GB2239153A - Machine for collecting stones - Google Patents

Abstract

A machine for the collection of stones and the like comprising a rotary shaft (1) supporting arms (2), each arm (2) carrying a resilient tine (3), said tine (3) extending in a plane, generally circular or helical path, the point of the tine (3) being oriented generally in the direction of rotation (P) of the shaft. The resilient tines in this construction become exceptionally elastic and resilient relative to their suspension, so that they will not break when encountering large, earthfast stones. A special embodiment is disclosed, wherein the arms (2) comprise plates with blocks, these being mutually connected and forming a continuous helix around the shaft. In this construction the strain resulting from the yielding tines is received in the whole arrangement. The machine is especially useful when preparing the soil for the planting of seed potatoes. <IMAGE>

Description

A MAchine for the Collection of Stones.

This invention relates to a machine for the collection of stones, clods of earth, tufts of grass and the like, especially from a field, and of the type described in the preamble of claim 1.

It is known in the art to collect stones from a field. In GB Patent Specification no. 1.112.435 a stone collector is disclosed, wherein resilient tines are secured to the rotary shaft, the tines having a portion of their length coiled about another shaft, and finally extending radially outwardly relative to the rotary shaft. US Patent Specification Serial no. 4.270.614 discloses another type of stone collector comprising a number of arms secured to the rotary shaft, said arms supporting resilient teeth, extending in a path comprising for instance one or more minor loops.

These stone collectors of the known art, however, have their drawbacks, as the stone collecting means are not able to sufficiently yield to great resistance offered for instance by large-sized, earthfast stones. The elasticity is not sufficient, and therefore the stone collecting means of these known collectors will break rather than yieldably retreat by an elastic deflection. This causes a lot of breakdowns and expensive repair work.

These drawbacks are eliminated when using the machine for the collection of stones according to the invention, i.e.

when, according to the characterizing part of claim 1, the tine from the not resilient arm extends in a large, plane or flat circular or helical path or orbit, establishing a certain distance to the rotary shaft, an enormously elastic or resilient tine is obtained, this elasticity being perhaps most illustratively comparable to the resiliency of a clothes-peg. This remarkable elasticity enables the tine to yield without breaking, when encounter ing large, earthfast stones.

In this coiling of the tine, according to the invention, the tine from the not resilient arm at first follows a plane, generally circular or helical path, the point of the tine subsequently being oriented generally in the direction of rotation of the rotary shaft, if necessary by following a coiled path being oriented in general opposite to the direction of the initial coil.

In this design, the tine may depart from the arm following a path oriented either in the direction of rotation of the shaft or opposite the direction of rotation. In case of the latter orientation, the configuration of the tine is generally S-shaped, anyhow the two arcs of the S do not necessarily have to be of the same "width", (i.e. to have the same radius of curvature). In case of the former orientation, the configuration of the tine is generally C-shaped. The S-shaped configuration, as disclosed in claim 2, is preferred because of the resilient properties in said embodiment being superior.

According to the invention, the machine is advantageously manufactured as stated in claims 3-5, the arm, which is secured to the shaft and carries the tine, comprising a plate with a block, said plates being besides preferably mutually offset in the direction of rotation of the shaft.

In an especially preferred embodiment of the machine of the invention, the plates are mutually connected by means of the blocks, thus forming together a continuous helix around the shaft. In this construction, the strain or load resulting from one or more yielding tines is received in -the whole arrangement of plates and blocks rather than in just a single plate and block. Accordingly, the machine in this embodiment may take up very much higher loads resulting from the yielding of the tines.

In claim 6 an advantageous embodiment is disclosed, wherein the arms carrying the resilient tines are mutually offset by an angle of 600, i.e. six arms with tines correspond to a turn of the shaft (3600).

Finally the tines, according to claim 7, may be provided with renewable or exchangeable tips, these being empirically more quickly worn out than the rest of the tine, and so only the tip of the tine instead of the whole tine has to be renewed.

When the machine according to the invention is driven forward, the shaft in a well-known way is brought to rotate around its own axis, and thereby the resilient tines secured to the arms are searching for stones and similar objects into a certain depth in the underlying substance, said objects being collected and guided by the tines to the surface, where they are delivered to one or more conveyor belts or chains, said conveyor chains, if desired, carrying out a size separation or sorting of said collected objects. The conveyor belts in a well-known way are coupled to the machine, or constitutes a part of the machine according to the invention.The shafts of the final conveyor belt are extending generally in parallel to the driving direction of the machine, and in that way the collected stones are again deposited in at string or row in the driving direction of the machine, or they are collected in a cart making use of a conveyor. The machine according to the invention may comprise a clod-crusher, too, for the size reduction of clods of earth.

The machine of the invention is especially useful when preparing the soil for the planting or sowing of seed onions, seed potatoes, carrots and the like row crops.

While driving, the machine cleans a row of soil of a certain width and depth, for instance about 1,50 m x 0,30 m, respectively, while depositing rows of stones at appro piate space, for instance corresponding generally to the distance between the wheels of the driving vehicle, on the one hand resulting in the above mentioned stone removing effect, on the other hand resulting in a better support for said wheels. Besides, the rows of stones are absorbing the heat from the sun, transfering said heat to the sides of the bed inbetween the rows, in that way enhancing the germination and growth on the whole of the actual crop.

The invention is illustrated by way of examples in the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 is an end view of a machine of the invention showing the rotary shaft with arms and resilient tines; fig. 2A-2D are sectional views of the same showing different embodiments of the resilient tine, only one arm and its corresponding resilient tine being shown for the sake of clearness; fig. 3 is an end view of the rotary shaft with plates having the form of sectors of a circle (for the sake of clearness, only one resilient tine bearing an exchangeable tip is shown); and fig. 4 is a perspective view of the rotary shaft with plates and blocks forming a continuous helix around said shaft.

Shown in fig. 1 is an end view of one embodiment of a machine according to the invention comprising a shaft 1 being rotatable in the direction of the arrow P and forwardly drivable in the driving direction K. A number of arms 2 are attached or secured to the shaft 1, each arm 2 supporting at its free end a resilient tine 3, which, from the attachment point, extends in a large, plane or flat, generally circular or helical path or orbit, e.g., as shown in fig. 1, 1800 around the shaft in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation P, the free end or point 5 of the tine 3 then by a bending or a break being oriented almost in the direction of rotation P.

This second curvature may be generally circular, anyhow it does not have to be as large as the preceding generally circular orbit.

The resilient tine 3 may be attached to the arm 2 in many ways, for instance by welding, screwing, securing by bolts or using a special sleeve arangement.

Fig. 2A-2D are sectional views of four different embodiments of the machine according to the invention showing a shaft 1 with a plate 6 and a block 7 and four different paths for the resilient tine 3. Fig. 2A and 2B show a generally S-shaped path, the tine extending from the attachment point on the arm in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation P, and fig. 2C and 2D show a generally C-shaped path, the tine extending in the direction of rotation P.

Fig. 3 is an end view as in fig. 1, but in this embodiment, the arms are plates 6 being formed as sectors of circles, for the sake of clearness only one resilient tine 3 with exchangeable tip 8 is shown. The tip 8 may be attached to the tine 3 in many ways being well-known to persons skilled in the art.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a special embodiment of the machine according to the invention, the rotary shaft 1 supporting a number of plates 6 having the form of sectors of a circle, said plates 6 being circumferentially offset by 60 relative to each other, and each plate 6 at its end opposite to the shaft 1 supporting a generally rectangular plate or block 7, extending in a plane being generally perpendicular to the plane of the plate 6, said block 7 besides being attached to the neighbouring plate 6'. A resilient tine 3 is indicated, being attached to a block 7.

Claims (8)

What we claim is:

1. A machine for the collection of stones, clods of earth, tufts of grass and the like, while driving, comprising a shaft (1) extending transversely to the driving direction (K), said shaft (1) being rotatable by the driving means of the machine, and said shaft (1) supporting a number of arms (2) having attached thereto a projecting resilient tine (3), c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the fact that the resilient tine (3) from the attachment point at the arm (2) extends in a plane, generally circular or helical path, the free end (5) of said tine (3) being generally oriented in the direction of rotation (P) of said shaft (1).

2. A machine according to claim 1, c h a r a c t er i z e d by the fact that the resilient tine (3) from the attachment point at the arm (2) at first follows a plane, generally helical path in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation (P) of the shaft (1), and afterwards follows a generally circular path in the direction of rotation (P) and in the same plane.

3. A machine according to claim 1-2, c h a r a c t er i z e d by the fact that the arm (2) comprises a plate (6) attached to the shaft (1), said plate (6) at its free end supporting a block (7), to which the resilient tine (3) is attached.

4. A machine according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r iz e d by the fact that the plates (6) with the blocks (7) are mutually offset in the direction of rotation (P) of the shaft, and that each block (7) is connected to two neighbouring plates (6, 6'), the plate and block arrangement thus forming a continuous helix around the shaft (1).

5. A machine according to claims 3-4, c h a r a c t er i z e d by the fact that the plate:(6) has the form of a sector of a circle, and that the block (7) is a generally rectangular plate extending in a plane being generally perpendicular to the plane of the plate (6).

6. A machine according to claims 1-5, c h a r a c t er i z e d by the fact that each arm (2) is rotated an angle of 600 from the previous arm.

7. A machine according to claims 1-6, c h a r a c t er i z e d by the fact that the resilient tines (3) carry exchangeable tips (8).

8. A machine substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.