Chip converter

Claim 2

Apparatus for chipping an upright standing tree from the top to the bottom thereof, comprising: a. a hollow body having a bottom central aperture through which the top of a tree is to be inserted, axially of said body; b. a free-ended shaft mounted centrally of and within said body for rotation about a vertical axis in general alignment, during operation of said apparatus, with the axis of the tree to be chipped; c. planetary rotary cutters mounted at one end thereof on said free end of said shaft, angularly thereof, whereby to be rotated by said shaft about said shaft axis, and d. means for causing rotation of said rotary cutters about their own axis as said rotary cutters rotate about said shaft, whereby when said apparatus bears on the top of a tree to be chipped and said shaft rotates, it brings said angular rotary cutters into rotation to chip off said tree.

Claim 3

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said body is formed with a stationary top part and a rotary bottom part fixed to said shaft; wherein journal means is provided on said rotary bottom part and on the other end of said rotary cuTters to allow rotation thereof about their own axes; wherein said means for causing rotation of said planetary cutters are a circular gear formed along the lower edge of said stationary top part and bevel gears secured at said other ends of said planetary cutters and in mesh with said circular gear, whereby rotation of said planetary gears about the shaft axis causes rotation of the planetary gears about their own axis by virtue of their meshing with said circular gear.

Claim 4

An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said planetary cutters are of the helicoidal cutting-ridge type.

Claim 5

An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said bottom part is fixed to said shaft by means of arms extending radially of said shaft and between said cutters.

Claim 6

An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 including bearing means connected to said arms and intended to support said apparatus on the top of the tree to be chipped.

Claim 7

An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said bearing means are plates having the shape of spherical sectors; said plates provided between successive rotary cutters and secured to said arms; wherein said plates, in operation of said apparatus, sit over the tip of the tree to be chipped in the manner of a cap.

Claim 8

An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said stationary top part defines a circular inner chamber and including a chip discharge pipe opening into said chamber, tangentially thereof.

Claim 9

An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said arms are downwardly inclined and provided, along their inclined outer edges with flat blades and are also provided with arcuate baffles projecting forwardly with respect to the direction of rotation of said shaft and adjacent said cutters; wherein said blades and baffles are constructed to force wood chips into said discharge pipe.

Claim 10

An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, including knife means at the lower end of said bottom part for barking the tree to be chipped.

Claim 11

An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said knife means comprise a plurality of arcuate levers pivotally mounted at one end to said bottom part below said rotary cutters and formed, at the free end thereof, with a sharp edge reentrant with respect to the direction of rotation of said bottom part whereby to cut the bark off the tree, and resilient means pressing said levers against the tree.

Claim 12

An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, including cutting means at the lower end of said bottom part for limbing trees to be chipped.

Claim 13

An apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said cutting means comprise a plurality of horizontal arcuate levers pivotally mounted at one end to said bottom part, below said rotary cutters and formed, at the other end, with downwardly projecting knives having cutting edges reentrant with respect to the direction of rotation of said bottom part and resilient means to press said knives against trees to be chipped.

Claim 14

An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said top part is formed with an upper closing wall and horizontally movable shears provided on said wall for cutting tree tops and means horizontally to extract and retract said shears with respect to said body and further means to operate said shears.

Claim 15

An apparatus is claimed in claim 13, wherein said shears comprise an elongated arm having a sickle-shaped end with an inner sharp cutting edge and a lever centrally pivotally mounted adjacent said sickle-shaped end to said elongated arm; said lever having one branch provided with an arcuate cutting edge adapted to coact in shear fashion with said sickle cutting edge; wherein said extracting and retracting means comprise guides for controlling the movements of said arm and a hydraulic motor operatively connected to said arm, and wherein said operating means is a hydraulic motor connected at one end to said arm and at the other end to the end of a second branch of said lever.

Claim 16

A machine for chipping an upright standing tree, comprising: a. a vehicle; b. a carrier mounted on said vehicle to pIvot about a vertical axis; c. a lower boom and an upper boom; d. means pivotally interconnecting said booms and means to produce relative swinging movement of said booms about a horizontal axis; e. means pivotally mounting said lower boom on said carrier and means to produce swinging movement of said lower boom relative to said carrier about a vertical axis; f. a hollow body pivotally mounted at the upper end of said upper boom; g. said hollow body having a bottom central aperture through which the top of a tree is to be inserted, axially of said body; h. a free-ended shaft mounted centrally of and within said body for rotation about a vertical axis in general alignment, in operative position, with the axis of the tree to be chipped; i. planetary rotary cutters mounted at one end thereof on said free end of said shaft angularly thereof, whereby to be rotated by said shaft about said shaft axis; and j. means for causing rotation of said rotary cutters about their own axis as said rotary cutters rotate about said shaft, whereby when said apparatus bears on said tree top and said shaft rotates, it brings said angular rotary cutters into rotation to chip off said tree during rotation thereof.

Claim 17

A machine for chipping an upright standing tree, comprising: a. a vehicle; b. a carrier mounted on said vehicle to pIvot about a vertical axis; c. a lower boom and an upper boom; d. means pivotally interconnecting said booms and means to produce relative swinging movement of said booms about a horizontal axis; e. means pivotally mounting said lower boom on said carrier and means to produce swinging movement of said lower boom relative to said carrier about a vertical axis; f. a hollow body pivotally mounted at the upper end of said upper boom; g. said hollow body having a bottom central aperture through which the top of a tree is to be inserted, axially of said body; h. a free-ended shaft mounted centrally of and within said body for rotation about a vertical axis in general alignment, in operative position, with the axis of the tree to be chipped; i. planetary rotary cutters mounted at one end thereof on said free end of said shaft angularly thereof, whereby to be rotated by said shaft about said shaft axis; and j. means for causing rotation of said rotary cutters about their own axis as said rotary cutters rotate about said shaft, whereby when said apparatus bears on said tree top and said shaft rotates, it brings said angular rotary cutters into rotation to chip off said tree during rotation thereof.

Claim 18

An apparatus is claimed in claim 15 wherein said body is formed with a stationary top part and a rotary bottom part fixed to said shaft; wherein journal means is provided on said rotary bottom part and on the other end of said rotary cutters to allow rotation thereof about their own axes; wherein said means for causing rotation of said planetary cutters are a circular gear formed along the lower edge of said stationary top part and bevel gears secured at said other ends of said planetary cutters and in mesh with said circular gear, whereby rotation of said planetary gears about the shaft axis causes rotation of the planetary gears about their own axis by virtue of their meshing with said circular gear.