Cotton harvester with accumulator

Details Cotton harvester with accumulator Cotton harvester with accumulator

1999-09-23

2001-07-24

Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3671)

Harvesters

Motorized harvester

Having driven means for handling or treating crop

C056S432000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06263650

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cotton harvesting implements and, more specifically, to an accumulator arrangement for a cotton harvester having on-board cotton processing such as compacting.
2) Related Art
Cotton harvesters having on-board module forming structure, such as described in co-pending application Ser. No. 09/056,259 filed Apr. 6, 1998 and entitled DENSIFICATION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HARVESTED COTTON OR OTHER SIMILAR FIBROUS MATERIAL now U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,446, provide a compact bale or module directly on the harvester to reduce the amount of support equipment needed in the field and minimize harvester idle time during offloading. The on-board processing structure includes a bale handling system for moving a formed bale rearwardly to prepare the bale chamber for a second bale with little or no harvester down time.
An accumulation area or similar structure for harvested crop is also desirable to allow harvesting to continue during brief interruptions in the operation of the module forming structure or other crop processor. Problems with such an accumulation area include regulating the cotton metered from the area to avoid excessive cotton flow that would clog the input to the processor, while assuring a generally continuous flow for uniform processing. If cotton flow varies too much, the integrity of the formed bale in the module builder can be jeopardized. To provide a good mat of material to a bale chamber of a module builder, the flow should be uniform and the cotton should also be uniformly distributed across the width of the in-feed area to the chamber. Metering cotton from an area with uniformity and without clumping has proved to be troublesome. Running the processor continuously, particularly in low yield conditions, results in unnecessary wear and power consumption. There are times the flow from the accumulator must be completely stopped, for example, when the processor is unloading. An accumulator system that can simply and reliably provide adequate storage with uniform feeding and distribution across the width of the in-feed area with a flow cut-off feature is required. Also, an accumulator system can add height to the area of the harvester behind the cab and result in problems with transport clearance.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved on-board cotton handling system that overcomes most or all of the aforementioned problems. It is a further object to provide such a system which reduces or eliminates harvester down time during unloading of the crop from the harvester. It is another object to provide such a system which provides uniform, regulated flow from an accumulation area. It is still another object to provide such a system which reduces or eliminates clumping of cotton in the exit area of the accumulator.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved cotton handling system for a cotton harvester which facilitates on-board processing of the cotton. It is another object of the present invention to provide such a system having accumulator structure providing uniform distribution of cotton to the on-board processor. It is still another object to provide such a system which is relatively simple yet reliable in construction and which can meter and uniformly distribute cotton. The system also permits continued crop harvesting for brief periods when the processor is stopped, for example, when the processor is a baler or module builder and a bale or module is being removed from the forming chamber. The system further reduces variations in feeding rate when the on-board processor is operating.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an improved cotton handling system which facilitates on-board processor unloading while harvesting continues. It is a further object to provide such a system wherein the wear and power consumption of the processor is minimized. It is another object to provide such a system wherein the processor is powered only as needed to unload the accumulator.
It is still a further object to provide an improved cotton accumulator and distributor structure for a cotton harvester. It is another object to provide such a structure which reliably gates and meters cotton to the input of an on-board processor such as a bale or module builder with minimum clumping and reduced torque peaks. It is still another object to provide such a structure which facilitates formation of a continuous, uniform mat of cotton.
It is yet another object to provide an accumulator system for a cotton harvester which achieves good capacity and a reduced transport height.
In an embodiment of the invention, the cotton accumulator structure includes an upright storage area supported on a cotton harvester frame behind the cab. A screened upper cover is adjustably supported above the storage area by hydraulic cylinders which move the cover between a raised harvest position and a lowered storage position for reduced transport height. Cotton conveying ducts extending upwardly and rearwardly from harvesting structure at the forward end of the frame open into the upper cover and telescope as the cover is moved between positions. As harvested material is directed towards the storage area, debris can exit through the screened cover.
The lower end of the storage area is tapered and includes an opening for egress of the cotton. Several shafts or metering rolls having projections are journalled for rotation adjacent the opening about parallel axes and define a storage area metering floor. The metering rolls, when not rotating, generally close the lower end and prevent cotton from falling through the opening. To meter the cotton from the storage area, a drive is activated to rotate the rolls. Preferably, the shafts are driven in counter-rotating fashion so that a given shaft rotates in the opposite direction from the next adjacent shaft. The rolls meter the cotton across the opening for improved operation of processing structure located downstream of the storage area opening.
The storage area provides a continuous supply of cotton material to the processor on the harvester when the processor is running. The accumulator structure allows harvesting to continue as the processor unloads. To reduce wear and power consumption, the processor runs only as needed to periodically unload the accumulator. Such a system also allows uniform feed rate to the processor during processor operation despite variations in harvested crop yield. In the embodiment shown, the processor is a module builder, and a continuous mat of compressed material with locked fibers is formed into a uniform, high density bale or module on the harvester. Variations in density are reduced and the integrity of the compacted mass are improved substantially over those associated with previously available bulk handling compacting methods and apparatus.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description in view of the drawings.


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