ADJUSTABLE TRACK USED AT THE CLEANING CHAMBERS OF PUMPKIN

GATHERER/ THRESHER

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to the track installed at the interior section of two separate perforated drums of cleaning chamber I and cleaning chamber II of the pumpkin gatherer/thresher used for harvesting the pumpkins for seed production cultivated on agricultural land without requiring any manpower .

In particular, the invention relates to

The track plate with grooved thereon, which is fixed to around the shaft at an angle and at certain intervals along the length of the shaft of the track,

The adjustment cap on which the track rubber is assembled by means of fish plate, fixing bolt and fixing nut, positioned on the rear part of the track plate by means of the guideway available thereon in such manner to enable movement towards the shaft center or towards the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum, fixed to the track plate by means of the guideway nut track as being inserted to the guideway bolt available at the front section of the groove part of the plate, wherein the distance adjustment is made so as to exert pressure to the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum in order to adjust the hardness of the track rubbers in case the track rubbers that wipe the inner lateral walls of two separate perforated drums of the cleaning chamber I and the cleaning chamber II becomes work out or in case the rubbers soften in time during operation wherein, in order that the track installed at the interior section of two separate perforated drums of cleaning chamber I and cleaning chamber II of the pumpkin gatherer/thresher used for harvesting the pumpkins for seed production cultivated on agricultural land without requiring any manpower

to separate and clean the pumpkin seeds, both with and without shell, at the pumpkin gatherer/thresher with high efficiency and in a durable manner.

STATE OF THE ART

Nowadays, the pumpkin gatherer/threshers are used for harvesting the pumpkins for seed production cultivated on agricultural land without requiring any manpower. When harvesting pumpkins using the pumpkin gatherer/threshers , first of all the pumpkins ripe for harvesting are arranged into a straight line at the agricultural land. The pumpkins so aligned are then picked up from the ground of the agricultural land as being impaled on the spiked ball of the gatherer/thresher and transferred to the sink chamber of the gatherer/thresher via conveyor belt. After being crushed in the sink chamber, the pumpkins are then transferred to the cleaning chamber I and to the cleaning chamber II, respectively. The pumpkin seeds cleaned in both the cleaning chamber I and cleaning chamber II are then transferred to the bunker attached to the cleaning chamber II, and then to the chamber of the gatherer/thresher by means of air, generated by the fan, and the hose. The tracks installed in the perforated drums of the pumpkin gatherer/threshers currently in use comprises of track levers fixed on the track shaft at certain intervals and removable track rubber attached to each track lever. The track rubbers that operate within the perforated drum while performing cleaning process after threshing the pumpkin within the gatherer/thresher discharge the pulp and pumpkin juice from the holes on the perforated drum by wiping the inner lateral walls of the perforated drum.

The pumpkin gatherer/threshers available in the state of the art are used only for harvesting shelled pumpkin seeds. The reason for this arises from excessive cleaning pressure applied to different shelled pumpkin seeds by the tracks that operate in the perforated drums of the cleaning chamber I and to the cleaning chamber II of the gatherer/thresher used for harvesting pumpkin by means of pumpkin gatherer/thresher . As a consequence, the unshelled pumpkin seeds that are weaker compared to the shelled pumpkin seeds are crushed due to the hardness of the track that operate in the perforated drums of the cleaning chambers adjusted for shelled pumpkin seeds, leading to loss of product.

The track rubbers continuously wiping the inner lateral walls of the perforated drum become subject to wear, and are deformed to backward camber depending on the type of rotation. As worn track rubber in this condition fails to wipe the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum, an efficient cleaning cannot be achieved, thus leading to loss of efficiency at the gatherer/thresher . Due to aforementioned disadvantages, the track rubbers installed within the cleaning chamber I and cleaning chamber II of the gatherer/thresher must be replaced. Replacement process lead to loss of time, and repair costs based on labor, and also loss of product due to failure to perform the agricultural harvest on time if replacement becomes necessary during harvesting process.

In conclusion, the requirement for an improvement has arisen in the respective technical field due to the disadvantages experienced in the prior art and mentioned above in detail.

OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION

Based on the current condition of the art, the invention aims to solve the problems as mentioned above.

The objective of the invention is to ensure development of an adjustable track installed at the interior section of two separate perforated drums of cleaning chamber I and cleaning chamber II of the pumpkin gatherer/thresher used for harvesting the pumpkins for seed production cultivated on agricultural land without requiring any manpower.

Another objective of the invention is to provide development of;

The track plate with grooved thereon, which is fixed to around the shaft at an angle and at certain intervals along the length of the shaft of the track,

The adjustment cap on which the track rubber is assembled by means of fish plate, fixing bolt and fixing nut, positioned on the rear part of the track plate by means of the guideway available thereon in such manner to enable movement towards the shaft center or towards the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum, fixed to the track plate by means of the guideway nut track as being inserted to the guideway bolt available at the front section of the groove part of the plate, wherein the distance adjustment is made so as to exert pressure to the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum in order to adjust the hardness of the track rubbers in case the track rubbers that wipe the inner lateral walls of two separate perforated drums of the cleaning chamber I and the cleaning chamber II becomes work out or in case the rubbers soften in time during operation wherein, in order that track installed at the interior section of two separate perforated drums of cleaning chamber I and cleaning chamber II of the pumpkin gatherer/thresher used for harvesting the pumpkins for seed production

cultivated on agricultural land without requiring any

manpower to separate and clean the pumpkin seeds, both with and without shell, at the pumpkin gatherer/thresher with high efficiency and in a durable manner.

Another objective of the invention is to ensure that the track rubber is adjustable in such manner to reduce the pressure towards the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum by virtue of the track plate and the adjustment cap of the invention in order to enable wiping of the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum of the cleaning chambers I and II softer than the shelled pumpkin seeds when harvesting unshelled pumpkin seeds. In this manner, the harvesting operation can be performed without damaging the seeds when harvesting unshelled pumpkin seeds. Another objective of the invention is to ensure that the track rubber is adjustable in such manner to increase the pressure towards the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum by virtue of the track plate and the adjustment cap of the invention in order to enable wiping of the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum of the cleaning chambers I and II harder when harvesting shelled pumpkin seeds. In this manner, it would be possible to harvest both shelled pumpkin seeds and unshelled pumpkin seeds using a single pumpkin gatherer/thresher .

Another objective of the invention is to ensure that the track rubber can be adjusted in such manner to wipe the inner lateral walls of the perforated drum. In this manner, it shall be ensured that the pumpkin gatherer/threshers can be used for harvesting both shelled and unshelled pumpkin seeds, - the pumpkin seeds of the pumpkin gatherer/threshers can be cleaned with high efficiency, the cleaning process of the shelled or unshelled pumpkin seeds of the pumpkin gatherer/threshers can be controlled, and the pressure applied to the inner lateral walls of the perforated drum by the track rubbers thereof can be increased and decreased as required, and

The repair and replacement costs of the track rubbers of the pumpkin gatherer/threshers shall be reduced, ensuring long term use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure-1; representative rear view of the assembled pumpkin gatherer/thresher, Figure-2; representative perspective view of the pumpkin gatherer/thresher from a different angle that illustrate the cross section of the perforated drum where the track equipped with the track plate and the adjustment cap of the invention is positioned at the interior section of the perforated drum present in the cleaning chamber I and the cleaning chamber II,

Figure-3; representative perspective view of the pumpkin gatherer/thresher from a different angle that illustrate the cross section of the perforated drum where the track equipped with the track plate and the adjustment cap of the invention is positioned at the interior section of the perforated drum present in the cleaning chamber I and the cleaning chamber II,

Figure-4; representative front view of the perforated drum with the track positioned therein,

Figure-5; representative perspective detail view of the track with worn track rubber within the perforated drum illustrated from a different angle,

Figure-6; representative perspective detail view of the adjustment operation of the worn track rubber in order to apply pressure to the inner lateral walls of the perforated drum illustrated from a different angle, Figure-7; representative perspective view of the track rubber assembled with the track plate and the adjustment cap of the invention, Figure-8; representative perspective view of the track rubber assembled with the track plate and the adjustment cap of the invention illustrated from a different angle,

Figure-9; representative perspective view of the track rubber dismantled with the track plate and the adjustment cap of the invention illustrated from a different angle,

Figure-10; representative perspective view of the of the adjustment cap of the invention from front side,

Figure-11; representative perspective view of the of the adjustment cap of the invention from rear side,

Figure-12; representative perspective view of the of the track plate of the invention from front side.

RE FERENCE NUMBERS A. Pumpkin gatherer/thresher

1. Chassis

2. Spiked ball

3. Sink chamber

4. Cleaning chamber I

4.1. Perforated drum

5. Cleaning chamber II

6. Track

6.1. Shaft 6.2. Track plate

6.2.1. Groove

6.3. Adjustment cap

6.3.1. Guideway

6.3.2. Guideway bolt

6.4. Guideway nut

6.5. Track rubber

6.5.1. Mounting hole

6.6. Fish plate

6.7. Fixing bolt

6.8. Fixing nut

6.9. Washer

7. Chamber DE TAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure - 1 illustrates the representative rear view of the pumpkin gatherer/thresher (A) used for harvesting the pumpkins for seed production cultivated on agricultural land without requiring any manpower in assembled form.

The pumpkin gatherer/thresher (A) comprises the main components of the chassis (1), the spiked ball (2) that performs pumpkin gathering operation on the agricultural land as being attached to the side of the chassis (1), the sink chamber (3), the cleaning chamber I (4), the cleaning chamber II (5), the track (6) and the chamber (7) .

In the production process of the track (6) configured to enable the pumpkin gatherer/thresher (A) to be used for harvesting both shelled and unshelled pumpkin seeds, the track plate (6.2) of the invention with groove (5.2.1) thereon has been fixed onto the shaft (6.1) at certain intervals and angles. An adjustment cap (6.3) capable of reciprocating motion is attached to each track plate (6.2) .

As can be seen from Figures 7 and 8, the adjustment cap (6.3) is fixed to the guideway (6.3.1) thereon and the guideway bolt (6.3.2) that engages with the groove (6.2.1) on the track plate (6.2) from the bottom part of the guideway

(6.3.1) . The guideway (6.3.1) is positioned so as to grasp the track plate (6.2) when mounting the adjustment cap (6.3) to the track plate (6.2) . At the same time, the guideway bolt

(6.3.2) is inserted to the groove (6.2.1) and the guideway nut (6.4) is installed to the guideway bolt (6.3.2) .

Then, the fixing bolts (6.7) are inserted through the mounting holes (6.5.1) arranged such that the track rubber (6.5) is present behind the adjustment cap (6.3), and the fishing plate (6.6) is behind the track rubber de (6.5) . The washer (6.9) and the fixing nut (6.8) are then mounted to the other end of the fixing bolts (6.7) .

Two separate tracks (6) manufactured by mounting on the shaft (6.1) with the track plate (6.2) and the adjustment cap (6.3) of the invention are then positioned within the perforated drums (4.1) of the cleaning chamber I (4) and the cleaning chamber II (5) . During this process, the track rubbers (6.5) are installed as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 so as to wipe the inner lateral walls of the perforated drum (4.1) .

When harvesting pumpkins using the pumpkin gatherer/ thresher (A) , first of all the pumpkins ripe for harvesting are arranged into a straight line at the agricultural land. The pumpkins so aligned are then picked up from the ground of the agricultural land as being impaled on the spiked ball (2) of the gatherer/ thresher (A) and transferred to the sink chamber (3) of the gatherer/ thresher (A) via conveyor belt. After being crushed in the sink chamber (3), the pumpkins are then transferred to the cleaning chamber I (4) and to the cleaning chamber II (5), respectively.

The track (6) rotates as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 during the process of cleaning the pumpkin juice, crusts and the pulps from the pumpkin seeds in cleaning chamber I (4) and cleaning chamber II (5) . The cleaning process is realized as the track rubbers (6.5) wipe the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum (4.1) during such rotational movement.

As illustrated in Figure 4, the track rubbers (6.5) should be moved towards the shaft (6.1), that is to say, the pressure applied to the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum (4.1) should be reduced, in order to be used for harvesting unshelled pumpkin seeds. During this operation, the adjustment cap (6.3) attached to the track rubbers (6.5) is moved towards the shaft (6.1) by untightening the guideway nut (6.4) fixed to the guideway bolt (6.3.2) and moving the adjustment cap (6.3) on the guideway (6.3.1) and is fixed to the guideway bolt (6.3.2) by tightening the guideway nut (6.4) . The specified process is repeated for each adjustment cap (6.3) . Therefore, the track rubbers (6.5) that operate in the perforated drums (4.1) of the cleaning chamber I (4) and the cleaning chamber II (5) performs cleaning process on the unshelled pumpkin seeds, which are weaker compared to the shelled pumpkin seeds, without damaging the unshelled pumpkin seeds.

As illustrated in Figure 4, the pressure applied by the track rubbers (6.5) to the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum (4.1) should be increased in order to be used for harvesting the shelled pumpkin seeds. During this operation, the adjustment cap (6.3) attached to the track rubbers (6.5) is moved towards the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum (4.1) on the guideway (6.3.1) by untightening the guideway nut (6.4) fixed to the guideway bolt (6.3.2) and is fixed to the guideway bolt (6.3.2) by tightening the guideway nut (6.4) . The specified process is repeated for each adjustment cap (6.3) . Therefore, the track rubbers (6.5) that operate in the perforated drums (4.1) of the cleaning chamber I (4) and the cleaning chamber II (5) performs cleaning process on the shelled pumpkin seeds, which are harder compared to the unshelled pumpkin seeds, with increased efficiency.

During operation, the track rubbers (6.5) of the track (6) wear out and become soft in time as shown in Figure 5. In this case, the track rubbers (6.5) cannot fulfill its function. In order to eliminate this problem, the guideway nut (6.4) used for fixing the adjustment cap (6.3) of the invention to the track plate (6.2) of the invention as illustrated in Figure 6 is untightened and the adjustment cap (6.3) is moved towards the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum (4.1) on the track plate (6.2) by means of the guideway (6.3.1) . Meanwhile, the guideway bolt (6.3.2) also moves in the groove (6.2.1) .

After ensuring adequate pressure of the track rubber (6.5) on the inner lateral wall of the perforated drum (4.1), the guideway nut (6.4) is then retightened to the guideway bolt (6.7), thus completing the adjustment process. When the track rubber (6.5) attached to the adjustment cap (6.3) of the invention becomes fully worn, thus require replacement, a new track rubber (6.5) is installed by removing the fixing nuts (6.8) from the fixing bolts (6.7) .

In this manner, it shall be ensured that; the pumpkin gatherer/thresher (A) can be used for harvesting both shelled and unshelled pumpkin seeds, the pumpkin seeds of the pumpkin gatherer/thresher (A) can be cleaned with high efficiency, the cleaning process of the shelled or unshelled pumpkin seeds of the pumpkin gatherer/thresher (A) can be controlled, and the pressure applied to the inner lateral walls of the perforated drum (4.1) by the track rubbers thereof (6.5) can be increased and decreased as required,

The track rubber and the track of the pumpkin gatherer/thresher (A) can be used with low repair and replacement costs, and - The track of the pumpkin gatherer/thresher (A) can be used in the long-term.