Shearing head for an animal shearing machine and an animal shearing machine

Abstract

A shearing head for an animal shearing machine, comprising an upper blade and a lower blade, whereby the upper blade is movable relative to the lower blade. A pressure control device, comprising a rotatable control knob, with which the pressure of the upper blade on the lower blade is settable. The pressure control device further comprises a pressure indicator pin disposed coaxially with respect to the control knob and movable in a translational way. The pressure indicator pin is at least partially visible to a user of the shearing head and the axial position of the pressure indicator pin relative to the control knob is dependent upon the pressure of the upper blade on the lower blade set with the pressure control device.

Claims

1. Shearing head for an animal shearing machine, comprising an upper blade and a lower blade, wherein the upper blade is movable relative to the lower blade, a pressure control device, and a reinforcement; the pressure control device comprising a rotatable control knob with which a pressure of the upper blade on the lower blade is settable, a pressure indicator pin disposed coaxially with respect to the control knob and movable in a translational way, and a spacer screw disposed coaxially with respect to the control knob and freely movable in a translational way; the reinforcement being disposed between the spacer screw and the pressure indicator pin; the reinforcement comprising a pusher and a lever, the lever being positioned between the pusher and the pressure indicator pin, the pusher being connected to the spacer screw and having an inclined surface with respect to a longitudinal axis of the spacer screw; the pressure indicator pin being at least partially visible to a user of the shearing head, an axial position of the pressure indicator pin relative to the control knob being dependent upon the pressure of the upper blade on the lower blade that is set with the pressure control device.

2. Shearing head according to claim 1, the pressure control device further comprising a pressure bracket cooperating with the upper blade, a control knob spindle connected to the control knob, and a pressure bracket spring disposed between the control knob spindle and the pressure bracket, wherein through adjustment of a distance between the control knob spindle and the pressure bracket the pressure of the upper blade on the lower blade is settable, and wherein a first end of the spacer screw is connected to the pressure bracket and a second end of the spacer screw cooperates with the pressure indicator pin such that a displacement of the spacer screw with respect to the control knob spindle brings about a shift of the pressure indicator pin.

3. Shearing head according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcement causes a displacement of the spacer screw with respect to the control knob spindle to be translated into a greater shift of the pressure indicator pin.

4. Shearing head according to claim 3, wherein an inclination of the inclined surface of the pusher corresponds to an inclination of an opposite surface of the pressure indicator pin and wherein the lever is fixed on the control knob in a way pivotable in relation to the longitudinal axis of the spacer screw.

5. Shearing head according to claim 1, the pressure control device further comprising locking means adapted to lock the control knob in predetermined rotational positions.

6. Shearing head according to claim 5, the locking means comprising engagement elements configured to cooperate with notches on an inner side of the control knob.

7. Shearing head according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the pressure indicator pin is divided at least partially into a plurality of zones, each said zone being assignable to a pressure range for the pressure of the upper blade on the lower blade.

8. Shearing head according to claim 7, each said zone having a different color.

9. Shearing head according to claim 1, the upper blade being movable with respect to the lower blade in a translational way.

10. Animal shearing machine comprising the shearing head according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a lateral view of a shearing head with low blade pressure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

(2) FIG. 2 shows a lateral sectional view of a shearing head with low blade pressure according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 3 shows a first perspective view of a shearing head with removed external casing and with low blade pressure according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

(4) FIG. 4 shows a second perspective view of a shearing head with removed external casing and with low blade pressure according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

(5) FIG. 5 shows a first detail view of FIG. 2;

(6) FIG. 6 shows a second detail view of FIG. 2;

(7) FIG. 7 shows a lateral sectional view of a shearing head with removed external casing and with high blade pressure according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

(8) FIG. 7a shows a detail view of FIG. 7;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a first perspective view of a shearing head with removed external casing and control knob according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

(10) FIG. 8a shows a detail view of FIG. 8; and

(11) FIG. 9 shows the inner side of the control knob and the engagement elements of a shearing head according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(12) FIGS. 1 and 2 show a lateral view and a lateral sectional view of a shearing head 10 for an animal shearing machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The shearing head 10 has coupling means 11 known from the state of the art for fixing on a shearing hand piece (not shown here). The shearing hand piece comprises a drive motor with which an upper blade 12 can be moved in a translational way relative to a lower blade 13. The coupling of the drive motor to the upper blade 12 is known to one skilled in the art, and will not be explained in detail here.

(13) As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shearing head 10 comprises a pressure control device 14 for the setting of the pressure of the upper blade 12 on the lower blade 13. The pressure control device 14 has a rotatable control knob 15, a pressure bracket 16, a pressure bracket spring 17, a pivot lever 18 and a leaf spring 19.

(14) The way of functioning of the pressure control device 14 can be understood best with reference to FIG. 5. Besides the already named elements, the pressure control device 14 also comprises a control knob spindle 20 connected to the control knob 15. Through the turning of the control knob 15, the spindle 20 can be moved in direction A (see arrow in FIG. 5) and the pressure bracket spring 17 can be compressed. A force is thereby generated in direction A on the pressure bracket 16, which via the leaf spring 19 and the pivot lever 18 leads to an increase of the pressure of the upper blade 12 on the lower blade. It is important to bear in mind that normally, and in contrast to what is shown in FIG. 5, there exists no spacing between spindle 20 and pressure bracket spring 17. The spacing shown in FIG. 5 is portrayed only for a better understanding of the way of functioning of the pressure control device 14.

(15) As shown in FIG. 5, the pressure control device 14 also has a spacer screw 21, which has a first end 21a connectible to the pressure bracket 16. The spacer screw 21 is conceived in such a way that it is freely movable in a translational way along its longitudinal axis relative to the spindle 20. In other words, when the spindle 20 moves in direction A, the spacer screw 21 stays in place. The pressure control device 14 has furthermore a pusher 22 connected to a second end 21b of the spacer screw 21. The pusher 22 has an inclined surface with an inclination which corresponds to the inclination of a surface of the opposite end of a pressure indicator pin 23. Provided between pusher 22 and pressure indicator pin 23 is moreover a lever 24, which is fixed on the control knob 15 in a way pivotable in relation to the longitudinal axis of the spacer screw 21. Finally, an indicator pin spring 25 (see FIG. 6) is provided between pressure indicator pin 23 and control knob 15. The indicator pin spring 25 serves the purpose of resetting of the pressure indicator pin 23, when the shearing pressure is reduced. In addition, the indicator pin spring 25 ensures that the pressure indicator pin 23 remains in contact with the lever 24 and the pusher 22.

(16) Now when the control knob 15 is turned, to increase the pressure of the upper blade 12 on the lower blade 13, the spindle 20 and with it the end of the lever 24 fixed on the control knob 15 are conveyed in direction A. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 7a, the displacement of the spindle 20 brings about a pivoting of the lever 24 and a shift of the pressure indicator pin 23 in direction B. An outer surface 23a of the pressure indicator pin 23 thereby becomes at least partially visible to the user. It is of course clear that the length of the pressure indicator pin 23, which is discernible to the user, depends on the set blade pressure. Thanks to the pressure control device 14, specifically thanks to the spacer screw 21, the pusher 22, the lever 24 and the pressure indicator pin 23, a means is available to the user which informs him about the set pressure. It is important to take into account that the pusher 22 with the lever 24 form a reinforcement means. Thanks to these elements, a small displacement of the spindle 20 relative to the spacer screw 21 is translated into a greater shift of the pressure indicator pin 23. This is advantageous since the spindle 20 is shifted between its position at a low blade pressure and its position at a maximal pressure only very little, typically a few millimeters.

(17) Preferably the outer surface 23a of the pressure indicator pin 23 is divided into a multiplicity of zones, each zone corresponding to a pressure range for the pressure of the upper blade 12 on the lower blade 13. Each zone can have a different color, for example. In this way a kind of traffic light system can be provided with a green zone, which corresponds to a small pressure, with an orange zone for a medium pressure, and with a red zone for a critical pressure. Of course the zones can have different colors or the information about the amount of pressure can be presented differently, such as, for example, via numbers on the outer surface 23a.

(18) It is important to note that even if the pusher 22 and lever 24 are advantageous, a pressure control device 14 according to the present invention can also provide for a direct connection between spacer screw 21 and pressure indicator pin 23.

(19) FIGS. 8 and 8a show the shearing head 10 with removed control knob 15. With the removal of the control knob 15, the engagement elements 26 become visible, with which the control knob 15 is lockable in predetermined rotational positions. As shown in FIG. 8 or 9, the engagement elements 26 have protrusions 26a, which co-operate with notches 15a, which are provided on the inner side of the control knob 15. Such engagement elements 26 have the advantage that they ensure that the rotational position of the control knob 15, and thus the blade pressure, remains constant during use of the shearing head 10 and even with strong vibrations.

(20) In conclusion, it is to be pointed out again that embodiments described here by way of example represent only possibilities for implementation of the inventive concepts and should not be viewed as limiting in any way. One skilled in the art will understand that still other implementations for the invention and further elements are possible without losing sight of the essential features of the invention. In particular, one skilled in the art will easily understand that the present invention can also be used on a shearing head and a shearing machine with rotating blades. In this case, only the upper blade is able to move relative to the lower blade or both blades execute circular movements with differing rotational directions.