| 摘要 |
IMPROVEMENTS TO CROP TRASH EXTRACTION In harvesting some crops, trash as unwanted foliage and extraneous material such as soil is removed from the process by extractor fans suitably located on the harvesting machine. All the waste material in the current art must pass through confines of the extractor fans which have the detrimental effect of high power consumption, extreme wear and tear on the fan components and significant air flow reduction when there is a heavy loading of extraneous material. This invention prevents the extraneous material, presenting as excess foliage, from reaching the blades. This invention is described for the harvesting of sugar cane but is not limited to that application. The invention is described as an endless conveyor mounted under the entire suction side of the extractor fan housing and projecting a suitable distance from the extractor fan housing to remove the extraneous material from the suction influence of the fan. The conveyor is mounted so that the conveyor can rotate in the horizontal plane essentially around the axis of rotation of the fan blades so that discharge can be left, right or to the rear of the machine as harvesting progresses. The conveyor is so constructed to allow maximum air flow thru the contact surface while preventing foliage from entering. This may be achieved by slotting/perforating of the conveyor surface or the use of any mesh type materials suitable to operate in this environment. The speed of the conveyor may be linked to the harvesting rate and adjusted accordingly and may be automatically or manually adjusted. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION Reduce power requirements for the cleaning process. Reduce wear and tear on fan blade components Allow the fan blades to operate in a much cleaner environment Allow fan construction/design freedom. Lighter and more efficient fan blades. Adrian Jacob Wone 29 November 2012 |
