Rotary combine having a concentric infeed section and eccentric threshing and separating sections

A combine for harvesting, threshing and separating crop material comprising:

• a supporting structure;
• ground engaging means extending from the supporting structure for transporting the supporting structure around a field;
• a rotor housing located inside the supporting structure, the rotor housing is provided with an infeed section for introducing crop material into the housing, a threshing section for threshing harvested crop material, and a separating section for separating threshed grain from threshed crop material, the infeed section defining an infeed axis, the threshing section defining a threshing axis and the separating section defining a separating axis;
• a rotor located in the rotor housing having a rotor axis, the rotor is provided with crop engaging assemblies for engaging crop material passing through the rotor housing, the rotor having an infeed portion, a threshing portion and a separating portion corresponding to the infeed, threshing and separating sections of the housing, whereby the infeed section of the rotor housing is arranged so that the infeed axis is substantially collinear with the rotor axis and the threshing and separating sections of the rotor housing are arranged so that the threshing axis and the separating axis are located parallel to and above the rotor axis.

In a combine having a mobile supporting structure adapted to advance over a field and a forward harvesting means adapted to remove crop material from the field and deliver it rearwardly to an improved threshing and separating mechanism comprising:

• an elongated rotor mounted in the supporting structure for rotation about a generally fore and aft axis and having a forward infeed portion, a threshing portion, and a rearward separating portion, each portion being provided with crop engaging elements;
• and
• a generally tubular housing mounted in the supporting structure and surrounding the rotor, the crop material being delivered from the harvesting means into the annular space between the rotor and the housing and moving rearwardly in an axial spiral, the housing including a generally cylindrical infeed section coaxial with the rotor, a threshing section having a generally semi-cylindrical concave that is generally coaxial with the rotor axis and a generally semi-cylindrical cover having a center of curvature that is offset from the rotor axis so that the space between the rotor and the second portion of the housing separating section is greater than the space between the rotor and the first portion of the housing, and a separating section having a generally semi-cylindrical grate that is generally coaxial with the rotor axis and the generally semi-cylindrical cover having a center of curvature that is offset from the rotor axis to a greater degree than the threshing section.

In a combine having a mobile supporting structure adapted to advance over a field and a forward harvesting means adapted to remove crop material from the field and deliver it rearwardly to an improved threshing and separating mechanism comprising:

• an elongated rotor mounted in the supporting structure for rotation about a generally fore and aft axis and having a forward infeed portion, a threshing portion and a rearward separating portion, each portion being provided with crop engaging elements;
• and
• a generally tubular housing mounted in the supporting structure and surrounding the rotor, the crop material being delivered from the harvesting means into the annular space between the rotor and the housing and moving rearwardly in an axial spiral, the housing including a forward generally cylindrical infeed section, generally coaxial with the rotor and including an inlet transition section, a threshing section having a semicircular concave and an upper arcuate cover, the cross sectional area of the space between the cover and the rotor periphery being substantially greater than the cross sectional area of the space between the concave and the rotor periphery, and a separating section having a generally semi-cylindrical grate and an upper arcuate cover, the cross sectional area of the space between the cover and the separating portion of the rotor periphery being substantially greater than the cross sectional area of the space between the threshing cover and the threshing portion of the rotor.