Patent · US Expired

Automatic knife sharpening system for forage harvesters

US5098027A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
4References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 28, 1990
Grant dateMar 24, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 28, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA01F29/22
  • WIPO fieldMachine tools
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

In a forage harvester having a motor driven sharpening stone driven back and forth along a path parallel to the axis of a rotating cutterhead to sharpen the knives of the cutterhead, and a door which normally prevents access to the knives, a control circuit is provided for controllig the opening of the door, the movement of the sharpening stone to sharpen the knives, and the closing of the door after the knives have been sharpened. The circuit is controlled by switches located at an operator's control panel and accessible to the operator while he is in the driver's seat of the harvester so that the operator does not have to leave his driving position to accomplish the knife sharpening operation. The circuit includes visual indicators lcoated on the control panel for indicating the status of the circuit during the entire operation. The circuit includes a sensor circuit for sensing the rate of rotation of the cutterhead, the sensor circuit preventing knife sharpening from taking place unless the cutterhead is rotating at a rate greater than the rate required for proper sharpening of the knives.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.