Batch-style bottom-discharge rotary debarker
AssigneeAcrowood Corporation
InventorsJun Tian, Benjamin Yen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed herein are embodiments of batch-style bottom-discharge rotary debarkers for removing bark from a batch of logs in a bin and discharging debarked logs from a bottom of the bin. In some embodiments, the bin includes four walls and an opening in its bottom. In some embodiments, the debarkers include a plurality of rotors, a plurality of chutes, and a plurality of conveyor belt systems for carrying bark and logs away from the bin. In some embodiments, the debarkers include an internal gate which can be moved between a debarking configuration and an unloading configuration.
Claims15
A debarking system, comprising:
- a bin including a first side wall, a first end wall, a second side wall opposite the first side wall, a second end wall opposite the first end wall, and an opening in a bottom of the bin;
- a plurality of rotors, each of the plurality of rotors aligned with the first side wall, aligned with the second side wall, and spanning from the first end wall to the second end wall;
- and
- an internal gate movable from a debarking configuration, in which the internal gate obstructs access to the opening to prevent a log in the bin from falling out of the bin through the opening, to an unloading configuration, in which the internal gate is spaced apart from the debarking configuration to provide access to the opening and to allow the log to fall out of the bin through the opening.
A debarking system, comprising:
- a bin including a first side wall, a first end wall, a second side wall opposite the first side wall, a second end wall opposite the first end wall, and an opening in a bottom of the bin;
- a plurality of rotors, each of the plurality of rotors aligned with the first side wall, aligned with the second side wall, and spanning from the first end wall to the second end wall;
- a bark chute having an upper opening directly under the plurality of rotors and a lower opening directly over a first conveyor belt system;
- a log chute having an upper opening directly under a gap between the plurality of rotors and the first side wall, and a lower opening directly over a second conveyor belt system;
- and
- an internal gate rotatable from a debarking configuration, in which the internal gate prevents a log in the bin from falling into the log chute, to an unloading configuration, in which the internal gate allows the log to fall into the log chute.
A method of debarking a log comprising:
- depositing a plurality of logs into a bin;
- actuating a plurality of rotors to rotate within the bin;
- rotating an internal gate within the bin from a debarking configuration toward an unloading configuration;
- and
- allowing the logs to fall vertically out of the bin through an opening in a bottom of the bin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.