Patent EA-000453-B1 (EA)
Title: Cotton ginning apparatus and method
Inventor: PAYNE TREVOR
IPC: D01B1/04
Filed: 1997-05-15
Abstract: 1. A cotton ginning apparatus including an upper fixed plate and a lower rotating plate in substantially horizontal parallel superimposed relationship and defining a gap therebetween, the upper fixed plate having means to introduce harvested seed cotton including lint and seed fed to the upper surface thereof to the gap between the plates, the upper plate having a number of zones each being provided with a cutting edge forming a knife on the lower surface thereof, the arrangement being such that when cotton is introduced into said gap during relative rotation of the plates and moved past the said cutting edge, lint is progressively severed from the seed, the severed lint (stapl) being extracted and the seed being collectable in a separate receptacle. 2. A cotton ginning apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 in which the lower rotating plate comprises a series of zones, each zone including a cutting blade for cooperation with the knives on the upper plate. 3. A cotton ginning apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 further comprising guide plate means proximate to each upper plate knife edge for guiding the harvested cotton. 4. A cotton ginning apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 further comprising compressed air jet means attached to said guide plate, said jet means being directed towards the leading edge of the upper knife blade. 5. A cotton ginning apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 further comprising vacuum suction means situated at the rearward edge of said upper blade means for extracting the lint cut by said upper blade means. 6. A cotton ginning apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 5 in which the lower plate comprises a plurality of blades each co-operating with said upper knife edges to form a plurality of Scissor arrangements, the upper and lower knife edges being separated by a defined gap. 7. A cotton ginning apparatus as claimed in Claim 6 in which the defined gap is between 2 to 6 thousandths of an inch. 8. A cotton ginning apparatus as claimed in Claim 6 or 7 in which the plurality of blades in the lower plate are separated by a plurality of leather or cotton composite pads fixed between each blade, each leather or cotton composite pad serving to drive the lint part of the harvested seed cotton on to each upper knife blade to be separated from the seed. 9. A method of ginning harvested cottonseed comprising the steps of: a) introducing harvested seed cotton including lint and seed on to the upper surface of a lower rotating plate; b) rotating said plate to thereby carry said harvested seed cotton towards the leading edge of a knife positioned at a defined distance above said lower rotating plate such that the cotton seed is drawn/combed under the knife edge; c) extracting lint separated from said harvested seed cotton from a rearward facing edge of said knife; and d) collecting said seed from the leading edge of the knife. 10. A method of ginning harvested seed cotton as claimed in Claim 9, comprising the step of: introducing harvested seed cotton at a plurality of locations on to the rotating plate for cooperation with a plurality of knife edges. 11. A method of ginning harvested seed cotton as claimed in Claim 9 or 10 further comprising the step of extracting the lint by a vacuum process via a manifold system.