Pivoting action low profile sickle drive

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9668407-B2
Application number	US-201214127852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2012
Priority date	May 27, 2011
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

The pivoting action sickle drive has a low profile allowing incorporation in or below a floor of a header of a plant cutting machine to allow passage of cut plant material thereabout. The drive includes a substantially flat rotatable input element, and a drive arm connected eccentric thereto for eccentric rotation along an epicyclical path. The arm extends to a connection with a pivot arm of a pivot element that connects to a knife arm that drives a sickle knife assembly, such that the pivot element, knife arm and knife assembly will be reciprocatingly driven by the eccentric rotation of the drive arm. A second drive can oppositely drive a second sickle knife assembly, such that opposite forces generated by the drives will cancel. The drives can be packaged in a forwardly tapered or curved enclosure, and the pivot elements can be correspondingly shaped to streamline the drives.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sickle drive for a plant cutting machine having a first sickle knife assembly supported for side to side reciprocating movement along a forward end of a floor of the machine, a first knife arm connected in driving relation to the first sickle knife assembly, and a rotary power source for driving the knife arm, the sickle drive comprising:
a disk-shaped first input element supported for rotation about a generally upstanding first rotational axis and configured for connection in rotationally driven relation to the rotary power source;
a first eccentric element connected to the first input element for rotation eccentrically about the first rotational axis;
a first pivot element disposed beside the first input element and supported for rotation about a generally upstanding first pivotal axis; and
a first drive arm configured for being in generally horizontally coextensive relation with the first input element, the first drive arm having a first end connected to the first eccentric element for rotation therewith eccentrically about the first rotational axis, the first drive arm further having a second end providing a pivotal connection with the first pivot element within an outer circumference of the first input element,
wherein the first pivot element comprises a first pivot arm extending eccentrically relative to the first pivotal axis to the pivotal connection with the first drive arm such that the eccentric rotation of the first eccentric element causes the first drive arm to reciprocatingly pivot the first pivot element about the first pivotal axis, and
wherein the first pivot element is configured for connecting to the first knife arm such that the pivotal movement of the first pivot element is configured for reciprocatingly moving the first sickle knife assembly along its longitudinal axis.

2. The sickle drive of claim 1 , wherein the drive further comprises:
a disk-shaped second input element supported beside the first input element for rotation about a generally upstanding second rotational axis and configured for connection in rotationally driven relation to the rotary power source;
a second eccentric element connected to the second input element for rotation eccentrically about the second rotational axis;
a second pivot element disposed beside the second input element and supported for rotation about a generally upstanding second pivotal axis; and
a second drive arm configured for being in generally horizontally coextensive relation with the second input element, the second drive arm having a first end connected to the second eccentric element for rotation therewith eccentrically about the second rotational axis, the second drive arm further having a second end providing a pivotal connection with the second pivot element within an outer circumference of the second input element,
wherein the second pivot element comprises a second pivot arm extending eccentrically relative to the second pivotal axis to the pivotal connection with the second drive arm such that the eccentric rotation of the second eccentric element causes the second drive arm to reciprocatingly pivot the second pivot element about the second pivotal axis, and
wherein the second pivot element is configured for connecting to a second knife arm of the machine such that the pivotal movement of the second pivot element is configured for reciprocatingly moving a second sickle knife assembly of the machine along its longitudinal axis.

3. The sickle drive of claim 2 , wherein the first input element and the second input element are connected together for joint rotation in opposite rotational directions for reciprocatingly moving the first and second sickle knife assemblies along their respective longitudinal axes in opposite directions.

4. The sickle drive of claim 1 , wherein the first input element is configured to be connected to a rotatable power source.

5. The sickle drive of claim 1 , wherein the sickle drive is configured to be disposed within a cover incorporated in or beneath the floor of the machine.

6. The sickle drive of claim 5 , wherein the sickle drive is configured to be disposed between opposite side ends of a header of the machine.

7. A low profile sickle drive comprising;
commonly driven, disk shaped first and second input elements supported in generally parallel vertically coextensive relation, for rotation about a generally upstanding first rotational axis and a generally upstanding second rotational axis, respectively;
a first pivot element disposed beside the first input element, the first pivot element comprising a first pivot shaft supported for rotation about a generally upstanding first pivotal axis through the first pivot shaft;
a first drive arm having a first end and an opposite second end, the first end connected to the first input element for eccentric rotation along an epicyclical path about the first rotational axis, the first drive arm extending laterally relative to the first rotational axis to the second end, the second end pivotally connecting to the first pivot element within an outer circumference of the first input element, such that the eccentric rotation of the first end of the first drive arm causes the first drive arm to reciprocatingly pivot the first pivot element about the first pivotal axis; and
a first knife arm mounted on the first pivot shaft and connected to a first sickle knife assembly in a manner such that pivotal movement of the first pivot element reciprocatingly moves the first sickle knife assembly along its longitudinal axis;
a second pivot element disposed beside the second input element, the second pivot element comprising a second pivot shaft supported for rotation about a generally upstanding second pivotal axis through the second pivot shaft;
a second drive arm having a first end and an opposite second end, the first end of the second drive arm connected to the second input element for eccentric rotation along an epicyclical path about the second rotational axis, the second drive arm extending laterally relative to the second rotational axis to the second end thereof, the second end of the second drive arm pivotally connecting to the second pivot element within an outer circumference of the second input element, such that the eccentric rotation of the first end of the second drive arm causes the second drive arm to reciprocatingly pivot the second pivot element about the second pivotal axis; and
a second knife arm mounted on the second pivot shaft and connected to a second sickle knife assembly in a manner such that the pivotal movement of the second pivot element reciprocatingly moves the second sickle knife assembly along its longitudinal axis oppositely of the movement of the first sickle knife assembly,
wherein the first pivot element further comprises a first pivot arm extending eccentrically from the first pivot shaft to the pivotal connection to the first drive arm, and
wherein the second pivot element further comprises a second pivot arm extending eccentrically from the second pivot shaft to the pivotal connection to the second drive arm.

8. The sickle drive of claim 7 , further comprising a rotatable power source connected in rotatably driving relation to one of the first input element and the second input element.

9. The sickle drive of claim 8 , wherein the power source comprises a motor.

10. The sickle drive of claim 9 , wherein the motor is a fluid motor.

11. The sickle drive of claim 9 , wherein the motor is an electric motor.

12. The sickle drive of claim 9 , wherein the motor is oriented at an acute angle relative to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the first or second sickle

Assignees

• Cook Joel T
• Bich Gary L
• Dechristopher David M
• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Cook Joel T
• Bich Gary L
• Dechristopher David M

Classifications

• A01D34/30

  Driving mechanisms for the cutters · CPC title

• A01D34/145 Primary

  Devices for connecting the knife-bars to the driving mechanism · CPC title

• A01D34/02 Primary

  having reciprocating cutters · CPC title