Patent ID: 8127611
Filing Date: 2012-03-06
Classification: A01G,G01N

Abstract:
1. A harvester head or processor head adapted to grapple a trunk of a standing tree, a trunk of a felled tree or a log, comprising a deployable grapple to hold the remainder of the head relative to the trunk or log, a saw adapted to make a transverse cut in a desired location in the trunk or log when the head has grappled the trunk or log, a drive to move the processor or harvester relatively along the grappled trunk or log, a datum determining system to either treat or detect as a datum (i) the end being cut or to be cut as the tree is being felled, the end of trunk of the already felled tree or the end of the log, or (ii) the fresh end to be cut in the trunk of the already felled tree or in the log, a length determining system to measure the positioning of the saw for a processing cut from the datum determined by the datum determining system, first and second probes each deployable and capable of being withdrawn from deployment so that each penetrates the grappled trunk or grappled log at places longitudinally spaced on the trunk or log, the undeployed condition keeping the probes away from the trunk or tree to reduce exposure to damage when there is relativity of movement between the head and the trunk or log, an impact device or sound generator to provide a stress or sound wave input into the trunk when the probes are deployed in use, an electronic processor determining the time of flight of a longitudinally moving component of the stress or sound wave between the probes by involving wave sensing at the second probe and wave generation or wave sensing at the first probe, the electronic processor providing feedback to an operator or a control system, or both, as to the value of the time of flight, or a derivative thereof, or the relationship thereof to a threshold.