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AssigneesThe Government of the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
InventorsJohn Etherton, John Powers, Eugene McKenzie, Kenneth Means, Brad Newbraugh
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The present disclosure concerns a jam detection and safety system for machines prone to jamming, such as a baler. In particular embodiments, the system is implemented in a horizontal baler having a shear bar and a hydraulic ram that advances material being baled past the shear bar into a compression chamber. The system includes a strain gage mounted on the shear bar and a controller that is electrically connected to the strain gage. The controller receives strain signals from the stage gage and compares the strain of the shear bar to a predetermined strain threshold corresponding to a jamming condition. If the strain exceeds the predetermined threshold, the controller automatically deactivates the ram, such as by disconnecting line power from the baler and/or by turning off the control power of the baler.
In a machine that is prone to jamming from material being process by the machine, an apparatus comprising:
In a machine that is prone to jamming from material being process by the machine, an apparatus comprising:
A method of operating a machine that is prone to jamming from material being processed by the machine, the method comprising:
A method of operating a baler comprising a shear bar and a ram operable to advance material past the shear bar, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.