AGRICULTURAL VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH AN IMPROVED WEIGHING MEANS

• US 20180003546A1
• Filed: 06/29/2017
• Published: 01/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kuhn-Audureau SA (Bucher Industries AG)
• Original Assignee: Kuhn-Audureau SA (Bucher Industries AG)
• Inventors: MIGNON, Florent, PORTRAIT, Alain, COSSON, Mickael
• Granted Patent: US 10,458,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/00 Combines, i.e. harvesters or mowers combined with threshing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1271 for measuring crop flow
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 90/12 with additional devices or implements arrangements of coupling devices A01B59/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 5/00 Feeding devices for stock or game A01K1/10 takes precedence; feeding devices for poultry or other birds A01K39/00 ; Feeding wagons; Feeding stacks
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 5/004 with mixing or shredding element rotating on vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/08 for incorporation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/14 for weighing suspended loads G01G3/00 takes precedence; incorporation of weighing devices in cranes B66C1/40, B66C13/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/00 Auxiliary devices for weighing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/002 Means for correcting for obliquity of mounting for pendulum-weight apparatus G01G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/01 Testing or calibrating of weighing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/10 by electric or magnetic means

Abstract

An agricultural vehicle including a container, which is mounted on at least one train of wheels, wherein the container rests by way of fixation brackets and load cells or weight sensors, preferably directly, i.e. without use of an intermediate chassis, on one axle or more forming the train of wheels. The vehicle container is mounted on the axle or each of the axles of the train under consideration by way of at least two pairs of load cells, wherein each pair consists of two load cells situated on opposite sides of a vertical plane parallel to the vertical planes containing the axes of the axles of a multi-axle train.

Claims

1. An agricultural vehicle comprising a container, which is mounted on at least one train of wheels, especially a dump trailer, mixer or mixing trailer, wherein the container rests by way of fixation plates or brackets and load cells or weight sensors preferably directly, i.e. without use of an intermediate chassis, on one axle or more forming said train of wheels,

wherein the container is mounted on the axle or each of the axles of the train under consideration by way of at least two pairs of load cells, wherein each pair consists of two load cells situated on opposite sides of a vertical plane containing the axis of the axle, in the case of a single-axle train, or of a plane parallel to the vertical planes containing the axes of the axles of a multi-axle train.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the two load cells of a given pair are arranged substantially symmetrically relative to the associated vertical plane, in that the load cells of the two pairs are identical, and wherein each pair of load cells is offset laterally relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle in the direction, and preferably immediate proximity, of the wheel or of the wheels of the train, situated on one side of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the two load cells of a given pair are arranged asymmetrically relative to the associated vertical plane, wherein the load cells of the two pairs may or may not be different, and wherein each pair of load cells is offset laterally relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle in the direction, and preferably immediate proximity, of the wheel or of the wheels of the train, situated on one side of the vehicle.

4. The agricultural vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each load cell is integrally joined, on the one hand, in downward direction, with the crosspiece of the one axle or with a suspension element connecting the crosspieces of two axles by way of a first fixation plate or bracket and, on the other hand, in upward direction, with the bottom of the container or with a longitudinal beam extending under said bottom by way of a second fixation plate or bracket, thus providing a rigid connection between said container and the crosspiece or crosspieces of the axle, wherein the zones of solidarity of the second plates or brackets of the two load cells of a given pair with the bottom or a longitudinal beam are situated at a distance from the vertical plane associated with the pair under consideration.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the two load cells of a given pair of load cells are integrally joined with the crosspiece of the one axle or with the suspension element connecting the crosspieces of two axles by way of one and the same lower bracket or plate constituting two opposite and symmetric mounting sites for said load cells of the pair under consideration.

6. The agricultural vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each load cell has an elongated structure, with a preferred extension along a longitudinal axis, wherein the longitudinal axes of the four load cells of the two pairs assigned to the axle or to one and the same crosspiece are all situated in one and the same horizontal plane, while being preferentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the agricultural vehicle.

7. The agricultural vehicle according to claim 4, wherein each of the four load cells of the two pairs assigned to the axle or to one and the same crosspiece has an elongated structure extending along a longitudinal axis, wherein the two load cells of each pair are conformed and mounted in such a way that their mounting sites at the level of the first plate and at the level of the two second plates respectively are substantially aligned.

8. The agricultural vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each load cell consists of an oriented or unidirectional bending or shear sensor, preferably of an elongated strain gauge of cylindrical form, deformable under stress in a direction transversal relative to its longitudinal direction and substantially rigid in the other directions.

9. The agricultural vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the bottom of the container is mounted on two longitudinal support beams that constitute a plurality of sites for integrally joining the upper fixation brackets or plates of the load cells, permitting a plurality of relative fixation positions for the pairs of load cells relative to the container in the longitudinal direction of the agricultural vehicle.

10. The agricultural vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the second plates or brackets are integrally joined with the longitudinal beams by screwing.

11. The agricultural vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that it has wherein a drawbar, which is connected to the container and/or to longitudinal support beams disposed under the bottom of said container, in this case by way of an additional load cell, which may or may not be identical to the other load cells.

12. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, in the case of a train of wheels with two axles, these axles are fixed at the two opposite ends of an elongated suspension element in the form of a leaf-spring arrangement, wherein the two load cells of each of the pairs in question are integrally joined in centered manner with said leaf-spring arrangement by a lower fixation bracket.

13. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, in the case of a train of wheels with two axles, each axle is fixed in centered manner with an elongated suspension element in the form of a leaf-spring arrangement, wherein the two opposite ends of said leaf-spring arrangement are each integrally joined with a pair of load cells by way of a fixation bracket, wherein one of said brackets is connected if necessary to the facing or mutually close ends of the two elongated suspension elements.