Patent Abstract:
A cotton receiver for a cotton harvesting machine and a method of operation of the same. The receiver includes a cotton compacting chamber, a precompacting area above the chamber, and an accumulator deployable upwardly from the precompacting area to increase the cotton holding capacity thereof. Compactor apparatus is located in the compacting chamber and is configured for holding cotton thereabove separate from cotton therebelow. The compactor apparatus is movable downwardly against cotton therebelow for compacting it into a unitary body or module, including while holding cotton thereabove, and is controllably operable for conveying cotton held thereabove downwardly therethrough, subsequent to unloading a completed compacted body of cotton.

Full Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/557,852, filed Mar. 30, 2004. 

   TECHNICAL FIELD 
   This invention relates generally to cotton harvesting machines including a cotton receiver for receiving and holding harvested cotton, and more particularly, to an expandable accumulator for a cotton receiver, which can be deployed to increase the capacity of a precompacting area of the receiver, and which can be folded or stored when not in use. 
   BACKGROUND ART 
   Commonly, cotton harvesting machines can unload harvested cotton into a container such as a trailer known as a boll buggy in the field, while remaining in the rows for harvesting the cotton plants. Essentially, a boll buggy is a container open on the top that is pulled by a tractor or other vehicle up to the cotton harvesting machine while in the field. The harvesting machine can be stopped and the boll buggy pulled alongside the cotton receiver, and the cotton in the receiver unloaded into the boll buggy. The cotton harvesting machine can then resume harvesting and the boll buggy is typically transported to a standard module builder located in an accessible location such as the end of the rows, and unloaded. As a result, the harvesting machine does not have to come out of the rows to unload when full. Newer cotton harvesting machines which compact and form or package the cotton into a unitary body or module as the cotton is conveyed into a cotton receiver on the machine, are typically required to unload the cotton module or compacted body of cotton at the end of the rows, or a location where the module or compacted body of cotton can be picked up by a module truck or the like for transport to the gin for processing. The end of the rows provides a suitable location, as the terrain is typically relatively level. It is undesirable to unload a module or compacted body of cotton in the field, as the field contains stalks and the ground is uneven as a result of being formed into raised beds for the plants. 
   A typical modern cotton harvesting machine with an on-board module building and/or packaging capability can produce a compacted module or body of cotton that can weigh between about 8,000 and about 11,000 pounds, depending upon crop conditions. Conventional cotton harvesting machines typically can hold a maximum of about 10,500 pounds. This large capacity allows both machines to make one or more passes in the field depending on row length and yield (pounds of cotton per acre). Conventional cotton harvesting machines can unload at any time, either in the field into a boll buggy, or at the end of the rows by driving up to a module maker and unloading the cotton into it. In contrast, for maximum efficiency, a cotton harvesting machine which can package or compact cotton into a unitary module or body, is desirably unloaded when the module or body is completely formed. Partial modules or bodies should only be unloaded when finishing up a field, and these should still be unloaded at the end of the rows in what is known as the turn row where the cotton harvesting machine turns around to enter new rows for harvesting the cotton therefrom. Therefore, because of widely varying row lengths and yield conditions, there is a need for cotton harvesting machines to have the capability to hold cotton above the compactor apparatus to allow the operator to continue to harvest cotton until the end of a swath of rows or other suitable location for unloading, is reached. 
   Therefore, what is sought is apparatus and a method which overcomes the problems and provides the capability set forth above. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   What is disclosed is a cotton accumulator for the cotton receiver of a harvesting machine, capable of receiving and holding harvested cotton at a location separate from that in which the cotton is compacted or otherwise formed into a unitary body or module, and then, after a compacted body or module of cotton is unloaded, will allow the collected cotton to fall or be conveyed into the lower compacting region for formation by compactor apparatus into the next compacted body or module. 
   The accumulator will preferably have a capability to be movable between a deployed position providing the sought after cotton holding capacity, and a stored position when not in use and for transport. The accumulator is preferably located in association with the upper region of the cotton receiver, in a precompacting area above the compactor apparatus, such that the compactor apparatus can serve to hold the cotton in the accumulator as compacted cotton in the receiver already is compacted or formed into a unitary body or module can be completed and unloaded. The accumulator can be moved between its deployed and stored positions using any suitable apparatus, such as one or more drivers, such as a fluid cylinder, winch, or mechanical actuator. The accumulator can also be moved between its positions by movement of the compactor apparatus, which can be of conventional, well known construction. The accumulator can be deployed manually, by operator action, or automatically, as desired or required. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of a cotton harvesting machine including a cotton accumulator in a deployed position according to the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a simplified side view of a cotton receiver of the machine of  FIG. 1 , showing the accumulator in its deployed position above a cotton receiver of the machine and the flow of cotton therein; 
       FIG. 3  is another simplified side view of the cotton receiver, showing the accumulator in its stored position; 
       FIG. 4  is another simplified side view of the receiver with the accumulator in its stored position, showing airborne conveyance of cotton into the interior of the receiver; 
       FIG. 5  is a fragmentary side view of the receiver, showing the accumulator in its stored position, and a representative mechanism for moving the accumulator between its stored position and deployed position; and 
       FIG. 6  is another fragmentary side view of the receiver showing the accumulator moved to its deployed position by the mechanism of  FIG. 5 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring now to the drawings, in  FIG. 1  a cotton harvesting machine  10  is shown, including a cotton accumulator  12  constructed and operable according to the teachings of the present invention on a cotton receiver  14  of the machine. Harvesting machine  10  includes a plurality of harvesting units  16  arranged in an array across a forward end  18  of machine  10  for harvesting cotton from plants as machine  10  is moved in the forward direction along rows of the plants (not shown). The harvested cotton is conveyed by air flows through an array of ducts  20  extending upwardly and rearwardly from units  16  to a precompacting area  22  of cotton receiver  14 , as denoted by arrows A, in the well known conventional manner. 
   Referring also to  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4 , cotton receiver  14  is shown. Cotton receiver  14  is a structure of rectangular shape, including an interior compacting chamber  24  defined by a floor  26 , forward and rearward end walls  28  and  30 , and opposing side walls including a side wall  32  shown. End walls  28  and  30 , and the side walls including side wall  32 , extend upwardly from floor  26  to precompacting area  22  which defines a generally upwardly facing opening, which is occupied and enclosed by cotton accumulator  12 . Cotton accumulator  12 , end walls  28  and  30 , and the side walls are preferably constructed of an air permeable material, such as a mesh or perforated sheeting having holes or openings therein adequate for dissipation of air flow therethrough, but which will retain the cotton conveyed into compacting chamber  24  as denoted by arrows A. 
   Compactor apparatus  34  is shown in the upper region of interior compacting chamber  24 . Compactor apparatus  34  includes side-to-side extending cross bars  36  adjacent end walls  28  and  30  which extend through vertical slots  38  through the side walls, including side wall  32 , and are supported by a support structure  40 , including a pair of fluid cylinders  42  located beside the side walls, for moving compactor apparatus  34  upwardly and downwardly within chamber  24 , as denoted by arrow B in each of the figures. A substantially complete compacted body of cotton or module  44  is shown in each of  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  for illustration of usage of accumulator  12 . Essentially, in operation, as cotton denoted by arrows A is conveyed into interior chamber  24 , compactor apparatus  34  will be operated to move in the upward and downward direction denoted by arrow B, against the collected cotton to compact the cotton against floor  26  to gradually build a compacted body or module as represented by module  44 . As explained above, a completed compacted cotton module such as module  44  can have a weight of between about 8,000 and 11,000 pounds, and will be relatively large, having dimensions corresponding to those of compacting chamber  24 . It is an important objective of the use of compacting apparatus such as apparatus  34  and the making of compacted bodies and modules of cotton, such as module  44 , to reduce manpower and handling, and facilitate transport of the cotton from the field to the gin for processing. Currently, compacted bodies of cotton, such as module  44 , are preferably unloaded from machines, such as harvesting machines  10 , on a level surface, such as the ground at the end of the rows of a cotton field, to facilitate picking up and loading the cotton onto trucks used for transporting it. Cotton fields usually include rows of raised beds separated by spaces or channels for carrying irrigation water, and after picking typically include stubble and/or intact plants, which make an undesirable surface onto which to unload a compacted body or module of cotton, as it would greatly inhibit pickup and loading onto a transport truck. As a result, it is desirable to limit unloading to times when machine  10  has completed a swath of rows of cotton, at the turn row where the machine is turned around to proceed along a new swath of rows through the field. However, it has been often found that the interior compacting chamber such as chamber  24  of machine  10  will be filled, and/or a compacted body or module such as module  44  completed, before the end of the rows is reached. This is a problem as without extra cotton carrying capacity, the harvesting operation must be interrupted, the machine moved to a suitable unloading location, unloaded, and returned to the harvesting operation, or the completed module unloaded at an undesirable location in the field. 
   Cotton accumulator  12  overcomes the problems and shortcomings set forth above by providing added cotton receiving capacity to precompacting area  22  of cotton receiver  14 . In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , cotton accumulator  12  is shown in a deployed position with a rearward end  46  thereof extended upwardly, denoted by arrow C in  FIG. 2 , for increasing the interior volume of precompacting area  22  above compactor apparatus  34  for receiving cotton conveyed therein as denoted by arrows A, the cotton being held above module  44  by the compactor apparatus  34 . As a result, the harvesting operation can continue and the harvesting machine moved to a convenient and suitable unloading location such as the end of the rows being harvested, without interruption of the harvesting process. Then, after the body of cotton or module, such as module  44  is unloaded, the cotton collected in accumulator  12  above compactor apparatus  34  can be allowed to fall into, or be moved or conveyed into, the lower portion of chamber  24  for compaction into a compacted body or module in the above-described manner. Here, it should be noted that compactor apparatus such as apparatus  34  will typically include one or more rotatable augers capable of conveying cotton on top of apparatus  34  into the compacting chamber located therebelow, as is well known in the art. Such augers can be actuated to convey the cotton from accumulator  12  into the lower region of the chamber. 
   The embodiment of cotton accumulator  12  can have a variety of interior capacities, as required or desired for a particular application. The capacity of accumulator  12  shown is illustrated by dotted crosshatching and is shown having a triangular or wedge sectional shape, but could likewise have other shapes including a more rectangular shape, or a more curved or rounded shape. Accumulator  12  is shown in  FIGS. 3  and moved downwardly to a stored position contained at least substantially within precompacting area  22  of receiver  14  when its use is not required. As shown in  FIG. 4 , in this position, cotton can be conveyed into receiver  14  in the conventional manner as denoted by arrows A for compaction by compactor apparatus  34 . The illustrated embodiment of accumulator  12  has an upper wall  48  which is generally flat and covers the forward-to-rearward and side-to-side extent of accumulator  12 . Accumulator  12  includes a pair of side walls extending downwardly from upper wall  48 , as illustrated by side wall  50 , the side walls having a wedge shape which tapers divergently in the rearward direction. A rearward end wall  52  extends between upper wall  48  and the side walls including side wall  50  for enclosing the rearward end of accumulator  12 . Side walls  50  and end wall  52  can be of suitable construction, for holding cotton, including of a suitable mesh material or sheet material including holes therethrough for the passage of air but not the cotton, or of an alternative material including a solid sheet metal, or the like. Accumulator  12  has a forward end  54  which in this embodiment is pivotally connected to a forward end of receiver  14  in a suitable manner, for instance, by one or more hinges  56  to allow movement of accumulator  12  between its deployed and stored positions. Suitable seals can be provided as required between the lower periphery of accumulator  12  and walls  28 ,  30  and  32 . 
   Accumulator  12  can be manually moved between its deployed and stored positions, or automatically moved using a suitable actuator or mechanism such as one or more fluid cylinders, a winch, or the like.  FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate one exemplary embodiment of a mechanism  58  for moving accumulator  12  between its stored position ( FIG. 5 ) and its deployed position ( FIG. 6 ). Mechanism  58  includes an arm  60  mounted by pivot  62  to the side of receiver  14 . Arm  60  includes a first end portion  64  pivotally connected to a rod  66  of a fluid cylinder  68 , and an opposite end portion  70  including a roller which contacts a downwardly facing surface of a plate  72  mounted along the side edge of accumulator  12 . Fluid cylinder  68  is pivotally connected to the side of cotton receiver  14  and when extended will pivot arm  60  about pivot  62  to pivotally move accumulator  12  about hinge  56  to the deployed position as shown in  FIG. 6 . Similarly, when fluid cylinder  68  is retracted, arm  60  will be pivoted in the opposite direction to move accumulator  12  to its stored position as shown in  FIG. 5 . Here, it should be noted that mechanism  58  is but one of any number of mechanisms that could be utilized for moving accumulator  12  between its deployed and stored positions, and therefore is in no way to be considered as limiting. 
   It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps, and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles and scope of the invention. The foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention; however, concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are intended to protect the invention broadly as well as in the specific form shown.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0