Chainsaw mill and mill attachments
OwnerJohn Michael Blakeinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A control system automates operations of a chainsaw mill. The chainsaw mill has at least one powerhead, and at least one travel motor that mechanically engages with a drive belt to drive the at least one powerhead along a guide track. A tension sensor measures tension on the drive belt, and a powerhead sensor produces a revolutions per minute (RPM) measurement of the at least one powerhead. A powerhead controller is responsive to the RPM measurement for controlling the powerhead's throttle to keep the RPM near a predetermined RPM setpoint. A travel motor controller is responsive to the tension measurement for controlling the at least one powerhead's transit speed along the guide track to maintain drive-belt tension near a predetermined tension setpoint.
Claims20
A chainsaw mill, comprising:
- a chainsaw, comprising:
- a chainsaw bar to guide a cutting chain;
- and
- at least one powerhead to drive the cutting chain, the at least one powerhead comprising at least one throttle;
- a guide track comprising two ends, and a drive belt attached at the two ends;
- a gantry configured to hold the chainsaw and configured to transit along the guide track;
- a travel motor attached to the gantry and configured to engage with the drive belt for driving the gantry along the guide track;
- and
- a control system configured to automate control of the at least one powerhead and the travel motor by keeping drive-belt tension and powerhead revolutions per minute (RPM) within predetermined specifications.
A control system for a chainsaw mill that comprises at least one powerhead and at least one travel motor configured to mechanically engage with a drive belt to drive the at least one powerhead along a guide track, the control system comprising:
- at least one tension sensor configured to produce a tension measurement of tension on the drive belt;
- at least one powerhead sensor configured to produce a revolutions per minute (RPM) measurement of the at least one powerhead, or to produce a chain speed measurement of a cutting chain being driven by the at least one powerhead;
- a powerhead controller configured for, in response to the RPM measurement or the chain-speed measurement, controlling the powerhead's throttle to keep the RPM or the chain speed within a predetermined range;
- and
- a travel motor controller configured for, in response to the tension measurement, controlling the at least one powerhead's transit along the guide track to maintain drive-belt tension within a predetermined range.
An apparatus configured to operate with a chainsaw mill, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory in electronic communication with the at least one processor, the at least one memory having instructions stored therein and executable by the at least one processor for:
- receiving a tension measurement of tension on a drive belt resulting from a drive force exerted by a travel motor mechanically engaged with the drive belt and configured to drive at least one powerhead along a guide track;
- receiving a revolutions per minute (RPM) measurement of the at least one powerhead, or receive a chain speed measurement of a cutting chain being driven by the at least one powerhead;
- in response to the RPM measurement or the chain-speed measurement, controlling the at least one powerhead's throttle to keep the RPM or the chain speed within a predetermined range;
- and
- in response to the tension measurement, controlling a travel motor to control transit of the at least one powerhead along the guide track to maintain drive-belt tension within a predetermined range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.