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US 5,024,278 AGranted
Harvesting machine having blower damage prevention means
AssigneeLee Shuknecht & Sons, Inc.
InventorLee N. Shuknecht
Life of this patent
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AssigneeLee Shuknecht & Sons, Inc.
InventorLee N. Shuknecht
Estimating the term…
A harvesting machine is especially adapted for automatic topping and loading of crops, such as onions. The crops are gathered from the field and elevated on a conveyor to a region adjacent to which a topping device (a sickle) is disposed. The conveyor has openings to permit the passage of air which is blown from a blower. The openings are sufficiently narrow to support the crop while allowing rocks, clumps and other debris to drop therethrough. The blower is offset from the topping region. A duct extends tangentially and upwardly from the blower to direct a laminar (non-turbulent) flow of air through the conveyor openings for extending the tops. The duct has a wall at the bottom thereof which faces the region. This wall has a passage, preferably with louvers which extend generally vertically. A negative pressure is developed adjacent to these louvers and a generally laminar flow of air passes upwardly through the louvers and enhances the laminar flow through the conveyor in the region where topping occurs. The rocks, clumps and other debris fall downwardly through the louvers and out of the machine thereby preventing damage to the blower.
In a harvester wherein a crop is carried by a conveyor which supports the crop and having openings through which materials smaller than the crop can fall and through which air can be blown in a region through which said conveyor passes from a blower, the improvement comprising means on said harvester for supporting said blower offset from said region, and means having an outlet for communicating air driven by said blower through said outlet to said region and for providing a passage below said outlet for said materials out of said harvester and for air in addition to air from said blower.
In a harvester wherein a crop is carried by a conveyor which supports the crop and having openings through which materials smaller than the crop can fall and through which air can be blown in a region through which said conveyor passes from a blower, the improvement comprising means on said harvester for supporting said blower offset from said region, and means for communicating air driven by said blower to said region and for providing a passage for said materials out of said harvester and for air in addition to air from said blower, and louvers across said passage for directing air flowing through said passage to said region.
In a harvester wherein a crop is carried by a conveyor which supports the crop and having openings through which materials smaller than the crop can fall and through which air can be blown in a region through which said conveyor passes from a blower, the improvement comprising means on said harvester for supporting said blower offset from said region, and means for communicating air driven by said blower to said region and for providing a passage for said materials out of said harvester and for air in addition to air from said blower, and wherein said communicating means is a duct extending upwardly from said blower to said region, such duct having a wall below said region, said passage being in said wall.
In a harvester for a crop being harvested accompanied by debris, such as rocks and soil clumps, which passes from one side to the other side of a region in said harvester, said harvester having a blower, the improvement comprising an air flow apparatus for processing said crop which comprises a duct having sides which define said region and said sides of said region, said blower being deposed spaced from said sides and being in air communicating relationship with said duct, said duct having passageway below said region through which said debris falls.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.