US2722082A - Insect collecting machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 1, 1955 J. L. NISBET ET AL INSECT COLLECTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 10, 1952 INVENTORS OEQMM ATTORNEY Nov. 1, 1955 J. L. NISBET ET AL 2,722,082

INSECT COLLECTING MACHINE Filed NOV. 10, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ATTORNEY Nov. 1, 1955 .1. N IS BET ETAL INSECT COLLECTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 10, 1952 ATTORNEY United States Patent INSECT COLLECTING MACHINE John Lee Nisbet and Vaun L. Johansen, San Angelo, Tex. Application November 10, 1952, Serial No. 319,678

8 Claims. (Cl. 43141) The invention relates to improvements in insect collecting machines of the general type shown in Patent No. 2,346,270, granted April 11, 1944, to A. R. Nisbet, wherein a blower equipped with a downwardly projecting outlet pipe having one or more discharge nozzles is carried by a frame secured at the forward end of a farm tractor, and in passing through a field of cotton or other vegetation infested with bugs, insects, or the like, a blast from the blower serves to forcibly remove the bugs, insects or the like from the plants and deposit them in one or more conduit means having inlet portions directly opposite the air blast outlet or outlets, from which point the insects are conveyed by the force of the air blast through the conduit means into a foraminous bag or container secured at the outlet end of the conduit.

In accordance with the disclosure of the aforesaid patent it will be noted that the air blast employed is a projected outwardly through a nozzle or slot which is narrow horizontally and long vertically. The height of the slot is largely determined by the height of the insect infested plants, while the narrow width of the slot is essential in order to concentrate the blast and insure the removal of the insects from the plants as the machine is driven through the insect infested field. It has been found in practice in connection with machines such as disclosed in Patent No. 2,346,270 that a difiicult problem exists in deflecting the long narrow vertical air blast upwardly through the receiving conduit or conduits, the difficulty being accentuatedas the height of the slot and theforce of the blast are increased. For this reason the height of the discharge outlet has been limited in practice, and the effectiveness of the bug catcher was proportionately limited. In order to turn or deflect this blast upwardly, as described in the above patent and in the machine embodying the invention, it has been found to be very difficult to carry a wide enough swing from the mouth of the receiving chute between the mouth of the receiving chute and the next row to turn the blast up, or edgewise, effectively. Thus there has been imposed a definite limitation in the height of the air blast, due to the limitation of the desired curve to turn the blast upward effectively between the rows.

One of the objects of the present invention is accordingly to overcome this difiiculty so that the vertical dimension of the discharge slot may be as great as conditions in the particular field require. This is accomplished according to the present invention by first curving the inlet portion of the receiving chute side-wise or back wardas viewed in a horizontal plane, without reducing the vertical dimension of the receiving area and then deflecting the conduit upwardly as viewed in the vertical plane. After bending or turning this blast sidewise or backwards between the rows and parallel to the rows there is ample room to make a very effective turn upward; in fact a much more effective one than can be attained otherwise, with the result that there is now provided a receiving chute in which a much taller air blast, or nozzle, can be used than was previously possible, and

a much better reception in the receiving chute of the insects is obtained, and thereby such insects are deposited in the bags to a much higher degree of effectiveness than could be obtained under the former construction as set forth in Patent No. 2,346,270.

In the old machine, in order to turn the air and get it to follow the receiving chute it has been necessary to leave the receiving chute and bagging chute open on the inside of the curves, while with the new receiving chute the reception of air blast and insects is so excellent that we now have screened the inside curves of the receiving chute.

The former machine receiving chute and bagging chute merely consisted of an outer curved Wall, with sides, but with the inner or inside curves being left open. The present receiving chute not only has the outside wall or curved wall and side walls but the inside is also inclosed with a screen. This is made possible by simply first turning, or bending, the air blast flatwise instead of edgewise. After the first bend flatwise then by having ample room it is turned edgewise and upward to the bag.

It has also been found that the mode of mounting the insect collecting elements upon the carrier vehicle as disclosed in Patent No. 2,346,270 is in some respects unsatisfactory. Thus in such machines the fan housing is rigidly mounted on a fixed frame carried by the tractor while the nozzle and deflecting chutes are adjustably mounted with reference thereto, such mounting including sliding and telescopic relation of some of the parts. It will accordingly be apparent that any bending or distortion of the various parts renders the adjustment feature inoperative. This is particularly noticeable in connection with two-row and four-row machines.

Thus in accordance with Patent No. 2,346,270 the fan housing is mounted high on the tractor, rigid and stationary. The lower section, which includes the nozzles and receiving chute, is raised and lowered with a lever or other mechanism and, of course, is done so through a sliding and telescoping action of the connecting parts between the fan housing and nozzles. It will be apparent that with this type of construction any bending or distortion of the various parts would render it inoperative insofar as raising or lowering is concerned. This feature has been particularly objectionable on both the two-row and four-row machines, and the troubles have been multiplied by the cube in the four-row machine as compared with the two-row machine. The reason for this will be more apparent from the following discussion. Thus in a row crop tractor on which the bug catcher is mounted the rear wheels which carry and control the sway or side movement of the tractor itself may be set for various row Widths, but may be assumed to be approximately eighty inches apart. The front end of the tractor is carried on a single wheel, or a pair of wheels, which merely carry the load but, of course, have nothing to do with the rock or side tilt of the tractor. With the bug catcher mounted out in front of the tractor, which is some ten feet in front of the two rear Wheels which control the motion above described, and with the outer extremity of the receiving chutes of the bug catcher wider than the rear wheels, it will be apparent that in traveling forward, if the left rear wheel passes over a high point on the ground the right extremity of the bug catcher would be dipped into the ground, which, of course, would tend to bend and damage the machine.

Accordingly, another object of the present invention is to eliminate these disadvantages by mounting the fan housing, blast discharge nozzles and receiving conduits on a pivoted frame which may be adjusted as desired.

The new pivotal mounting of the bug catcher carrying frame has been found to eliminate the disadvantages referred to above.

In accordance with our invention there are mounted at the front of the tractor what we call pivot posts. In a particular case on a four-row machine the pivot posts may set fifty inches apart, or twenty-five inches each way from the center, the lower pivot being thirty-six inches from the ground and the upper pivot twenty-three inches above that. In a perpendicular line with these pivot points we mount the countershaft which is turned by a belt from the tractor drive pulley. The pivot points on the bug catcher are spaced to correspond with the points on the pivot posts and the fan shaft is mounted in a perpendicular line with the pivot points on the bug catcher. The bug catcher is built all in one assembly or unit and all parts are raised and lowered together. As the unit is raised and lowered the belt pulley centers do not vary due to their mounting, as described above.

For the connecting links between the tractor pivot posts and the bug catcher are four connecting links or adjustable push bars, which are employed to provide adjustment for the drive belt. On the two upper push bars a bell crank is provided to which the power lift is connected for raising and lowering the bug catcher, and with this particular type of mounting the bug catcher is easily raised and lowered from the ground to thirty inches from the ground, providing ample height for getting over rough terrain and turning. To further provide a much more flexible and easy handling of the machine for running close to the ground and for easy lifts, we have provided lifting springs which carry practically all of the bug catcher weight, leaving very little for the power lift to do in raising and lowering. By virtue of having these lifting springs and pivot mountings the bug catcher itself is easily tilted. Thus, instead of being positively controlled by the action of the rear wheels the bug catcher practically floats on the front end of the tractor-enough so that with this six hundred pound machine an operator can easily swing one end up or down with one hand and with very little effort.

Gauge wheels are preferably provided at the outer end of the bug catcher. These wheels are adjustable up and down sufliciently to permit the machine to be used practically on the surface of the ground, or can be varied from the particular point. As the tractor travels forward the rear wheels runnings over high places or dipping in low places do not force one side or other of the bug catcher into the ground, as with the former construction. Irrespective of side tilt of the tractor the gauge wheels at the outer extremities of the bug catcher maintain it level with the terrain, and in case the bug catcher approaches a high point it is lifted over this by the gauge wheels.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description, which are intended as illustrative rather than as limiting the invention to the particular structure herein disclosed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the improved bug catcher mechanism adjustably mounted at the front end of a farm tractor of conventional design;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1 zhowing the blast discharge nozzles and the receiving conuits;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the blast discharge nozzles and receiving conduits of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the assembly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, reference numeral denotes a tractor body which may be of any well nown type, the body being supported on rear wheels 11 and equipped with an operators seat 12. A front wheel is indicated at 13 which is pivoted in the usual manner for steering purposes. Instead of a single wheel, a pair of wheels may be employed as is well known in the art.

At the front of the tractor is a fixed, rigid transverse angle iron or frame member 14, the ends of which extend laterally beyond the body 10 of the tractor. Near the ends of this angle iron 14 are mounted a pair of upright pivot posts 15 rigidly connected at their upper ends to a second angle iron 16 which in turn is secured by means of rearwardly extending inclined brace members 17 to the body of the tractor.

Pivotally mounted at their rear ends to the pivot posts 15 are two pairs of adjustable connecting links or push bars 20 and 21 which are adapted to carry at their forward ends a vertically movable bug catching assembly or unit designated generally by the reference numeral 30. This assembly includes a bug catcher carrying frame and bug catcher elements carried thereby which will be hereinafter more fully described. The bug catcher assembly is adapted to be raised or lowered as a unit to facilitate passage over rough terrain and to permit turning of the carrier vehicle.

Preferably the weight of the bug catching assembly is largely counterbalanced by suitable means, herein shown as comprising a pair of springs 35, 35 connected at their upper ends to the opposite ends of the rigid cross bar 16 connecting the upper ends of pivot posts 15. These springs are connected at their lower ends to the lower pivoted links or push bars 20 which support the bug catcher assembly at a point substantially in advance of their pivotal connections with the upright post 15.

Any suitable means, either manual or power actuated, may be employed for raising and lowering the bug catcher assembly, but where the weight of the assembly is largely counterbalanced as by the springs 35, 35 as herein disclosed, only a slight lift is required. As herein shown arms 36, 36 are rigidly attached to the two upper links 21, 21 and are employed for raising and lowering the bug catcher assembly. These arms are preferably actuated by the power lift mechanism of the tractor through connections and 111, but may be manually actuated if desired.

In a four-row assembly such as herein illustrated a pair of blower fans 40, 40 are employed which are suitably mounted in spaced relation on the bug catcher carrying frame and as shown are provided with a common fan shaft 41 driven by means of a pulley 42 through a belt 43 from a rear pulley 44.

As shown, the pulley 44 is mounted on a transverse shaft 45 mounted in bearings carried by the upright posts 15, 15. The shaft 45 is provided with a pulley 46 turned by a belt 47 actuated from the drive pulley 48 of the tractor.

It will be noted that the lower and upper pivoted links 20 and 21 are parallel with each other and also that the drive shaft 45, and the rear pivot points 100, 101 where the links 20, 21 are respectively connected to the posts 15 are in substantially vertical alignment with each other and similarly the front pivot 102, 103 of the links 20, 21 where they. connect to the bug catcher carrying frame are in substantially vertical alignment with each other and with the fan shaft 41. Thus a parallelogram is provided including the links 20 and 21 and aligned pivot points and shafts, permitting raising and lowering the bug catcher assembly without interfering with the operation of the blower fans as they are being driven from the power pulley of the tractor.

As shown the bug catcher carrying frame includes a front transverse angle iron 120, the base of which serves to support the collecting bags of the bug catcher assembly, and upper and lower rear transverse angle irons or bars 121, 122 respectively. As shown the top flange of the lower angle iron 122 is level with the floor of the front angle bar 120, and a series of pairs of parallel longitudinal bars 123, 123 are supported by the transverse barsv and.122, and extend rearwardly therefrom a substantial distance to rigidly support the receiving elements of the bug catcher assembly.

Secured to the vertical portion 124 of the front angle bar 120 and extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom are a series of inclined supported frame members 125, to the inner pair of which the front ends of the upper lifting links 21 are pivotally attached, while rigidly secured to certain of the horizontal longitudinal frame members 123 are a pair of vertical frame members 126 which support at their upper ends the transverse fan shaft 41. Short vertical connecting members 127 extend below the transverse angle iron 120 and provide means for attachment of the lower lifting bars 20. Longitudinal bars 127' or frame members extend rearwardly from the inclined members 125 and serve to brace the vertical members 126. Upright members or posts 128 extend from the rear ends of the longitudinal frame members 127 to transverse bars 121 and provide rigid supports therefor. The rear ends of the inclined members 125 are secured to the upright members 128. Other braces, members and the like may be included in the bug catcher frame. Suitable means may be provided for limiting the upward movement of the bug catcher assembly with reference to the carrier vehicle.

At the front end of the bug catcher assembly there are preferably provided gauge wheels 50, which are secured to the main frame of the bug catcher assembly by means of gauge wheel frame members 51 and 52. These wheels are adjustable up and down sufliciently to permit the machine to be used practically at the ground or at any desired level. forward and the rear wheels run over high places or dip into low places such operation does not force one side or the other of the bug catcher into the ground. Irrespective of the side tilt of the tractor the gauge wheels at the outer extremity of the bug catcher maintain the device level with the terrain and similarly as the bug catcher approaches a high point it is lifted over this by the gauge wheels.

The blower fans 40 are suitably supported on the main bug catcher frame. These fans may be of the Sirroco type and are preferably dished as at 60 on the intake side only. Each fan discharges downwardly through a vertical conduit 62 which is provided at its lower portion with a pair of laterally extending nozzle portions 63, 63 having converging side walls 64, 64 and narrow vertical elongated outlet openings 65 through each of which an air blast is adapted to be directed into the inlet portion 70 of a corresponding receiving chute 71 which leads to a foraminous bag or container 72. Such bag retains the bugs collected by the blast while allowing air to pass through the pores or openings in the bag. As shown in Fig. 2 there are two receiving conduits or chutes 71 for each blower fan 40, or a total of four for a rig which is designed to service four rows of growing plants at a time, though obviously the number may be increased or decreased as desired without departing from the spirit of the invention in its'broadest aspects. Preferably the upper end of each receiving chute 71 is outwardly and downwardly curved as indicated at 73 and the bags 72, which are detachably secured to the ends 74 of the curved portions 73, are adapted to rest upon the broad base of the angle iron frame member or platform 120 carried at the front of the assembly. In this position the bags are readily accessible and may be removed by the vehicle operator or other attendant when filled with bugs or the like. The structure and curvature of the inlet portions of the receiving chute 71 are important features of the present invention and when such inlet portions are properly shaped and proportioned they will be found to receive the long and narrow air blasts emerging from the nozzle openings 63 and deflect them first laterally and then upwardly into the receiving chutes, from which the blasts and the bugs or the like carried thereby pass to the collecting bags 72.

Thus, as the tractor travels,

Referring particularly to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings it will be noted that the inlet portion of each receiving chute comprises an enlarged curved head having a rectangular mouth portion 91 whose height is at least as great as that of the nozzle outlet slot 65, but of much greater width. As shown, the top 92 of the head is substantially flat and horizontal and the outer edge 93 thereof is smoothly curved in a horizontal plane, which curve extends from the side 94 of the mouth opening to the juncture of the head portion with the curved neck portion 95 which leads 'to the straight vertical portion 96 of the receiving chute or conduit 71. The curved edge 93 of the top 92 of the receiving head 90 also forms the upper edge of a correspondingly curved outer wall 100 which serves to laterally deflect the vertical air blast entering from the nozzle slot 65 and direct it into the aforementioned upwardly curved neck portion 95.

The invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration, but it will be obvious that numerous modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a vehicle carried bug catcher assembly wherein the assembly is carried at the front of a carrier vehicle and includes a blower fan having a downwardly directed blower conduit provided with a vertically elongated outlet nozzle discharging in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the carrier vehicle, and a receiving chute discharging into a foraminous bag supported upon the carrier vehicle and having its inlet facing directly toward the nozzle outlet; the improvement wherein the inlet of the chute comprises a head having an upwardly curved neck portion, said head having a wall opposite the inlet which is outwardly curved to initially deflect the incoming blast from the outlet nozzle laterally prior to its delivery to the upwardly curved neck .portion.

2. In an ambulant bug collecting machine including a blower fan having a downwardly directed blower conduit provided with a nozzle having a vertically elongated outlet discharging in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the machine, and a receiving chute discharging into a suitable receptacle supported upon the machine, said chute having its inlet portion facing directly toward the nozzle outlet; the improvement wherein the inlet portion of the chute comprises an inlet head having a mouth portion the height of which is at least equal to the height of the outlet nozzle and the width of which is substantially greater than the width of the outlet nozzle, the head having an upwardly curved neck portion leading toward the receptacle, said head having a wall opposite the mouth opening which is outwardly curved to initially deflect the incoming blast from the blower nozzle laterally prior to its delivery to the upwardly curved neck portion.

3. A bug catcher assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein the blower conduit includes a pair of oppositely directed outlet nozzles each communicating with the inlet head of a receiving chute.

4. The combination of a carrier vehicle and a bug catcher assembly carried thereby as set forth in claim 2, including means for mounting the bug catcher assembly as a whole at the front of the carrier vehicle for vertical swinging movement with reference thereto.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4 including spring means for counterbalancing in part at least the weight of the assembly.

6. An ambulant bug collecting machine comprising a carrier vehicle, a fixed frame mounted at the front of the vehicle including a pair of upright posts, a unitary bug catching assembly having a bug catcher carrying frame and including pneumatic bug catching means and receptacle means mounted on the bug catcher carrying frame, connecting means between the frames including vertically spaced pairs of parallel links, each link pivoted at one end to one of the upright posts of the fixed frame of the vehicle, and at the other end to the bug catcher carrying frame, for pivotally mounting the assembly at the frontv of the vehicle, and means operable from the carrier vehicle and engaging said connecting means for swinging the assembly as a whole in a vertical plane with reference to the carrier vehicle.

7. A bug collecting machine as set forth in claim 6, wherein the pneumatic bug catching means includes a fan carried by the bug. catcher carrier frame, and driving means for the fan comprising a driving pulley mounted on a transverse shaft carried by the fixed frame, belt means connecting the driving pulley with the fan shaft, and actuating means for said driving pulley carried by the carrier vehicle.

8. A bug collecting machine as set forth in claim 6, wherein springs are provided connected at one end to the upper portion of the upright posts, and at their lower portion to the connecting links at points spaced from their connection to the upright posts, said springs serving to counterbalance in part at least, the weight of the bug catching assembly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 886,535 McCurdy et a1 May 5, 1908 931,440 Lindahl Aug. 17, 1909 1,250,516 Salter Dec. 18, 1917 1,489,214 Hickman Apr. 1, 1924 1,731,826 Morava Oct. 15, 1929 2,346,270 Nisbet Apr. 11, 1944 2,370,914 Rasmussen et a1 Mar. 6, 1945

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