SOD HARVESTER HYDRAULIC SYSTEM FOR ACTUATING COMPONENTS WITH PRECISE TIMING

Abstract

Sod harvesters can have hydraulic systems that are configured to actuate components with precise timing. The hydraulic system of a sod harvester can be configured to maintain the temperature of hydraulic fluid both during harvesting and while harvesting is paused to thereby eliminate or minimize the occurrence of periods of variation in the timing of actuation of the components that the hydraulic fluid drives. As a result, these components can be consistently actuated with precise timing even after harvesting has been paused. Additionally, such configurations can minimize the amount of time required to warm the hydraulic fluid to a steady operational temperature.

Claims

1. A sod harvester comprising: a cutting head for cutting sod from the ground; a stacking conveyor configured to receive the sod; a stacking head configured to remove the sod from the stacking conveyor for stacking; and a hydraulic system for controlling at least one hydraulically actuated component of the sod harvester, the hydraulic system including: a pump; an actuator for each hydraulically actuated component, each actuator being configured to actuate the corresponding hydraulically actuated component; a first hydraulic line coupled to one end of each actuator; a second hydraulic line connected to an opposite end of each actuator; a control valve for coupling either the first or the second hydraulic line to the pump; and a bypass valve coupled between the first and second hydraulic lines to thereby allow hydraulic fluid to flow between the first and second hydraulic lines.

2. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein the bypass valve includes a throttle valve and a check valve.

3. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein the bypass valve is external to the actuator for each hydraulically actuated component.

4. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein the bypass valve is internal to the actuator for each hydraulically actuated component.

5. The sod harvester of claim 4, wherein the at least one hydraulically actuated component comprises multiple hydraulically actuated components that each has a corresponding actuator such that the bypass valve comprises multiple bypass valves each of which is internal to one of the actuators.

6. The sod harvester of claim 4, wherein the actuator is either a cylinder or a rotary motor, and the bypass valve is contained within a piston of the cylinder or a body of the rotary motor.

7. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein the at least one hydraulically actuated component comprises a component of the cutting head, the stacking conveyor, or the stacking head.

8. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein the at least one hydraulically actuated component comprises at least one sod securing component of the stacking head.

9. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein the at least one hydraulically actuated component comprises at least one stacking head adjusting component of the stacking head.

10. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein the at least one hydraulically actuated component comprises at least one stacking conveyor adjusting component of the stacking conveyor.

11. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein the at least one hydraulically actuated component comprises at least one chopping blade of the cutting head.

12. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein the bypass valve includes a throttle valve that permits hydraulic fluid to flow between the first and second lines at a rate of less than ten gallons per minute.

13. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein a length of a portion of each of the first and second hydraulic lines that extends between the control valve and the bypass valve is greater than three feet.

14. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein a fluid volume of either the first or the second hydraulic line exceeds a total volume of hydraulic fluid displaced by the corresponding actuator during actuation.

15. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein the hydraulic system further comprises one or more of: insulation around one or more of the first hydraulic line, the second hydraulic line, or the control valve; or an element for heating the hydraulic fluid in one or more of the first hydraulic line, the second hydraulic line, or the control valve.

16. The sod harvester of claim 1, wherein the hydraulic system further comprises: one or more sensors for detecting a current temperature of the hydraulic fluid; and a control system for varying a timing of toggling the control valve based on input from the one or more sensors.

17. A sod harvester hydraulic system comprising: a hydraulic actuator that is coupled to a hydraulically actuated component; a hydraulic pump; a control valve; a first and a second hydraulic line that are coupled to opposite ends of the hydraulic actuator and to the control valve, the control valve selectively coupling either the first or the second hydraulic line to the hydraulic pump; and a bypass valve that is connected between the first and the second hydraulic lines to thereby allow hydraulic fluid to flow between the first and second hydraulic lines.

18. The sod harvester hydraulic system of claim 17, wherein the hydraulically actuated component comprises at least one of: one or more sod securing components of a stacking head of the sod harvester; one or more stacking head adjustment components of the stacking head; one or more stacking conveyor adjustment components of a stacking conveyor of the sod harvester; or one or more chopping blades of a cutting head of the sod harvester.

19. The sod harvester hydraulic system of claim 17, wherein the bypass valve includes a throttle valve and a check valve.

20. The sod harvester hydraulic system of claim 17, wherein each of the first and second hydraulic lines includes a first portion that extends between the actuator and the bypass valve and a second portion that extends between the bypass valve and the control valve, the second portion being longer than the first portion.

21. The sod harvester hydraulic system of claim 17, wherein the actuator is either a cylinder or a rotary motor, and the bypass valve is incorporated into a piston of the cylinder or a body of the rotary motor.

22. The sod harvester hydraulic system of claim 15, wherein a fluid volume of either the first or the second hydraulic line exceeds a total volume of hydraulic fluid displaced by the hydraulic actuator during actuation.

23. A sod harvester comprising: a stacking head configured to pick up sod for stacking, the stacking head including a sod securing component; and a hydraulic system for controlling the sod securing component, the hydraulic system including: a pump; an actuator configured to actuate the sod securing component; a first hydraulic line coupled to one end of the actuator; a second hydraulic line connected to an opposite end of the actuator; a control valve for coupling either the first or the second hydraulic line to the pump; and a bypass valve coupled between the first and second hydraulic lines to thereby allow hydraulic fluid to flow between the first and second hydraulic lines.

24. The sod harvester of claim 21, wherein the stacking head includes multiple sod securing components and the hydraulic system includes an actuator for each of the sod securing components, and wherein the first hydraulic line is coupled to one end of each actuator and the second hydraulic line is coupled to an opposite end of each actuator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and features of the invention can be obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a stacking head of a sod harvester that includes hydraulically actuated components;

[0017] FIG. 2 provides a chart that illustrates how the timing of actuation of sod harvester components can vary based on the temperature of the hydraulic fluid that actuates the components;

[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates a hydraulic system of a sod harvester that is configured to compensate for variations in the temperature of the hydraulic fluid in accordance with the present invention;

[0019] FIGS. 3A-3C illustrates how the hydraulic system of FIG. 3 enables a component to be actuated with precise timing;

[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates another hydraulic system of a sod harvester that is configured to compensate for variations in the temperature of the hydraulic fluid in accordance with the present invention; and

[0021] FIG. 5 provides a chart that illustrates how the timing of actuation of sod harvester components can be maintained constant using the techniques of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In this specification, a stacking head should be construed as the mechanism of a sod harvester that picks up sod and stacks it, whether the sod is in slabs or in rolls. A sod securing component should be construed as a hydraulically actuated component of a stacking head that secures the sod to allow it to be picked up by the stacking head. Examples of sod securing components include hooks, spikes, clamps, etc. A stacking head adjusting component should be construed as a hydraulically actuated component of the stacking head that causes the stacking head to descend towards a stacking conveyor as part of removing sod from the stacking conveyor.

[0023] A stacking conveyor should be construed as a conveyor of a sod harvester on which sod is positioned when it is picked up for stacking by a stacking head. A stacking conveyor adjusting component should be construed as a hydraulically actuated component of the stacking conveyor that alters the position of sod on the stacking conveyor (e.g., by lifting the sod) in conjunction with the stacking head removing the sod from the stacking conveyor. A stacking conveyor adjusting component may therefore be a component that lifts the entire stacking conveyor, a component of the stacking conveyor that lifts sod from another component of the stacking conveyor, a component of the stacking conveyor that alters the shape of the stacking conveyor, etc.

[0024] A chopping blade should be construed as a hydraulically actuated blade of a sod harvester that is configured to be periodically thrust into the soil as the sod harvester travels to thereby create separate slabs of sod. An actuator should be construed as either a linear actuator (e.g., a hydraulic cylinder) or a rotary actuator (e.g., a hydraulic motor). An actuator will be described as having opposing ends which should be construed as the ports through which hydraulic fluid flows to actuate the actuator.

[0025] FIG. 3 illustrates a hydraulic system 300 of a sod harvester that is configured in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Hydraulic system 300 includes a control value 301 that is fluidly coupled to one or more actuators 302a, 302b via hydraulic lines 303, 304. Actuators 302a, 302b are each coupled to a hydraulically actuated component 350 which may be any of the various types of hydraulically actuated components described above. For purposes of illustration only, it will be assumed in the following description that hydraulically actuated components 350 represent hooks 150. In such a case, actuators 302a, 302b can be equated with actuators 102a, 102b. Although the figures generally depict actuators that are cylinders, the actuators may equally be rotary motors as mentioned above. For example, a stacking conveyor that is lifted or a chopping blade may oftentimes employ a rotary motor rather than a cylinder as the actuator.

[0026] In the depicted example where actuators 302a, 302b are cylinders, it will also be assumed that when control valve 301 is in the depicted position, the pistons of actuators 302a, 302b (or of actuators 102a, 102b) will be in an extended position which causes hooks 150 to be retracted (opposite of what is shown in FIG. 1). On the other hand, when control valve 301 is in the opposite position (i.e., when the P port is connected to the B port), the pistons will be in a retracted position which causes hooks 150 to be in the extended position (as shown in FIG. 1). The switching of control valve 301 therefore causes hooks 150 to be actuated. It is noted that this configuration could equally be reversed (i.e., hooks 150 could be extended when control valve 301 is in the depicted position).

[0027] As can be seen, as control valve 301 is toggled between the two positions, an amount of hydraulic fluid will pass through control valve 301. This amount is related substantially to the volume of actuators 302a, 302b. In some sod harvester configurations, the length of hydraulic lines 303, 304 is relatively long (e.g., up to 25 feet) such that the volume of the hydraulic fluid in lines 303, 304 is significant relative to the total volume of hydraulic fluid. As a result, the relatively small amount of hydraulic fluid that fills the actuator will repeatedly pass into and out of lines 303 and 304 without substantially passing through valve 301.

[0028] As mentioned in the background, the hydraulic fluid will heat during operation of hydraulic system 300. The primary source of this heat is oftentimes friction within control valve 301. Given that a relatively small amount of hydraulic fluid passes through control valve 301, the heating due to friction within the control valve will remain somewhat localized to the control valve. In short, it can take a relatively long time for the hydraulic fluid to heat up throughout hydraulic system 300 and particularly within actuators 302a, 302b. As a result, the amount of time it takes for the timing of actuation of actuators 302a, 302b to reach a steady state can be considerable as is represented in the chart of FIG. 2.

[0029] To address these issues, hydraulic system 300 also includes a bypass valve 305 that is fluidly coupled between hydraulic line 303 and hydraulic line 304. In other words, in the depicted configuration, bypass valve 305 fluidly connects the hydraulic line that is coupled to the pump port to the hydraulic line that is coupled to the tank port. Bypass valve 305 includes a check valve that permits flow of hydraulic fluid in only one direction which in this case is from hydraulic line 303 to hydraulic line 304. Bypass valve 305 also includes a throttle valve which limits the amount of hydraulic fluid that can flow through bypass valve 305. In some embodiments, the throttle valve can be configured to allow up to a gallon of hydraulic fluid per minute to pass through bypass valve 305.

[0030] In hydraulic system 300, when control valve 301 is positioned to connect port A to port P, hydraulically actuated component 350 will be in an unactuated position. In this state, which can represent the state of the hydraulically actuated components when sod is not being harvested (as well as the state between actuations during harvesting), bypass valve 305 will still allow hydraulic fluid to flow through control valve 301 and through a substantial length of hydraulic lines 303, 304 thereby heating the hydraulic fluid. Therefore, even though the sod harvester may be in an idle state, the hydraulic fluid will still be heated and distributed throughout much of hydraulic system. As a result, the amount of time it takes for cold hydraulic fluid to reach a steady operational temperature is greatly reduced. Furthermore, once the hydraulic fluid is heated, the continuous circulation of the hydraulic fluid through bypass valve 305 will prevent the fluid from cooling even if harvesting is paused. The only time that hydraulic fluid will not flow through bypass valve 305 is during the short interval when control valve 301 is toggled to actuate component 350.

[0031] To maximize the amount of hydraulic fluid that is circulated, bypass valve 305 can preferable be positioned close to actuators 302a, 302b (i.e., as far away from control valve 301 as is reasonable). As mentioned above, in some sod harvester configurations, the distance between control valve 301 and bypass valve 305 may be substantial such as greater than 20 feet.

[0032] In some embodiments, bypass valve 305 could be configured as an active or a passive valve. For example, an active bypass valve can be configured to be turned on or off to thereby allow control over whether hydraulic fluid will flow through bypass valve 305. Also, in some embodiments, the throttle valve within bypass valve 305 can be configured as either a static or variable throttle valve. A variable throttle valve may be desirable when a sod harvester will be used in variable environmental conditions to thereby allow greater or lesser amounts of hydraulic fluid to flow through bypass valve 305. For example, if a sod harvester will sometimes be operated in cold conditions, it may be desirable to employ a variable throttle valve so that more hydraulic fluid can be routed through bypass valve 305 to more quickly increase and/or maintain the temperature of the hydraulic fluid during cold weather harvesting.

[0033] FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate how bypass valve 305 minimizes and/or eliminates periods of variation in the timing of actuation of components 350. These figures can also generally represent how bypass valve 305 reduces the amount of time required to warm the hydraulic fluid to a steady operational temperature when a sod harvester is initially started.

[0034] FIG. 3A represents the state of hydraulic system 300 when harvesting is not being performed such as may be the case when a sod harvester is initially started or when harvesting is paused while the sod harvester is still running (i.e., when the engine is still running and is therefore powering the pump of the hydraulic system). For example, FIG. 3A can represent when a sod securing component, a stacking head adjusting component, a stacking conveyor adjusting component, a chopping blade, or some other hydraulically actuated component of a sod harvester is not being actuated. In this state, and assuming valve 301 is positioned to couple port P to port A (or at least to couple port P to whatever port is coupled to the upstream side of bypass valve 305), the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in hydraulic line 303 will be increased relative to the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in line 304 thereby causing the hydraulic fluid to flow through bypass valve 305. As indicated above, the throttle valve within bypass valve 305 can restrict the flow of hydraulic fluid through bypass valve 305 to a relatively small amount (e.g., less than a gallon per minute) so as to have an insignificant impact on the overall pressure of the hydraulic fluid within hydraulic line 303 and to minimize power consumption.

[0035] Although the amount of hydraulic fluid that flows through bypass valve 305 may be relatively small in comparison to the overall volume of the hydraulic fluid, this flow will ensure that hydraulic fluid is continuously flowing through valve 301 and through a substantial length of hydraulic lines 303, 304 which will result in heating of the hydraulic fluid. Furthermore, this flow will also distribute the heated hydraulic fluid towards actuators 302a, 302b such that the hydraulic fluid within actuators 302a, 302b may be quickly heated (if it was not previously heated) or may maintain its temperature. The warmer hydraulic fluid will have a lower viscosity which in turn reduces the timing of actuation as described above.

[0036] Accordingly, even though harvesting is not occurring, the hydraulic fluid will be quickly warmed due to the inclusion of bypass valve 305. FIG. 5 provides a chart that represents a timing of actuation that may occur in a sod harvester that employs hydraulic system 303. In FIG. 5, it will be assumed that the sod harvester was not initially running and therefore the hydraulic fluid was at ambient temperature. When the hydraulic pump is activated (which would typically occur when the sod harvester is started), the temperature of the hydraulic fluid will immediately begin to increase due to the flow that bypass valve 305 enables. As a result, the timing of actuation will immediately begin to decrease. It is important to note that this decrease in the timing occurs once the hydraulic pump is activated as opposed to once harvesting is started as was the case in FIG. 2. As shown, the timing of actuation will quickly drop to a constant level. Harvesting with precise timing can therefore be started much more quickly.

[0037] Returning now to FIG. 3B, the state of hydraulic system during the actuation of components 350 is shown. Although control valve 301 is not included in FIG. 3B, this state would be reached by toggling control valve 301 to cause port P to be coupled to port B. In this state, the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in hydraulic line 304 would be increased relative to the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in line 303 which, in this example configuration, will cause the pistons within actuators 302a, 302b to be retracted. As mentioned above, this retraction of the pistons could cause hooks 150 to be extended to secure and remove sod from a stacking conveyor. It is again noted that whether extension or retraction of the pistons causes the actuation is entirely arbitrary.

[0038] During actuation, and due to the check valve within bypass valve 305, hydraulic fluid will not flow through bypass valve 305. Bypass valve 305 will therefore not impact the actuation. In other words, because there is no flow through bypass valve 305 during actuation, the full pressure of the hydraulic fluid will be delivered to actuators 302a, 302b.

[0039] Turning now to FIG. 3C, the state of hydraulic system 300 after actuation is shown. This state would be reached upon toggling control valve 301 back to its default position as shown in FIG. 3. Upon toggling control valve 301, the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in hydraulic line 303 will again be greater than the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in hydraulic line 304 thereby causing the pistons to return to their extended position and also causing the flow of hydraulic fluid through bypass valve 305 to resume.

[0040] In typical operation, hydraulic system 300 would toggle quickly between the states shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C. For example, a sod harvester may actuate hooks 150 (by toggling to the state in 3C) long enough to pick up sod, transport it to a pallet, and then drop it (by toggling to the state of FIG. 3C). As this process is repeated, there will be periodic flow of hydraulic fluid through bypass valve 305 as well as the flow that would normally result from toggling control valve 301. This additional flow through bypass valve 305 during harvesting can be beneficial in some operating conditions. For example, when harvesting is performed in cold environments, the normal flow of hydraulic fluid through control valve 301 may be insufficient to cause the hydraulic fluid in actuators 302a, 302b to be heated to a desirable temperature (e.g., the heating that occurs primarily at control valve 301 would likely dissipate before reaching actuators 302a, 302b). However, with bypass valve 305, this heating would be better distributed during harvesting in cold environments. It is noted, however, that in some embodiments, bypass valve 305 may be configured to allow it to be turned off during harvesting.

[0041] If harvesting is paused, hydraulic system 300 will remain in the state shown in FIG. 3A for a relatively long period of time. As addressed in the background, in prior art systems, during this period when harvesting is paused, the hydraulic fluid would cool and the timing of actuation would increase as shown in FIG. 2 thereby resulting in a period of variation in the timing of actuation once harvesting is resumed. In contrast, in hydraulic system 300, hydraulic fluid will continue to flow through bypass valve 305 thereby preventing the hydraulic fluid from cooling and maintaining the timing of actuation at the constant level. Accordingly, after a pause in harvesting, there will be no period of variation in the timing of actuation once harvesting is resumed as is shown in FIG. 5.

[0042] By eliminating (or at least minimizing) periods of variation in the timing of actuation, the present invention allows harvesting to be performed more efficiently and precisely even at high rates and in cold environments. More specifically, although there may be a short period of time during which the hydraulic fluid will need to be warmed to a steady operational state, due to the present invention, there may be no other periods of time during which variations in the temperature of the hydraulic fluid will cause variations in the timing of actuation. In short, the present invention eliminates periods of time during which prior art sod harvesters could not be used to effectively harvest sod.

[0043] FIG. 4 illustrates a variation in the configuration of hydraulic system 300. In FIG. 4, bypass valve 305 has been replaced by separate bypass valves 405 that are incorporated directly into the pistons of actuators 302a, 302b. Although this configuration is structurally different than the configuration shown in FIG. 3, its functionality is the same. In the case of rotary motor, a similarly configured bypass valve could be incorporated into the body of the rotary motor. One benefit of incorporating the bypass valve directly within the piston or motor body is that it causes the flow of hydraulic fluid to extend around the entire hydraulic system. In other words, in the configuration shown in FIG. 4, hydraulic fluid will flow through actuators 302a, 302b thereby ensuring that heated hydraulic fluid will exist within the actuators even in harsh environment conditions.

[0044] In summary, hydraulic system 300 provides a way to quickly distribute heat throughout the hydraulic fluid and to maintain the heat even when harvesting is paused. By maintaining a constant operational temperature of the hydraulic fluid, including the hydraulic fluid within the actuators that are likely positioned a relatively long distance from the control valve, hydraulic system 300 ensures that a constant timing of actuation is provided. This constant timing of actuation allows the components of the sod harvester to be actuated with precision even at high rates of harvesting.

[0045] In addition to or in place of the techniques described above, various other techniques can be employed to address the variability in the temperature of the hydraulic fluid. For example, insulation could be added to the hydraulic lines between the control valve and the actuator(s) (e.g., to hydraulic lines 303, 304). Alternatively or additionally, the temperature of the hydraulic fluid could be actively maintained by heating and/or cooling the control valve and/or the hydraulic lines. For example, heating elements could be added to control valve 301 and/or to hydraulic lines 303, 304 (e.g., by incorporating a heating element that extends along the length of the hydraulic lines). In such cases, one or more sensors may be employed to detect the current temperature of the hydraulic fluid and to activate the heating elements accordingly.

[0046] Rather than (or in addition to) maintaining/controlling the temperature of the hydraulic fluid, a sod harvester could be configured to compensate for variations in the temperature of the hydraulic fluid. For example, sensors could be employed to detect the current temperature of the hydraulic fluid and to report this current temperature to a control system (e.g., a control system that controls when control valve 301 is toggled). Based on the reported temperature, the control system could control the timing of actuation so that the hydraulically actuated component's movement occurs with precise timing. For example, the control system can maintain mappings between temperatures and delays so that the toggling of a control valve can occur at a timing that is based on the delay that the current temperature of the hydraulic fluid will cause. With reference to FIGS. 2 and 5, this compensation technique could be employed to vary the timing of the toggling of control switch 301 during the period of variation in the timing of actuation. In particular, when the hydraulic fluid is cooler (and therefore when there is a longer delay), a control system could be configured to toggle control switch 301 sooner than when the hydraulic fluid is warmer (relative to when the actual movement of the component is desired to occur). As suggested, such compensation techniques could be performed alone or in conjunction with any of the above described techniques for maintaining/controlling the temperature of the hydraulic fluid.

[0047] By performing any one or more of these techniques, a sod harvester can be operated with more precise timing and at faster rates than would otherwise be possible. The present invention can therefore enhance the efficiency of harvesting sod.

[0048] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.