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US 2008/0289724 A1Published application
Timber Harvesting Apparatus
AssigneeFibre-gen Instruments Limited
InventorsNigel James Sharplin, Peter Charles Stratton Carter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The use of a harvester head, processor head or merchandiser to deploy or place probes into a standing tree, felled stem or trunk, log, cant or the like whereby a time of flight of a stress or acoustic wave can be measured for the purpose of comparing a relationship to a threshold for the purpose of attributing a characteristic to be harvested, processed or broken down tree, stem or trunk, log, cant or the like.
Claims48
1-47. (canceled)
48:
- A harvester head or processor head of a kind adapted to grapple the trunk of a standing tree, the trunk of a felled tree or a log, the processor or harvester having
- a deployable grapple to hold the remainder of the head relative to a said trunk,
- a saw adapted to make a transverse cut where desired of trunk or log when the head has grappled the trunk or log,
- a drive to move the processor or harvester relatively along a said grappled trunk or log,
- a datum determining system to either treat or detect as a datum (i) the end being cut or to be cut as the tree is being felled, the end of trunk of the already felled tree or the end of the log, or (ii) the fresh end to be cut in the trunk of the already felled tree or in the log,
- a length determining system to measure the positioning of the saw for a processing cut from the datum determined by the datum determining system,
- first or second probes each deployable and capable of being withdrawn from deployment so that each penetrates a grappled trunk or grappled log at places longitudinally spaced on the trunk or log, the undeployed condition keeping the probes away from the trunk or tree to reduce exposure to damage when there is relativity of movement between the head and the trunk or log,
- and wherein there is a impact device or sound generator to provide a stress or sound wave input into the trunk when the probes are deployed in use,
- and wherein the time of flight of a longitudinally moving component of such stress or sound wave is determinable between the probes by involving wave sensing at the second probe and wave generation or wave sensing at the first probe,
- and wherein there is to be feedback to an operator or a control system, or both, as to the value of the time of flight, or a derivative thereof (e.g. velocity or a function thereof), or the relationship thereof to a threshold.
7 more elements
49:
- The head of claim 48 wherein the head includes a delimbing mechanism.
50:
- The head of claim 48 wherein the head carries a trunk or log cross sectional or diameter size determining system and there is to be feedback to an operator or a control system, or both, as to the relationship thereof to a threshold.
51:
- The head of claim 48 wherein said first probe is a transmitter of the stress or sound wave and said second probe is a receiver of the stress or sound wave.
52:
- The head of claim 51 wherein the transmission and receiving surfaces of the probes face towards each other at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the trunk or log.
53:
- The head of claim 52 wherein the acute angle is about 45°.
54:
- The head of claim 52 wherein the probes are configured so as to reduce skewing upon deployment despite the acute angling.
55:
- The head of claim 48 wherein the first probe is a transmitter by virtue of a switch actuated hammer or other impactor (“hammer”) acting thereon or therein.
56:
- The head of claim 55 wherein the switch provides a speed of light transmission via cable or wireless means to the second probe or via cable or wireless means to the processor so that the stress or sound wave is known to be coming having been initiated at a time related to switch actuation.
57:
- A processor head or harvester head of a kind able to grapple the trunk of a standing or felled tree, to transversely cut the trunk and, when not cutting transversely, of driving itself along a grappled trunk,
- wherein it carries at least two probes, (i.e. first and second probes) each deployable to penetrate at least the bark of a trunk that is grappled and is being held stationary relative to the head, and each capable of being withdrawn from the deployed condition,
- and wherein, whether through a probe or otherwise, a stress or sound wave generator of the head can cause a stress or sound wave to travel longitudinally of the trunk at least from or past a first probe to a second probe spaced longitudinally of the trunk,
- and wherein a processor determines an elapsed time of travel (“time of flight”) of the wave between the probes.
1 more element
58:
- The head of claim 57 wherein the processor relates the time of flight, or a derivative thereof (e.g. velocity or a function thereof) to a threshold.
59:
- The head of claim 57 wherein said first probe is a transmitter of the stress or sound wave and said second probe is a receiver of the stress or sound wave.
60:
- The head of claim 57 wherein the transmission and receiving surfaces of the probes face towards each other at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the trunk or log.
61:
- The head of claim 60 wherein the acute angle is about 45°.
62:
- The head of claim 60 wherein the probes are configured so as to reduce skewing upon deployment despite the acute angling.
63:
- The head of claim 57 wherein the first probe is a transmitter by virtue of a switch actuated hammer or other impactor (“hammer”) acting thereon or therein.
64:
- The head of claim 63 wherein the switch provides a speed of light transmission via cable or wireless means to the second probe or the processor so that the stress or sound wave is known to be coming having been initiated at a time related to switch actuation.
65:
- A method of harvesting which comprises or includes
- grappling the trunk of a standing tree with a harvester head,
- deploying two probes from the head into the tree at positions spaced longitudinally of the trunk,
- causing a stress or sound wave to travel longitudinally in the trunk from or past one probe (“first probe”) to be received by the second probe (“second probe”),
- using processing means associated with inputs from at least one sensor or receiver, or both, associated with the second probe and at least one or more of a transmitter, sensor or switch associated with the first probe to obtain a time of flight of the stress or sound wave between the probes, and
- using the output of the processing means to cause automatically or with operator intervention at least one of
- (i) the head to fell the tree,
- (ii) the head to mark the tree,
- (iii) the head to fell the tree and to migrate on the felled tree to a distance from the felling cut and there to make a second cut, and
- (iv) the head to fell the tree and to migrate on the felled tree to a distance from the felling cut and there to make a second cut and to mark or have marked the resultant log.
7 more elements
66:
- The method of claim 65 wherein, when the output is desirably to be structural timber or veneer, at least one or more of (i), (iii) and (iv):
- (a) follows or involves an operator or head determined relativity of the tree or trunk to a minimum stem/log cross sectional or diameter threshold for structural timber and
- (b) follows or involves, reliant on the output of the processing means, an operator or processing means determination that the time of flight or some value derived therefrom is suitable for milling as structural timber.
67:
- A processor head or harvester head of a kind able to grapple the trunk of felled tree or a log,
- wherein it carries at least two probes, (i.e. first and second probes) each deployable to penetrate at least the bark of a trunk or log that is grappled and is being held stationary relative to the head, and each capable of being withdrawn from the deployed condition,
- and wherein, whether through a probe or otherwise, a stress or sound wave generator of the head can cause a stress or sound wave to travel longitudinally of the trunk or log at least from or past a first probe to a second probe spaced longitudinally of the trunk,
- and wherein a processor determines an elapsed time of travel (“time of flight”) of the wave between the probes.
1 more element
68:
- The head of claim 67 wherein the processor relates the time of flight, or a derivative thereof (e.g. velocity or a function thereof) to a threshold.
69:
- The head of claim 67 wherein said first probe is a transmitter of the stress or sound wave and said second probe is a receiver of the stress or sound wave.
70:
- The head of claim 69 wherein the transmission and receiving surfaces of the probes face towards each other at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the trunk or log.
71:
- The head of claim 70 wherein the acute angle is about 45°.
72:
- The head of claim 70 wherein the probes are configured so as to reduce skewing upon deployment despite the acute angling.
73:
- The head of claim 67 wherein the first probe is a transmitter by virtue of a switch actuated hammer or other impactor (“hammer”) acting thereon or therein.
74:
- The head of claim 73 wherein the switch provides a speed of light transmission via cable or wireless means to the second probe or via cable or wireless means to the processor so that the stress or sound wave is known to be coming having been initiated at a time related to switch actuation.
75:
- A method of processing which comprises or includes
- grappling the trunk of a felled tree or a log with a harvester or processor head,
- deploying two probes from the head into the trunk or log at positions spaced longitudinally of the trunk or log,
- causing a stress or sound wave to travel longitudinally in the trunk or log from or past one probe (“first probe”) to be received by the second probe (“second probe”),
- using processing means associated with inputs from at least one sensor or receiver, or both, associated with the second probe and at least one or more of a transmitter, sensor or switch associated with the first probe to obtain a time of flight of the stress or sound wave between the probes, and
- using the output of the processing means to cause automatically or with operator intervention at least one of
- (a) the head to mark the trunk or log,
- (b) the head to migrate relative to but on the trunk or log to a distance from the felling cut or a fresh cut and there to make a second cut,
- (c) the head to migrate relative to but on the trunk or log to a distance from the felling cut or a fresh cut and there to make a second cut and to mark or have marked the resultant log,
- (d) the head to migrate relative to but on the trunk or log to a distance from the felling cut or a fresh cut and there to make a second cut and to debranch or have debranched the resultant log,
- (e) the head to migrate relative to but on the trunk or log to a distance from the felling cut or a fresh cut and there to make a second cut and to mark or have marked the resultant log and to debranch or have debranched the resultant log.
8 more elements
76:
- The method of claim 75 wherein, when the output is desirably to be structural timber or veneer, at least one or more of (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e):
- (a) follows or involves an operator or head determined relativity of the trunk or log to a minimum stem or log cross sectional or diameter threshold for structural timber and
- (b) follows or involves, reliant on the output of the processing means, an operator or processing means determination that the time of flight or some value derived therefrom is suitable for milling as structural timber.
77:
- The method of in forest segregating, classifying or grading of standing trees, felled trees, or logs thereof, or any of the foregoing, which method involves a grappling harvester head or processor head of claim 48 for segregating, classifying or grading purposes.
78:
- The use of a trunk or log grappling harvester head or processor head of claim 48 to deploy probes laterally into, and to un-deploy the probes from, the trunk or log
- (i) to allow, by their use, when deployed, a time of flight of a sound wave or stress wave between them along the trunk or log to be sensed and
- (ii) to allow when undeployed, the head to drive itself along the trunk or log, or vice versa.
79:
- The method of assessing trees which comprises or includes
- engaging a harvester head or processor head of claim 48 of a vehicular harvester or processor to a felled or unfelled tree or engaging a merchandiser to a felled tree or part thereof,
- (prior to, during and/or post felling) sensing between probes carried by the head the elapsed time of one or more stress waves within the tree (or tree stem or part thereof) induced from and/or by apparatus carried by the head, and
- assessing the status of that tree (or tree stem or part thereof) on the basis of or, on the basis of some derivative of, the elapsed time.
1 more element
80:
- The method of harvesting trees using a harvester head of claim 48, which method comprises or includes
- positioning the harvester head with respect to the tree,
- causing or allowing harvester head carried apparatus to measure an elapsed time for a stress wave, to travel from one probe to another, the stress wave having been induced by apparatus carried by the head, and
- making decisions as to the harvesting and/or non harvesting of that tree (optionally and preferably reliant on the harvester head) in response to such measure.
1 more element
81:
- The method of claim 80 wherein the positioning involves grapple engaging the harvester to the tree.
82:
- The method of claim 80 wherein each decision to harvest involves, or is followed by, use of the harvester to fell each tree.
83:
- The method of harvesting trees using a harvester head of claim 48, which method comprises or includes
- positioning the harvester head with respect to the tree,
- causing or allowing harvester head carried apparatus to measure an elapsed time for a stress wave to travel from one probe to another, the stress wave having been induced by apparatus carried by the head,
- marking that tree in response to such measure reliant upon marking apparatus carried by the harvester head, and
- harvesting then or later the tree.
2 more elements
84:
- The method of assessing trees using a harvester head of claim 48, which method comprises or includes
- positioning the harvester head with respect to the tree,
- causing or allowing harvester head carried apparatus to sense a sound or stress wave travelling from or past one probe to another in the tree (prior to, during and/or post felling), each probe being carried by the harvester head, and
- assessing at least part of the tree as to a characteristic reliant directly or indirectly on the elapsed time of travel between the probes.
1 more element
85:
- The method of claim 84 wherein the stress wave is created or induced by the harvester head or a device attached to the harvester head.
86:
- The method of claim 84 which further involves supplying the elapsed time or derivative thereof to the operator or an optimiser such that log making or product decisions relating to recovery of improved value can be made, accounting for velocity and the characteristic.
87:
- The method of claim 84 wherein there is one transmitting probe and two equidistant receiving probes and the shorter time or times of that one receiving probe is preferred to the other's.
88:
- A harvesting machine, the harvester head of a harvesting machine, or a harvesting head suitable for incorporation in a harvesting machine where the harvesting head directly or indirectly carries probes adapted when against and/or in the tree or tree stem or logs thereof (e.g. if already felled) to sense a stress wave travelling longitudinally in the tree, tree stem or log, the apparatus including means
- (i) to initiate the longitudinal stress wave travel so that it will travel from one, or past first one, and then to and/or past the second of the sensors,
- (ii) to determine an elapsed time of travel between the sensors, and/or
- (iii) to generate a decision signal for the fate of the tree/stem/log to the harvester operator and/or some responsive tree/stem/log marking or log making device.
1 more element
89:
- A breakdown merchandiser, a method to determine breakdown involving longitudinally spacing probes into an elongate feedstock log, cant or the like, inducing a stress or sound wave longitudinally of the log, cant or the like, deriving time of flight information between adjacent probes, and breaking down the log, cant or the like reliant on the times of flight derived.
90:
- A use in a standing tree or a felled tree trunk or log of a transmitter probe and two equidistant receiver probes deployed from and/or carried by a harvester head to derive a time of flight value, or derivative thereof, as a result of one or more longitudinal stress or sound impulses from the transmitter probe, the value or its derivative being for that component of the wave or waves that travels quicker (i.e. lower elapsed time).
91:
- The use of claim 90 wherein the value, or derivative thereof, is compared to a threshold or threshold values for a decision making purpose.
92:
- The use of claim 91 wherein the use is coupled to a harvester determined minimum girth or diameter of the tree, trunk or log.
93:
- The use of claim 91 wherein the decision making purpose involves marking or a cut or cuts to be made by the harvester head.
94:
- A use of spaced probes on a merchandiser to provide a sequence or overlap of time of flight values, or derivatives thereof, to provide a profile longitudinally of a log, cant or the like to be broken down on the merchandiser.