Lubrication system for a cotton harvester
First Claim
1. A lubrication system for a cotton harvester having a plurality of harvesting units, each harvesting unit including operable mechanisms which are selectively and intermittently operable for various duty cycles during a harvesting procedure of the cotton harvester, said lubrication system comprising:
- a lubricant reservoir;
a lubricant pump having an input connected to the reservoir and an output connected to each of the harvesting units such that pressurized lubricant is provided to the operable mechanisms thereon;
lubricant control means including means for measuring cyclic operations of the operable mechanisms during the harvesting procedure of the cotton harvester and operative means arranged in combination with the measuring means for enabling operation of said pump for a predetermined period of time such that the lubricant provided to said operable mechanisms during a lubrication cycle is correlated to the lubricant usage of the operable mechanisms during cyclic operations of the harvesting units; and
display means responsive to said control means for providing a visual indication representative of the cyclic operations of the operable mechanism accumulated since the last lubrication cycle during which the operable mechanisms of the harvest units were lubricated.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A lubrication system for a cotton harvester having a plurality of harvesting units. The lubrication system comprises a lubricant source for providing pressurized lubricant to each of the harvesting units to facilitate their operation and a control mechanism for measuring cyclic operations of harvesting units operating components during a harvesting procedure. The control mechanism controls operation of the lubricant source such that the amounts of lubricant provided to the harvesting units during a lubrication cycle is correlated to the lubricant usage of the harvesting units during the harvesting procedure. A salient feature of the present invention relates to a display for visually indicating the cyclic operations remaining for the harvesting units before another lubrication cycle is due to be commenced. The display furthermore provides a visual indication relating to the operating performance of the lubrication system.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A lubrication system for a cotton harvester having a plurality of harvesting units, each harvesting unit including operable mechanisms which are selectively and intermittently operable for various duty cycles during a harvesting procedure of the cotton harvester, said lubrication system comprising:
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a lubricant reservoir; a lubricant pump having an input connected to the reservoir and an output connected to each of the harvesting units such that pressurized lubricant is provided to the operable mechanisms thereon; lubricant control means including means for measuring cyclic operations of the operable mechanisms during the harvesting procedure of the cotton harvester and operative means arranged in combination with the measuring means for enabling operation of said pump for a predetermined period of time such that the lubricant provided to said operable mechanisms during a lubrication cycle is correlated to the lubricant usage of the operable mechanisms during cyclic operations of the harvesting units; and display means responsive to said control means for providing a visual indication representative of the cyclic operations of the operable mechanism accumulated since the last lubrication cycle during which the operable mechanisms of the harvest units were lubricated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A lubrication system for a cotton harvester having a plurality of harvesting units, each harvesting unit including lubricated mechanisms which are intermittently operated and whose accumulated intermittent operations define an operational cycle having a predetermined duration measured as a function of the lubricant amounts provided to the lubricated mechanisms, said lubrication system comprising:
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lubrication means operable during a lubrication cycle to supply substantially equivalent amounts of lubricant under pressure to corresponding lubricated mechanisms on the harvesting units; means for computing accumulated intermittent operations of said lubricated mechanisms during the operation cycle and for initiating a lubrication cycle whose duration is correlated to the lubricant usage of the lubricated mechanisms during the operation cycle of the harvester; and means for visually indicating the accumulated intermittent operations of the lubricated mechanisms relative to the operation cycle of the harvester. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A lubrication system for a cotton harvester having a plurality of harvesting units mounted thereon, each harvesting unit including a rotatable harvesting mechanism which is cyclically operated for a predetermined duration measured as a function of the lubricant provided thereto, said lubrication system comprising:
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a pressurized source of lubricant; lubricant distribution means for simultaneously delivering substantially equivalent amounts of lubricant from the lubricant source to each of the harvesting mechanisms; lubricant control means for controlling operation of the lubricant source, said control means including first operative means for monitoring and summing cyclic operations of at least one of the harvesting mechanisms during a harvesting procedure of the cotton harvester and second operative means for enabling operation of the lubricant source for a predetermined period of time and such that lubricant amounts provided to the harvesting mechanisms is correlated to the summed cyclic operations of the harvesting mechanisms during a harvesting procedure; and display means for visually indicating the summed cyclic operations of the harvesting mechanisms as related to the predetermined duration of the harvesting mechanisms thus allowing the operator to gauge remaining harvesting operation time before lubrication of the harvesting mechanisms would normally be required. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A lubrication system for a cotton harvester having a plurality of harvesting units, each harvesting unit including lubricated mechanisms which are intermittently operated and whose accumulated intermittent operations define an operational cycle having a predetermined duration measured as a function of the lubricant amounts provided to the lubricated mechanisms, said lubrication system comprising:
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lubrication means operable during a lubrication cycle to supply lubricant under pressure to the lubricated mechanisms on the harvesting units; means for computing accumulated intermittent operations of said lubricated mechanisms during the operation cycle and for operating said lubrication means in a manner providing predetermined amounts of lubricant to the lubricated mechanisms during a lubrication cycle of the harvester; and means for indicating the full extent of an operational cycle of the lubricated mechanisms beginning with a first position whereat the lubricated mechanisms are fully lubricated and have not yet commenced operation and a second position whereat lubricant has been substantially exhausted from the lubricated mechanisms, said indicating means providing a visual display indicative of the accumulated intermittent operations of the lubricated mechanisms relative to the full extent of the lubricated mechanisms'"'"' operational cycle.
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Specification