Abstract:
A hay chopper is used for chopping elongated stems of hay into small fragments. The hay chopper comprises two superimposed screens comprising an identical set of slots recessed thereon. When the two screens are well aligned, effective slot windows result from the superimposition of slots from each one of the screens. A chopping element is also provided within the hay chopper, this chopping element comprising sharp-edged blades emerging periodically from underneath said screens through said effective slot windows, in order to cut the hay located onto the chopping element of the hay chopper. By varying the alignment between the two screens, the effective slot windows&#39; width can be adjusted accordingly. It is the width of these slots that will determine approximately the length of the chopped fragments of hay that is allowed to slip therethrough by gravity and/or drive force from the rotating blades.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to material processors used to reduce the particle size of bulk material. More particularly, this invention relates to hay chopping devices used to chop full-sized stems of hay into smaller fragments.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Balanced healthy diet mixtures fed to cattle are based on both hay and grain. The hay from the mixture has an essential role in the cattle&#39;s digestion. However, cattle animals prefer grain to hay, and if the mixture is not homogeneous enough, the animals are able to discriminate between the hay and the grain with their tongue, and are therefore able to eat only the grain. Accordingly, the hay has to be cut short enough in order for the hay and the grain to mix properly, and to make it harder for the cattle to leave out the hay from the mixture.  
           [0003]    In order for the hay to be suitably chopped, chopping devices exist in various forms. However, these chopping devices are generally crude and in want of improvement.  
         OBJECT OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The main object of the invention is to provide a hay chopping device that will cut hay stacks efficiently while providing resulting cut hay pieces of a size that cannot be discriminated by the cattle relative to grain.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The present invention relates to a hay chopper for chopping elongated strands of hay into shorter hay fragments, comprising:  
           [0006]    a main support frame;  
           [0007]    a hay container mounted over said main support frame having an enclosure for containing hay strands fed to said hay chopper;  
           [0008]    a chopping element for chopping hay strands contained in said hay container, said chopping element mounted to said main support frame and having an operative face opening into said hay container enclosure, said chopping element comprising a restrainer element composed of a pair of superimposed screens similar to one another, each one of said screens comprising a plurality of spaced-apart elongated slots thereon, wherein when paid screens are superimposed, effective slot windows results from the alignment of registering pairs of said slots from said screens; said chopping element further including a pair of rails mounted onto said main support frame, said screens being mounted onto said rails whereon said screens are slideably moveable; wherein by unaligning said screens, and hence setting an unalignement value, the width of said effective slots is adjustable; said chopping element further comprising actuated shearing blades for slicing hay in touch with said operative face of said chopping element by emerging substantially periodically from underneath said restrainer element through said effective slot windows;  
           [0009]    a chopping element adjuster comprising a controller, for adjusting said unalignement value between said screens, whereby the width of said effective slots is adjustable;  
           [0010]    an outlet compartment operatively connected to said chopping element and towards which hay is forwarded;  
           [0011]    wherein the elongated strands of hay inserted in said container and located onto said operative face of said chopping element are chopped when said actuated blades emerge from underneath said restrainer element through said slot windows, and wherein the shorter hay fragments are sized to bypass said chopping element, in order to pass through said effective slot windows of said chopping element.  
           [0012]    In one embodiment, the hay chopper further comprises an auger closely fitted in said outlet compartment, said auger being actuated and conveying the shorter hay fragments forwarded to said outlet compartment outwardly thereof.  
           [0013]    In one embodiment, said hay container is a silo.  
           [0014]    In one embodiment, said chopping element is located on a platform integral to said main support frame, wherein said silo is cylindroid and is rotatable about its longitudinal axis, and wherein said silo is arranged onto said platform in order for the latter to circumscribe said chopping element, said chopping element extending radially into said silo enclosure and being substantially smaller than said platform, and wherein said chopping element is arranged eccentrically relative to the contour of said platform, an inner end of said chopping element being located in the center area of said platform, and a radially outer end of said chopping element being located radially outwardly of said silo enclosure; wherein the rotatable silo enables said chopping element to tangentially sweep the entire area circumscribed by the contour of said silo, and can hence reach all the elongated hay strands located at the base of said silo.  
           [0015]    In one embodiment, said chopping element adjuster is an articulated connecting link comprising an intermediate section mounted to said platform, a handle at a first extremity thereof, by which said connecting link can be maneuvered to adjust said unalignment value, and a second extremity of said articulated connecting link being attached to said screens; wherein said second extremity comprises two branches, each branch being pivotally attached to said screens, and wherein by maneuvering said handle, said branches will slideably displace of one said screen relative to the other onto said rails, this displacement inducing the width adjustment of said effective slot windows.  
           [0016]    In one embodiment, each of said slots has a rectangular geometry.  
           [0017]    In one embodiment, one of said actuated blades is progressively in register with each one of said effective slot windows; wherein said screens are provided with a greater concentration of slots towards a radially outer edge thereof, hence providing said chopping element with more of said actuated blades towards said radially outer edge thereof.  
           [0018]    In one embodiment, said actuated blades are radially carried onto a rotary cylindrical drum, and wherein by rotating, said drum will induce a rotary travel of the blades.  
           [0019]    The present invention also relates to a chopping element for use on a hay chopper destined to chop elongated strands of hay contained in an enclosure of a hay container into shorter hay fragments, said chopping element having an operative face opening into said hay container enclosure, said chopping element comprising:  
           [0020]    a restrainer element composed of two superimposed screens similar to one another, each one of said screens comprising a plurality of spaced-apart slots thereon, wherein when screens are superimposed, effective slot windows results from the alignment of two corresponding said slots from said screens; wherein by unaligning said screens, and hence setting an unalignement value, the width of said effective slot windows is adjustable;  
           [0021]    actuated blades for slicing elongated strands of hay in touch with said operative face of said chopping element by emerging substantially periodically from underneath said screens through said effective slot windows;  
           [0022]    a chopping element adjuster comprising a controller for adjusting said unalignement value between said screens, whereby the width of said effective slot windows is adjustable.  
           [0023]    The present invention also relates to, in combination:  
           [0024]    a rigid main frame defining a through-channel, said through-channel for free flow of aggregate material from an input side to an outlet side thereof;  
           [0025]    a knife member mounted to said main frame and extending transversely through a fraction of said through-channel, said knife member having a leading edge, located about said input side of said through channel, and an output, located about said outlet side of said through-channel, said knife member for shearingly fragmenting the aggregate material into finer particulate material; and  
           [0026]    a screen member, mounted to said main frame and extending through the full of said through-channel and cooperating with said knife member in enabling free passage therethrough of the finer particulate material exclusively of the aggregate material;  
           [0027]    wherein said screen member includes a first grate and a second grate, each of said first grate and second grate including a number of slots, and relative motion means for adjustably moving said first grate relative to said second grate for registering said slots from said first grate at least partly with said slots from said second grate, wherein a specific size of the finer particulate material screened by said screen member is controlled by said relative motion means.  
           [0028]    In one embodiment, the combination further includes a conveyor member, mounted to said main frame about said through-channel outlet side, said conveyor member for conveying the finer particulate material from said knife member output to a remote area.  
           [0029]    In one embodiment, said relative motion means includes a link rod assembly, pivotally mounted to said main frame, and a handle integral to said link rod assembly, said handle enabling an operator to manually adjust said specific size of the finer particulate material screened by said screen member.  
           [0030]    In one embodiment, each of said first grate and of said second grate is of a similar generally planar, wavy shape.  
           [0031]    In one embodiment, said knife member includes a number of shearing blades, said shearing blades extending through the registering said slots from said first grate and said second grate, a fraction of said first grate and a corresponding fraction of said second grate having a larger concentration of said slots and associated said shearing blades than the remaining portion of said first grate and said second grate. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0032]    In the annexed drawings:  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hay chopper according to the invention, the walls of a silo being partly removed for better showing the chopping element of the hay chopper;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 2 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the hay chopper showing the endless screw conveyor for feeding the cut hay pieces to the grain mixer;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the hay chopper of FIG. 1, with the top platform of the body and the silo removed for better showing the mechanism of the chopping element;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view focusing on the chopping element of the hay chopper, at an enlarged scale relative to FIG. 1;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the chopping element of the hay chopper at an enlarged scale relative to FIG. 1, and further showing a handle in one limit position and a broken-edged part of the body of the hay chopper;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but showing the handle in another limit position;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a screen of the chopping element of the hay chopper according to one embodiment of the invention; and  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 8 is a top elevational view of the screen of FIG. 7, at an enlarged scale relative to FIG. 7; and  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the rotor from the chopping element of the hay chopper of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0042]    With further reference to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a hay chopper  10  according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hay chopper  10  is used for chopping elongated stems of hay into small fragments. Hay chopper  10  can be maneuvered by an operator to set the length of the resulting chopped fragments of hay.  
         [0043]    Hay chopper  10  comprises a chopping element  12  fixedly attached to an underlying main frame or body  20 , a handle  13  for maneuvering chopping element  12 , and a cylindroid upright silo  14  resting on top of body  20 , the base of silo  14  circumscribing chopping element  20 . Silo  14  is used for receiving and containing hay or stacks of hay and for guiding them to chopping element  12 . Hay chopper  10  also defines an inner platform  18  being the top part of body  20  circumscribed within the contour of silo  14 . As illustrated in FIG. 2, there is further disclosed an auger  16  having a section thereof beneath the base of silo  14 . Endless screw conveyor or auger  16  is for moving cut hay away from hay chopper  10 .  
         [0044]    Chopping element  12  comprises a restrainer element  30  and a rotor  32  (FIG. 9). In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 9, rotor  32  is composed of a cylindrical drum  50 , around which a plurality of discs  52  are spacedly coaxially arranged. Discs  52  each comprise two triangular blades  54  having sharp edges destined to cut through stems of hay fed to hay chopper  10 . Rotor  32  is power-driven into rotation as hereinafter set forth.  
         [0045]    Restrainer element  30  comprises two superimposed screens  31   a  and  31   b,  screen  31   a  resting on top of screen  31   b.  Both screens  31   a,    31   b,  each comprise on their longitudinal edges two downwardly depending shoulders  41   a,    41   b  (FIG. 7) and rest thereby onto rails  40   a  and  40   b  (FIG. 5), which are integral or fixedly attached to body  20 . In the embodiments of the invention shown in the annexed drawings, screens  31   a  and  31   b  have a very similar geometry, which differs only whereby screen  31   a  is narrower than screen  31   b,  in order for screen  31   a  to fit snuggly over screen  31   b.  Screens  31   a  and  31   b  can slideably move along rails  40   a  and  40   b,  along their longitudinal axis, and the position of screen  31   a  relatively to screen  31   b  can be selectively adjusted by maneuvering handle  13 , as will be explained hereinbelow. Now referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, superimposed screens  31   a  and  31   b  comprise rectangular slots  34 , arranged in a spaced-apart relationship. Screens  31   a,    31   b  being superimposed, an effective slot window  35  result from the superimposition of two registering slots  34 ,  34  from both screens  31   a,    31   b.  Screens  31   a,    31   b  are said to be “aligned” when slots  34 ,  34  on screen  31   a  are all in substantially perfect matching register with slots from screen  31   b,  and wherein effective slot windows  35  from restrainer element  30  thus have a maximal width. If screens  31   a,    31   b  are not aligned, they are said to be “unaligned”, and an “unalignment value” follows that definition, which is the offset value between screens  31   a  and  31   b.    
         [0046]    In FIGS. 5, 6 and  7 , handle  13  is located at one end of a connecting link  36 , which comprises two rods  37   a,    37   b,  and an arm  38 . Rod  37   a  is pivotally fixedly attached by one of its extremities to a small tongue  43   a  located on a lateral edge of screen  31   a,  and is pivotally fixedly attached to one end portion of arm  38  at its other extremity. Analogously, rod  37   b  is pivotally fixedly attached by one of its extremities to a small tongue  43   b  located on a lateral edge of screen  31   b,  and is pivotally fixedly attached to one end portion of arm  38  at its other extremity. Handle  13  is located at the end portion of arm  38  opposite to the end portion whereon rods  37   a  and  37   b  are attached. Arm  38  is pivotable about a stud  39 , which is, in one embodiment, pivotally anchored into the top plate of body  20 . An articulated connecting link  36  hence results from the assembly of rods  37   a  and  37   b,  arm  38 , and the pivotal anchoring of stud  39  in body  20 . In FIG. 6, handle  13  is in a first limit position, wherein screens  31   a,    31   b  are in their so-called aligned position. In this position, effective slot window  35  has a maximal width. If handle  13  is manipulated in order for arm  38  to pivot towards a second limit position, rod  37   b  will slideably displace screen  31   b  away from stud  39  along rails  40   a,    40   b,  and rod  37   a  will slideably displace screen  31   a  towards stud  39  along rails  40   a,    40   b;  both screens  31   a,    31   b  will hence be offset one relative to the other, and their unalignment value will increase. In FIG. 5, handle  13  is in the second limit position wherein both screens  31   a,    31   b  are as offset as they can be one relative to the other, wherein the unalignment value is maximal, and where effective slot window  35  has a minimal width.  
         [0047]    The effective slot window value is function of the thickness of each blade  54 , and of the desired size of the cut hay pieces.  
         [0048]    Rotor  32  and restrainer element  30  are joined in order for element  30  to cover rotor  32 . Slot windows  35  are spaced apart similarly to discs  52 . When element  30  and rotor  32  are joined, each disc  52  is perfectly aligned with a corresponding slot window  35  of restrainer element  30 . When rotor  32  is driven into rotation, blades  54  periodically emerge from underneath restrainer element  30  through slot windows  35  in a rotary travel, and are consequently able to slice through stem of hay located on top of restrainer element  30 . The face of chopping element  12  whereby blades  54  emerge, and whereby the hay is located before getting sliced through, will be referenced to in the foregoing specification and in the appended claims as the operative face of chopping element  12 .  
         [0049]    While the hay is being sliced, fragments of hay being short enough to pass through slot windows  35 , which have been adjusted to a chosen width, can pass freely therethrough under the influence of gravity borne forces. It has been empirically noted that about 97% of the sliced hay passing through restrainer element  30  had the desired length. It is not necessary to obtain 100% accuracy, since cost is a factor in farm operations.  
         [0050]    After the hay has been sliced and has bypassed restrainer element  30 , it arrives in compartment room  21 , wherein an auger  16  is located. Auger  16 , power-driven into rotation by means described hereinafter, is destined to convey the chopped hay to a hay-grain mixing device (not shown), for example. Auger  16  is closely fitted into compartment room  21 , in the sense that the exterior edge of the thread from auger  16  is tightly fitted to the inner contour of the compartment room  21 . The amount of hay fragments escaping from the conveying action of auger  16 , from the gap formed between the exterior edge of its thread and the inner periphery of compartment room  21 , is consequently substantially reduced.  
         [0051]    In one embodiment, a single power-driving means is used to actuate both auger  16  and rotor  32 . A shaft  25 , itself actuated by a motor (not shown), drives wheel  24 . Wheel  24  is linked to a diametrically smaller wheel  26  with an endless belt  23   a,  and wheel  26  is linked to another diametrically smaller wheel  22  with an endless belt  23   b.  The rotary motion from wheel  24  is hence transferred to wheel  26 , and further from wheel  26  to wheel  22 . A shaft  27  extends from the center of cylindrical drum  50  of rotor  32  and is fixedly attached to the center of wheel  26 . A shaft  29  rotatably carries wheel  22 . Shafts  25 ,  27 ,  29  are parallel to one another and are supported by body  20 . The extremity of the shank of auger  16  is fixedly attached to wheel  22 . When wheel  24  is actuated, the actuation is hence transmitted to auger  16  and rotor  32 . Alternative suitable actuation mechanisms, as known in the art, could have been used to actuate rotor  32  and auger  16 .  
         [0052]    As shown in FIGS. 2, 7, chopping element  12  is eccentrically positioned relative to cylindroid upright silo  14 . One of its lateral edges, that we will now on refer to as the outer edge, is closer to the inner periphery of silo  14 ; a radially outer end portion  12 O of chopping element  12  follows that definition. The opposite edge of screens  31   a,    31   b,  where small tongues  43   a  or  43   b  are located will be now on referred to as the inner edge, which is located around the center area of the base of silo  14 ; an inner end portion  12 I of chopping element  12  follows that definition. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, rectangular slots  34  of screens  31   a,    31   b  may have their width progressively decreasing from the inner edge to the outer edge of chopping element  12 , and the gap between each successive pair of slot windows  35  decreases progressively as one moves from the intermediate portion towards outer end portion  12 O of chopping element  12 . Since a disc  52  (FIG. 9) registers with each slot window  35 , the concentration of discs  52 , and consequently of blades  54  increases towards the outer edge portion of chopping element  12 . Indeed, when hay is stacked in silo  14 , the hay of the radial outer edge portion  12 O of the inner chamber silo  14  will tend to be more compacted than the hay located closer to the center area of silo  14 , because of conventional rotation of the silo walls  14 , and consequently centrifugal force applied to the hay inside the inner chamber of silo  14 . Since the concentration of discs  52  and blades  54  is higher towards the radially outer edge portion  12 O of restrainer element  30 , hay chopper  10  can slice without excessive resistance through the compacted hay located peripherally.  
         [0053]    While hay chopper  10  is active, silo  14  rotates about its central axis. Chopping element  12  radially sweeps the area circumscribed within the perimeter of silo  14 . All the hay contained at the base of silo  14  can hence be reached by chopping element  12 . Outer end portion  12 O sweeps the inner peripheral area of silo  14 , and the inner end portion  12 I of chopping element  12  sweeps the base center area of silo  14 .  
         [0054]    Silo  14  rotates about its longitudinal axis in the customary fashion. The rotation of silo  14  is not an object of the present invention, and will therefore not be further discussed.  
         [0055]    Hay is inserted into silo  14  through top inlet opening  15 . The hay is then carried downwardly towards platform  18  under the influence of gravity-borne forces, and is guided downwardly by the walls of cylindroid upright silo  14 . When a specific hay batch reaches platform  18  and is sheared by chopping element  12  which has previously been activated, it gets sliced by sharp-edged blades  54  rotatably travelling about the central axis of cylindrical drum  50 . If silo  14  is filled with hay, the hay batch located at its base will be reached when it gets to platform  18 , since silo  14  rotates constantly about its central axis, and chopping element  12  is hence able to reach all the hay located in the area circumscribed within the inner perimeter of silo  14 . Hay located around the peripheral area of cylindroid silo  14  is more compact than hay located around the center area of silo  14 . More blades have preferably been provided around the radially outer edge of chopping element  12 , which sweeps the peripheral area of silo  14 , and is therefore able to slice through the compacted hay. When the hay stems have been cut to the desired size and are small enough to bypass restrainer element  30  under the influence of gravity borne forces, and/or under the influence of the rotary motion of rotor  32 , they slip through slot windows  35 , which have been previously adequately widened or narrowed by maneuvering handle  13 , and get to compartment room  21  through slot windows  35 , wherein rotating auger  16  is located. Auger  16  forms an endless linear conveyor that conveys the hay bits out of register from hay chopper  10 , to another device for example, like a hay-and-grain mixer (not shown).  
         [0056]    Some fragments of hay which are longer than slot windows  35  are wide, can pass through slot windows  35 , if they are suitably directed, for example, if they are directed parallel or substantially parallel to slot windows  35 . Nevertheless, a little amount of inappropriately long fragments of hay bypass restrainer element  30  (around 3%), and this is acceptable to keep total overhead costs at a manageable level.  
         [0057]    Unexpectedly, hay chopper  10  has been found to be particularly effective in chopping square-sectioned and disc-sectioned stacks of hay. Moreover, the amount of dust resulting from chopping the hay has been found to be substantially decreased in this system, since the chopping and the conveying of the hay is all done in closed compartments which do not communicate with the exterior environment. The mixture is outlet of the mechanism after all the volatile dust resulting from cutting the hay has settled, hence reducing health problems with the staff operating around this device, and further reducing fire hazards engendered by hay dust, which is known to be excessively inflammable.  
         [0058]    In one embodiment, screens  31   a,    31   b  each present a concavity  42  transversely to slots  34 , as shown in FIGS. 7, 8. This feature has been found to provide hay chopper  10  better efficiency in chopping stems of hay having a high moisture content.  
         [0059]    Chopping element  12  could have alternate designs. The cutting means in the above-described embodiments is a rotor  32  carrying a plurality of sharp-edged blades  54 . Other embodiments could exist wherein the cutting means would be a plurality of blades mounted onto supports able to slide back and forth onto a railing system, each rail being aligned underneath each slot window  35 , perpendicularly relative to the longitudinal axis of restrainer element  30 , and wherein the support would be actuated in a reciprocating motion, in order for the blades to emerge periodically from underneath restrainer element  30  in a translational motion, and hence slicing through the hay located onto the chopping element  12 . More generally, any suitable shearing means could be used to slice through the hay, without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0060]    In another embodiment, screens  31   a,    31   b  could be designed otherwise. There could be two concavities  42   aa  and  42   b  on each screen  31   a,    31   b,  as illustrated in FIGS.  1 - 6 , instead of having only a single concavity  42 , as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. However, concavities  42 ,  42   a,    42   b  are not essential to the operation of the present invention.  
         [0061]    Other screen alignment adjusting means could be used instead of using connecting link  36 . An electric motor and a set of sprocket wheels and chains could be arranged as known in the art, to displace screens  31   a,    31   b  along rails  40   a,    40   b.  More generally, any actuating mechanism as known in the art could be used to adjust the alignment between screen  31   a  and screen  31   b,  without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0062]    The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respect illustrative and not restrictive and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range are intended to be embraced herein.