Corn picker with adaptable speed chopping unit
A corn picker has at least two feed and snapping units which are driven by a drive shaft at the same operating speed, and each of which is equipped with a snapping gap and an intake conveyor mechanism which draws the plants into the snapping gap which is used to separate crops from the plants, and a chopping device for fragmentizing the stalks of the plants, which is disposed downstream of the particular intake conveyor mechanism, and the chopping unit has a drive which can be used to adapt the drive speed of the chopping unit when the operating speed of the feed and snapping units changes.
1. A corn picker, comprising
at least two feed and snapping units, wherein each of said feed and snapping units is provided with a snapping gap, an intake conveyor mechanism which draws plants into said snapping gap and which is used to separate crops from plants and a drive means;
a drive shaft driving said feed and snapping units at the same operating speed; and
chopping units for fragmentizing stalks of the plants,
wherein each of said chopping units is disposed downstream of a corresponding one of said intake conveyor mechanisms of said at least two feed and snapping units, and
wherein each said drive means adapts a drive speed of each said chopping unit of said corresponding intake conveyor mechanism when the operating speed of said feed and snapping units changes, including maintaining the drive speed after a decrease in the operating speed.
2. The corn picker as defined in claim 1 , wherein said drive means is a shift stage via which said drive shaft is connected to said chopping unit in a driving manner.
3. The corn picker as defined in claim 2 , wherein said shift stage is a shift stage which is actuated in a manner selected from the group consisting of mechanically, hydraulically, pneumatically and electro-hydraulically.
4. The corn picker as defined in claim 2 , wherein said shift stage is a form-locking transmission.
5. The corn picker as defined in claim 2 , wherein said shift stage is a force-locking transmission.
6. The corn picker as defined in claim 1 , wherein each said drive means is a separate drive via which each said chopping unit is driven.
7. The corn picker as defined in claim 6 , wherein each said separate drive has a steplessly adjustable drive speed.
8. The corn picker as defined in claim 6 , wherein each said separate drive is a single-motor drive of said chopping unit.
9. The corn picker as defined in claim 1 , wherein said drive shaft is driven synchronously with a forward speed of the self-propelled harvesting machine and wherein each said drive means drives each said chopping unit and adjusts the drive speed to be variable depending upon a forward speed.
10. The corn picker as defined in claim 1 , wherein said drive means includes a torque-transfer device comprising a shift-stage transmission that interconnects said chopping units to said feed and snapping units and transfers a drive torque from the drive shaft to said respective chopping unit in a first or a second transmission ratio.
11. A corn picker, comprising
at least two feed and snapping units, wherein each of said feed and said snapping units comprises a snapping gap used to separate crops from plants, an intake conveyor mechanism which draws plants into said snapping gap and a shift-stage transmission;
a drive shaft driving said feed and snapping units at the same operating speed; and
at least two chopping units for fragmentizing stalks of the plants, each of which at least two chopping units is disposed downstream of a corresponding one of said at least two intake conveyor mechanisms;
wherein each said shift-stage transmission couples said drive shaft to each said chopping unit and adapts a drive speed of said chopping unit when the operating speed of said feed and snapping units changes including maintaining the drive speed after a decrease in the operating speed.
12. The corn picker as defined in claim 11 , wherein said shift-stage transmission adapts the drive speed of said chopping unit to be greater that the operating speed.
13. The corn picker as defined in claim 10 , wherein said shift-stage transmission is a two-staged transmission actuated by a clutch that performs a safeguard function if said chopping unit becomes overloaded.
14. The corn picker as defined in claim 2 , wherein said shift-stage comprises a two-staged transmission actuated by a clutch that performs a safeguard function if said chopping unit becomes overloaded.
15. The corn picker as defined in claim 14 , wherein said two-stage transmission transfers a drive torque from the drive shaft to said respective chopping unit in a first or a second transmission ratio.