WO2007034459A2

WO2007034459A2 - A cotton harvester

Info

Publication number: WO2007034459A2
Application number: PCT/IB2006/053474
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tezer Karayol
Original assignee: Uzel Makina Sanayi Anonum Sirketi
Priority date: 2005-09-23
Filing date: 2006-09-25
Publication date: 2007-03-29
Also published as: EP1926362A2; WO2007034459A3

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cotton harvester mounted on a tractor. The cotton harvester provided in order to achieve the object of the invention mainly comprises at least one harvesting head (1) for picking the cotton, at least one fan (3) for conveying picked cotton from harvesting head to the basket (2) and a basket (2) for gathering the cotton in.

Description

A COTTON HARVESTER

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cotton harvester mounted on a tractor.

Prior Art

The first embodiment known in the art is to pick up the cottons with hands. Since this requires too much manpower in large fields, various solutions have been developed for picking up cottons with cotton harvesters.

The cotton harvesters in the art are divided into two: strippers and pickers. Strippers are mounted on tractors and pick the cottons by stripping. But they strip both open and unopened bolls. This not only decreases the productivity but also increases the number of unwanted materials and thus increases the cost of gin process.

The rotatable spindle picker-type cotton harvesters pick only the fibers from bolls and give the least harm to the unopened bolls. This kind of harvesters, generally manufactured as self-propelled, is preferred by very large field owners because of high first investment costs and operation costs.

One of the embodiments in the art is disclosed in AU8363482. In this document a cotton harvester is described which includes harvesting heads on the rear of the tractor and a fan conveying the crops to a basket above the tractor.

In another embodiment disclosed in US3955346 also describes a cotton harvester attached to the rear of the tractor. The mentioned invention can pick the remaining cottons on the plants.

In WO02080655 discloses an arrangement which cuts and shaves the cotton off the plant. However in such embodiments known in the art stripper-type harvesters with which unopened bolls are picked together with cottons or rotatable spindle picker- type harvesters are used. This is a disadvantage for relatively small field owners.

Short Description of the Invention

The object of the invention is to provide a cotton harvester mountable and demountable on tractors with 80 to 100 horse power used by cotton producers owning small fields.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cotton harvester picking the cotton without damaging the unopened bolls and thus enabling periodical harvesting of cotton in the season.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cotton harvester enabling comfortable work in sloping and soft lands and picking of the crops in a dry system without requiring any chemical materials.

The cotton harvester provided in order to achieve the object of the invention mainly comprises at least one harvesting head for picking the cotton, at least one fan for conveying picked cotton from harvesting head to the basket and a basket for gathering the cotton in.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The cotton harvester for achieving the object of the invention is shown in the accompanying figures, in which

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cotton harvester, Figure 2 is a front view of the cotton harvester, Figure 3 is a side view of the cotton harvester, Figure 4 is a detailed view of harvesting heads from top,

Figure 5 is a schematic view of the harvesting head drive conveying system, Figure 6 is a perspective view of the harvesting drum, Figure 7 is a perspective view of the harvesting axle, and Figure 8 is a perspective view of brush axle.

The parts shown in the figures are given numerals and the numerals are as follows:

1. Harvesting head

2. Basket 3. Fan

4. Tractor

5. Strip

6. Brush axle

7. Drum 8. Plate

9. External tangential strip

10. Harvesting axle

11. Blowing tube

12. Suction tube

The inventive cotton harvester which is mountable and demountable on a standard tractor and picks the cotton without damaging the unopened bolls and thus enables periodical harvesting of cotton in the season mainly comprises at least one harvesting head (1) for picking the cotton, at least one fan (3) for conveying picked cotton from harvesting head to the basket (2) and a basket (2) for gathering the cotton in.

13 harvesting axles (10) moving freely around their own axis are placed on 4 harvesting drums (7) moving around their own axis in the harvesting head (1). The said harvesting axles (10) have serrated strips (5) angled around the external surface for gripping the cotton fibers. When the drum (7) rotates, harvesting axles (10) move clockwise in the first half of its tour (180°) while in the other half axles (10) move in the reverse direction by means of a fixed friction plate (8) coated with rubber contacting with the axle (10) from inside and a strip (9) contacting with the axle (10) from outside. While the axles (10) move in clockwise direction fibers are removed from the cotton plant, and while they move in the reverse direction fibers wrapped around the axle (10) are removed from the axle. And also the system has brush axles (6) which cooperate with each drum (7) and separate cotton fibers from harvesting axles (10). The hydromotor-driven movement is transferred to the mentioned drum (7) and the brush axles (6) by means of mechanisms schematically shown in the Figure 5.

The harvesting head (1) can conform to geographic irregularities through level sensor system present on the harvesting head (1) which controls the hydraulic cylinders of the 3-point hitch system over a valve.

Cotton collected by the harvesting heads (1) is moved to the cotton basket (2) upon being absorbed by means of a fan (3). The positive air pressure produced by the fan (3) is conveyed to the harvesting system through blowing tubes (11). Blowing tubes (11) are connected to the blowing channel. Cotton swept from here via brush axles (6) is moved to the suction channels and then to the basket (2) by means of suction tube (12).

The basket (2) is manufactured as welded construction by using steel wire netting and profile and is located on steel construction supports attached to the tractor (4) shaft over the hood of the tractor (4). The cotton gathered in the said basket (2) can be discharged into the trailers by turning the basket upside down by means of hydraulic cylinders on both sides. And there is also provided a compression arrangement for storing much more cotton in the basket (2).

The present invention provides a cotton harvester that is mountable and demountable on a standard tractor with 80 to 100 horse power being used by cotton producers having small fields. This invention enables harvesting cotton without damaging unopened bolls and thus periodically harvesting cotton more than once in the season. In the system all the mechanisms are driven by hydraulic cylinders and hydromotors and the required power is obtained by means of an independent hydraulic unit driven by power takeoff shaft of the tractor (4) or hydraulic system of the tractor (4). Conforming of harvesting head (1) to the geographic irregularities is ensured by the fact that the level sensor system present on the harvesting head (1) controls the hydraulic cylinders of the 3 -point suspension system over a valve.

Within the scope of this main concept it is possible to develop various embodiments of the inventive arrangement and it is as in the following claims and cannot be limited to the examples herein.

Claims

1. A cotton harvester, comprising at least one fan (3) conveying the harvested cotton from harvesting head to the basket (2) and a basket (2) where the cotton is gathered, characterized by a harvesting head (1) picking the opened bolls without damaging the unopened bolls and thus enabling harvesting more than once in one season.

2. A cotton harvester according to claim 1, characterized by a harvesting head (1) including 4 harvesting drums (7) moving around their own axis in the harvesting head (1), and preferably 13 harvesting axles (10) placed on the drum (7), moving freely around their own axis and having serrated strips (5) angled around the external surface for gripping the cotton fibers.

3. A cotton harvester according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a harvesting axle (10) separating fibers from cotton plant by moving clockwise in the first half of its tour when the drum (7) rotates and enabling the separation of fibers from itself by moving in the reverse direction in the other half of its tour by means of a fixed friction plate (8) coated with rubber contacting with the axle (10) from inside and a belt (9) contacting with the axle (10) from outside.

4. A cotton harvester according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by brush axles (6) which cooperate with each drum (7) and separate cotton fibers from harvesting axles (10) while the harvesting axle (10) moves in the reverse direction in the other half of its tour following its separating the fibers from cotton fibers in the first half of its tour.

5. A cotton harvester according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a fan (3) generating positive air pressure enabling the conveyance of cotton to a cotton gathering basket (2) through suction tube (12) from suction channels, wherein the cotton is conveyed to the harvesting system from blowing tubes (11) and harvested after being swept by brush axles (6).

6. A cotton harvester according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a cotton gathering basket (2) manufactured as welded construction by using steel wire netting and profile and located on steel construction supports attached to the tractor (4) shaft over the hood of the tractor (4) and provided with a compression arrangement for storing much more cotton, wherein the cotton gathered can be discharged into the trailers by turning the basket upside down by means of hydraulic cylinders on both sides.

7. A cotton harvester according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by hydraulic cylinders and hydromotors driving all the mechanisms and acquiring the required power from an independent hydraulic unit driven by the power takeoff of the tractor (2) or from the hydraulic system of the tractor (2) .