Perforated Covers for Threshing Concaves

• US 20180103588A1
• Filed: 10/18/2017
• Published: 04/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Ritter, Christoph Georg
• Granted Patent: US 10,779,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01F 12/26 Multi-part threshing concaves
• CPC Class Codes: A01F 12/28 Devices for adjusting the concaves

Abstract

A removable cover plate to be used in a threshing module of an agricultural machine, e.g., a grain harvester. The removable cover plate provides a uniform and homogeneous distribution of grains onto a cleaning and harvesting system of the machine. The removable cover plate is designed to be applied to at least one part of a concave of the cleaning and harvesting system of the machine. The cleaning and harvesting system includes at least one rotor and a least one concave mounted around the rotor, to which is attached and installed a removable structure that has a material retention surface, in which there are provided openings to limit grains and/or MOG passage.

Claims

1. A removable cover plate, for being applied to at least a part of a concave of a threshing module of a grain harvester, the removable cover plate being a removable structure having a material retention surface comprising openings for limiting passage of grains or MOG.

2. The removable cover plate of claim 1, wherein the material retention plate further comprises one or more additional openings to receive fixation devices for installation onto a frame of at least a part of the concave of the threshing module.

3. The removable cover plate of claim 2, wherein the fixation devices are bolts and nuts with locking blocks.

4. The removable cover plate of claim 2, wherein the fixation devices are clips applied between the plate and a structure of the concave.

5. The removable cover plate of claim 1, wherein the openings comprise distinct shapes and dimensions.

6. The removable cover plate of claim 5, wherein the openings are circular, oblong, oval, rectangular, triangular, or a combination thereof.

7. The removable cover plate of claim 1, wherein an area of the material retention surface outside of the openings represents about 35% of a surface area of the material retention surface inclusive of the openings.

8. The removable cover plate of claim 1, wherein the material retention surface covers between 20% and 45% of an area defined by spaces in the concave.

9. An agricultural harvester comprising:

a threshing module comprising a concentric cage, a concave, and a threshing rotor within the concentric cage; and

a cover plate installed onto the concave, the cover plate being a removable structure having a material retention surface comprising openings for limiting passage of grains or MOG through the concave.

10. The agricultural harvester of claim 9, wherein the harvester is an axial-flow combine.

11. The agricultural harvester of claim 9, wherein the cover plate is attached and installed on a first section of the concave.

12. The agricultural harvester of claim 9, wherein the cover plate is installed in part of a first quadrant of a first section of the concave.

13. The agricultural harvester of claim 9, further comprising additional cover plates installed in other quadrants and in other sections of the concave, each of the additional cover plates being a removable structure having a material retention surface comprising openings for limiting passage of grains or MOG through the concave.

14. The agricultural harvester of claim 9, wherein an area of the material retention surface outside of the openings represents about 35% of a surface area of the material retention surface inclusive of the openings.

15. The agricultural harvester of claim 9, wherein the material retention surface covers between 20% and 45% of an area defined by spaces in the concave.