Log Processing Head
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsArto Alfthan, Lauri Palmroth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A log processing head with a top knife and moveable feed means and delimbing and/or debarking means pushing a log against the top knife by means of actuators. In order to allow the top knife to follow the contour of the log without damaging a pin holding the knife, a pivot joint is used between the knife and the connection of the pin on the structure.
Claims10
) A log processing head comprising:
- a structure;
- feed means and at least one of a delimbing and a debarking means, movably coupled to the structure and adjustable by means of an actuator;
- a knife coupled to the structure by means allowing a determined movement due to the impact by a log;
- a pin coupled to at least one of the structure and the knife;
- and
- a pivot joint between the knife and the structure retained on the pin.
) The log processing head of claim 1, wherein the pin is retained at least one of:
- at distant areas on the structure or the knife and the pivot joint is received between these distant areas, and
- with one end area on at least one of the structure and the knife and the pivot joint is received on the other, free, cantilever end area.
) The log processing head of claim 1, wherein the knife defines an aperture that receives a retainer kept by the structure.
) The log processing head of claim 1, wherein the knife is provided with at least one of an arm and a recess to receive the pivot joint.
) The log processing head of claim 1, wherein the pin is oriented at least one of in the travel direction of the log and transverse to the log.
6) The log processing head of claim 1, wherein the knife has a concave shape with the center with the pivot joint on a radial line of the log.
) The log processing head of claim 1, wherein a sensor is coupled to the pin, the sensor creating a signal depending on the bending forces acting on the pin.
) The log processing head of claim 7, wherein the sensor is at least one of a magnetoelastic, a deflection based elastic force transducer, and a strain gauge type.
) The log processing head of claim 7, further comprising control means for operating at least one of the actuators of the feed means, the delimbing means, and the debarking means depending on the signals received from the sensor.
) A method for controlling a position of at least one of a feed means, a delimbing means, and a debarking means in a log processing head comprising receiving a signal generated by a sensor coupled to a pin supporting a knife with a pivot joint configured to allow the knife to move to follow the contour of a log.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.