Tobacco harvester

Claim 2

In a tobacco harvester having means for guiding, cutting and conveying tobacco plants and for impaling on tobacco sticks the stalks of said tobacco plants cut and conveyed, the improvement comprising: the means for impaling tobacco plants including a spear assembly having a spear with a pointed end and a butt end, first and second sets of upper-and-lower spear gripping jaws for fixing the spear in a horizontal plane, means for opposedly pivoting the respective jaws of each said set of spear gripping jaws about an axis laterally offset from the spear and generally parallel therewith, thereby providing for opening and closing each said set of spear gripping jaws substantially in a vertical plane and for clearing said jaws, from tobacco plants impaled, a plurality of grips fixed on respective of said spear gripping jaws, and said spear having a plurality of recesses for receiving plural of said grips.

Claim 3

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 1, the conveying means including: a first means for conveying arranged for rearwardly conveying and discharging said tobacco plAnts cut by the cutting means, a second means for conveying aligned parallel with and extending past the ends of the spear, the second conveying means having a plurality of sequentially spaced thrust arms fixed thereon to travel therewith and thereby successively urge onto said spear tobacco plants conveyed between said arms, and means for oscillating located proximate to and lower than the discharge portion of the first conveying means, said oscillating means arranged for a portion of the oscillation thereof to extend rearwardly past a position of travel of said second conveying means thrust arms, thereby adapting the oscillating means for receiving said tobacco plants from the first conveying means and for transferring in succession said tobacco plants to the second conveying means between respective thrust arms thereof.

Claim 4

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 2, means for continuously driving said cutting means and said first conveying means: a first sensor arranged adjacent the first conveying means in position for contact by stalks of said tobacco plants conveyed past the first sensor, means for actuating said oscillating means a discrete number of oscillations in response to each contact of the first sensor by a said tobacco plant stalk, means for actuating said second conveying means in response to each contact of the first sensor by a said tobacco plant stalk, and means for limiting the movement of said second conveying means to the distance of one said sequential spacing of said thrust arms for each actuation thereof.

Claim 5

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 3, said spear having a socket at the butt end thereof proportioned for supporting an end of a tobacco stick in alignment with the spear for thereby permitting tobacco plant stalks impaled by the spear to be loaded onto a tobacco stick aligned therewith under the urging of said second conveying means thrust arms, a tobacco stick end support on the harvester in spaced alignment with the socket on said spear, a second sensor fixed adjacent said tobacco stick end support in the path of movement of tobacco plant stalks during loading onto a said tobacco stick, and means positioned between and below said spear socket and tobacco stick end support for ejecting each said tobacco stick when loaded, in response to each contact of the second sensor by a said tobacco plant stalk.

Claim 6

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 3, the first conveying means comprising: a pair of laterally spaced upright rollers located behind said guiding means, a pair of vertically spaced horizontal rollers located to the rear of said pair of laterally spaced upright rollers, the upper roller of said horizontal rollers being located more rearwardly than the lower roller of said horizontal rollers, a first endless belt mounted on one of said upright rollers and the lower roller of said horizontal rollers, and a second endless belt mounted on one of said upright rollers and the upper roller of said horizontal rollers.

Claim 7

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 5, means for adjusting the tracking of said endless belts including: an axle for at least one of said rollers, a transverse screw proximate an end of said axle, and a nut on said screw positioned for contacting a side of said end of the axle.

Claim 8

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 1, a vertical centering device for plant stalks comprising: upper and lower centering rollers positioned respectively above and below said point of the spear, each centering roller having a resilient periphery, and means for adjusting the position of each centering roller.

Claim 9

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 7, the means for adjusting centering roller position comprising: a horizontal arm extending to the side of the harvester from each centering roller, a radial link on the end of each horizontal arm, an axle on each radial link supporting a said centering roller, means for rotatably mounting said horizontal arms to the harvester, and means on portions of the horizontal Arms away from said centering rollers for adjustably fixing the rotational position of said horizontal arms.

Claim 10

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said spear gripping jaws comprises structure formed in a pair of parallel arcs with crossover arcs transversely connecting the pair of parallel arcs, said arcs arching upward in the upper jaws and downward in the lower jaws, thereby further clearing said spear gripping jaws from tobacco plants impaled and providing room for thrust arms of the second conveying means to pass through said jaws under said arcs.

Claim 11

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 2, the means for opposedly pivoting the respective jaws of each said set of spear gripping jaws comprising: a shaft defining said laterally offset axis, means for connecting each jaw with the shaft, an arm extending from each jaw, a driveshaft transverse to the harvester, at least one jaw-actuation cam on said driveshaft, means for following said at least one jaw-actuation cam, means for coupling all said cam following means and arm extending from each jaw, a drivemotor, means for coupling the drive motor with the driveshaft, means for controlling operation of the drivemotor, and means for coupling said first sensor with the controlling means.

Claim 12

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 10, said second conveying means including a plurality of parallel spaced endless chains bearing said thrust arms thereon, a plurality of sprockets mounting each said endless chain, and the means for actuating said second conveying system comprising a sprocket of each said endless chain being fixed on said driveshaft.

Claim 13

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 11, said means for limiting the movement of said second conveying system to the distance of one said sequential spacing of said thrust arms for each actuation comprising: a cam, means coupling the cam to rotate with a said sprocket, a cam follower at the cam-and means coupling the cam follower with said means for controlling operation of the drivemotor.

Claim 14

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 12, said plurality of parallel spaced chains including at least three chains, one of said chains being proximate one side of said spear and with a portion thereof running through said paired sets of spear gripping jaws, a second of said chains being proximate the other side of said spear, and a third of said chains being distally spaced from the second of said chains.

Claim 15

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 10, said first conveying means including a roller, said oscillating means including a plurality of substantially vertical shuttle arms, said means for actuating the oscillating means a discrete number of times comprising: a crankshaft, means for engaging the crankshaft with the shuttle arms, means for rotatably connecting the crankshaft with said first conveying means roller, and means for disengaging said rotatable connection with the first conveying means roller.

Claim 16

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 14, said means for disengaging the rotatable connection with the first conveying means roller comprising: a clutch between said first conveying means roller and crankshaft, a clutch actuation cam on said drive shaft, an indexing cam on the crankshaft means for releasibly connecting the clutch actuation cam and the indexing cam, a clutch engaging linkage, and means biasing the clutch engaging linkage against the indexing cam, whereby by rotation of the driveshaft rotates the clutch actuation cam, releasing the indexing cam and permitting the biasing means to move the clutch engaging linkage, thereby engaging the clutch.

Claim 17

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 4, the tobacco stick ejecting means additionally including a drivemotor, a panel-like frame, means for connecting the drivemotor for lifting the panel-like frame, means for controlling the drivemotor, and means for connecting the second sensor with the means for controlling the drivemotor.

Claim 18

In a tobacco stick harvester as recited in claim 16, and means for positioning an empty tobacco stick in alignment between said spear socket and said tobacco stick end support comprising: a spaced pair of pivoted stick supply arms, a way system adjacently beneath said arms, and means for drawing the stick supply arms toward said panel-like frame as the panel-like frame rises.

Claim 19

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 5, wherein the cutting means comprises a circular saw, an additional improvement comprising means for adjusting the axis of said saw in a fore-and-aft direction relative to said pair of laterally spaced upright rollers, and means for altering the position of at least one of said laterally spaced upright rollers relative to the other said upright roller and the saw.

Claim 20

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 18, respective drivemotors mounted to the circular saw and to each of said laterally spaced upright rollers, thereby providing for adjustment of position thereof which changing the respective drivemotor adjustments.

Claim 21

In a tobacco harvester as recited in claim 1, said harvester having a frame diagonally offset to one side, a tongue alongside the diagonal offset of the frame, a platform for an operator at the rearmost portion of the frame, and a connection beneath the platform for thereby drawing behind the harvester a vehicle for receiving tobacco offloaded by said an operator.

Claim 22

In a tobacco harvester having means for guiding, cutting and conveying tobacco plants and for impaling on tobacco sticks the stalks on said tobacco plants, the improvement comprising the combination: said harvester having a frame, said means for guiding tobacco plants affixed to a forward portion of the frame, said means for cutting tobacco plants affixed to the frame rearwardly of the means for guiding tobacco plants; said means for conveying tobacco plants including; a first conveyor having an intake portion above the means for cutting tobacco plants for receiving therefrom cut plants and a discharge portion located rearwardly and upwardly from the intake portion, a fore-and-aft shuttle positioned beneath the discharge portion of the first conveyor for receiving tobacco plants therefrom and for rearwardly urging said tobacco plants received, a second conveyor intermeshing with the shuttle and having at least two parallel conveying portions proximately spaced for urging stalks of tobacco received from the shuttle; a spear positioned between said at least two proximately spaced parallel conveying portions of the second conveyor, for impaling stalks of tobacco urged thereby, a pair of longitudinally spaced supports between said at least two proximately spaced parallel conveying portions of the second conveyor for holding a tobacco stick therebetween in alignment with the spear, and a stick ejector frame mounted adjacent the pair of longitudinally spaced supports.

Claim 23

In a tobacco harvester having means for guiding, cutting and conveying tobacco plants and for impaling on tobacco sticks the stalks on said tobacco plants, the improvement comprising the combination: said harvester having a frame, said means for guiding tobacco plants affixed to a forward portion of the frame, said means for cutting tobacco plants affixed to the frame rearwardly of the means for guiding tobacco plants; said means for conveying tobacco plants including; a first conveyor having an intake portion above the means for cutting tobacco plants for receiving therefrom cut plants and a discharge portion located rearwardly and upwardly from the intake portion, a fore-and-aft shuttle positioned beneath the discharge portion of the first conveyor for receiving tobacco plants therefrom and for rearwardly urging said tobacco plants received, a second conveyor intermeshing with the shuttle and having at least two parallel conveying portions proximately spaced for urging stalks of tobacco received from the shuttle; a spear positioned between said at least two proximately spaced parallel conveying portions of the second conveyor, for impaling stalks of tobacco urged thereby, a pair of longitudinally spaced supports between said at least two proximately spaced parallel conveying portions of the second conveyor for holding a tobacco stick therebetween in alignment with the spear, and a stick ejector frame mounted adjacent the pair of longitudinally spaced supports.