US20180187335A1

US20180187335A1 - Materials segregating seed cotton extractor cleaner

Info

Publication number: US20180187335A1
Application number: US15/858,020
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph William Thomas
Original assignee: Lummus Corp
Current assignee: Lummus Corp
Priority date: 2017-01-01
Filing date: 2017-12-29
Publication date: 2018-07-05
Also published as: US20220368705A1; US12355783B2

Abstract

An extractor cleaner for harvested cotton uses a plurality of sequential rotating saw cylinders a plurality variably and re-positionable deflector panels mounted for displacement about horizontal axes spaced from said plural rotating saw cylinders to deflect cotton and debris expelled by said plural rotating saw cylinders along separate conduits wherein said plurality of variably re-positionable deflector panels may be selectively positioned to deflect debris along one of said conduits to a discharge opening and to deflect cotton mingled with debris along said one of said conduits to a reclaim rotating saw cylinder.

Description

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/441,396, entitled Materials Segregating Seed Cotton Extractor Cleaner, filed Jan. 1, 2017 which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a cotton gin extractor cleaner and specifically to a novel method of reconfiguring and manipulating tactical components of a raw seed cotton processing extractor cleaner to better separate valued seed cotton from non-valued vegetable residue, or debris, and redirect said debris to a refuse staging system by means of a configurable segregated conduit thus eliminating the opportunity for debris to comingle with the valued seed cotton once separated. In the process the reconfigured components lend themselves to automation via one or more external devices subject to control via conventional systems such as PLC, PC and video monitoring. The control loops provide the operator real time information and ability to react to changes during processing.

BACKGROUND

Prior to the introduction of mechanical harvesting of seed cotton hand picking was the accepted harvesting method. Hand picking of seed cotton was very laborious and production quotas were extremely low, often less than 100 pounds of seed cotton per person per day. Precision planting and mechanical sowing increased seed cotton density per acre making hand harvesting even more taxing. A natural extension of harvesting was the advent of the mechanical picker harvester introduced in the 1950's. Using mechanical devices to pluck the open seed cotton locks from the plant increased production significantly but did come with a few drawbacks. One such was the inability of the mechanical harvester to distinguish between clean open seed locks and vegetable material by-products of the cotton plant. The introduction of the vegetable material, or debris, into the harvested cotton prompted ginners and researchers to develop methods to mitigate the impact if not eliminate the debris prior to introduction to the ginning process.
The introduction of the cotton stripper harvester for non-irrigated and storm proof cottons common to the high plains of Texas resulted in a substantial increase in sticks, hulls and stems as the entire plant is stripped of all vegetation and seed cotton leaving only the main stalk of the plant behind. Whereas, it was common to “second pick” or even “third pick” a machine picked field of cotton, stripper harvesters make only one pass taking everything except the stalk. The response by gins was to increase their capacity to remove the additional burden of debris by doubling or trebling the number of machines involved in the cleaning process.
As a result of the increased debris content in harvested cottons the USDA Gin laboratories developed a new technology in the late 1950's called the “stick remover”, shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1 as it was intended to address and remove sticks along with stems and hulls from seed cotton. Most if not all gin machinery manufacturers provide a version of the stick remover as part of their product offering and in some configurations as a component of a multi-purpose machine, i.e. an extractor/feeder. Generic references to the stick remover are stick machine, stick & green leaf machine, extractor cleaner, feeder, extractor feeder, burr extractor, HLS machine and burr machine. For the purpose of this invention extractor cleaner will be the referenced name.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

This invention takes advantage of the natural physical displacement of materials when subjected to conventional mechanisms intended specifically to separate debris in the form of sticks, stems and hulls from harvested seed cotton in the value chain of seed cotton processing. It is an object of this invention to employ strategically positioned movable deflectors and panels within a seed cotton extractor cleaner to facilitate the selective and permanent separation of said debris from the valued seed cotton by means of a configurable segregated conduit.
It is a further object of this invention to utilize controlled air flow developed by a rotating diverter cylinder strategically located to further facilitate the selective and permanent separation of said debris from the valued seed cotton.
It is a further object of this invention to utilize a counter-rotating saw cylinder strategically located to an adjacent rotating saw cylinder to recover valued seed cotton remaining with debris from the primary separation process.
It is a further object of this invention to utilize aforementioned rotating diverter cylinder strategically located adjacent to and co-rotating to a rotating saw cylinder to facilitate separation of debris from valued seed cotton.
It is a further object of this invention to configure the segregated debris conduit re-directing said seed cotton directly to a secondary saw cylinder so as to accommodate a portion of the incoming harvested seed cotton.
It is a further intention of this invention to optimize the performance of the cotton extractor cleaner through the annulment or removal of bar assemblies.
It is a further intention of this invention to vary the rotational speed of the rotating saw cylinder(s) as a means to optimize the segregation of debris and valued seed cotton.
It is a further object of this invention to include application of mechanical attachments for and to one or more or each movable deflector, panel, grid assembly and control bar to facilitate the manipulation of each by a means external to the seed cotton extractor cleaner.
It is a further object of this invention that manipulation of each movable deflector, panel, grid assembly and control bar may include application of linear, rotary, pneumatic, hydraulic, electro-mechanical, and otherwise attachable actuating devices to achieve the said purpose of selective and permanent separation of debris from the valued seed cotton without physical intervention by persons.
It is also an object of this invention to provide for utilization of various information gathering technologies, field devices and process control platforms in conjunction with the aforementioned to enhance performance of the invention.
A final object of this invention is to include the application of axial saw segments per referenced U.S. Pat. No. 8,898,863 as a means to further enhance separation and segregation of valued seed cotton and debris.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings which are appended hereto and which form a portion of this disclosure, it may be seen that:

FIG. 1 depicts the prior art USDA experimental stick machine;

FIG. 2 depicts a prior art commercial two saw stick machine;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the improved apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of improved apparatus with process flow;

FIG. 6 is a side exterior view of an improved apparatus highlighting external adjustment mechanisms;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an adjustable deflector panel

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a control bar remote adjustment tool;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a relative displacement panel

FIG. 10 is a perspective depiction of an array of control surfaces including deflector, displacement panel and grid bar assembly connected to automated actuators with connection to electronic control feedback devices or sensors;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a rotating saw cylinder assembly, with details thereof show in expanded views;

FIG. 12 is an end view of a doffing brush assembly;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a stationary brush assembly;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of two grid bar assembly types;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a control bar assembly;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a stripper bar assembly;

FIG. 17 is a side elevation view depicting the relationship between a grid bar assembly adjacent a rotating saw cylinder and valued seed cotton and debris

FIG. 18 is a side elevation view of the prior art technology primary saw cylinder indicating relative movement and distribution of materials in relationship to the rotating saw and localized obstructions;

FIG. 19 is a side elevation view of an embodiment of the improved primary saw cylinder indicating relative movement and distribution of materials in relationship to the rotating saw and localized obstructions

FIG. 20 is a side elevation view of the relative relationship between trajectory and velocity of debris, valued seed cotton with entangled debris and clean valued seed cotton particles;

FIG. 21 is a side elevation view of a reclaimer saw cylinder “load sharing” when the debris conduit is converted into a feed conduit;

FIG. 22 is a side elevation external view showing saw cylinders driven independently by motors controlled by variable speed drives;

FIG. 23 is a side, end and detail view of a rotating axial saw cylinder;

FIG. 24 is a pictorial comparison of the effective tooth coverage, relative difference between conventional channel saw and axial channel saw

FIG. 25 is a pictorial comparison of channeling of seed cotton with conventional channel saw versus uniform distribution of seed cotton using axial channel saw

FIG. 26 is an end view of a rotating breaker cylinder;

FIG. 27 is partial side elevational view showing a rotating loose seed cotton air flow diverter cylinder relative to the primary rotating saw cylinder;

FIG. 28 is a partial sectional view of another embodiment of the extractor cleaner; and;

FIG. 29 is a partial sectional view of yet another embodiment of the extractor cleaner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, this extractor cleaner is comprised of saws 3, doffing cylinders 10 and breaker or kicker cylinders 14 as rotating components. It should be noted that, this invention is not limited by the number of cylinder combinations. Harvested seed cotton C, including a debris aggregate, enters the machine by gravity through a hopper, not shown, connected to an inlet 15. The inlet 15 to the extractor cleaner is immediately above a rotating breaker cylinder 14 which is depicted more clearly in FIG. 26. Breaker cylinder 14 consists of a multifaceted tube 141 with stub shafts 142 at each end 143 and surfaces 144 populated radially by spikes 39 spaced appropriately to prepare harvested seed cotton C at its optimum for separation of debris D from valued seed cotton V.
Harvested seed cotton C is immediately introduced to breaker cylinder 14 rotating at a high rate of speed and simultaneously fed to the primary saw cylinder 3 where the material is coerced by a stationary applicator brush 6 to engage with the teeth 303 of channel saws 302 mounted to the saw cylinder 3 as shown in FIG. 11. After passing under the stationary brush 6 the material on the surface of primary saw cylinder 3 begins to bloom or disengage from the channel saw teeth 303. This phenomenon is the mechanical premise basic to the function of an extractor cleaner and is the result of centrifugal force or inertia from resistance of the material to follow the path of the rotating saw surface. Left to its own volition the materials would continue to travel in a relative direction away from the rotating saw cylinder all the while decelerating as a result of drag forces or until such travel is influenced by physical interaction such as the presence of obstructions.
Differences in density, surface texture and frictional characteristics of the materials result in differing deceleration profiles are depicted in FIG. 20. Debris D tends to translate the greatest distance on the straightest of relative lines. Valued seed cotton DV with entangled debris 16 travels less distance, and debris-free valued seed cotton V travels the least distance of the three.
This invention mechanically optimizes these differences in deceleration and distance and their relative velocities with respect to time as described by the equation d=(vf−vi)/t where d is deceleration, of is the final velocity, vi is the initial velocity and t is time in seconds. Mechanical optimization of the deceleration profiles begins with the surface speed of the rotating saw cylinder 3. The speed of an object in uniform circular motion is constant but its velocity is continually changing with change in angular position or direction. The change in its direction of velocity, or centripetal acceleration, is a function of the rotating cylinder speed and radius as represented by the equation ac=v2/r where ac is centripetal acceleration, v is velocity and r is radius of the cylinder. The magnitude of the velocity is the speed at the surface of the cylinder. This is the same speed the particles exhibit at the time of expulsion from the rotating saw cylinder 3. Speed combined with direction provides the velocity and resultant deceleration(s). One can deduce varying the rotating speed of the saw cylinder will impact both velocity and deceleration with respect to time thus altering the expulsion profiles of the debris D, valued seed cotton with entangled debris DV and valued seed cotton V as represented in FIG. 20 thus optimizing the segregation of debris and valued seed cotton. As such this invention includes the application of an independent v-belt drive 33 connection or other suitable means between a rotating saw cylinder 3 and motor 31 controlled by a variable speed drive 32.
The operation of the extractor cleaner is straight forward. It utilizes sling-off action by means of centrifugal forces developed by high speed rotating cylinders 3, shown in greater detail in FIG. 11. The cylinders 3 consist of an outer covering 301 of light gage metal to which are attached a contingent of parallel and homocentric rolled channels 302 of radii equivalent to that of the outer cylinder covering 301 mounted equidistant and in close proximity to one another. The flanges of each rolled channel are notched in such way continuous saw type teeth 303 are formed from one end to the other. As the harvested seed cotton C and debris aggregate is introduced to the rotating saw cylinder 3 valued seed cotton V adheres to the saw teeth 303 of the rotating saw cylinder 3 while the smoother surfaced debris D (sticks, stems and hulls) is slung off. Stationary brush assembly 6 are purposefully located at each rotating saw cylinder to “plant” or urge the seed cotton locks into the teeth 303 of the saws. The profile of the saw teeth 303 are such that debris D is easily dislodged once beyond the stationary brush 6 while the valued seed cotton C has the propensity to remain attached. Tactical components of the extractor cleaner include the aforementioned stationary brush assembly, shown in greater detail in FIG. 13, as well as grid bar assemblies 7 as shown in FIG. 14, control bar assemblies 8 as shown in greater detail in FIG. 15, and stripper bar assemblies 9 which are shown in greater detail in FIG. 16. All of these components influence how and to what extent debris D is dislodged from the rotating saw cylinder 3 while retaining valued seed cotton C. The three bar assembly configurations 7, 8, and 9 mentioned are unique in their utility and typically positioned circumferentially at a specific arc referenced to the tips of the rotating saw cylinder teeth 303.
Grid bar assemblies 7 consist of several small diameter bars or tubes 71, typically ¾″ to ½″ in diameter co-joined at each extremity by arcuate end plates 72 with arcuate intermediate support plates 73 spaced appropriately. An alternate configuration substitutes flat bars 74 for the round bars or tubes as shown in FIG. 14b . The grid bar assembly shepherds seed cotton otherwise inclined to combine with debris and draw away from the rotating saw cylinder 3 back to the grab of the saw teeth 303 whilst allowing debris D to continue on and be summarily discharged between the individual grids, as illustrated in FIG. 17. As the grid bar assembly 7 is moved farther away from the surface of the rotating saw cylinder 3 the opportunity for dislocation of debris 5 is increased along with some valued seed cotton V. Typically the distance the grid bar assembly 7 is set away from the rotating saw cylinder 3 is determined by the tolerance for loss of valued seed cotton with the debris.
Control bars 8 function much the same as grid bars but with increased flexibility as each bar can be individually manipulated in both a linear and rotary manner. Stripper bars 9 (FIG. 16) operate in an opposite method to grid and control bars. The stripper edge 93 is set closer in proximity to the saw 3 to achieve maximum dislodgement of debris using slot 91 and hex tube 92. There is a minimum setting distance as determined by the size of the material attached to the saw teeth and aggregate size of the debris. Too close of a setting may damage seed cotton and cotton seeds and result in mechanical damage to the saw teeth 303.
In the process debris may also be ground up thus making it much more difficult to remove. Debris dislodged from the saw cylinder moves tangentially away from the rotating saw surface at a very high rate of speed decelerating as it moves due to drag from friction of the surrounding air. Space within the containment of the extractor cleaner is limited such that debris particles do not decelerate significantly before colliding violently with localized obstructions, among which are stationary slides 11, fixed panels 12, exterior panels 13 and aforementioned bar assemblies 7, 8 & 9. Momentum of the collisions result in an unpredictable haphazard distribution of deflected debris particles D as illustrated in FIG. 18, many of which become re-entrained with the flow of valued seed cotton on the surface of saw cylinder 3 from whence removed.
Valued seed cotton V attached to the surface of the rotating saw cylinder 3 is removed by means of a doffing cylinder 10, shown in greater detail in FIG. 12 rotating counter to and in circumferential proximity to the rotating saw cylinder 3 (FIG. 11) at a relative higher surface speed. The valued seed cotton V removed by the doffing cylinder 10 flows by inertia and gravity out of the extractor cleaner at 40 for further processing.
To further optimize segregation of the debris D from valued seed cotton V this invention employs adjustable deflector panels 17, seen in FIG. 7, and displacement panels 18 shown in FIG. 9 and an integral rotating seed cotton diverter cylinder 42 per FIG. 27. Deflector panels 17 channel materials to either a separate debris conduit 19 or on to the next value added process which in the case of this invention is additional cleaning or reclamation. Whereas the deflector panel 17 receives the expelled particle and channels it to one or the other end route the displacement panel 18 interacts with the expelled particle in such a manner as to change the trajectory in situ much as does the control bar 8. An integral loose seed cotton diverter cylinder 42 acts as a fan to provide for a current of air sourced internally to the extractor cleaner. The slight and variable current of air assists directing loose seed cotton away from debris conduit 19. Cylinder speed and discharge profile is adjusted to influence loose seed cotton movement while affecting debris trajectory at a minimum.
The grabbing characteristics of the channel saw teeth 303 and the fibrous nature of seed cotton locks result in less of a tendency for the valued seed cotton to bloom away from the surface of the saw cylinder 3. However, the fibrous seed cotton is extremely cohesive providing for some debris D to become entangled such that the inertia of the debris will overcome the fiber-to-saw-tooth attachment force thus expelling the valued seed cotton and debris mix DV on to yet another rotating saw cylinder 3 for additional processing. How and to what degree the expulsion process takes place is influenced by the rotating speed and diameter of the saw cylinder and presence or lack of bar assemblies 7, 8 & 9. We use control bars 8 strategically aligned circumferential to the surface of the primary rotating saw cylinder 3. Provided with both rotational and linear degrees of freedom, the possible iterations and combinations of control bar position(s) in relation to the rotating saw cylinder are several and easily obtained by adjusting from without the machine enclosure as shown in FIG. 6 & FIG. 8. However, it is conceivable and demonstrable the inherent fiber-to-saw-tooth attachment force will prove the absence of control bars practicable depending on rotating saw cylinder 3 surface speeds, angle and/or type of saw tooth configuration 303, moisture content of the harvested material(s) C and quantity of debris D. The control bars 8 associated with this invention are adjustable to the degree their presence is benign to the process or they can be removed from the machine all together.
A second primary saw 3 s is positioned to receive valued seed cotton V with or without debris overcoming the fiber-to-saw tooth attraction force and expelled from the first primary saw 3. Such materials include valued seed cotton with entangled debris DV, debris D failing to make the translation to a debris conduit and valued seed cotton V. Valued seed cotton V remaining attached to the saw 3 s is removed by a doffing cylinder 10 a where it then discharges at 40 into a conduit to the next processing system. The three distinctive materials approach the second primary saw cylinder 13 s in similar manner to the method described for the first primary saw cylinder 13. A stationary brush 6 applies the materials to the surface of the rotating saw cylinder 3 s which is of the same construction as the primary saw cylinder 3. Toothed channel saws 11 grab the fibrous seed cotton which tends to follow the rotation of the saw cylinder surface all the while debris D is expelled towards a segregation conduit at 41. Valued seed cotton with entangled debris DV tends to bloom and be expelled as well were it not for the presence of a solitary control bar 8 and adjustable grid bar assembly 17 s. A solitary control bar 8 situated just above and behind grid bar assembly 17 s is adjustable as needed to persuade the maximum amount of debris D expulsion immediately after application of material(s) to the rotating saw teeth by the stationary brush 6. The control bar 8 works in unison with displacement panel 18 to influence the trajectory of the expelled debris D while re-directing valued seed cotton with and without entangled debris between the second rotating primary saw cylinder 3 s and adjustable grid bar assembly 7 s. Valued seed cotton with entangled debris DV expelled above or prior to control bar 6 is redirected away from the debris conduit 19 by displacement panel 18. The grid bar assembly 7 s, strategically located circumferentially adjacent to the second primary rotating saw cylinder 3 s, is adjustable such that a controlled amount of the valued seed cotton with entangled debris DV may be expelled to a next primary rotating saw cylinder or to rotating reclaimer saw cylinder 3 r for further debris removal and valued seed cotton recovery.
A rotating reclaimer saw cylinder 3 r is positioned to receive any materials expelled by the second primary rotating saw cylinder 3 s. Such materials include valued seed cotton with entangled debris DV, debris D failing to make the translation to a debris conduit and valued seed cotton V. Valued seed cotton V remaining attached to the second primary rotating saw cylinder 3 s is removed by a doffing cylinder 10 b where it then discharges at 40 into a conduit to the next processing system. Note in this configuration doffing cylinder 10 b also removes recovered valued seed from rotating reclaimer saw cylinder 3 r.
The purpose of the reclaimer saw cylinder is as the name implies; it reclaims any valued seed cotton expelled from the preceding saw cylinder(s). As this invention illustrates in FIG. 21 the reclaimed material can include all materials expelled from the primary rotating saw cylinder 3 via debris conduit 19 and deflector 17 c in addition to that expelled by rotating saw cylinder 3 s. With deflector 17 c positioned fully counterclockwise with respect to view in FIG. 21 all materials in debris conduit 19 is re-directed to the rotating reclaimer saw cylinder 3 r. This feature is useful when the debris content of the harvested seed cotton C is negligible and production may be enhanced by re-routing valued seed cotton V to the rotating reclaimer saw cylinder 3 r via conduit 19 thus reducing the loading of rotating saw cylinders 3 & 3 s. To further enhance the ability to “load share” deflector panel 17 b has the ability to be rotated to a clockwise position and along with the annulment of one or more control bars 8 and less aggressive angle of approach from stationary brush 6 additional valued seed cotton V may be diverted to conduit 19.
It has been assumed by many that harvested seed cotton C, once introduced to an extractor cleaner, splits evenly by volume between the first and second primary rotating saw cylinders 3 & 3 s. This assumption has been proven unfounded as a result of studies by the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
Their studies found the percentages to be roughly 70% remaining with the first primary rotating saw cylinder 3 and 30% to the second primary rotating saw cylinder 3 s or the rotating reclaimer saw cylinder 3 r in the case of a two saw extractor cleaner FIG. 2. Additional studies have found that even in the absence of grid or control bar assemblies the first primary rotating saw cylinder 3 retained in excess of 60% of the harvested seed cotton. Thus, the premise of this invention to eliminate bar assemblies altogether is well within reason. Also, given the difficulty associated with expelling more than 30% of the harvested seed cotton C at the first primary rotating saw cylinder 3, “load sharing” becomes a viable feature of this invention.
Stationary grid bar assembly 7 r is typically located circumferential to rotating reclaimer saw cylinder 3 r at such a distance from the channel saw teeth 303 to assure no loss of valued seed cotton occurs. As such the primary task of grid bar assembly 7 r is to assist the rotating reclaimer saw cylinder retain valued seed cotton V, not expel debris D. The obvious construction of the grid bar assembly implies the opportunity to remove additional debris which indeed is one of its features. As previously mentioned reclaimed valued seed cotton V is removed from rotating reclaimer saw cylinder 3 r by doffing cylinder 10 b and comingled with valued seed cotton V from the first and second primary rotating saw cylinders 3 & 3 s for additional processing.
A further optimization technique is to incorporate a counter-rotating saw cylinder 3 a strategically located to an adjacent rotating saw cylinder 3 b shown in FIG. 28, to recover valued seed cotton C remaining with debris D from the primary separation process. An enhancement to this optimization process shown in FIG. 29 is to utilize loose seed cotton rotating diverter cylinder 42 strategically located adjacent to and co-rotating to a rotating saw cylinder 3 a to facilitate separation of debris from valued seed cotton. Surface speed of counter-rotating saw cylinder 3 a being less than that of adjacent rotating saw cylinder 3 b allows for removal of recovered valued seed cotton V from the surface of counter-rotating saw cylinder 3 a by interaction of teeth on channel saws 302 attached to surfaces of rotating saw cylinders 3 a and 3 b, and the relative closeness of both rotating saw cylinders to one another. The valued seed cotton V, thus reclaimed may be doffed in the manner described herein and comingled with the valued seed cotton V obtained in the primary separation.
In the extractor cleaner's basic configuration stationary brushes 6, control bars 8, grid bar assembly 7 s, deflector panels 17 and displacement panel 18 are manually adjustable and fixable. To each device and external of the machine enclosure is/may be attached a mechanical means to actuate rotationally and/or linearly and secure in place against unwarranted movement. Dog-bone 21 is a universal tool which may be attached permanently to a device as depicted in FIG. 6, left side magnified view or available loose as shown left bottom in previous mentioned view. The loose dog-bone 21 is applied to an available hex shaft 28 as means to regulate the stationary brush adjuster 24, control bar remote adjustment mechanism 20 and displacement panel adjustment attachment 26. In the case of the stationary brush 6 and displacement panel 18 shown in FIG. 4, a hex locking plate 25 is employed to maintain rotary position. The control bar remote adjustment mechanism 20 includes an integral hex locking device 20 a whereas deflector panels 17 are held immovable by both a multi position deflector base 23 in conjunction with hex locking plate 25 and an outboard lever locking bracket 27 employing the dog-bone 21 as the lever and connector between the locking bracket 27 and deflector panel hex shaft 28. To an intuitive observer the mechanical features of the invention provide opportunity for manipulation, control and feedback to achieve homeostasis in an otherwise disordered environment. Dissimilar features of the materials processed therein engender them to appear, react, translate, indicate or otherwise distinguish themselves from one another making them identifiable, fixable and measurable. Such mechanical features and unique characteristics promote the application of industrial control system (ICS) technology at a machine, system or process level. To successfully apply ICS the aforementioned external mechanical attachments lend themselves to be fitted with linear, rotary, pneumatic, hydraulic, electro-mechanical and otherwise attachable actuating devices 29 affixed to the exterior (and in some instances the interior) of the extractor cleaner (FIG. 10).
In conjunction with the aforementioned, various information gathering technologies such as image recognition, spectrometry, light sensing, proximity sensing, power measuring, moisture sensing, flow monitoring, rotational and surface speed determining, quality characteristic indicating and physically locating are engaged via field devices or sensors to provide discreet and non-discreet inputs to PLC, PC, VFD and video monitor for process control. Field devices including but not limited to limit switches, paddle switches, proximity switches, reed switches, photo switches, infra-red and near infra-red sensors, temperature sensors, power sensors, speed sensors, resistance determining devices and video cameras provide the discreet and non-discreet inputs. Logic and algorithms unique to the process control scheme will analyze various commands, inputs from field devices and data libraries to output control signals to the various mechanical components thereby optimizing operation and performance of the extractor cleaner. To close the process control loop various field devices 30 (FIG. 10) provide positional, visual, functional, operational and performance inputs consequential to acquiring homeostasis as the system continually processes and changes with time.
As previously described the embodiment of this invention employs the beneficial relationship of toothed channel saws 302 applied to the surface of a rotating cylinder which when assembled reflects that depicted in FIG. 11. The assemblage 3 is the well-established channel saw cylinder universally accepted as the current art for extractor saw cylinders, be they prime extractors or reclaimers. Despite their common usage the opposing tooth surface available for material engagement is merely 6% of the working length of a rotating saw cylinder. The radial orientation of the channel saw exposes only the cross sectional surface of the channel flanges 306, shown in FIG. 24, to the material. Significant gaps between channel flanges and between attached channel saws account for the majority of the non-effective length of a conventional extractor cleaner rotating saw cylinder. Were it not for the cohesive nature of the fiber and attachment force between seed cotton fiber and the radial saw teeth a significant quantity of the material would merely “channel” between the rows of radial saw teeth. As there are n (FIG. 24) number of rows of radial channel saws 302 attached to the surface of rotating channel saw cylinder 3 it stands to reason there are substantially 2n application positions radially aligned to the rotating surface and perpendicular to the rotating axis of the rotating saw cylinder. It is conceivable materials may queue at the application point depending on the availability of unoccupied channel saw teeth. As 2n application positions equates to roughly 6% of the working length of a rotating saw cylinder it stands to reason the remaining 94% presents a novel opportunity for development.
Referenced U.S. Pat. No. 8,898,863 describes channel saws mounted axially on a cylindrical body with axially closely spaced teeth that virtually eliminate the variation in likelihood the teeth will fail to grasp the fibers. Applying the described axial channel saw 308 to the surface of a rotating cylinder is the embodiment of an axial rotating channel saw cylinder 3 as depicted in FIG. 23. The effective tooth coverage of the axial channel saw 308 is 100% as shown in FIG. 24, given the axial plane of each channel flange is continuous along and parallel to the axis of the saw cylinder, and the entire length of each axial channel saw flange 310 is populated with continuous scalloped teeth 309 oriented such that the centers of each corresponding tooth from one flange to the other are offset and staggered by one-half a tooth width. The net effect is to double the radial concentration of saw teeth per axial channel saw thus providing in effect 100% effective tooth coverage.
While in the foregoing specification this invention has been described in relation to certain embodiments thereof, and many details have been put forth for the purpose of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention.

Claims

What we claim is:

1. An extractor cleaner for processing harvested cotton comprising plural sequential saw cylinders mounted for rotation about parallel vertically displaced horizontal axes and a plurality of doffing cylinders mounted for rotation about parallel horizontal axes such that each doffing cylinder is positioned to doff fibrous seed cotton from one or more of said plural sequential saw cylinders, a plurality variably positionable deflector panels mounted for displacement about horizontal axes spaced from said plural saw cylinders to deflect cotton and debris expelled by said plural saw cylinders along separate conduits wherein said plurality of variably positionable deflector panels may be selectively positioned to deflect debris along one of said conduits to a discharge opening and to deflect cotton mingled with debris along said one of said conduits to a reclaim ginning saw.

2. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 1 wherein said plurality variably positionable deflector panels are selectively positioned to facilitate the selective and permanent separation of said debris from the valued seed cotton by means of a configurable segregated conduit.

3. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 2 wherein said segregated debris conduit carries debris only when said plurality of variably positionable deflector panels are in a first position and carries harvested cotton as a feed conduit when said plurality of variably positionable deflector panels are positioned in a second position re-directing said seed cotton directly to a secondary saw cylinder so as to accommodate a portion of the incoming harvested seed cotton.

4. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 1 further comprising a rotating diverter cylinder strategically located intermediate one of said plural saw cylinders and at least one of said plurality of variably positionable deflector panels to generate a controlled air flow to further facilitate the selective and permanent separation of said debris from the valued seed cotton.

5. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of said plural sequential saw cylinders is a counter-rotating saw cylinder strategically located adjacent another of said plural sequential saw cylinders to recover valued seed cotton remaining with debris from the primary separation process.

6. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 5 further comprising a rotating diverter cylinder located adjacent to and co-rotating with at least one of said plural sequential saw cylinders to facilitate separation of debris from valued seed cotton.

7. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 1 wherein one of said separate conduits serves as a segregated debris conduit when said plurality of variably positionable deflector panels are in a first position and as a feed conduit when plurality of variably positionable deflector panels are positioned in a second position re-directing said seed cotton directly through said one of said separate conduits to a secondary saw cylinder so as to accommodate a portion of the incoming harvested seed cotton.

8. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 1 further comprising mechanical debris separation facilitating components selected from the group of grid bar assemblies, control bars and stripper bars, selectively positioned relative to one or more of said plural sequential saw cylinders to optimize the performance of the cotton extractor cleaner through the selective retraction of said debris separation facilitating components.

9. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 8 further comprising mechanical attachments for and to one or more of each movable deflector panel and said debris separation facilitating components to facilitate the positioning of each from external to the seed cotton extractor cleaner.

10. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 9 wherein said mechanical attachments are actuators providing selective linear and rotational movement of said one or more of each movable deflector panel and said debris separation facilitating components.

11. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 10 comprising a plurality of sensors and field devices detecting parameters affecting the processing of seed cotton through said extractor cleaner and providing inputs to a control logic circuit for use in selectively positioning said actuators.

12. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 1 further comprising a variable speed drive operably connected to each of said plural sequential saw cylinders to selectively vary the rotational speed of said plural sequential saw cylinders to optimize the segregation of debris and valued seed cotton.

13. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 12 comprising a plurality of sensors and field devices detecting parameters affecting the processing of seed cotton through said extractor cleaner and providing inputs to a control logic circuit for use in selectively controlling said variable speed drive.

14. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 12 further comprising mechanical debris separation facilitating components selected from the group of grid bar assemblies, control bars and stripper bars, selectively positioned relative to one or more of said plural sequential saw cylinders to optimize the performance of the cotton extractor cleaner through the selective retraction of said debris separation facilitating components, mechanical attachments for and to one or more of each movable deflector panel and said debris separation facilitating components to facilitate the positioning of each from external to the seed cotton extractor cleaner, actuators providing selective linear and rotational movement of said one or more of each movable deflector panel and said debris separation facilitating components; and,

a plurality of sensors and field devices detecting parameters affecting the processing of seed cotton through said extractor cleaner and providing inputs to a control logic circuit for use in selectively positioning said actuators and said variable speed drive.

15. The extractor cleaner as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of said plural sequential saw cylinders includes a cylinder mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis and a plurality of axial saw channels affixed to said cylinder having a plurality of closely axially spaced teeth in each segment thereof.