Combine harvester with header-mounted separator

A crop processing header for mounting on the body of a combine harvester for gathering crop material from a field and delivering processed crop material to the body comprising:

• a forward transversely extending gatherer portion, a rearwardly and upwardly extending feederhouse and a transversely extending axial flow rotary separator interposed and rigidly connected between them, wherein
• the gatherer portion includes a transversely extending auger conveyor for receiving gathered crop material and a cooperating conveyor floor and rear wall, said wall having a rearwardly directed opening intermediate the opposite ends of the gatherer, the auger, conveyor floor and wall cooperating to converge crop material towards and discharge it rearwardly through the rearward opening of the gatherer wall;
• the separator includes an elongated generally cylindrical casing substantially contiguous with the rear wall of the gatherer and having opposite downstream ends and an inlet opening intermediate the ends and closely adjacent and registering with the discharge opening in the gatherer wall, and at least one foraminous portion in the casing wall intermediate between each downstream end and the inlet, and a casing outlet adjacent each downstream end of the casing, and an elongated rotor assembly surrounded by the casing so as to define an annular space between the casing and rotor and including a pair of opposite coaxial rotor portions, each portion having an upstream and a downstream end, the respective upstream ends substantially abutting within the lateral span of the inlet opening and each rotor upstream end carrying crop engaging elements for deflecting in a downstream direction crop material passing rearwards through the inlet opening, and including means effective in the annular space for deflecting crop material downstream so that, as the rotor rotates, it cooperates with the to propel and process crop material received through the inlet opening in a pair of opposite generally spiral paths, diverging from the inlet opening, so that a first portion of the crop material passes outwards through the foraminous casing portions and a second portion continues downstream to the outlets;
• and
• the feederhouse includes an outlet end pivotally connected to and in crop material delivery relationship with the combine body and an opposite inlet end and a feeder conveyor extending within the feederhouse from the inlet to the outlet end;
• and
• means beneath the separator and rearward of the gatherer auger conveyor floor for collecting and converging the first portion of the crop material towards a point intermediate the ends of the separator casing and discharging it upwardly and rearwardly for reception by the feederhouse conveyor for transfer to the body of the combine.

In a combine harvester having a mobile body, a front-mounted gatherer unit for removing crop material from a field and concentrating and converging the material for delivery of at least a portion of the material to the body of the harvester and including an elongated, laterally extending conveyor for conveying gathered material laterally and discharging it rearwardly through a gatherer outlet, and rearwardly disposed coupling frame means for connecting the gatherer unit to the mobile body, said frame means substantially embracing an aperture through which crop material is passed rearwardly for transfer to the body characterized in that:

• a crop processing unit is interposed between the lateral conveyor and the coupling frame means, the unit having an inlet substantially coinciding with the gatherer outlet for receiving crop material discharged rearwardly by the lateral conveyor, and means for processing that received material and discharging a first portion through the aperture of the coupling frame means and including an outlet laterally spaced from the coupling frame for discharging a second portion of the crop material, said crop processing unit comprising an axial flow rotary separator having an axis parallel to the lateral conveyor and including a rotor having a receiving portion in a direct receiving relationship with the processing unit inlet for receiving material discharged rearwardly by the gatherer conveyor and wherein the axial direction of flow of crop material in the separator portion is generally opposite to the direction of flow in the adjacent conveyor portion and the separator rotor receiving portion includes means for dividing the received crop material into first and second components and propelling the respective components in axially opposite directions.