The present invention relates to sawing and chipping device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for harvesting trees via sawing and then chipping them.
Tree harvesting and chipping devices are well known in the art. It is convenient to combine a tree harvester with a chipping device so as to cut the tree and chip it onsite following cutting. A variety of devices are taught in the art that combine a tree harvester such as a rotary circular blade for cutting the tree and a chipper device (i.e. chipping knives). Some of these devices use a single drive for entraining both the circular blade and the chipper device. Hence, it is known to combine sawing teeth and a chipping blade on a same device. These devices are usually mounted to tractors or other like vehicles which include booms for transporting or entraining the chipped pieces of wood therein.
Many of the challenges of these combined sawing and chipping devices (or tree harvester and chipping devices) is the transporting of cut tree to the chipping device and the entraining of the chipped pieces.
In one example of a known device, the tree harvester is mounted to a tractor for handling, cutting and chipping trees. This harvester includes a rotary saw for cutting a tree near the ground level, transport means, adjacent to the rotary saw, for gripping, transporting and dropping the cut tree into a chipper positioned at a distance from the rotary saw. The transport means includes a pair of opposed conveyors having respective laterally extending fingers for gripping and transporting the tree therebetween.
In another known example, the art teaches a tree harvester having a horizontally-revolving mower positioned near the ground for cutting a tree. A conveyor, such as a tapering worm, guides the cut tree to a chopping means. After chopping, the conveyor guides the chopped pieces to an ejection element. The conveyor element is disposed in such a manner that it allows for vertical-forced feeding of the tree into the chopping means. The resulting chopped pieces are drawn below the conveyor elements.
The art also teaches a harvester having a rotating conical body with a circular saw blade at its bottom end that includes chipper knives along its circular periphery. Other devices include wood harvesters having a cutting rotor and a crushing rotor. The crushed material is collected by a worm gear and then blown to a container by a turbine. Still other devices include an edger saw that combines a chipper with a circular saw blade.
A drawback of these devices is that they are large assemblies which are complex and expensive to build and maintain thus being inconvenient.
An object of the present invention is to provide a sawing and chipping device.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sawing and chipping device for harvesting and chipping trees, the device comprising:
a rotatable saw comprising top and bottom surfaces and a peripheral edge;
a chipping element being mounted on the saw top surface; and
a conveyor for conveying a cut tree,
wherein when engaging a tree with the saw during rotation thereof, the tree is cut and subsequently conveyed by the conveyor onto the saw top surface to be chipped by the chipping element.
A sawing and chipping device for harvesting and chipping trees, the device comprising:
a rotatable saw rotatably mounted to a housing and comprising top and bottom surfaces and a peripheral edge, the bottom surface comprising turbine blower means, the housing comprising an opening adjacent the saw top surface, and leading to a container positioned underneath the saw bottom surface and comprising an outlet;
a chipping element positioned near the opening; and
a conveyor for conveying a cut tree,
wherein when engaging a tree with the saw during rotation thereof, the tree is cut and subsequently conveyed by the conveyor to the chipping element to be chipped thereby producing chips, the rotational movement of the saw conveying the chips into the container via the opening, said turbine blower means providing for blowing the chips through the outlet during rotation of the saw.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sawing and chipping device for harvesting and chipping trees, the device comprising:
a housing comprising a bottom body portion and an upper body portion upstanding therefrom;
a rotatable saw rotatably mounted to the bottom body portion for cutting a tree during rotation thereof;
a conveyor for conveying the cut tree, the conveyor being mounted to the upper body portion and extending therefrom above the saw,
wherein when engaging a tree with the saw during rotation thereof, the tree is cut and subsequently conveyed by the conveyor towards the upper body portion.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a saw for being rotatably mounted to a sawing and chipping device for harvesting and chipping trees, the saw comprising
a top surface;
a central mounting element for being mounted to an actuator for imparting a rotational movement to the saw, a peripheral edge for engaging and cutting a tree during rotation of the saw;
a chipping blade mounted along the saw top surface so as to chip the cut tree in the same plane as the cutting action of the saw; and
a bottom surface opposite the top surface.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a saw for being rotatably mounted to a sawing and chipping device for harvesting and chipping trees, the saw comprising
a top surface;
a central mounting element for being mounted to an actuator for imparting a rotational movement to the saw,
a peripheral edge for engaging and cutting a tree during rotation of the saw;
a bottom surface opposite the top surface comprising turbulating fins for acting as a blower during rotation of said saw.
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of non-limiting illustrative embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the appended drawings, where like reference numerals denote like elements throughout and in where:
With reference to the appended drawings, a non limiting illustrative embodiment of the sawing and chipping device will be described herein so as to exemplify the invention and not limit the scope thereof.
Generally stated the present invention is concerned with a device for cutting off, i.e. harvesting, and chipping a tree. The device comprises a main body, a circular saw, a chipping blade, a conveyor, a container case and a blower.
Referring to
As is known in the art, the circular saw 12 is powered by an actuator (not shown) carried within the main body bottom portion 16. The circular saw 12 is mounted to a centre portion 32 of the main body bottom portion 16 via an axle (not shown). In this way, the circular saw 12 and the chipping blade 30 are rotated in the same plane as shown by arrows R.
With particular reference to FIGS., 5A, 5B and 5C, the circular saw 12 includes a circular edge 22, a top surface side 28 and opposite underside or bottom surface 29. The saw teeth 24 extend from the edge 22 of the circular saw blade 12. The saw teeth can be set at an angle relative to the edge 22. In this example, two oppositely disposed chipping blades 30 are mounted to the top side or surface 28 of the circular saw blade 12 along the same diameter. The underside 29 of the circular saw 12 defines a turbine blower 21 which includes turbulating fins 23. The circular saw includes a central mounting hole 25 for receiving an actuator as well as mounting apertures 27.
It should be noted that a variety of turbine blower means can be formed on the bottom surface or underside 29 as to provide the blowing action described herein.
Turning back to
The main body upper portion 18 is in the form a generally vertical member including a conveyor assembly 46 and a top holding member 49.
With particular reference to
Hence, the first spur and worm gears 52 and 48 define a first spur-worm gear assembly 60 and the second spur and worm gears 54 and 50 define a second spur-worm gear assembly 62. The two corresponding spur-worm gear pairs or arm structures 60 and 62 are positioned substantially at the same height, generally parallel to one another and define a space 64 therebetween. The two corresponding spur-worm gear pairs 60 and 62 are powered by an actuator within the main body upper portion 18 so as to rotate in the direction shown by arrows R1 and R2.
The two corresponding spur-worm gear pairs 60 and 62 are attached together by an actuator 61 to maintain sufficient pressure on the stem T hence, opening (i.e. moving the arm structures 60 and 62 away from one another) and closing (i.e. moving the arm structures 60 and 62 towards each other) as need be about the pivoting point 63. More specifically, the rear ends of the arm structures 60 and 62 are mounted to respective extensions 66 and 68 pivotally mounted at respective pivots 70 and 72 to a backing panel 74.
In operation, the circular blade 12 and the two corresponding spur-worm gear assemblies 60 and 62 are actuated to rotate as the device 10 engages a tree T. Hence, the tree T is cut off by the rotational movement of the sawing teeth 24 simultaneously; the rotation of the two first and second worm gears 48 and 50 engages the cut tree T in the space 64 therebetween and conveys the tree T toward the main body upper portion 18. In some cases, as the spur-worm gear assemblies 60 and 62 convey the tree inwardly into space 64, they can simultaneously break off branches from the tree stem T. Depending on the thickness of the stem T, the spur-worm gear assemblies 60 and 62 are actuated to be brought closer or be moved further away from each other so as to properly grip the tree stem T therebetween.
The arcuate guiding wall 34 serves to keep the bottom end of the tree T in place as it being displaced. When the cut-off tree T reaches the first and second spur gears 52 and 54 the tree is then pushed down onto the top surface 22 of the circular blade 12. The top of the tree T is kept in position by the top holding member 49 and the bottom of the tree T is kept in place by the circular guiding wall 34 and is chipped under the action of the rotating chipping knife. The holding member 49 also acts as a shire that cuts branches off the tree stem T during operation.
Under the rotation of the circular blade 12, the chips C of the tree T are projected into the case 38 by being deflected therein by the chipping blade 30. The chips C are then blown out of the case 34, under the action of the turbine blower 21, via the outlet 42 in the direction shown by arrow D. Hence, the rotation of the circular saw 12 spins the turbulating fins 23 of the turbine blower creating turbulence within the case 38 which causes the chips C to be blown out of the outlet 42. The foregoing can also be aided via the fans discusses above.
The device 10 needs only one motor to simultaneously perform the cutting, chipping and blowing functions, since the sawing teeth 23, the chipping knife or blade 30 and the turbine blower are all mounted to the same circular saw 12. The device 10 does not need a clamp for handling a tree T after it has been cut off, nor does it need an entraining means for dragging the chips into the case.
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described hereinabove. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced in various ways. It is also to be understood that the phraseology or terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not limitation. Hence, although the present invention has been described hereinabove by way of embodiments thereof, it can be modified, without departing from the spirit, scope and nature of the subject invention.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/CA08/02147 | 12/8/2008 | WO | 00 | 8/25/2010 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60996851 | Dec 2007 | US |