Oscillating silage compactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11247426-B2
Application number	US-202016842085-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2020
Priority date	Apr 7, 2020
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

A compactor includes a frame supporting a first roller assembly and a second roller assembly. At least one of the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly is moveable relative to the frame in a motion that includes an upward vertical component and a downward vertical component. An actuator is coupled to at least one of the first and second roller assemblies and is operable to repeatedly move at least one of the roller assemblies relative to the frame in both the upward vertical component and the downward vertical component to oscillate the roller assemblies relative to each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A compactor for compacting a pile of compressible material against a ground surface, the compactor comprising
a frame;
a first roller assembly supported by the frame and rotatable about a first axis, wherein the first roller assembly is positioned to compress the pile of compressible material against the ground surface;
a second roller assembly supported by the frame and rotatable about a second axis, wherein the second roller assembly is positioned to compress the pile of compressible material against the ground surface;
a linear actuator coupled to one of the frame, the first roller assembly, and the second roller assembly, wherein the linear actuator is operable to move one of the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly relative to the other of the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly in both an upward vertical component and a downward vertical component to define an oscillating movement between the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly;
a walking beam mounted to the frame and rotatable relative to the frame about a transverse axis;
wherein the first roller assembly is attached to and rotatably supported by the walking beam at a first location located forward of the transverse axis in a fore-aft direction of the frame, and the second roller assembly is attached to and rotatably supported by the walking beam at a second location located rearward of the transverse axis in the fore-aft direction; and
wherein the linear actuator includes a hydraulic cylinder interconnecting the frame and the walking beam, and connected to the walking beam at a location spaced from the transverse axis, wherein the hydraulic cylinder is extendable and retractable to rotate the walking beam about the transverse axis.

2. The compactor set forth in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly is a moveable roller assembly that is moveable relative to the frame in both the upward vertical component and the downward vertical component.

3. The compactor set forth in claim 2 , wherein the linear actuator couples the moveable roller assembly and the frame, and wherein the linear actuator is operable to move the moveable roller assembly relative to the frame in both the upward vertical component and the downward vertical component.

4. The compactor set forth in claim 3 , wherein the first roller assembly includes a plurality of first annular crests extending circumferentially about the first axis and spaced from each other along the first axis to define a plurality of first annular grooves, with each adjacent pair of the plurality of first annular crests defining a respective one of the plurality of first annular grooves therebetween.

5. The compactor set forth in claim 4 , wherein the second roller assembly includes a plurality of second annular crests extending circumferentially about the second axis and spaced from each other along the second axis to define a plurality of second annular grooves, with each adjacent pair of the plurality of second annular crests defining a respective one of the plurality of second annular grooves therebetween.

6. The compactor set forth in claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of first annular crests is aligned with one of the plurality of second annular grooves along the first axis, and wherein each of the plurality of second annular crests is aligned with one of the plurality of first annular grooves along the second axis.

7. The compactor set forth in claim 5 , wherein an outer circumference of at least one of the plurality of first annular crests and an outer circumference of at least one of the plurality of second annular crests overlap each other in the fore-aft direction of the frame.

8. The compactor set forth in claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of first annular crests and each of the plurality of second annular crests are axially spaced from each other along the transverse axis.

9. The compactor set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a controller having a processor and a memory having a roller control algorithm stored thereon, wherein the processor is operable to execute the roller control algorithm to:
determine a desired roller oscillation frequency based on a ground speed of the frame; and
control the linear actuator to achieve the desired roller oscillation frequency.

10. The compactor set forth in claim 1 , wherein the frame includes a coupler operable to connect to a vehicle.

11. The compactor set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first axis and the second axis are parallel to each other and perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the frame.

12. A silage compactor for compacting a pile of crop silage against a ground surface, the silage compactor comprising:
a frame;
a first roller assembly supported by the frame and rotatable about a first axis, wherein the first roller assembly is moveable relative to the frame in both an upward vertical component and a downward vertical component, and wherein the first roller assembly is positioned to compress the pile of compressible material against the ground surface;
a second roller assembly supported by the frame and rotatable about a second axis, wherein the second roller assembly is moveable relative to the frame in both the upward vertical component and the downward vertical component, and wherein the second roller assembly is positioned to compress the pile of compressible material against the ground surface;
an actuator coupled to the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly and operable to repeatedly move the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly relative to each other in both the upward vertical component and the downward vertical component such that the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly oscillate relative to each other to alternate a relative position between the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly between a respective lower position relative to a vertical axis and a respective upper position relative to the vertical axis;
and a walking beam mounted to the frame and rotatable relative to the frame about a transverse axis;
wherein the actuator includes a hydraulic cylinder interconnecting the frame and the walking beam and connected to the walking beam at a location spaced from the transverse axis, wherein the hydraulic cylinder is extendable and retractable to rotate the walking beam about the transverse axis to oscillate the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly;
wherein the first roller assembly includes a plurality of first discs arranged parallel to each other along the first axis, with each of the plurality of first discs having an outer circumference defining a first annular crest extending circumferentially about the first axis, with each adjacent pair of the plurality of first discs defining a respective first annular groove therebetween;
wherein the second roller assembly includes a plurality of second discs arranged parallel to each other along the second axis, with each of the plurality of second discs having an outer circumference defining a second annular crest extending circumferentially about the second axis, with each adjacent pair of the plurality of second discs defining a respective second annular groove therebetween; and
wherein each of the plurality of first annular crests is aligned with a respective one of the second annular grooves along the first axis, and wherein each of the plurality of second annular crests is aligned with a respective one of the first annular grooves along the second axis.

13. The silage compactor set forth in claim 12 , wherein the

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Kraus Timothy J

Classifications

• B30B9/306

  Mechanically-driven presses · CPC title

• A01D85/004

  with pressing equipment, e.g. vehicles for forming stacks · CPC title

• A01F25/183 Primary

  Loading arrangements · CPC title

• B30B9/3007 Primary

  Control arrangements · CPC title

• A01B29/04

  with non-smooth surface formed of rotatably-mounted rings or discs or with projections or ribs on the roller body; Land packers · CPC title