US976084A - Cotton-harvester. - Google Patents

Description

G. LISPENARD. COTTON HARVESTER. APPLICATION FILED JAN.12, 1909.

Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1 G. LISPENARD. COTTON HARVESTER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1909.

Patented 1101151910.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.s aenand I m m man 1 y 1 M G. LISPBNARD. COTTON HARVESTER, APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1909.

Patented Nov. 15,1910.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Jun Lam a) a G. LISPENARD. COTTON HARVESTER. APPLICATION FILED JAN.12, 1909.

Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

5 SHEETSSHEET 4.

in we nioc Mm u m Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

5 SHEETS-SHEBT 5.

G. LISPENARD. COTTON HARVESTEH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.12, 1909.

5%, & vs Q9. v QM N MM 7 Nv m UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

GEoEeE LISPENARD, E B OOKLYN; NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR flO s. K. LICH'IENSTEIN,

- 'rEUsrEE, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

oo'rroN-HAEvEsTEE.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7 P t t d N 15, 191 Application filed January 1 2, 1909. 'SBIiaINO. 471,892.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, GEORGE LIsPE'NARD, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and'State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Harvesters, of which the following-is a specification;

This invention relates to improvements in cotton harvesters havingparticular reference to. apparatus adapted to travel over the rows of cotton bushes underits initial motive power, the operative parts of said appa ratus and. means associated. therewith being actuatedto pick or strip said cotton bushes of the ripe cotton thereon,"obviating the dis turbance of the unripe cotton and all possible injury to the cotton plant or bush.

One object of the invention is the provid ing of means carrying a plurality of rotative pickers between which the cottonbushes are received as the apparatus travels; along or over the rows of plants, havin also associated therewith means for feeding or guidin'g said plants in the path of said pickers,

and means for controlling-the positions of.

said rotative. picker supporting means for preventing the barking or.tearing of said cotton plants by the actuated operative gmeans of the apparatus.

Another and further objectpf the invention is the providing of means associated with said picker means adapted to facilitate their picking or stripping capacity and means for actuating one of said pickers whereby all or a plurality of pickers of a predetermined series-are actuated from ene or a common point.

., In the drawings, :Fi

cross sectional v ew 0. the picker carrier' 4 In the following is described connection with the accompanying drawings, one embodiment of the invention, the features thereof being more fully described hereinafter in the claims. re 1 is a vertical supporting and actuating means of the apparatus, parts being shown'in' elevation. to

' more clearly illustrate the essential features of the operative parts thereof;"Fig. 2 is a plan view of thefpicker actuating means illustrating. in connection therewith the means of removing or cleaning said pickers .after theqpicking operation, the means of collecting and conveying the picked on recovered values of .cotton and means offinally conveying said recovered cotton to a suitable source of deposit; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal elevation of said picker, supporting and actuating means, parts thereof being broken away and showing in part by diagrammatical illustration the main supporting frame, auxiliary or picker carrier supporting frame and motive or traction power'generat1ng,means; Fig. 41s a detail face elevationof one form of picker bar illustrating 'the. picker actuating means and means for "pivotally' supporting said bar on the picker bar supporting and conveying means; Fig.

'5 is 'a detail face elevation of the rotative picker actuating mechanism. Fig. -6 is a detail side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail longitudinal sectional view of one formof picker the bearing and actuating mechanism there for, illustrating in detail the cupped formation of the toothed or saw disks. Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of the picker barv illustrating the construction utilized to facilitate the travel of said bar on an are or predetermined curve; Fig; 91is a detail face elevation oflthe structure shown in Fig. 7, and

Fig. 10 is a detail vertical sectional view of the picker stem supporting bar and guides therefor.

Similar numerals or references indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Inthe drawings, 1' indicates the main frame or superstructure of the apparatus, carrying traction means 2' comprising. preferably a running gear .of the, well known motor vehicle type, including a shaft 3 supported bymeans of suitablestructural framework, said shaft 3 having mounted thereon a driving sprocket adapted to receive chain 5, actuated from sprocketv 6, 'mpunted on drive shaft .7 of motor 8, aid drive shaft 7 being --mounted in suitaole' :bearings carried by said super-- structure 1. Drlve shaft 7 has also mounted thereon sprocket 9 carrying chain 10 engaging sprocket 11 on intermediate drive shaft 12, mounted in bearings 13, supported by superstructure-1, said shaft 12 having alsdmounted thereontsprocket 14 carrying chain 15 engaging sprocket .16 mounted on picker actuating drive shaft 17 supported in bearings 18, mounted on auxiliary frame or vertically adjustable structure 19; said ac'ljustable structure and means for actuating same, together with said motive power, generating and traction means are only longitudinal braces which in turn have rigidly fastened thereto uprights 26, said uprights 26 comprising the frame supporting means for the vertical adjustment or the lifting and lowering of the cotton picking mechanism. Said rods 24 have, loosely mounted thereon sleeves 27 carrying at their extreme upper ends beveled gears 28 meshing withoge'ars.29 mounted on drive shaft 17 and controlled by means of clutch 30.

' Rods 24 are supported at their upper ends by means of bracket bearings 31, and at their lower ends by bearings 32 mounted on and forming part of auxiliary frame 19 and i in. its adjustment allowed to, travel therewith. Sleeves 27 are supported in any suitable manner in frame 19 and .have mounted thereon driving sprockets 33 slightly below transverse beam 22, and sprockets 34 slightly above beams 23 carrying sprocket chains 35, engaging in their circuits idler sprockets 36 and 37 at thetop of the structure and idler sprockets 38 and 39 at the bottom of said structure, said idlers 36 and 38 being mounted on shaft 40 and idlers 37 and 39 being mounted on shaft 41, said shafts 40 and 41 being supported at their extreme ends in bearings .42, also mounted on beams 22 and 23. Chains 35.have mounted in links 43 4 pins 44' adapted to engage sockets 45 Figs.

1 and 4 formed or mounted in the upper and lower ends of picker supporting bars 46, the object of said pivotal supporting means for said bars being to provide means whereby sald bars may be free to turn at a predetermined point in the circuit of their 50 travel. I 7

Driving sprockets 33 and 34, described above, as carrying chains 35 passing over the set or series of idler sprockets and bars 46 are adapted to run in guides 47 supported by means of hanging brackets 48 on said transverse beams 22 and 23, which also support at both the upper and lower portions of the picker actuating mechanism interior guides 49, the object of said guides 47 and 49 being to provide means whereby chains, 35 carrying bars 46 may be com-; pelled or forced to travel in a rigid position, retaining means obviating all possible lateral or side motion while the apparatus is in operation.

levator tube 21 forming part of the cotton Picker bars 46 comprise two vertically set tubes 50, having mou'nted on'their face thereof a convex plate 51 having cut therein an oil groove 51 for lubricating purposes and .on their backs concave plates 52, the object of thesame being to provide face and back members? that will readily conform to the contour or face of the surface over which said ,bars travel. Said face plates. have mounted thereon a plurality of bearings 53 fastened thereto by means of bolts 54, .said

bearings 53. having in turn mounted therein sleeves or shafts 55'having mounted on their outer ends betweensaid plates and tubes, sprockets 56 carrying a chain 57 adapted to engage all of the sprockets 56 mounted on the inner ends of the several sleeves, the outer ends of the sleeves forming bearings and holding surfaces 58 for picker stems 59 having" suitably mounted thereon or cast -therewith cup shaped slotted picker disks 60. Picker stems 59 are held in place on said bearings 58 by means of lugs 61 on hand springs 62 engaging holes 63 in the respective members thereof, the extreme outer end of said stems being closed by means of plug 64. .Said' picker bars 46 have mounted on their inner sides at their upper and lower ends roller bearings 65, engaging the interior surfaces of supporting guides or rails 66 supported by structural frame attached to said transverse beams 22 and 23 in any suitable manner, the'object of said roller bearings 65 being to provide-means for pre venting said picker bars from sagging, be-

ing thrown, or from being jarred out of their predetermined course of travel-which would necessarily tend to create a drag on the operative parts of the pickeractuating mechanism. V

The apparatus asherein shown and de-' scribed is designed to travel between the rows of cotton bushes or plants, one row of said bushes being fed between or intermediate of the picker frames, said frames being raised or lowered at will within approximately'two inches of the ground line, the hills or tufts of earth passing between and sometimes touching the guides and protecting platesor shields of the apparatus,the

upper portion of said bushes or plants or that part bearing the ripe and unripe cotton bolls, including the stems and leaves, being forced to come in contact with and passing through the actuated picker stems carried by the traveling picker bars.

The sleeves or shafts on preferably every third picker stem on each of said picker bars 46 are longer than the other of said sleeves and extend through the rear plate 52 and have mounted thereon gears 67 engaging pinions 68' supported on stud' shafts 69 mounted in bars 46. Said shafts 69 have. also mounted thereon stud pinions 70 engaging racks 71 formed on the interior sides of slots 72, cut or formed in driving slides 73, having mounted therein at their extreme upperends roller bearings 74 engaging tracks 75, supported by means of frame 19 or fastened to interior guides 49. Said tracks 75 Starting at the center of the are or circumferential guide of drive sprock-. ets 33 are mounted or set inapproximately a fifteen degree pitch or are diagonally inclined as at 76, said pitch ending at the extreme of the parallel as at. 77, said tracks atthis point following the horizontal sums of the supporting members .of the frame. Where'the pitch of said track s' 75 ef1d's,- indicated as at 77, the apparatus-and frame therefor recede, 'as\at 78', the frame or supporting structuieof the device flares outwardly as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings,

guides 47 and 49 being cutaway at the termination of the said pitch-as at 79, permitting at this point picker bars 46 carrying the rotating picker stems 59 to turn at will,

of direct rotation,'which causesthe' cotton,

as picked and held by them to be thrown Y therefrom, whence it falls upon rotating disks ,,81 and 82, inounted'on and actuated by shafts40. and 41; After the cotton is thrown upon disks "8'I' itj is carri'ed by the rotation .thereofto disks 82 which in turn carry it to 'conveyer tubes 83 having formed therein. openings 84-and deflector guides 85 adapted to feed the cotton into said openingsi84, whence it is carried by said tubes 83, connecting with elevator tubes 21 at the front end of the apparatus by means of the vacuum generated and controlled by means as heretofore described.

,The structure illustrated and referred to as track 75 acts asa deflector causing the cotton as collected by conveyer 71 to fall ,upon the upper surface of conveyer 82 whence it is conveyed to the vacuum con- 55 d veying means.

Shafts 24, 40 and41, described above. as carrying the respective actuating sprockets, are supported by means of spider frame 86.

Interior guides 47 of the vertical adjustable frame have suitably fastened thereto platforms 87 directly beneath the rotative plcker stems 59 on the inner sides of the apparatus, extending forward a suitable distance in the rear-of guards or deflectors 88, supported on vertical elevator tubes 21 by means of ton plant or bush.

bolts 89, the rear of said platforms 87 flarin outwardly, forming at that point suitab e reception surfaces for collecting and retaining the particles of cotton that are discharged or jarred from the rotative cotton conveying- disks 81 and 82. The inner edges 90 of said platforms 87 are hinged as at 91, providing a resilient'guiding body for the stems and short runners or shoots of the coti. The operation-of the device is as follows: The device as herein shown and described is designed to travel between the rows of -'cotton bushes or plants by its own momentum .or by a suitable vehicle traction means, the guards 88 and guides 90 thereof feed ing or forcing the plants or that portion thereof containing the ripe and unripe cotton bolls, stems and leaves in the path of a plurality of rotative picker stems 59, having mounted thereon the cup shaped slotted picker disks 60; which extract and collect all of the cotton contained in the ripe bolls, the unripe bolls, stems and leaves of said plant'or bush being protected from disturb- 'ance, removal or in ury by means of the particular formation and position of the-actuated rot-atlve cotton pickers on said picker bars 46 during the picking positions of the apparatus, the direction oftravel of said picker-means being illustrated by the arrows shown in Fig. 2 of-the drawings. In case a small portion of the picked cotton should be dropped from said picker stems 59 it is carried to rotating conveyers 81 and 82 where all of the picked cottonfis compelled to fall by means of the reversed rotation of said picker stems, whence it isconveyed by said conveyers 81 and -82 to tubes 83 which vin turn carry it to a suitable'sou rcc of deposit-by means of. a vacuum or other means.

The picking capacity of the apparatus starts at approximately the beginning of the parallel portions of the paths of they picker stems and ends-at 79, the picker bars 46 carrying the plurality of picker stems 59 being thereafter free to turn at any angle until the actuating means therefor engages the guide tracks onthe outside of the respective sections; the object of the same being to provide means for overcoming rigid lateral movements of said picker stems after they have passed beyond their picking positions,

thus obviating any possible drag on any portion of the plant, at the same time ren-' dering the apparatus less liable to'injure the stems, leaves, unripe bolls or any portion of the body of said plant. The series of picker stems carried by each ofsaid picker bars 46 are actuated by means of gear 67 engaging pinion 68 on stud shaft 69, which in turn carry stud gears 70 operating in racks 71 actuated and moved vertically by means of roller bearings; 74 engaging in track 75, said operation being forced by means of the travel of the individualpicker bars 4G pivotally mounted on chains 35 driven by means of sprockets 33 and 34, which in turn receive their initial power throu h a series of transmission gears 28 and described herein may be varied in many ways, particularly in structural features and form, size, materials used, spec fied operations and power generating means without departing from the spirit of the invention.-

' What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An apparatus. of the character described, comprising a main frame, traction means, motive power generating means, an auxiliary frame mounted in said main frame, power transmitting means carried by said auxiliary frame actuated from said power generating means, chains associated therewith, a plurality of'vertica-lly set bars pivotally mounted on said chains, guidestherefor, a plurality of rotative pickers mounted on said bars, means for act-uating said pickers simultaneously from one or a I common point, means for guiding and controlling the positions of said rotative pickers, means for rotating said pickers in a reverse direction and discharging the cotton picked thereby, a primarycollector means, a secondary collector means, means for recovering the cotton gathered by said collector means, and means for guiding the body of the plant or bush in the path of said rotative pickers.

2. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a main frame, traction means mounted thereon, power generating means associated therewith, a vacuum generating means an auxiliary frame, means for supporting said auxiliary frame vertically within said main frame, driving shafts carried by said auxiliary frame driven from said power generating means sprockets mounted thereon, traveling chainscarried by said sprockets, pivotal supports mounted on said chains, a plurality of, vertically set bars mounted in said pivotal supports, guides for said bars, a plurality of rotative bearings mounted on each of said bar's, picker stems mounted on sald rotative bearings andfree to turn therewitln'means for rotating one of said bearings to simultaneously actuate all of said bearings, guides for said rotative bearing actuatlng means, means for imparting an oscillatory movement to'said bars on Y said support, a plurality of cupped disks mounted on each of said picker stems adapted to extract .the cottonfrom its boll, means for rotating said picker stems in ,a reverse direction and discharging the cotton gathered thereby,means for guiding a plant or bush in the path of said rotative picker stems,- rotative conveyer means actuated from said picker traveling and operating means,

power generating means, and a platform carried by said auxiliary frame provided Y with a hinged guide for the c'otton'plant or bush adapted to recover the cotton discharged from said pickers and conveyers.

3. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a main frame, motor vehicle means associated therewith, an auxiliary frame supported vertically within said main frame,'a driving shaft mounted on said auxiliary frame actuated by saidmotor vehicle means, driving means on said driving shafts vertically mounted shafts provided with actuating means engaging the driving means -on said driving shafts, sprockets mounted on said vertically set shafts, chains engaging said sprockets, pivotal supports carried by said chains, a plurality of supporting bars mounted on said pivotal supports, bearings mounted on said bars, a plurality of rotative sleeves mounted in said bearings, picker stems mounted on.

and free to turn with said sleeves, cupped disks provided with a plurality of slots mounted on said stems, ported by said auxiliary rame a portion of each of said tracks being horizontally disposed and other portions beingincli-ned,

roller bearings on said bars engaging said tracks, driving racks mounted; on each of said bars, means mounted on certain of said picker stem sleeves engaging said racks,

sprockets mounted oneach of said sleeves,

chains carried bysaid sprockets, the travel of said bars being adapted to actuate one of said picker stems and \causethe simultaneous forward and reverse rotation of all of said pickers, rotative" collector and conveyer means, a stationary collector means adjacent to and adapted to receive the cotton from said rotative collector and con veyer means, a platform provided with a resilient receiving surface adapted to feedthe cotton bush in the path of said rotative pickers and to recover the cotton discharged by said rotative collector and conveyer means, guards supported by said main frame adapted to force the spreading parts .of a cotton bush in the path of said pickers,

and means for releasing said bars from their traveling guides to prevent barking or tearing of the body of said cotton bush.

4. An apparatus of the character deuide tracks sup-' -llO scribed, including a main frame an auxiliary frame mounted within said mainframe comprising depending sections adapted to have pass between them a row offcotton bushes,

- shafts; carried thereby, means' for actuating said shafts, sprocketsmounted on said shafts,- chains carried by said sprockets, pivotal supporting means associated with-said chains,

a plurality of vertically set bars mounted on said pivotalrsupports, a plurality of 'rotative pickers mounted on said bars,jcam tracks mounted in each of said depending sections,

7 means actuated from one ofsaid rotative,

pickers on each of said bars engagin 'said. cam tracks forv actuating all of said lckers on each bar simultaneously, meansor reversing the rotation of said ickers for dis-. charging the picked cotton t 'erefrom, platforms carried by-ceachof'said sections,- rotative collectors and conveyers mounted in each of said sections, stationaryconveyers adjacent to each of said rotative collectors and conveyors, and means for recovering and conveying the cotton collected by sai conveyers.

5. An apparatus of the character described including a main' supporting frame, a depending frame mounted on said supporting rame comprised of two independent sections, and a picker stem actuating means mounted in each of. said .inde endent sections comprising a guide trac and roller. bearings adapte to engage .said

zontally'. disposed and other portions thereof inclined, racks associated with said roller ide track," v a portlon of each of saidtracks eing horibearings,.picker stem supporting'means, 1'0";

tative picker stems. mounted in said sup porting-means, driv'mg means on each of.

" said picker stem supporting means engaging said racks, and means mounted on one of" I said rotativ'e picker stems, engaging said driving means and means operatively connectingthe last named picker stem wlth the other picker stems, the travel of said roller bearings on said tracks in one of said in-,

clined portions causing rotation of said picker stems-in a forwarddirection and the?

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