Method for timber harvesting and system for forestry

• US 6,182,725 B1
• Filed: 04/23/1999
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sörvik, Bengt
• Original Assignee: Sörvik, Bengt
• Inventors: Sörvik, Bengt
• Primary Examiner(s): BRAY, WAYMOND D
• Application Number:
  US09/297,028
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 144/4.1, 144/4.8, 144/34.1, 144/335, 144/336, 144/356, 144/357, 144/380, 144/382, 250/559.25, 250/223.R, 336/394, 336/385
• US Class Current: 144/335
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 23/08 Felling trees
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 23/099 Auxiliary devices, e.g. felling wedges
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications

Abstract

A method and system for forestry, in particular harvesting by means of a harvesting machine comprising a vehicle and a harvesting arrangement mounted thereon, is based on the fact that at least one position determining device (5) capable of determining the positioning of the harvesting machine by means of external wirelessly receiveable signals is arranged on the harvesting machine (1). A marking device computer, is arranged on the harvesting machine to control the marking device to mark the piece of timber with position information by means of position information received from the position determining device (5).

Claims

1. Method for timber harvesting with a harvesting machine comprising a vehicle (2), a harvesting arrangement (3) mounted thereon and a marking device (9) arranged on the vehicle to apply a mark (13) on at least one piece of timber (10) obtained from a tree, said method comprising:

determining the position of the harvesting machine with at least one position determining device (5) arranged on the harvesting machine, said position determining device being capable of determining the position of the harvesting machine from external, wirelessly receivable signals, in connection with felling a tree, and

marking at least one piece of timber obtained from the tree with the position information by said marking device (9) arranged on the vehicle.

2. Method according to claim 1, further comprising in that the piece of timber with Information regarding quality and size.

3. Method according to claim 2, further comprising in that in the case where of pieces of timber are obtained from a tree, marking every current piece of timber with information regarding its location in the timber log.

4. Method according to claim 1, further comprising in that every single piece of timber with information regarding the buyer and/or seller of the piece of timber.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the marking is carried out by a marking technique comprising contacting the piece of timber by at least one of punching, cutting, drilling, and stamping.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the marking is carried out by a non-contacting marking technique of application of at least one of radiant energy and ink-spraying.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the harvesting machine position information which is applied on the piece of timber refers to the position of the harvesting arrangement of the harvesting machine.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the marking of the piece of timber is carried out on an end thereof.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the marking is carried out on a portion of the mantle surface of the piece of timber optionally after bark has been removed therefrom.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein, prior to the harvesting, date regarding growth locations, quantities, sizes and optionally locations in the tree of pieces of timber is compared with prognoses concerning the outcome of the harvesting.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein before the harvesting concerning single trees or relatively small timbered surfaces, evaluation within an area that is to be harvested or thinned is carried by remote analyses.

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein the harvesting is controlled with the aid of said evaluation of standing forest timber for sale by means of data provided to the harvesting machine so that the harvesting of timber qualities and sizes demanded for the moment are priorited during the harvesting.

13. Method for sawing pieces of timber harvested in accordance with the method in claim 1 to boards, comprising reading the marking on a single piece of timber before the sawing and stored and that boards from this piece of timber are provided with a marking including at least information about the growth location of the original tree.

14. Method according to claim 13, further comprising copying an end surface of the piece of timber before the sawing to obtain a reproduction, and storing information in said reproduction regarding at least one of shape, diameter, bark thickness, and growth.

15. Method according to claim 14, therefore forest growth over a time period are carried out supported by said information about shape and/or growth concerning the forest area from which the pieces of timber emanates.

16. Method according to claim 1 further comprising scanning a tree, which is to be harvested by the harvesting machine, before the tree is felled, by using a scanner, which is arranged on the harvesting machine and wherein the information so obtained is utilized as guiding means for the adaptation or an adaptation prognosis.

17. In a system for forestry including timber harvesting with a harvesting machine (1) comprising a vehicle (2), a harvesting arrangement (3) mounted thereon, a marking device (9) arranged on the harvesting machine, said marking device being adapted to apply a mark (13) on at least one piece of timber (10) obtained from a tree, and a control unit for the harvesting machine, said control unit being arranged to control the marking device to mark the piece of timber, the improvement comprising:

at least one position determining device (5) on the harvesting machine, said position determining device being capable of determining the position of the harvesting machine from external, wirelessly receivable signals, and wherein the control unit is adapted to control the marking device (9) to mark the piece of timber with a position information on the basis of the position information received from the position determining device.

18. System according to claim 17, wherein the harvesting machine comprises means for determining/input of information regarding the quality and/or size of the piece of timber and that the control unit is adapted to control the marking device to mark the piece of timber with quality and size information.

19. System according to claim 17 therefor further comprising means for an automatic determining/manual input of an information regarding the location of a current piece of timber in the log and that the control unit is adapted to control the marking device in order to mark the piece of timber with this location information.

20. System according to claim 17, wherein the control unit comprises means for receiving information regarding the buyer and/or the seller of a single piece of timber and that the control unit is arranged in order to control the marking device to mark the piece of timber with this information regarding buyer and/or seller.

21. System according to claim 17, wherein the position determining device operates in accordance with the Global Positioning System.

22. System according to claim 17, wherein the marking device (9) is located on the harvesting arrangement (3) of the harvesting machine in order to subject pieces of timber to marking in connection to the timber log being processed in the harvesting arrangement.

23. System according to claim 17, wherein the marking device comprises means to operate with a contacting marking technique including at least one of punching, cutting, drilling, stamping, printing and applying a preformed carrier.

24. System according to claim 17, wherein the marking device to mark the pieces of timber with a non-contacting marking technique including at least one of radiant energy and ink-spraying .

25. System according to claim 23, wherein the marking device comprises a plurality of marking means (16) intended for contacting the piece of timber, said marking means being selectively movable between active marking positions and inactive rest positions, whereby the intended marking information for the piece of timber in put together by the control unit depending on desired marking information.

26. System according to claim 25, wherein the marking means (16) are formed as punching means, stamping means or drilling means.

27. System according to claim 26, wherein the marking device has means (24) for supplying marking ink to the marking means.

28. System according to claim 23, wherein the marking device is arranged to generate a carrier provided with marking information and to apply the carrier on the piece of timber.

29. System according to claim 28, wherein the carrier consists of an adhesive strip with the marking information in the form of a bar code or other indicia.

30. System according to claim 24, wherein the marking device has one or several lasers to apply the marking information on the piece of timber.

31. System according to claim 23, wherein the marking device comprises a carrier carrying marking means, said carrier being formed as a rotating means (15).

32. System according to claim 17, wherein the marking device is adapted to apply the marking on one end of the piece of timber.

33. System according to claim 17, wherein the marking device is adapted to apply the marking on a portion of the mantle surface of the piece of timber, optionally after this portion having been relieved from bark.

34. System according to claim 17, wherein the control unit (8) is arranged to wirelessly transfer data determined during the harvesting to an operating centre, said data regarding growth locations, qualities, sizes and optionally locations in the tree of the pieces of timber being subsequently compared with prognoses regarding the harvesting result being made before the harvesting.

35. System according to claim 17, said system comprising a sawmill for sawing of the pieces of timber into boards, within comprising in that a reading device (19,20) to read the marking on a single piece of timber before the sawing and to store the marking information, and a control unit connected with the sawmill to control a further marking device in order to provide boards from the piece of timber in question with a marking comprising at least information about the growth location of the original tree.

36. System according to claim 35, further comprising a reproduction device (19,20) to reproduce an end surface of the piece of timber before the sawing and to register and store information in the reproduction regarding at least one of shape, diameter, bark thickness, and growth.

37. System according to claim 36, comprising it comprises equipment to generate analyses and prognoses regarding forest growth over time concerning the forest area from which the pieces of timber emanates with the aid of said information regarding shape and/or growth.

38. System according to claim 17, further comprising a scanner (28) on the harvesting machine to scan a tree which is to be harvested before the tree in question if felled, said scanner being connected to the control unit (8) in order to transfer the scanning information to the unit, said scanning information being utilised by the control unit as guidance for the adaptation or an adaptation prognosis.

39. System according to claim 17, wherein the position determining device (5) on the harvesting machine comprises at least one position determining unit (27) on the vehicle of the harvesting machine for determining the position of the harvesting arrangement in relation to the position determining unit.

40. System according to claim 39, wherein the means for determining the position of the harvesting arrangement in relation to the position determining unit at least one of distance meters, angle determining means, direction indicators and videophotogrammetry equipment.