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US 4,070,809 AGranted
Automatic sugar cane harvesting machine
AssigneeSodia S.A.
InventorRene Soulat
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A machine for harvesting sugar cane runs on a pair of driving wheels and a pair of guide wheels. At the front of the machine there is arranged a pair of arms, the ends of which rest on the ground and on which are mounted a pair of rotating conical members which lift the sugar cane which is then cut near its base by a pair of rotating cutters, the height of which above the ground is controlled by said pair of arms. The cut stems are then sliced into pieces by blades mounted on a rotating drum which blades cooperate with bars mounted on a second rotating drum. The cut pieces of cane, together with waste lighter elements are then projected towards an elevator through an air flow from a nozzle which carries away the waste and allows the cane to reach the elevator.
Claims32
A machine for harvesting sugar cane comprising:
- a machine frame,
- a cutting device carried by said frame for cutting the bases of the sugar cane stems,
- means carried by said frame for adjusting the working height of said cutting device relative to ground level and maintaining constant the position of said cutting device relative to said machine frame thereby adapting the machine for use over irregular ground surfaces;
- means carried by said frame for slicing the cut sugar cane stems into small sections;
- and
- means carried by said frame for sorting the various parts of the sugar cane stems and plant material and discarding specified portions of said parts,
- front and rear pairs of wheels for supporting said frame;
- a first compensator comprising a pair of substantially parallel arms each pivotally joined at its forward end to said frame and extending longitudinally rearwardly of said machine, said arms rotatably carrying the front pair of wheels at their respective opposite ends and forming rearwardly opening acute angles with said frame,
- a second compensator including a pair of parallel arms each pivotally joined at its rearward end to said frame and extending longitudinally forwardly of the machine for resting on the ground, and
- means for locking said second compensator arms at predetermined forwardly opening obtuse angles relative to said frame.
7 more elements
A machine for harvesting sugar cane comprising:
- a machine frame,
- a cutting device carried by said frame for cutting the bases of the sugar cane stems,
- means carried by said frame for adjusting the working height of said cutting device relative to ground level and maintaining constant the position of said cutting device relative to said machine frame thereby adapting the machine for use over irregular ground surfaces;
- means carried by said frame for slicing the cut sugar cane stems into small sections;
- means carried by said frame for sorting the various parts of the sugar cane stems and plant material and discarding specified portions of said parts,
- said cutting device including a pair of side-by-side substantially conically shaped rotors having rotational axes inclined forwardly, means for rotating said rotors in opposite directions for drawing in cut plant material therebetween, each rotor including an element disposed along its conical surface for driving material between said rotors, knife blades carried adjacent the bases of said rotors, each blade being disposed in a plane at right angles to the rotor's axis of rotation, and a flight carried by each rotor adjacent its base and above the knife blade for lifting material flowing between said rotors.
3 more elements
A machine for harvesting sugar cane comprising:
- a machine frame,
- a cutting device carried by said frame for cutting the bases of the sugar cane stems,
- means carried by said frame for adjusting the working height of said cutting device relative to ground level and maintaining constant the position of said cutting device relative to said machine frame thereby adapting the machine for use over irregular ground surfaces;
- means carried by said frame for slicing the cut sugar cane stems into small section;
- means carried by said frame for sorting the various parts of the sugar cane stems and plant material and discarding specified portions of said parts,
- slicing means including two rotating cylindrical drums having horizontal axes and disposed one above the other, means carried by said frame for rotating said drums in opposite directions, the upper drum having cutting blades with edges generally parallel to its axis, the lower drum having an equal or integer multiple number of outwardly projecting support bars, the circular paths of the extremities of said bars and said blades intersecting and defining an intersection zone extending from the point of initial intersection of the circular paths of the extremities of said blades and said bars to the point of last intersection of the circular paths of the extremities of said blades and bars in the direction of their travel, said two drums being synchronized such that a face of each of said blade slides along the opposite face of a corresponding bar when said blades and bars are disposed in said intersection zone.
3 more elements
A machine for harvesting sugar cane comprising:
- a machine frame,
- a cutting device carried by said frame for cutting the bases of the sugar cane stems, said cutting device including a pair of side-by-side substantially conically shaped rotors having rotational axes inclined forwardly, means for rotating said rotors in opposite directions for drawing in cut plant material therebetween, each rotor including an element disposed along its conical surface for driving material between said rotors, knife blades carried adjacent the bases of said rotors, each blade being disposed in a plane at right angles to the rotor's axis of rotation, and a flight carried by each rotor adjacent its base and above the knife blade for lifting material flowing between said rotors,
- means carried by said frame for slicing the cut sugar cane stems into small sections;
- and
- means carried by said frame for sorting the various parts of the sugar cane stems and plant material and discarding specified portions of said parts.
2 more elements
A machine for harvesting sugar cane comprising:
- a machine frame,
- a cutting device carried by said frame for cutting the bases of the sugar cane stems, said cutting device including a pair of side-by-side substantially conically shaped rotors having rotational axes inclined forwardly, means for rotating said rotors in opposite directions for drawing in cut plant material therebetween, each rotor including an element disposed along its conical surface for driving material between said rotors, knife blades carried adjacent the bases of said rotors, each blade being disposed in a plane at right angles to the rotor's axis of rotation, at least one outwardly projecting bar carried by each said rotor and extending along its conical surface and substantially between its upper and lower extremities,
- a cylindrical drum carried by said frame for rotation about a generally horizontal axis and being located behind said rotors, a plurality of bars disposed along the surface of said drum, means carried by said frame for rotating said drum such that its lower side advances forwardly relative to the forward motion of the machine, the axis of said drum having an elevation substantially the same as the elevation of the highest point of the conical surface of said rotors and substantially vertically above the rearmost extent of said rotating knife blades, said drum having a diameter forming a minimum free space approximately the width of said bars between the tips of said bars of said drum and said rotors, the bars of said rotors and the bars of said drum being cooperable one with the other to eject foreign material drawn between said rotors and located forwardly of said drum in said free space to the opposite sides of said machine,
- means carried by said frame for slicing the cut sugar cane stems into small sections;
- and
- means carried by said frame for sorting the various parts of the sugar cane stems and plant material and discarding specified portions of said parts.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.