Earth grading machine with one or more rollers

• US 8,887,825 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2013
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otico
• Original Assignee: Otico
• Inventors: Valier, Carlo
• Primary Examiner(s): Troutman, Matthew D
• Application Number:
  US13/779,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20130233581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 172/150, 172/170, 172/172, 172/260.5, 172/518, 172/519, 172/527, 172/537, 172/539, 172/554, 404/122
• US Class Current: 172/260.5
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 29/04 with non-smooth surface formed of rotatably-mounted rings or discs or with projections or ribs on the roller body; Land packers
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 29/06 with special additional arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 73/00 Means or arrangements to facilitate transportation of agricultural machines or implements, e.g. folding frames to reduce overall width arrangements of lifting devices for soil working implements A01B63/00; carriers for harvesters or mowers A01D75/002; arrangements or carriers for haymakers A01D78/1007, A01D80/005; vehicles adapted for load transportation or to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects B60P; motor vehicles, trailers B62D

Abstract

A ground shaping machine, particularly an agricultural machine, including a frame, at least one roller fitted with a flexible tire, a first bearing and a second bearing whereby the roller can rotate about a substantially horizontal axis in the working position, the first bearing and the second bearing being positioned one at each end of the roller. The frame has a first support and a second support, the first support at least being connected to the first bearing through a suspension device including a mechanism with an upper arm and a lower arm, both substantially horizontal and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the roller, each of the upper and lower arms being connected by a joint to the first support, and to the first bearing, the mechanism forming a deformable quadrilateral, while the suspension device also have a substantially vertical resilient return member connected by a joint to the first support and to the first bearing.

Claims

1. A ground shaping machine, comprising

a frame,

at least one roller fitted with a flexible tire,

a first bearing and a second bearing whereby the roller can rotate about a substantially horizontal axis in the working position, the first and the second bearing being positioned one at each end of the roller,

wherein the frame includes a first support and a second support, the first support at least being connected to the first bearing through a suspension means device including

a mechanism with an upper arm and a lower arm, both substantially horizontal and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the roller, each of the upper and lower arms being connected by a joint to the first support, and to the first bearing, the mechanism forming a deformable quadrilateral, and

a substantially vertical resilient return member connected by a joint to the first support, and to the first bearing.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the suspension device further comprises a supplementary arm connected by a joint to the first support or to the second support, and to the first bearing or to the second bearing respectively, in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the roller.

3. A machine according to claim 1, further comprising a substantially vertical damping member connected to the first support, and to the first bearing.

4. A machine according to claim 3, wherein the resilient return means and the damping member are combined with each other.

5. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the joints of the upper arm and lower arm are ball joints.

6. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the roller comprises a tube supporting the flexible tire, the suspension device being housed, in a rest position, substantially within the tube.

7. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the roller comprises a tube supporting the flexible tire, the tube being at least partially closed at one or both of its ends by a dome-shaped end shield, the open space facing towards the outside of the tube forming a housing for the first bearing and the suspension device.

8. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the first support and the second support are substantially flat plates.

9. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the first support comprises a pin and the first bearing comprises a housing, or vice versa, the pin and the housing being arranged with respect to each other so as to interact by forming a stop and limit the extent of the displacement of the first bearing with respect to the frame.

10. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the second support is connected to the second bearing through supplementary suspension device.

11. A machine according to claim 10, wherein the supplementary suspension device conforms to the suspension.

12. A machine comprising two assemblies, each of the assemblies being formed by a machine according to claim 1, the frames being common and mirror images of each other about a substantially vertical plane.

13. A machine according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the bearings forms a casing which houses at least one braking means for exerting a resistant torque in a controlled manner between the bearing and the roller.

14. A machine according to claim 1, having a transportation position and a working position and comprising a means for neutralizing the suspension device such that movements of the bearings with respect to the frame can be blocked, the means for neutralizing being activatable in the working position.

15. A machine according to claim 11, comprising at least two damping members connected, respectively, to the first support and to the first bearing, and to the second support and to the second bearing, each of the damping members comprising a hydraulic actuator connected to a respective hydropneumatic accumulator which is independent of the other accumulator.

16. A machine according to claim 11, comprising at least two damping members connected, respectively, to the first support and to the first bearing, and to the second support and to the second bearing, each of the damping members comprising a hydraulic actuator whose respective chamber is connected to a common hydropneumatic accumulator.

17. A machine according to claim 16, wherein each of the damping members is connected to the common accumulator through a double-acting piston, the double-acting pistons being controlled by each other in such a way that their strokes are proportional.