AU632145B2 - A sugar cane transporter - Google Patents

Description

1 6 S3 145 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA The Patents Act 1952-1969 Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: ANTONIO CARTA 13 MEYER STREET TREBONNE QLD 4850 ANTONIO CARTA CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: A SUGAR CANE TRANSPORTER The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to me: II I -s ~W4~~ -l^i THIS INVENTION relates to apparatus for transporting and discharging particulate material. In particular, the inventicn is directed to a trailer for transporting and discharging sugar cane billets, although the invention is not limited to this specific application.

When sugar cane is harvested by a mechanical cane harvester, it is chopped into billets about 20-25cm long and discharged at the rear or side of the harvester. To date, the billets have normally been collected in a rail bin carried on a trailer towed by a tractor or other prime mover alongside the harvester and positioned to receive the billets discharged from the harvester. The rail bin, when full, is towed to a 'I railway siding where the rail bin is transferred from the Strailer to the railway line and connected to previously filled i 15 rail bins for transport to a sugar mill. An empty bin is then II loaded onto the trailer and towed back to the harvester j operating in the cane paddock. Typically, two tractors run alternate shuttles between the harvester and the rail siding so that the harvester can operate continuously.

A significant disadvantage of the abovedescribed procedure is the time required to unload the full bin from the trailer onto the siding, and to reload an empty bin. In order to minimise the time required for transferring the harvested cane to a rail-mounted bin, cane transporters have been developed in which the harvested cane is received, transported S' to a rail siding, and discharged into rail-mounted bins, i.e.

the rail bins themselves are not taken into the cane paddock, Some of these machines, called "bulk transporters", have a 1~\ capacity typically several times that of a standard rail bin.

Such transportez3 are particularly advantageous in situations in which the rail siding is a considerable distance from the cane field, or where the cane is transported directly to the sugar mill by road.

Examples of sugar cane transporters can be found in Australian patent applications nos. 50110/64; 15216/76; 32294/78; 40385/78 and 75647/87. These transporters, sometimes called tipping-bin trailers or trucks, are generally of two types. In the first type, the transporter includes a bin or hopper which is raised to an elevated position and tilted so that the sugar cane billets contained therein are fed under gravity onto a generally horizontal conveyor mechanism which discharges the billets into a cane bin at the railway siding. However, this type of transporter has several li inherent disadvantages. First, the bin of the transporter V must be raised to a sufficient height to dump the billets onto I the conveyor and thereby permit the conveyor to discharge the V billets over the top of a side wall of the rail-mounted bin.

This normally requires that the whole of the side wall of the transporter bin nearest the conveyor be raised over the top of the conveyor to ensure that all cane billets are emptied. In order to maintain stability when the bin is lifted to such heights, the transporter must have a strong and heavy frame or chassis. Consequently, such transporters are inevitably expensive due to increased construction and material costs.

Furthermore, as such transporters are generally of heavy construction, they are more susceptible to bogging in the soft L_ "tWISO F I L I or wet ground often found in canefields.

The rear discharge tipping-bin trailer described in patent application no. 50110/64 has a further disadvantage in that it is generally unsuitable for loading rail-mounted bins S since the trailer must be manoeuvred to be perpendicular to the rail line and, in many cases, there is insufficient clearance on the headland to enable the tractor and trailer to be orientated perpendicularly to the rail siding.

A second type of transporter, as depicted in patent d 10 application no. 32294/78, comprises a hopper or bin constructed in two portions, namely a stationary part and a tiltable part. The tiltable portion is raised at one end to i discharge the cane billets into the bottom of the stationary j i portion from where they are lifted by an inclined conveyor mechanism or "elevator" to an elevated cross conveyor for subsequent discharge over the side wall of a rail bin. The tiltable portion of the bin need only be tilted to a sufficient degree to discharge its billets onto the bottom of the elevator. However, the elevator is then required to lift the billets up to the discharge or cross conveyor.

Furthermore, the elevator must have sufficient power and capacity to transport the billets from a relatively low height to the cross conveyor which is generally level with top of the side wall of the cane bin. The discharge procedure is also lengthy as the billets must be elevated singly or in small bundles in the elevator "buckets".

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved transporter which overcomes or alleviates at least -7 A/r' I 1i41 some of the disadvantages of the abovedescribed transporters, or which at least provides the public with a useful choice.

In one broad form, the present invention provides a transporter for particulate material, such as sugar cane billets or the like, comprising a mobile frame; a bin mounted on the frame and adapted to receive the particulate material, the bin comprising a first portion including a first transverse wall and a second portion pivotable relative to the first portion about a transverse axis of the frame, the second portion comprising a first pair of longitudinal side walls, a second transverse wall extending *1t therebetween and spaced from the first transverse wall, and a bottom wall extending between the side walls and having a transverse edge juxtaposed with the first transverse wall; a conveying mechanism mounted adjacent the top of S the first transverse wall at an elevated position relative to o. ~the frame and orientated transversely to the direction of e travel of the transporter; and 2XY": means for pivoting the second portion about the transverse axis and thereby raise the transverse edge up the ~first transverse wall to enable material in the second portion to discharge onto the conveying mechanism for delivery from the transporter.

The term "bin" as used in the specification is intended to include hoppers and other bin-like receptacles.

Typically, the mobile frame is a wheeled trailer, and the transporter further comprises a drawbar pivotally connected to the front of the frame, as well as means for I I varying the relative orientation of the drawbar and the frame in a vertical plane. Thus, with the drawbar connected to a towing vehicle, the height of the front of the frame can be varied.

In the preferred embodiment, the second or rear portion of the bin is mounted on a pair of arms pivotally connected to the frame, and means are provided for pivoting the arms and the rear portion mounted thereon. Typically, such means comprises a hydraulic cylinder.

The first portion is typically at the front of the bin and preferably comprises a second pair of spaced side walls with the first transverse wall being a curved front wall extending therebetween. The second transverse wall of the second (or rear) portion of the bin forms a rear wall of the bin. The side walls of the second portion have their front J edges in sliding relationship with the rear edges of the side walls of the first portion. The front and rear edges define arcs about the pivot axis of the second portion. During pivoting, the rear portion travels upwards in a curved path 2"20" about the front portion. The bottom wall has a front edge terminating adjacent the curved front wall. As the second portion is raised, the material in the bin is lifted along the curved front wall of the first portion to the conveying mechanism. This arrangement reduces the height to which the second portion need be lifted to fully discharge the material therein onto the conve, ig mechanism, compared to known transporters Of the firs type described herein.

The conveying mechanism is typically a generally horizontal conveyor having pivotable or extendible end -1o /v 7 ^s 7 6a portions located in respective apertures in the first pair of side walls. The end portions are extended to open the apertures and allow the material to be discharged by the

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at a conveyor a minimum distance to the side of the transporter.

In another form, the invention comprises a transporter for sugar cane or the like, comprising a chassis; a transverse conveyor mechanism mounted in an elevated position relative to the chassis; a receptacle mounted on the chassis for receiving sugar cane billets, the receptacle being defined by a front wall, a rear wall, spaced side walls and a bottom wall; the front wall being fixed relative to the chassis, and the rear wall, bottom wall and at least part of the side walls being pivotable about a transverse axis of the chassis to discharge the sugar cane billets therein over the top of the front wall onto the conveyor mechanism for delivery laterally from the transporter.

Preferably, the front wall is curved and forms an arcuate section about the transverse axis, and the front transverse edge of the bottom wall is juxtaposed with the front wall and generally follows the curve of the front wall as the bottom wall is tilted about the transverse axis.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood and put into practice, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the cane transporter of the preferred embodiment in its transport orientation; Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the transporter of Fig. 1 in a first unloading orientation; Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the transporter U of Fig. 1 in a second unloading orientation; and Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view of the transporter of Fig. 1.

As shown in the drawings, the transporter 10 of the preferred embodiment comprises a frame or chassis 11 mounted on a pair of coaxial wheels 12. A drawbar 13 is pivotally connected to the front of the chassis 11, and is adapted for connection to a tractor or other prime mover vehicle. The relative orientation of the drawbar 13 and chassis 11 can be varied by means of a hydraulic cylinder 14 connected between the two. With the front end of the drawbar connected to its j itowing vehicle, the chassis 11 can be tilted about its wheel 15 axle by actuation of the hydraulic cylinder 14.

'1 Two spaced-apart part-annular side walls 15 are mounted on chassis 11. A curved front wall extends between the inner curved edges 16 of the side walls 15. In this manner, the side walls 15 and the transverse curved front wall between their inner edges form a curved channel-like portion.

This curved channel-like portion forms the front part of a bin on the chassis 11. An inclined wall 27 extends between l the front radial edges of side walls The rear part of the bin 20 is formed by two spacedapart side walls 21 and a rear wall 22 extending between the rear edges of the side walls 21. The side walls 21 may 4 k include recesses 24 to accommodate the wheels 12 of the transporter r I L -ii 1 -r C I I The floor of bin 20 is formed by a bottom wall extending between the bottom edges of side walls 21, and extending forwardly between side walls 15 such that its front edge is in close proximity to the curved transverse wall i .5 between inner edges 16 of side walls 15 to thereby form a substantially closed bin floor. The side and rear walls of bin 20 may suitably be made of framed wire mesh, thereby minimising weight.

The rear portion of bin 20 (comprising the side walls 21, rear wall 22 and the bin floor) is mounted on a pair of parallel arms 23 on respective opposite sides of the ii transporter 10. The parallel arms 23 are pivotally connected v at their front end to the chassis 11 at respective coaxial i pivot points 19. The front edges of the side walls 21 have a concave profile (as shown in the drawings), closely following the curved rear edges 17 of the side walls 15. A sealing arrangement may be provided between the opposed edges of side walls 15 and 21. For example, a channel section may be provided along rear edge 17 of each side wall 15, the front 2 0 edge of each side wall 21 being received within a respective channel section. A bearing or follower arrangement may also be provided between the pairs of mating edges of side walls and 21 to facilitate the relative movement of the side walls when arms 23 are raised.

A lifting mechanism, e.g. one or more hydraulic cylinders (not shown), is provided between the pivotal arms 23 and the chassis 11 to enable the rear portion of the bin 20 to be tilted about a transverse axis defined by the coaxial pivot "4 connections 19.

The transporter is designed and dimensioned such that when arms 23 are pivoted upwardly by the lifting mechanism, the floor of bin 20 will also be tilted upwardly S 5 about the transverse axis defined by the pivot connections 19, with the front edge of the floor closely following the curved wall between edges 16 of side walls A transverse conveyor mechanism 25 is mounted generally horizontally at an elevated position on the chassis I 10 between the upper portions of side walls 15 (as can be seen in Fig. The conveyor mechanism 25 includes pivotable or Sretractable portion 25A, 25B at respective ends thereof (Fig.

Each pivotable or retractable end portion 25A, 25B is located in an aperture 18 in a respective side wall 15 such that the aperture 18 is closed when its associated end portion of the conveyor mechanism 25 is retracted. When the end portion is pivoted downwardly or extended, the aperture 18 is open to enable billets to be discharged by conveyor mechanism transversely of the transporter and at a predetermined j2 distance to the side thereof.

SOperation of the transporter 10 will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

.In its transport position, illustrated in Fig. 1, the transporter 10 is able to be towed alongside an operating cane harvester to receive the billets discharged from the harvester. The conveyor mechanism 25 is orientated slightly forward, and the conveyor ends 25A, 25B are closed. The bin comprising both the front and rear portions of the bin can 11 be filled with billets virtually to the top edge of the side walls 21, as represented by the shaded portion of Fig. 1. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the illustrated transporter therefore provides a bin 20 of relatively large capacity for the size of the transporter.

Once the bin 20 is filled, the transporter 10 is normally towed to a railway siding and positioned alongside a rail-mounted cane bin. With the transporter 10 alongside the cane bin and its conveyor mechanism 25 aligned with the bin, the hydraulic cylinder 14 is actuated so that the front of the chassis 11 is tilted upwardly about the axle of the rear wheels 12 to the position shown in Fig. 2. The conveyor mechanism 25 is roughly horizontal at this position. The conveyor mechanism 25 is already mounted at an elevated position on the chassis of the transporter 10. However, the lifting of the front end of the chassis 11 by the hydraulic cylinder 14 raises the conveyor mechanism 25 the required extra distance so that it is at approximately the height of the top of the side wall of the cane bin to be filled.

Typically, the conveyor mechanism 25 is raised about 700mm.

Although the front portion of the bin 20 is lifted by means of hydraulic cylinder 14 in the illustrated embodiment, any other 'i suitable mechanism for raising the front portion may be used.

Of course, the conveyor mechanism 25 may be mounted high enough not to require the front end of the chassis to be lifted.

The conveyor end portions 25A, 25B are pivoted downwardly or extended, such that one of them overhangs the UCi i~-1 7 ii i top of the cane bin (see Fig. This opens the aperture 18 in the side wall 15 of the bin 20. The conveyor mechanism is then operated to discharge the billets in the top front portion of the bin 20 into the cane bin 26. (The inclined wall 27 of the bin slopes towards the conveyor mechanism 25 so as to direct the billets onto the conveyor.) After a short time, the billets in the region above the conveyor mechanism 25 will have been discharged into the cane bin 26 (as shown in Fig. The rear portion of bin is then raised by tilting arms 23 about their pivotal connections 19 to the chassis 11, e.g. by using a hydraulic cylinder or other lifting mechanism. As the rear portion of the bin 20 is raised, the cane billeto in the bin 20 will be fed by gravity onto the conveyor means 25 and discharged transversely of the transporter into the cane bin 26 (Fig. 3).

A particularly advantageous feature of the transporter 10 is that the tilting action of the rear portion of the hopper 20 utilises the curved wall of the front portion of the hopper as a stationary elevator, i.e. the hopper floor lifts the billets alh.ng the fixed curved front wall onto the conveyor mechanism.

The abovedescribed transporter has several advantages over previously known transporters: The transporter obviates the need for slow working chain-type elevators to lift cane billets from the bottom of the bin. Rather, the whole bin floor is rai9ed so that the bil:lets are fed quickly to a generally horizontal conveyor which is in an elevated position.

C- Mom i. i 13 (ii) The bin of the transporter need not be raired as high as previously known hoppers, since there is no front wall on the rear portion of the bin which the billets are required to clear. The bin of this invention need only h raised so that the forward edge of the bin floor is at the level of the conveyor mechanism.

(iii) The transporter will have l.ess weight in an elevated position during discharging operations and hence a lower centre of gravity, thereby rendering it more stable.

(iv) There is no overlapping of the side walls during tilting of the bin.

The transporter is of compact design, and can be made of lighter, and more economical construction.

(vi) The conveyor mechanism is fixed relative to the chassis thereby simplifying construction.

The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the invention, and modifications which are obvious to those skilled in the art may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

S For example, although the illustrated transporter is a trailer, it may alternatively be in the form of a self-powered vehicle such as a truck. Further, although the invention has been described with particular reference to sugar cane, it is also suitable for transporting other crops or materials, e.g.

corn, bark chips, etc.

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Claims (21)

1. A transporter for particulate material, such as sugar cane billets or the like, comprising a mobile frame; a bin mounted on the frame and adapted to receive the particulate material, the bin comprising a first portion including a first transverse wall and a second portion pivotable relative to the first portion about a transverse axis of the frame, the second portion comprising a first pair of longitudinal side walls, a second transverse wall extending therebetween and spaced from the first transverse wall, and a bottom wall extending between the side walls and having a transverse edge juxtaposed with the first transverse wall; a conveying mechanism mounted adjacent the top of the first transverse wall at an elevated position relative to the frame and orientated transversely to the direction of travel of the transporter; and means for pivoting the second portion about the transverse axis and thereby raise the transverse edge up the first transverse wall to enable mxaterial in the second portion to discharge onto the conveying mechanism for delivery from the transporter.

2. A transporter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first transverse wall is curved and defines an arcuate section about the transverse axis, whereby in use the transverse edge of the bottom wall follows the curvature of the first transverse wall as the second portion is pivoted about the transverse axis.

3. A transporter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the mobile frame is a wheeled trailer, further comprising a drawbar member pivotally connected to the front of the frame, and means for varying the relative orientation of the drawbar member and the frame in a vertical plane.

4. A transporter as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the first portion is at the front of the bin and the second portion is at the rear of the bin.

A transporter as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a second pair of side walls on either side of the curved wall, each having a rear edge defining an arc about the transverse axis, and wherein each of the first side walls has a front edge defining an arc about the transverse axis and juxtaposed with the rear edge of a respective one of the second side walls. 9,4, 9444 i

6. A transporter as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein S the first transverse wall is fixed relative to the frame, and conveying mechanism is mounted generally horizontally.

7. A transporter as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a third transverse wall at the front of the first r~er portion which serves, with the second pair of side walls, to contain the particulate material above the conveying mechanism in the first portion of the bin.

8. A transporter as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein at least the first pair of side walls and the rear wall are of mesh construction.

9. A transporter as claimed in claim 5, wherein the conveying mechanism is a conveyor having at least one movable end portion located in an aperture in one of the second pair of side walls, the end portion being movable to an operative r, -I 1 1 4. 2trr *i position to thereby open the aperture and permit discharge of material therethrough by the conveyor.

A transporter substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A transporter for sugar cane or the like, comprising a chassis; a transverse conveyor mechanism mounted in an elevated position relative to the chassis; a receptacle mounted on the chassis for receiving sugar cane billets, the receptacle being defined by a front wall, a rear wall, spaced side walls and a bottom wall, the front wall being fixed relative to the chassis: and means for pivoting the rear wall, bottom wall and at least part of the side walls about a transverse axis of the chassis to thereby raise and tilt the bottom wall, rear wall and said at least p;rt of the side walls to discharge the sugar cane billets therewithin over the top of the front wall onto the conveyor mechanism for delivery laterally from the transporter.

12. A transporter as claimed in claim 11, wherein the front wall is curved and forms an arcuate section about the transverse axis, and the front transverse edge of the bottom wall is juxtaposed with the front wall and generally follows the curve of the front wall as the bottom wall is pivoted about the transverse axis.

13. A sugar cane transporter as claimed in claim 12 wherein the conveyor mechanism is located alongside a top edge of the curved front wall and has at least one tiltable end portion.

14. A sugar cane transporter as claimed in claim 12 or st 13 further comprising a transverse wall ahead of the conveyor mechanism for facilitating stacking of sugar cane billets over the conveyor mechanism.

A sugar cane transporter as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 14 wherein the rear wall, bottom wall and said at least part of the side walls form a unitary structure mounted to a pair of spaced arms which are pivotally mounted for rotation about the transverse axis.

16. A sugar cane transporter as claimed in claim i10 wherein the pivoting means comprises at least one ''I Vhydraulically operated cylinder.

17. A sugar cane transporter as claimed in claim 15 or 16 wherein a forward portion of each side wall is fixed to the curved front wall and the remainder of each side wall forms part of the unitary structure. 4, S18. A sugar cane transporter as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 17 wherein at least part of the side walls or the rear wall is of mesh construction.

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19. A sugar cane transporter as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 18 wherein the chassis comprises part of a wheeled trailer.

A sugar cane transporter as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 18 wherein the chassis comprises part of a self- powered vehicle.

21. A transporter for particulate material such as sugar cane billets or the like, comprising a transportable receptacle adapted to hold the particulate material, the receptacle being defined by ,upstanding side walls and a bottom wall; and 18 conveyor means located adjacent the top of one of said side walls; characterised in that said one side wall is of curved configuration and in that the bottom and at least part of the other side walls are pivotable as a' unitary structure relative to said one side wall such that an edge of the bottom wall follows the curvature of said one side wall while remaining juxtaposed therewith as the bottom wall is raised and tilted, to discharge particulate material in the i 10 receptacle onto the conveyor means. DATED this fifth day of October 1992 ANTONIO CARTA ,I By his patent attorneys CULLEN CO. 4 4 a It f