over 1000 hp. Parallel to the engine power, the throughput of the forage harvesters has also increased. In addition to the high engine and throughput power required for maize silage, the harvesting capacity is also an important factor for high feed quality in grass silage. After mowing, the meadows and fields must be must be cleared within a short time frame in order, for example, to be able to ensil the green fodder with an optimal dry matter content.

In order to be able to exploit the high throughput of a harvesting machine, especially a forage harvester, it is necessary, among other things, to significantly increase the forward speed of the harvesting machine.

Increasing the working speed or the forward speed of the harvesting machine, in particular the forage harvester, as a quasi investment-neutral increase in power or harvesting capacity, is accompanied by negative side effects, which are described in more detail below.

The drivers of forage harvesters and loading vehicles need a much higher level of concentration at higher speeds, so that the exhaustion limit is reached much sooner. As a result, changes in the contour of the ground, caused for example by stumps, i.e. by narrow ditches between individual fields used for drainage, by wet spots or by other obstacles, are only recognized late, which makes it difficult to manually adjust the speed of travel and the height of the pick-up attachment in good time.

Known pick-up attachments include a rigid roller-like pickup rotor with pickup tools, for example a rigid tine drum, for picking up crops from the ground. The rigid pickup rotor is either rigidly connected to the respective machine frame of the pick-up attachment or is connected or attached to it as a unit with the auger bottom, or is connected or attached to it. Such pickup rotors cannot adapt to the contour of the ground separately, i.e. separately from the machine frame of the pick-up attachment. Also known are pick-up attachments which are rigidly connected or attached to the machine frame of the harvesting machine, in particular the forage harvester. Pick-up attachments rigidly connected to the harvesting machine or pick-up attachments with Rigidly attached pickup rotors usually have poor ground tracking in hilly areas. State-of-the-art contact pressure controls for height control react too slowly at high forward speeds. The consequences of poor ground tracking of the pick-up attachment are harvest losses, massive fodder contamination and increased machine wear.

Also known are pick-up attachments or, in particular, rigid pickup rotors which, together with the intake auger bottom, which can also be referred to as the auger bottom, are suspended as a swinging unit on the machine frame of the pick-up attachment or as a swinging unit on the intake auger, whereby these ensure significantly better adaptation to the ground contour at high forward speeds of the pick-up attachment and thus almost exact maintenance of the rake height. A pick-up attachment in which the pickup rotor is connected to the auger bottom as a unit via two arms, a left and a right arm as seen in the direction of travel, swinging up and down relative to the machine frame of the pick-up attachment, is known from the company CLAAS KGaA mbH. The pickup rotor or the unit consisting of the pickup rotor and auger bottom can adapt to rapidly changing ground contours. This type of connection has a rotation axis or a pivot point which is positioned relatively low to the ground, which can be arable soil, in order to generate a thrust vector that is as flat as possible.

The invention is based on the knowledge that the main disadvantage of this suspension is the resulting, particularly large and predominantly horizontal relative movement between the intake rotor and the intake auger, which disrupts the flow of crop and can even cause damage to the machine. This is due to the fact that the auger flights of the intake auger must have an approximately constant distance from the auger base and that the pivot point of the intake auger is higher up, i.e. further away from the Pivot point of the unit consisting of the receiving rotor and the screw bottom.

If the unit or system swings or moves upwards, the intake auger approaches the pickup rotor, predominantly horizontally. This means that the distance between the pickup tools, in particular the pickup tines, and the auger thread becomes very small, which impedes the transverse conveyance of the crop flow through the pickup tools, in particular the pickup tines. This can even lead to increased tine breakage. If the unit swings or moves downwards, the intake auger moves away from the pickup rotor. This means that the distance between the pickup tools, in particular the pickup tines, and the auger thread becomes very large, which impedes the transfer of the crop from the pickup rotor to the intake auger. This can cause the crop flow to come to a halt, which in turn leads to uneven feeding of the harvesting machine, in particular the forage harvester, which reduces chopping performance and chopping quality.

It is known that harvesting machines, for example forage harvesters, usually have a contact pressure control and a pendulum shield for height control or ground adjustment of the pick-up attachment. The pendulum shield is usually a frame-shaped element that is pivotally attached to the harvesting machine on one side, for example at the front end of the forage harvester when viewed in the direction of travel, about a pendulum axis, and that is attached to the pick-up attachment on the other side or is supported on the machine frame of the pick-up attachment. The pendulum shield thus enables the pick-up attachment to pivot relative to the harvesting machine, in particular the forage harvester, about a horizontal pendulum axis, i.e. a pendulum movement transverse to the direction of travel, i.e. transverse penduluming. The pivoting of the pick-up attachment and the pendulum shield around the pendulum axis can be done by gravity, or externally powered actuators are provided which automatically adjust the pivoting angle around the pendulum axis based on signals from sensors distributed across the width of the pick-up attachment for detecting the height above the ground and/or the contact pressure. The disadvantage of contact pressure control, however, is that it reacts slowly, so that it can no longer work effectively and reactively at higher speeds. The result of this is poor ground adaptation of the pick-up attachment, which - as explained in more detail below - in turn leads to crop losses, massive feed contamination and increased machine wear.

If the harvester, particularly the forage harvester, drives over a hill at high speed, the ground pressure control cannot lower the pick-up attachment and thus the pickup rotor in time, so that it is moved too high for a certain time and distance, whereby the pickup tools, particularly the rake tines, of the pickup rotor no longer reach the turf, which leads to crop losses because crop material is not collected. The result is crop losses that are left on the field because the optimal raking height could not be maintained.

If the harvesting machine, particularly the forage harvester, drives through a depression at high speed, the contact pressure control cannot raise the pick-up attachment and thus the pickup rotor in time, so that it is guided too low for a certain time and distance. As a result, the pickup tools, particularly the rake tines, of the pickup rotor comb aggressively through the soil or the turf, which leads to massive contamination of the harvested crop and thus to feed contamination and thus to a reduction in the feed quality, damage to the turf and increased wear on both the pick-up attachment and the harvesting machine, for example the forage harvester, as a lot of dirt, particularly sand and soil, is picked up. Breakage of the pickup tools, particularly the rake tines, and other damage are also possible.

Based on this prior art, the invention is based on the object of improving a pick-up attachment. In particular, the invention is based on the object of improving a pick-up attachment for a harvesting machine, especially for a forage harvester, which reactively adapts to the ground contours even at high driving speeds.

This object is achieved in a pick-up attachment with the features of claim 1. Further developments and advantageous embodiments of the invention emerge from the subclaims.

The pick-up attachment according to the invention for a harvesting machine preferably having a pre-press housing, preferably for a forage harvester, particularly preferably for a self-propelled forage harvester, comprising a machine frame, a pickup rotor with pickup tools for picking up crops from the ground, a hold-down device, an intake auger base and an intake auger, and is characterized in that the pickup rotor, the hold-down device, the intake auger base and the intake auger are connected to the machine frame and these form a machine frame unit with the machine frame, wherein an adapter frame is provided, on the side of which facing forwards, as seen in the direction of travel, the machine frame is connected in an articulated manner so that it can swing up and down, and on the side of which facing rearwards the harvesting machine, in particular the pre-press housing of the harvesting machine, can be coupled, preferably suspended so that it can swing up and down.

In other words: According to the invention, the receiving rotor with all process-relevant components is connected to a common machine frame, whereby the machine frame is articulatedly coupled to an adapter frame.

This ensures that the pickup rotor reactively adapts to the ground contour due to the articulated connection of the machine frame to the adapter frame. All process-related components, in particular the pickup rotor with pickup tools for picking up crop from the ground, the hold-down device, the intake auger base and the The feed auger, which includes the intake auger, are arranged on a single machine frame so that - with regard to the transfer of crops - the transfer geometries between the various process-related components or modules of the pick-up attachment are kept constant and optimal in relation to one another, i.e. almost stationary and in an optimal position in relation to one another. In addition to very reactive ground guidance, this also keeps the raking quality consistently high at high forward speeds and at the same time ensures optimal crop flow.

The invention is also based on the finding that if only the pick-up rotor is suspended in an up and down motion relative to the machine frame of the pick-up attachment, a large, predominantly vertical relative movement occurs between the pick-up rotor and the machine frame and thus the intake screw of the pick-up attachment. This would mean that no constant, optimal transfer geometry could be established between the pick-up rotor and the intake screw. In addition, if only the pick-up rotor is suspended in an up and down motion relative to the machine frame of the pick-up attachment, the pick-up tools and thus the pick-up rotor would generally have to be positioned at a greater distance from the intake screw, since otherwise there would be a risk of a collision with the intake screw if the pick-up rotor were to swing up and down. Furthermore, the up and down movement of only the pickup rotor relative to the machine frame of the pick-up attachment and thus relative to the intake auger would have a negative effect on the crop transfer between these two components, i.e. pickup rotor and intake auger, and thus on the crop flow, since the process-related distances would constantly change.

The invention is based on the further finding that when the pickup rotor and auger bottom are suspended in an up and down motion as a unit relative to the machine frame of the pick-up attachment, the unit consisting of the pickup rotor and auger base, the intake auger would have to move almost synchronously with the auger base in order to always maintain a constant distance between the intake auger and the auger base. This would ensure even crop intake and therefore crop flow. The pivot point of the unit consisting of the pickup rotor and auger base should be positioned as far down as possible or close to the ground, particularly arable soil, in order to generate the most favorable thrust vector possible. The pivot point of the intake auger, on the other hand, should be positioned further up in order to maintain a constant distance between the auger flights and the strippers when the pickup auger swings up and down. The resulting spacing of the two pivot points and the fact that the distance between the auger flight and the auger base must be almost constant results in a large, predominantly horizontal relative movement between the pickup rotor and the intake auger. If the system swings or moves upwards, the intake auger approaches the pickup rotor. This means that the distance between the intake tools, in particular the intake tines, of the intake rotor and the auger flight becomes very small, so that the transverse conveyance of the crop flow through the intake tools, in particular the discharge tines, is hindered. This can even lead to increased breakage of the intake tool, in particular breakage of the intake tines. If the system swings or moves downwards, the intake auger moves away from the intake rotor. This means that the distance between the intake tines and the auger flight becomes very large, so that the transfer of the crop from the intake rotor to the intake auger is hindered. This can cause the crop flow to stagnate, which in turn leads to uneven feeding of the harvesting machine, in particular the forage harvester, which reduces the chopping performance and chopping quality of a forage harvester.

Since the machine frame is connected to the adapter frame in an articulated manner according to the invention, all of the aforementioned process-related components of the pick-up attachment advantageously swing along with it, i.e. up and down or upwards and downwards. It can be advantageous if the machine frame is suspended relative to the adapter frame so as to be able to swing upwards and downwards or up and down about a rotation axis arranged transversely to the direction of travel in the lower region of the machine frame and the adapter frame or about at least one correspondingly arranged pivot point.

This ensures that the pick-up attachment reactively adapts to the ground contours even at high driving speeds and at the same time the transfer geometries between the various process modules of the pick-up attachment, namely the pickup rotor, hold-down device, intake auger and intake auger base, are constantly kept optimal in relation to one another, i.e. almost stationary and in an optimal position in relation to one another. According to the invention, optimal and safe ground guidance of the pickup rotor and thus high raking accuracy are achieved even at high feed speeds of the harvesting machine, in particular the forage harvester. In addition, optimal crop flow and even compression of the crop mat and thus high chopping performance and chopping quality are guaranteed.

It can be advantageous if the machine frame, which is articulated to the adapter frame, swings around the axis of rotation or the pivot point in such a way that the up and down swinging movement causes no or only minor changes in the transfer geometry between the pick-up attachment and the harvesting machine.

It can be advantageous if the axis of rotation or the pivot point between the machine frame and the adapter frame is positioned at the height of the transfer floor or intake auger floor or auger floor, so that during the up and down swinging movement there are no unwanted relative movements or no or only slight changes in the transfer geometry between the pick-up attachment and the harvesting machine, in particular the pre-press housing of the harvesting machine, in particular the forage harvester. This ensures optimal and safe ground guidance of the pickup rotor and thus high raking accuracy even at high feed speeds of the harvesting machine, in particular the forage harvester. In addition, optimal crop flow and even compression of the crop mat and thus high chopping performance and chopping quality are guaranteed. The pick-up attachment according to the invention can therefore reactively adapt to the constantly changing ground contours even at high forward speeds, which is not possible with a conventional pick-up attachment that is fixed to the pre-press housing of the forage harvester and only controlled by the contact pressure control of the forage harvester.

It can be advantageous if the axis of rotation is in a neutral position horizontal to the ground.

Due to the features according to the invention, the pick-up attachment or the machine frame including the pickup rotor swings reactively downwards relative to the adapter frame or the harvesting machine or the pre-press housing of the harvesting machine when driving over a hill, even at high forward speeds, and thus keeps the set raking height constant so that no crop is left on the ground and no feed is lost.

When driving through a depression, the pick-up attachment or the machine frame including the pickup rotor reactively swings upwards relative to the adapter frame or the harvester or the pre-press housing of the harvester, even at high forward speeds, and thus keeps the set raking height constant so that no dirt gets into the crop and thus into the forage and the turf is protected.

This ensures very good soil guidance under all conditions and thus a low-loss and low-contamination intake of the crop or feed At the same time as the constant, homogeneous crop flow, the feed quality, the chopping quality and the harvesting capacity are increased.

It can be advantageous if two guide elements, preferably designed as feeler wheels, are arranged to the left and right of the pickup rotor when viewed in the direction of travel, preferably at about the same height as the pickup rotor when viewed in the direction of travel. The pickup rotor and thus the machine frame of the pick-up attachment are guided to the ground using the guide elements.

It can be advantageous if the contact point of the two guide elements, preferably the feeler wheels, with the ground, seen in the direction of travel, is arranged approximately next to the contact point of the picking tools, in particular picking tines or raking tines, of the picking rotor with the ground, the so-called raking point.

As a result, regardless of the position or angle of the pickup rotor or the machine frame relative to the harvester or the pre-press housing of the harvester or the soil, the set raking height of the pickup rotor or the pickup tools, in particular the pickup tines, is always precisely maintained.

It can be advantageous if the distance of the collecting tools, in particular the collecting tines or raking tines, of the collecting rotor to the ground or the raking height can be adjusted via the guide elements, preferably feeler wheels, arranged laterally next to the collecting rotor.

It can be advantageous if the guide elements, preferably feeler wheels, can be moved mechanically, hydraulically and/or electrically in height to adjust the distance of the picking tools, in particular the picking tines or rake tines, of the picking rotor to the ground. It may be advantageous if the adjustment of the distance of the picking tools, in particular the picking tines or rake tines, of the picking rotor to the ground can be carried out decentrally on the respective guide element, preferably the feeler wheel, or centrally from the driver's cab of the harvesting machine and preferably for all guide elements simultaneously.

It can be advantageous if the guide elements, preferably feeler wheels, can be rotated preferably by 360° around a substantially vertical axis. This ensures cornering that protects the ground, even on tight bends, and reversing without first lifting the pick-up attachment.

It can be advantageous if the guide elements, preferably feeler wheels, arranged to the left and right of the pickup rotor when viewed in the direction of travel can be pivoted in front of the pickup rotor for road transport of the pick-up attachment when viewed in the direction of travel. This makes it possible to advantageously reduce the transport width of the pick-up attachment or the harvesting machine.

It can be advantageous if one or more than one spring element, preferably a tension spring, is provided, which is connected at a predetermined distance from the axis of rotation or the pivot point with one end to the machine frame and the other end to the adapter frame, in such a way that the load on the machine frame is relieved. This results in a smoother movement of the pickup rotor or the entire pick-up attachment and also results in the guide elements exerting less ground pressure on the ground, particularly arable soil, which in turn significantly increases the smooth running of the pickup rotor or the entire pick-up attachment and soil protection.

It may be advantageous if one or more spring elements are connected to one or more actuators, preferably with a hydraulic cylinder. can be combined, by the actuation of which the oscillation angle or the oscillation movement can be overridden, wherein the machine frame can be moved either to an upper end position or to a lower end position, wherein the actuation can preferably be carried out from the driver's cab of the harvesting machine.

For example, the machine frame can be moved to the upper end position relative to the adapter frame for road transport of the pick-up attachment, thereby generating more ground clearance. With foldable pick-up attachments, the actuator can be used to move the machine frame to its lower end position relative to the adapter frame for the folding process, in order to create more space for folding or moving the machine frame between the pre-press housing or cab roof of the harvesting machine, in particular the forage harvester, and the pick-up attachment.

It can be advantageous if the adapter frame is also equipped with a pendulum frame, which allows the pick-up attachment to swing across the direction of travel. This can significantly improve ground guidance and thus the raking and forage quality, especially in forage harvesters with rigid pre-press housings, i.e. a pre-press housing without its own pendulum frame.

It may be advantageous if one or more than one support roller is provided, which preferably forms a type of tandem chassis together with the guide elements arranged laterally next to the receiving rotor.

It may be advantageous if at least one support roller is arranged on the adapter frame.

It may be advantageous if the support rollers are arranged within the working width of the pick-up attachment.

It can be advantageous if the support rollers are adjustable in height so that the support rollers rest on the ground when the pickup rotor or the Machine frame is in the middle position or swing position relative to the adapter frame or the pre-press housing, and when the ground pressure control of the harvester guides the pick-up attachment on the support rollers to the ground.

In combination with a contact pressure control of a harvesting machine, especially a forage harvester such as a maize harvester, the following advantages arise.

The contact pressure control of a harvesting machine, for example a corn chopper, guides the pick-up attachment to the ground on these rear rollers or support rollers. Two movements overlap, namely on the one hand as a result of the height control of the entire pick-up attachment by the contact pressure control of the harvesting machine, in particular the forage harvester, and on the other hand as a result of the oscillating movement of the pickup rotor or the machine frame relative to the adapter frame or the harvesting machine, in particular the pre-press housing of the forage harvester, namely as follows:

The oscillating pickup rotor or machine frame adapts directly and reactively to the ground contours and thus keeps the raking height constant even at higher forward speeds. The harvester, in particular the forage harvester, guides the pick-up attachment more slowly by controlling the contact pressure on the support rollers, as the system reacts more slowly.

This means that the contact pressure control adjusts the height of the pick-up attachment so that the oscillating pick-up rotor or machine frame always returns to its central or starting position.

It can be advantageous if one or more than one sensor, preferably an angle sensor, is provided for electronic height control, which, due to the swinging suspension of the machine frame relative to the adapter frame, detects the relative movement between the machine frame of the pick-up attachment and the adapter frame of the pick-up attachment and converts this into an electrical Signal is converted, whereby the signal can then be used to detect the position of the pickup rotor or the machine frame of the pick-up attachment relative to the adapter frame of the pick-up attachment, which can preferably be used to control a pre-press housing arranged on the pick-up attachment, which can be adjusted in such a way that the oscillating machine frame returns to a starting position in which the machine frame is in a middle position. The oscillating pickup rotor or machine frame adapts directly and reactively to the ground contours and thus keeps the rake height constant even at higher travel speeds. The optional additional support rollers on the adapter frame, as described above, are not absolutely necessary for this system or pick-up attachment according to the invention, but can support ground guidance in difficult conditions.

It can be advantageous if the pick-up attachment connected to the harvesting machine can be manually adjusted to a constant, predetermined height above the ground on the harvesting machine. This allows the oscillating pickup rotor or machine frame to adapt to the contours of the ground even without a contact pressure-controlled or electronically controlled height guide for the pick-up attachment provided on the harvesting machine or forage harvester. This is advantageous, for example, with older harvesting machine or forage harvester models. The pickup rotor or machine frame can thus adapt to the contours of the ground within its oscillation path. In the case of extremely uneven ground, the height guide of the pick-up attachment must be manually adjusted from the driver's cab of the harvesting machine, in particular the forage harvester. This development of the invention is therefore more advantageous for use on flat terrain.

In hilly and/or alpine areas, the above-mentioned system should only be used in combination with a corresponding contact pressure-controlled or electronically controlled height control as described above. It can be advantageous if the pickup rotor is made up of several at least partially articulated segments to adapt to the contours of the ground. Because the pickup rotor of the pick-up attachment is made up of several at least partially articulated segments, the pickup rotor is also flexible across the direction of travel, which means that it can adapt better to the contours of the ground. This makes it possible for the pickup rotor to at least partially adapt to the contour of the depression when driving over a depression or, conversely, to adapt to the contour of the hill when driving over a hill. The pickup rotor sags downwards at the relevant point or, conversely, arches upwards at the relevant point. Because the pickup rotor adapts to the contours of the terrain, the pickup rotor and thus the pickup tools, in particular rake tines, can be guided at an optimal distance from the turf to collect the crop. This means that there are no harvest losses, as the crop is reliably collected even in depressions in the terrain. It also prevents the collecting tools, especially rake tines, from aggressively combing through the turf. As this protects the turf and does not pick up dirt such as sand or soil, contamination of the forage is avoided and the forage quality is increased. The flexibility of the collecting rotor therefore ensures high forage quality with low harvest losses. In addition, increased machine wear on both the pick-up attachment and the harvesting machine is avoided.

The combination of the inventive oscillating suspension of the pick-up rotor or the machine frame relative to the adapter frame or the harvesting machine, in particular to the pre-press housing of the harvesting machine, with the flexibility of the pick-up rotor means that the flexible pick-up rotor can adapt to the contours of the ground transversely to the direction of travel in addition to the oscillating suspension. This creates optimal raking accuracy, which in turn protects the soil and further increases the quality of the crop or feed. This type of suspension or connection of the pickup rotor or machine frame to the adapter frame according to the invention can also be used on all other machines with pick-up attachments. It can be advantageous if the harvesting machine is a baler, a loading wagon, a belt swather or the like. In principle, all agricultural machines that can usually be equipped with a pick-up attachment as a harvesting attachment are suitable.

After all of this, the following advantages of a pick-up attachment according to the invention for a forage harvester are given compared to the prior art:

- better ground adaptation, especially with larger working widths and higher forward speeds

- extremely smooth running of the pickup rotor or the entire pick-up attachment

- no introduction of load peaks into the pre-press housing of the harvester; the pick-up attachment moves upwards when the ground contours change rapidly

- low ground pressure on the guide elements

- Protect the turf and maintain the raking height, especially in wet, heavily contoured and boggy areas

- higher feed quality; less dirt entering the feed

- less wear in the entire pick-up attachment and in the entire harvester

- thus also lower risk of tine breakage

- reduced crop losses when collecting the crop from the ground; improved raking quality

Further features of the invention emerge from the claims, the figures and the description of the figures contained therein. All features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description as well as the features and combinations of features mentioned in the description of the figures and/or shown in the figures alone Combinations of features can be used not only in the combination specified, but also in other combinations or on their own.

The invention will now be explained in more detail using preferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pick-up attachment according to the invention from an angle from the front,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the pick-up attachment according to the invention shown in Fig. 1, viewed obliquely from behind,

Fig. 3 is a side view of the pick-up attachment according to the invention shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a side view of the pick-up attachment according to the invention shown in Fig. 3 with a machine frame in the uppermost position relative to the adapter frame,

Fig. 5 is a side view of the pick-up attachment according to the invention shown in Fig. 3 with a machine frame in the middle position relative to the adapter frame,

Fig. 6 is a side view of the pick-up attachment according to the invention shown in Fig. 3 with a machine frame in the lowest position relative to the adapter frame,

Fig. 7 is a side view of a pick-up attachment according to the invention with electronic angle-Z position detection of the machine frame which can swing relative to the adapter frame, Fig. 8 is a side view of a pick-up attachment according to the invention with a machine frame relative to the adapter frame and a support roller on the adapter frame,

Fig. 9 is a side view of a pick-up attachment according to the invention with a machine frame relative to the adapter frame and lateral guide elements in the form of feeler wheels and

Fig. 10 is a front view of a pick-up attachment according to the invention with a machine frame relative to the adapter frame and lateral guide elements in the form of feeler wheels.

If the same reference numbers are used in Figs. 1 to 10, they also designate the same parts or areas.

The pick-up attachment 10 according to the invention for a harvesting machine not shown here comprises a machine frame 12, a pickup rotor 14 with pickup tools 16 for picking up crops from the ground 18. The pickup tools 16 are degressively arranged tines. The direction of travel FR or the forward direction of the pick-up attachment 10 is shown in the figures with an arrow. The pickup rotor 12 is composed of several at least partially articulated segments - as can be clearly seen in Fig. 1 - to adapt to the contours of the ground 18.

The pick-up attachment 10 further comprises at least several guide elements in the form of sliding plates 42 resting on the ground 18. The sliding plates 42 are arranged, as shown in the figures, directly behind the pickup rotor 14 and within the effective working width of the pickup rotor 14. The pick-up attachment 10 further comprises an intake auger 24 to draw in the collected crop and transport it in the direction of the harvesting machine (not shown here), and a machine frame 12 to which the pickup rotor 14 and the intake auger 24 are connected, and a hold-down unit 20, which is also connected to the machine frame 12 according to the invention and specifies the direction of the crop flow when the crop is conveyed upwards with great acceleration due to the rotating pickup tools 14. The hold-down device 20 has a front hold-down element in the form of a rotatable or rotating swath roller and a rear hold-down element in the form of a rotatable or rotating swath roller. Furthermore, an intake auger base 22 is also provided, which is also connected to the machine frame 12. The intake auger bottom 22 is shown schematically as a line in the side views of the pick-up attachment 10 shown in the figures to illustrate its position.

According to the invention, the pickup rotor 14, the hold-down device 20, the intake auger base 22 and the intake auger 24 are connected to the machine frame 12 and these form a machine frame unit with the machine frame 12, wherein an adapter frame 26 is provided, to the side of which facing forwards as seen in the direction of travel FR the machine frame 12 is connected in an articulated manner and to the side of which facing rearwards the harvesting machine can be coupled in a swinging manner up and down.

The machine frame 12 is suspended relative to the adapter frame 26 so as to be able to swing upwards and downwards or swing up and down about a rotation axis 28 arranged in the lower region of the machine frame 12 and the adapter frame 26 transversely to the direction of travel FR or about at least one correspondingly arranged pivot point. The swinging movement is shown in Figs. 7 - 9 as a double arrow 44.

The machine frame 12, which is connected to the adapter frame 26 in an articulated manner, swings around the axis of rotation (28) or the pivot point in such a way that when the machine is swinging movement, no or only slight changes in the transfer geometry between the pick-up attachment 10 and the harvesting machine occur.

Furthermore - as shown in Fig. 9 and 10 - two guide elements 30, which are designed as feeler wheels 30a, 30b, can be arranged on the left and right, as seen in the direction of travel FR, to the side of the receiving rotor 14, preferably as seen in the direction of travel FR approximately at the height of the receiving rotor 14. The feeler wheels 30a, 30b take over the guidance of the receiving rotor 14 and guide it to the ground 18.

As shown in Fig. 9, the contact point 38 of the two guide elements 30, namely the feeler wheels 30a, 30b, with the ground 18 is arranged, as seen in the direction of travel (FR), approximately next to the contact point of the receiving tools 16, in particular receiving tines or raking tines, of the receiving rotor 14 with the ground 18, the so-called raking point.

The distance of the picking tools 16, in particular the picking tines or raking tines, of the picking rotor 14 to the ground 18 or the raking height can be adjusted via the guide elements 30 arranged laterally next to the picking rotor 14, in this case feeler wheels 30a, 30b.

The guide elements 30, in this case feeler wheels 30a, 30b, arranged to the left and right of the pickup rotor 14 as seen in the direction of travel FR, can be pivoted in front of the pickup rotor 14 for road transport of the pick-up attachment 10 as seen in the direction of travel FR. This reduces the transport width as seen in Fig. 10.

As shown schematically in Figs. 4 to 6, a spring element 32, preferably a tension spring, is provided, which is connected at a predetermined distance from the axis of rotation 28 or the pivot point with one end to the machine frame 12 and with the other end to the adapter frame 26, such that the machine frame 12 is relieved. The machine frame 12 and the adapter frame 26 are coupled via the rotation axis 28 and the spring element 32, whereby when the machine frame 12 swings downwards about the rotation axis 28, in particular when the pick-up attachment 10 is driven into a depression, as shown in Fig. 6, the spring element 32 is pulled apart and its spring force is increased accordingly, and conversely, when the machine frame 12 swings upwards about the rotation axis 28, in particular when the pick-up attachment 10 is driven onto a hill, as shown in Fig. 4, the spring element 32 is contracted and its spring force is reduced accordingly. This leads to a relief of the machine frame 12.

As shown in Fig. 8, one or more than one support roller 36 is provided, which preferably forms a type of tandem chassis together with the guide elements 30 shown in Figs. 9 and 10 arranged laterally next to the pickup rotor 14. The support roller 36 is arranged on the adapter frame 26 within the working width of the pick-up attachment 10.

As shown in Fig. 7, one or more than one sensor 40, in this case an angle sensor, is provided for electronic height control, which, due to the oscillating suspension of the machine frame 12 relative to the adapter frame 26, detects the relative movement between the machine frame 12 of the pick-up attachment 10 and the adapter frame 26 of the pick-up attachment 12 and converts it into an electrical signal, wherein the signal can then be used to detect the position of the pickup rotor 14 or the machine frame 12 of the pick-up attachment 10 relative to the adapter frame 26 of the pick-up attachment 10, which can preferably be used to control a pre-press housing arranged on the pick-up attachment 10, which can be adjusted so that the oscillating machine frame 12 returns to a starting position in which the machine frame 10 is in a middle position, as shown in Fig. 5. reference number list

10 pick-up attachment

12 machine frames

14 receiving rotor

16 recording tools

18 floors

20 hold-down device

22 intake auger bottom

24 auger

26 adapter frames

28 axis of rotation

30 guide element

30a feeler wheel

30b feeler wheel

32 spring element

34 swinging motion

36 support roller

38 contact points

40 angle sensor

42 sliding plates

44 Pivot point of the feed screw to the machine frame

46 Spacing between spring element and turning axis

FR direction of travel

Claims

patent claims

1. Pick-up attachment (10) for a harvesting machine, preferably for a forage harvester, particularly preferably for a self-propelled forage harvester, preferably having a pre-press housing, comprising a machine frame (12), a pickup rotor (14) with pickup tools (16) for picking up crops from the ground (18), a hold-down device (20), an intake auger base (22) and an intake auger (24), characterized in that the pickup rotor (14), the hold-down device (20), the intake auger base (22) and the intake auger (24) are connected to the machine frame (12) and these form a machine frame unit with the machine frame (12), wherein an adapter frame (26) is provided, to the side of which facing forwards as seen in the direction of travel (FR) the machine frame (12) is connected in an articulated manner and to the side of which facing rearwards the harvesting machine can be coupled.

2. Pick-up attachment (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the machine frame (12) is suspended relative to the adapter frame (26) so as to be swingable upwards and downwards or so as to swing up and down about an axis of rotation (28) arranged in the lower region of the machine frame (12) and the adapter frame (26) transversely to the direction of travel (FR) or about at least one correspondingly arranged pivot point.

3. Pick-up attachment (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the axis of rotation (28) is aligned horizontally to the ground (18) in a neutral position.

4. Pick-up attachment (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the machine frame (12) which is connected to the adapter frame (26) in an articulated manner swings around the axis of rotation (28) or the pivot point in such a way that no or only minor changes in the transfer geometry between the pick-up attachment (10) and the harvester occur.

5. Pick-up attachment (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that two guide elements (30), which are preferably designed as feeler wheels (30a, 30b), are arranged on the left and right, as seen in the direction of travel (FR), laterally next to the pickup rotor (14), preferably as seen in the direction of travel (FR) approximately at the level of the pickup rotor (14).

6. Pick-up attachment (10) according to claim 45, characterized in that the contact point (38) of the two guide elements (30), preferably the feeler wheels (30a, 30b), with the ground (18) is arranged, as seen in the direction of travel (FR), approximately next to the contact point of the pickup tools (16), in particular pickup tines or raking tines, of the pickup rotor (14) with the ground, the so-called raking point.

7. Pick-up attachment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the distance of the picking tools (16), in particular the picking tines or raking tines, of the picking rotor (14) to the ground (18) or the raking height can be adjusted via the guide elements (30), preferably feeler wheels (30a, 30b), arranged laterally next to the picking rotor (14).

8. Pick-up attachment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide elements (30), preferably feeler wheels (30a, 30b), can be moved mechanically, hydraulically and/or electrically in their height for adjusting the distance of the picking tools (16), in particular the picking tines or rake tines, of the picking rotor (14) to the ground (18).

9. Pick-up attachment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide elements (30), preferably feeler wheels (30a, 30b), which are preferably rotatable by 360° about a substantially vertical axis.

10. Pick-up attachment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide elements (30), preferably feeler wheels (30a, 30b), arranged to the left and right, viewed in the direction of travel (FR), laterally next to the pickup rotor (14), can be pivoted in front of the pickup rotor (14) for road transport of the pick-up attachment in the direction of travel (FR).

11. Pick-up attachment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one or more than one spring element (32), preferably a tension spring, is provided, which is connected at a predetermined distance from the axis of rotation (28) or the pivot point with one end to the machine frame (12) and with the other end to the adapter frame (26), such that the machine frame (12) is relieved.

12. Pick-up attachment (10) according to claim 10, characterized in that one or more than one spring element (32) can be combined with one or more than one actuator, preferably with a hydraulic cylinder, by the actuation of which the oscillation angle or the oscillation movement (34) can be overridden, wherein the machine frame (12) can be moved either into an upper end position or into a lower end position, wherein the actuation can preferably be carried out from the driver's cab of the harvesting machine.

13. Pick-up attachment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adapter frame (26) is additionally provided with a pendulum frame which allows the pick-up attachment (10) to pendulum transversely to the direction of travel (FR).

14. Pick-up attachment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one or more than one support roller (36) is provided, which preferably forms a type of tandem chassis together with the guide elements (30) arranged laterally next to the receiving rotor (14).

15. Pick-up attachment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one support roller (36) is arranged on the adapter frame (26).

16. Pick-up attachment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support rollers (36) are arranged within the working width of the pick-up attachment (10).

17. Pick-up attachment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support rollers (36) are adjustable in height such that the support rollers (36) stand on the ground (18) when the pickup rotor (14) or the machine frame (12) is in the middle position or swing position relative to the adapter frame (26) or the pre-press housing, and that the contact pressure control of the harvesting machine guides the pick-up attachment (10) on the support rollers (36) to the ground (18).

18. Pick-up attachment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one or more than one sensor (40), preferably an angle sensor, is provided for electronic height control, which, due to the oscillating suspension of the machine frame (12) relative to the adapter frame (26), detects the relative movement between the machine frame (12) of the pick-up attachment (10) and the adapter frame (26) of the pick-up attachment (12) and converts it into an electrical signal, the signal then being usable for detecting the position of the pickup rotor (14) or the machine frame (12) of the pick-up attachment (10) relative to the adapter frame (26) of the pick-up attachment (10), which is preferably usable for controlling a pre-press housing arranged on the pick-up attachment (10), which can be tracked in such a way that the oscillating machine frame (12) is returned to a starting position, in which the machine frame (10) is in a middle position.