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US 6,185,919 B1Granted
Apparatus and method for removing plant stalks from a field and shredding the plant stalks
AssigneeJohnson Farm Machinery Co., Inc.
InventorMilton Anthony Borchard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for removing plant stalks from a field and shredding the plant stalks. The plant stalks are cut and passed through feed rollers which directly feed the plant stalk to a shredder. Compression of the plant stalks by the feed rollers increases as the plant stalks slide between the feed rollers in a variable nip formed by the feed rollers.
Claims16
Apparatus for removing plant stalks from a field and shredding the plant stalks, said apparatus comprising, in combination:
- a frame for transport along a field in a direction of transport;
- plant cutter means connected to said frame for positioning underground to cut plants and sever the plant stalks during transport of said frame;
- at least one pair of feed rollers rotatably mounted on said frame having teeth thereon and defining a nip for receiving plant stalks of plants cut by said plant cutter means, for compressing said plant stalks and for pulling said plant stalks out of the ground, said feed rollers each having a cone-like configuration, a roller end of reduced size, and a feed roller axis of rotation generally oriented in the direction of transport with the roller end thereof facing in the direction of transport, said feed rollers of said at least one pair of feed rollers defining a plant stalk entry opening leading to said nip, said nip being oriented in the direction of transport and being increasingly constricted in a direction opposed to the direction of transport;
- means for rotating said feed rollers;
- and
- plant stalk shredder means disposed adjacent to said feed rollers for engagement with plant stalks while said plant stalks are passing through said feed rollers and being fed to said plant stalk shredder means by said feed rollers during rotation of said feed rollers, said plant stalk shredder means including at least one rotatable shredder member rotating about an axis, said at least one rotatable shredder member being disposed directly above said feed rollers and engageable with plant stalks while said plant stalks slide through said nip while still in the ground and also while said plant stalks are being fed endwise and upwardly directly to said at least one rotatable shredder member by said feed rollers to shred the plant stalks above the nip.
3 more elements
A method of removing a plant stalk from a field and shredding the plant stalk, the method comprising the steps of:
- cutting a plant underground to sever the plant stalk;
- directing the severed plant stalk into a nip defined by two feed rollers rotatable mounted on a frame being transported in a direction of transport, said nip being oriented in the direction of transport and being increasingly constricted in a direction opposed to the direction of transport;
- sliding the severed plant stalk between the feed rollers in said nip;
- while sliding the severed plant stalk in said nip, rotating said feed rollers about axes of rotation generally oriented in the direction of transport to apply compressive forces to said severed plant stalk in a direction generally at right angles to said direction of transport to pull said severed plant stalk from the ground;
- gradually increasing the compressive forces applied to said severed plant stalk by said feed rollers during sliding of the severed stalk between the feed rollers in said nip;
- positioning a rotating stalk shredder directly over said rotating feed rollers;
- and
- while said severed plant stalk slides in the nip defined by the rotating feed rollers while still in the ground and also while the rotating feed rollers are applying compressive forces thereto to feed the severed plant stalk endwise directly to said rotating stalk shredder, shredding the severed plant stalk above the nip.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.