# US 5,699,656 A · Agricultural combine

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- Number: US 5,699,656 A
- Document ID: US5699656A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/722,579
- Filed: 1996-10-01
- Granted: 1997-12-23
- Earliest claimed: 1993-09-09
- Assignees: Yanmar Agricultural Equipment Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kenji Hamada; Toshinori Kirihata; Keita Kamikubo; Mikio Takagi; Masami Nakamura; Youzaburo Narahara; Koichi Kawasaki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5699656A

## CPC

- F16H 7/0827: {for disconnecting the drive}
- B62D 11/183: {Control systems therefor}
- Y10S 180/90: Argicultural-type tractors
- F16H: GEARING
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

A tracked agricultural combine vehicle for harvesting, hulling and sorting grain includes a grain working section driven via a tension roller clutch controlled power transmission belt and further including integrated control means for left and right side propulsion track assemblies wherein individual track steering commands in the form of differential track speed control are derived from a common steering wheel input; vehicle speed is controlled by a single input means which controls the speed of both tracks.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A working vehicle, comprising:
an engine mounted in said working vehicle;
a belt for transmitting the driving force of said engine to a hulling machine;
a tension roller clutch for pressing on said belt midway between said engine and said working section;
a clutch motor for moving said tension roller clutch into and out of engagement with said belt; and
control means for causing the action of said tension roller clutch caused by said clutch motor to be fast until said tension roller clutch touches said belt and said action becoming gradually slower after said tension roller clutch touches said belt.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A working vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said working vehicle is an agricultural combine for cropping grains, comprising:
a grain transport screw conveyer within said hulling machine; and
a grain sorter mounted on a floor of said working vehicle for processing grain transported by said grain transport screw conveyer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A working vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said clutch motor is an electric motor.

### Claim 4

An agricultural combine, comprising:
a power source;
a left and a right propulsion track;
a power transmission control for controlling energy transfer from said power source to each of said left and right propulsion tracks;
a shaft supported in a housing mounted in said working vehicle;
a lever for rotating said shaft;
a left and a right slider, each designed to slide on said shaft along said shaft's axial line;
a left and a right speed and direction changing means linked respectively to said left and right sliders for controlling the speed and direction of said crawler assemblies, characterized in that said shaft and said left and right sliders are moved as one body by said lever whereby said left and right speed and direction changing means are moved at the same time;
a main slider on said shaft within said housing;
a rotatable steering control member;
means for moving said main slider in response to rotation of said steering control member for moving said left and right sliders so they affect said left and right speed and direction changing means differently in response to rotation of said shaft for controlling the relative speed and direction of said left and right crawler assemblies independently for turning said working vehicle;
an hydraulic power transmission for each of said left and right propulsion tracks characterized in that movement of said power transmission control results in an equal change in motion for each of said left and right propulsion tracks;
a belt for transmitting the driving force of said power source to a working section;
a tension roller on a pivoted support arm for pressing on said belt midway between said power source and said working section;
a clutch motor for moving said pivoted support arm to move said tension roller into and out of engagement with said belt; and
a mechanical linkage between said clutch motor and said pivoted support arm for causing the movement of said pivoted support arm in response to said clutch motor to be fast until said tension roller touches said belt and said movement becoming gradually slower after said tension roller touches said belt.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

An agricultural combine as defined by claim 4, wherein said agricultural combine is for cropping grains and said working section is said hulling machine and said front grain sorting plate comprises a chaff sieve and a sorting net.

### Claim 6

An agricultural combine, comprising:
a working section including a hulling machine mounted on a floor of said combine, a cylindrical screw crop transport and a grain sorter;
said grain sorter comprising a front grain sorting plate and a rear grain sorting plate; and
said rear grain sorting plate includes a first grain flowing plate to take out sorted grains;
a power source;
a left and a right propulsion track;
a power transmission control for controlling energy transfer from said power source to each of said left and right propulsion tracks;
a shaft supported in a housing mounted in said working vehicle;
a lever for rotating said shaft;
a left and a right slider, each designed to slide on said shaft along said shaft's axial line;
a left and a right speed and direction changing means linked respectively to said left and right sliders for controlling the speed and direction of said crawler assemblies, characterized in that said shaft and said left and right sliders are moved as one body by said lever whereby said left and right speed and direction changing means are moved at the same time;
a main slider on said shaft within said housing;
a rotatable steering control member;
means for moving said main slider in response to rotation of said steering control for moving said left and right sliders so they affect said left and right speed and direction changing means differently in response to rotation of said shaft for controlling the relative speed and direction of said left and right crawler assemblies independently for turning said agricultural combine.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

An agricultural combine as claimed in claim 6, wherein said rotatable steering control member includes a steering wheel substantially formed in a circular shape.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

An agricultural combine as defined by claim 6, comprising:
an hydraulic power transmission for each of said left and right propulsion tracks.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

An agricultural combine as defined by claim 6 characterized in that movement of said power transmission control results in an equal change in motion for each of said left and right propulsion tracks.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

An agricultural combine as defined by claim 6, comprising:
belt for transmitting the driving force of said power source to said working section;
a tension roller on a pivoted support arm for pressing on said belt midway between said power source and said working section;
a clutch motor for moving said pivoted support arm to move said tension roller into and out of engagement with said belt; and
a mechanical linkage between said clutch motor and said pivoted support arm for causing the movement of said pivoted support arm in response to said clutch motor to be fast until said tension roller touches said belt and said movement becoming gradually slower after said tension roller touches said belt.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

An agricultural combine as defined by claim 10, wherein said agricultural combine is for cropping grains and said front grain sorting plate comprises a chaff sieve and a sorting net.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

An agricultural combine as defined by claim 11, wherein said clutch motor is an electric motor.