US2458531A - Automatic stop for cotton harvesters - Google Patents

Description

`lian. 1l, 1949. y.D. Rus'r 2,458,531

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR COTTON HARVESTERS Filed April 18, 1944 Joh/22. lima,

Patented Jan. 11, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC STOP FOR COTTON HARVESTERS John D. Rust, Memphis, Tenn.

Application April 18, 1944, Serial No. 531,632

3 Claims.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in spindle type cotton picking machines in general, and in particular to machines of the character disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,894,198` issued January 10, 1933, No. Re. 19,411, reissued January 1, 1935, No, 2,085,046, issued June Z9, 1937, and No. 2,200,303, issued May 14, 1940.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide safety means for automatically protecting the machine against injury in cases of abnormal harvesting conditions, said means to include a means in combination with the doler for stopping the machine in the event that damp cotton, vines, grass and the like should ball up on the doifer.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends the invention further resides in those novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be rst described in the following detailed description, and then be pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying' drawing, in

which:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a cotton picking machine embodying my present invention, parts being broken away and other parts being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the wall plate forming a part of a circuit closing device.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a portion of a circuit closer that is directly associated with the doifer.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, somewhat diagrammatic, of a self-propelled machine embodying the invention.

In the drawings, like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, beginning with Figure l, the numeral I represents the main frame of the machine, 2 the driving shaft, and 3 the driven shaft of the spindle-carrying slat belt.

The shafts 2 and 3 carry the sprocket wheels 4 about which the chains 5 pass. The chains 5 carry the stats 6 in which the spindles I are rotatably mounted. All of the foregoing may be of the usual construction as these parts, per se, do not comprise a part of the present invention, nor does the front guard comb device 8 for the stalk guards 9 constitute a part of the present invention, the guard comb 8 being present to prevent cotton being drawn over the front end of the stalk guards 9 between the guards 9 and the chains and slats.

On the curved bar II) of the inner frame I Il, II of the machine is a bridge member I2 which forms, with the bar I0, a slot into which one end of a floating bar I3 projects. The other end of the bar I3 is spring loaded as at 4l. The bar I3 carries a stub shaft I4 on which is mounted a pair of connected pulleys I5 and I E. A belt I8 passes about the pulley I6 and about a pulley I1 on the shaft 2, while a belt I9 passes about the pulley I5 and a pulley 20 on the doffer shaft 25. The doffer saws 2l are carried in suitably spaced relation by the shaft and the teeth of the saws project between stripper bars 22 secured to an upright support 23 fixed to the frame of the machine. The picking spindles I in their travel pass between the saws and the bars 22 in a manner similar to that disclosed in my Patent No. 2,200,303 aforesaid.

lReferring now to the tiltable wall plate 2'I, a detail of which is shown in Figure 2, a pin 26 is carried by and projects upwardly from the frame bottom cross bar In to receive a tubular bearing 29 that is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the lower end of the wall plate 21. The plate 21 extends from adjacent the doffer to the throat 38 of the suction duct 39 and has a wing 30 that projects into that throat and a flange 3| that lies outside but along the throat vertically. The wing 30 and the flange 3l serve as stops for the plate. The plate 21 is bent back upon itself as at 28 for a purpose presently made clear. The upper edge of the plate 2I is notched as at 32 to receive the hook end 36 of an arm 35 that is secured to the outer end of a spring arm 34. The arm 34 is xed at its other end to a bracket 33 secured to the frame bar Ib. The arm 34 is one element of a circuit closer, the other element of which is an insulated fixed contact 3'I suitably mounted on a frame bar Ib.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 3, a shaft 40 is journaled in suitable bearings in the frame of the machine and carries a plurality of ngers 4| that extend between the saws 2 I. A contact arm 42 is also secured to the shaft 40' and is drawn to a normal position by a spring 45 which pulls the arm against an adjustable stop 44 and tends to hold the fingers in their proper place, i. e. in operative position, between the saws 2l of the doffer mounted on shaft 25. A xed contact 43, suitably insulated and mounted on the frame of the machine, cooperates with the arm 42 as a circuit closer. ,"Ihe contacts 3'I and 43 are electrically connected together and to the magneto 49 which constitutes the current generator of the power plant 5B of the tractor 5I (which tractor carries the picking machine proper M) by a wire 48. When either circuit closer is closed the magneto will be grounded and the machine be brought to a complete stop.

The arrangement of parts in Fig 4 islijefthat shown in my'Patent No. 2,073,653.

Referring again to Fig. 1, an upright'plate 48 forms the outer or back wallof the passageway P into which the doier throws the cotton as it is stripped from the spindles by bars 22 and from which it is drawn by suction through duct 39, as in my patents aforesaid.

In the event that cotton builds up about the doffer between the saws 2| and tends to jam the same, it will push out the fingers 4I (constituting an operating element), thereby turning the shaft 40 far enough to bring arm 42 into contact with contact point 43, thereby closing the circuit and grounding the magneto 49, which immediately stops the engine 50 and consequently stops the machine. Should, for any reason, the doffer jam without operating the circuit closer, the belt i9 will slip without damaging the machine. The spring-loaded floating pulleys I5, i6 also allow for taking up bearing wear and belt stretch automatically.

In the event that cotton piles up at the entrance-way to the doffer faster than the doffer can take care of it, the wall 2l will be crowded away from the spindles by the pressure of the 4 mounting said movable contact member adjacent said dofrer, means continuously tending to move V said movable contact member out of contact with cotton against the wall part 28, thereby pulling arm and bending spring arm 34 'against con'- tact 3T, thereby closing the circuit and grounding the magneto and stopping the machine so as to avoid damage and to enable it to be cleaned quickly. By lifting the hook 436 and consequently releasing the wall 21, the wall may be lifted out of the machine, thereby giving room lfor access to the piled up cotton without the necessity of unbolting the parts.

While I have shown and described a safety signal device for indicating an accumulation of cotton about the spindles, I do not claim it in this application as that subject matter constitutes the subject matter of a divisional application filed May 12, 1947, Serial No. 747,356.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it is thought the construction, operation and advantages of my invention will be clear to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. In a power driven cotton picking machine wherein are provided sets of rotating cotton gathering spindles, a set of stripping bars between which the spindles are drawn to remove the cotton from the spindles, a rotary dofer which includes circularly arranged sets of teeth on a rotating body, the teeth projecting between the stripping bars and lying in planes above the spindles: the improvement which comprises a current generator for the power plant of the machine, a circuit closer including a ixed contact and a movable contact member, means for said fixed contact to keep the circuit open, said movable contact member including a set ot fingers projecting between the teeth of said dofier and located in a position to be operated by an accumulation of cotton on the doii'er for closirlr the circuit between the ilxed contact and said movable contact member.

2. In a cotton picking machine having a plurality of cotton gathering spindles, a set of stripping bars between which the spindles are drawn to receive cotton from the spindles and a rotary dofier located adjacent said bars in cooperative association with the bars and spindles; the invention which comprises a circuit closer having an element held in operative relation to said doiier for actuation by cotton on the dofler, a current generator for the power plant of the ma- .chine, and a connection between said circuit closer and said current generator by virtue of all of which when cotton accumulates on the doiIer said circuit closer will ground said current generatoi'.

3. In a cotton picking machine having a plurality of cotton gathering spindles, a set of stripping bars between which the spindles are drawn to receive cotton from the spindles and a rotary doffer located adjacent said vbars in cooperative association with the bars and spindles; the invention which comprises a. circuit closer having an element held in operative relation to said dofier for actuation by cotton on the doer, a current generator for the power plant of the machine, and a connection between said Vcircuit closer an'd said current generator by virtue of all of which when cotton accumulates on the dofier said circuit closer will ground said current generator, said circuit closer element including a series of fingers projecting between dofiing elements of said doier and being pivotally mounted and provided with means continuously tending to operate said circuit closer to open the circuit.

JOHN D. RUST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 993,460 Rice May 30, 1911 1,008,230 White Nov. "I, 1911 1,077,818 Eagar Nov. 4, 1913 1,759,086 Berry May 20, 1930 1,855,838 Kranick Apr. 26, 1932 2,073,653 Rust et al. Mar. 16, 1937 2,109,506 Rust Mar. 1, 1938 2,143,901 Rust et al Jan. 17, 1939 2,162,750 Rust June 20, 1939 2,200,303 Rust May 14, 1940 2,369,708 Baker et al Feb. 20, 1945

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