Automatic feed of sugar cane at optimum rates to sugar cane mills

Claim 1

IN A CRUSHING MILL FOR SUGAR CANE HAVING A CONVEYOR FOR TRANSPORTING THE CANE TO A CHUTE DISCHARGING THE CANE FOR PASSAGE BETWEEN ROTATED CRUSHING ROLLS; FOR THE COMBINATION OF (A) SENSING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO CHANGES IN THE AVERAGE HEIGHT OF CANE ACROSS SAID CONVEYOR AT A LOCATION IN ADVANCE OF SAID CHUTE; (B) DRIVE MEANS FOR THE COVEYOR INCLUDING A SUNSTANTIALLY CONSTANT SPEED PRIME MOVER, A VARIABLE DISPLACEMENT, PISTON-TYPE HYDRAULIC PUMP DRIVEN BY SAID PRIME MOVER, A FIXED DISPLACEMENT PISTON-TYPE HYDRAULIC MOTOR IN CLOSED CIRCUIT CONNECTION WITH SAID PUMP SO AT TO BE DRIVEN BY HYDRAULIC FLUID CIRCULATED BY SAID HYDRAULIC PUMP AT A SPEED EXACTLY DETERMINED BY THE DISPLACEMENT OF SAID PUMP, AND MECHANICAL TRANSMISSION MEANS CONNECTING SAID HYDRAULIC MOTOR TO THE CONVEYOR SO THAT THE LATTER IS DRIVEN AT A LINER SPEED CORRESPONDING TO THE DISPLACEMENT OF SAID PUMP; AND (C) CONTROL MEANS ACTUATED BY SAID SENSING MEANS AND OPERATIVE AS AN INVERSE FUNCTION OF THE AVERAGE HEIGHT OF CANE TO WHICH SAID SENSING MEANS RESPONDS, THEREBY TO ACCURATE MAINTAIN A PREDETERMINED VOLUMETRIC RATE OF FEED OF CANE TO THE CURSHING ROLLS.