Cross-Reference to Related Applications

[0001] This application is a non-provisional of US provisional application 62/590,770, filed on 27 November 2017, which is incorporated by reference as if fully recited herein.

Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments disclosed herein relate to a implement of farm machinery for cutting weeds during a crop growing season, where the cutting is restricted to an area above a canopy of the crop, especially when the crop grows close to the ground.

Background Art

[0003] Organic farmers are consistently at a disadvantage when it comes to battling invasive weeds. These weeds compete with the intended crop for nutrients and root space in the soil. Additionally, these weeds can grow taller than the crop, preventing access to sunlight. Noxious weeds are the primary cause of lost crop yields and lower quality grade at market. This leads to reduced income due to cost of labor to remove weeds, lesser amount of crop to sell, and lower quality crops due to the presence of weed seeds.

[0004] Synthetic herbicides are effective but not an option for organic farmers.

Conventional methods can sufficiently keep weeds at bay in between rows of crops, but when weeds begin to grow within the rows themselves, conventional methods are ineffective. Organic farmers have attempted to hire crews to manually remove weeds from crops, but this can be pricey at a cost of more than $200/acre needed 3-5 times throughout the growing season. Additionally, these manual crews do not provide an adequate way to prevent the weeds from seeding and growing again the next year. Crews can be hired to trim the weeds above the canopy of the intended crops, but this also costs significant money and allows the seed pods above the canopy to fall to the ground and sow for next year.

[0005] There exists a need for something that can effectively control weeds for the current growing season without allowing the continued seeding for future seasons. Summary

[0006] This and other unmet needs of the prior art are met by an implement of farm machinery for trimming and collecting weeds. The farm equipment is a vehicle and may have as few as three wheels. At least two wheels will be located at either the front or rear of the vehicle, and at least one wheel may be located at the opposite end. The wheels may be laterally spaced apart such that when the farm vehicle is moving over rows of crops, the wheels are rolling over the terrain between crop rows and not on the crops themselves. Exemplary embodiments utilize narrow wheels to allow for precise maneuvering between rows, and should any wheel roll over crops, damage is minimized by the less surface area rolling over the crops. Exemplary embodiments will keep the size of a vehicle to a minimum to further increase ease of maneuverability among crops. However, other embodiments may be wider to cut more rows of crops at the same time.

[0007] Exemplary embodiments will contain a steering mechanism in connection with the wheels to maneuver the vehicle between rows and over crops. This steering mechanism may employ front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive. This steering mechanism may also be in connection with a steering wheel or other

comparable device to allow the user to easily change the direction of the vehicle while in motion. This steering device may operate under manual power or through the assisted use of power steering. The steering mechanism may employ the use of hydraulic pumps. These hydraulic pumps may independently feed to each wheel or may only be connected to certain wheels, front or back. The pumps may also operate independently to control a single wheel or operate in multitude to control at least two wheels.

Exemplary embodiments may utilize a hydrostatic assembly for steering.

[0008] The vehicle may have a seat affixed to the chassis. This seat may be positioned so that the person operating the vehicle is facing the same direction the vehicle is moving. This seat may also be positioned so that the person operating the vehicle can see over the tallest setting of the cutting mechanism. From this seat, the person operating the vehicle will have all operational controls within reach. These operational controls may include but not be limited to or limited by the following: gas and brake pedals or levers, raising and lowering of cutting device, raising and lowering of the chassis of the vehicle, steering wheel or mechanism, and engine on/off device.

[0009] Exemplary embodiments of the invention will allow for removable,

interchangeable cutting mechanisms. Possible cutting mechanisms may perform a variety of functions for both organic and non-organic farmers including, but not limited to or limited by the following: mowing weeds, removal of plant reproductive parts, pollen collection, and seed collection. These interchangeable cutting mechanisms may be manually installed, requiring the user to install the specific device on the vehicle. The interchangeable cutting mechanisms may also be mechanically installed, possibly done by attaching the cutting mechanism from driving over it with the vehicle and having the cutting mechanism automatically snap into place.

[0010] The cutting mechanism may comprise a single static blade that runs the entire width of the cutting mechanism. The cutting mechanism may also contain multiple blades that revolve around an axis to apply a spinning, slicing force to the weeds.

Instead of containing a single blade, the cutting mechanism may contain a plurality of blades spaced apart in one rotating section of the mechanism and have another plurality of blades spaced apart in a different rotating section of the mechanism such that the second plurality of blades would apply the cutting force to the lateral physical space of weeds the first plurality of blades did not. Each blade may be removable by itself to allow for cleaning and sharpening. Also, each blade may also be removed as an entire row of blades or as an entire cutting mechanism.

[0011] Preferably, the cutting mechanism should be affixed to the vehicle such that the first part of the vehicle the weeds comes in contact with is the blade or blades of the cutting mechanism. This may occur by placing the cutting mechanism in the front of the vehicle. This also may occur by having a sufficiently high enough chassis that would be elevated above the weeds and crops. With a sufficiently high enough chassis, the cutting mechanism may be affixed below the main body of the vehicle making the cutting mechanism the only part of the vehicle that would come in contact with weed or crop canopies. If the cutting mechanism involves a rotating force with multiple levels of blades, the cutting mechanism should revolve at a high enough speed so as to cut substantially all of the weeds at the moment of impact closest to the ground based on the cutting mechanism height setting. One object of the invention is to have blades that are sufficiently sharp, moving at an appropriate speed to cut the weeds entirely across without causing them to break and fold leaving the upper part of the canopy to remain attached to the plant as it falls downward. Another object is to cut the canopies so that the stalk of the plant does not bend due to blunt lateral force caused by contact with the vehicle at a location other than the blades of the cutting mechanism. This will ensure the maximum amount of canopy is chopped, allowing more sunlight for crops below and reducing the number of times the canopy-gleaning process will need to occur during the growing season.

[0012] Located behind or underneath the cutting mechanism may be a collection devise. This collection devise may be used to prevent the cut plant material from falling to the ground. One object of the collection device is to prevent cut plant material from falling onto the delicate crop below the cut line. This collection may also be used for a variety of purposes: preventing reproductive seeds and plants from sowing into the soil for future growth, composting purposes, and if the canopy has a desired use or contains any crop the collection can be easily transported to a desired area for further use. The vehicle may also utilize a screen or other device near the cutting mechanism to collect pollen or other allergens. The farm equipment may also operate without a collection devise or basin. This embodiment may be used when the cutting mechanism is chopping weeds or plants that carry no risk of reproduction or crushing the crop below. This may be beneficial to allow the organic plant material to fall to the ground and start decomposing to provide nutrients to the soil.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] A better understanding of the inventive concept will be obtained by reference to the accompanying figures, wherein identical parts are identified by identical reference numerals and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a first embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a second embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the Fig. 2 embodiment; FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of a third embodiment of the inventive concept; and

FIG. 5 is a top front perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the inventive concept.

Detailed Description

[0014] Various embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing. These figures are merely provided to assist in the understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention in any way. One skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes may be made to any of these example embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Any dimensions, lengths, or additional descriptive words located on drawings are merely included as an example or further description but are not intended to limit the invention in any way. This invention may apply to the cutting of any heightened crop or weed but for illustrative purposes, the following detailed descriptions are directed to cutting weeds above desired crops.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 1 , a crop 10 is overgrown with invasive weeds 12. The crop 10 may be soybeans or any other desirable plant, but particularly a crop plant that las a low canopy, that is, it grows close to the ground. The weeds 12 may be giant ragweed or any other undesirable plant. These weeds 12 are blocking sunlight from reaching the crop 10 and hampering growth, due to their growth above the crop canopy. To remedy this situation, the first embodiment 100 of a crop canopy gleaner vehicle is provided. A cutting mechanism 102 of the vehicle 100 is adjusted to an appropriate height, allowing a chassis 104 of the vehicle and the cutting mechanism to pass above the canopy level of the crop 10. The vehicle 100 has a sufficiently wide base such that the wheels 106 of the vehicle 100 traverse in between rows of the crop 10. As the vehicle 100 advances (from left to right in Fig.1 ), the cutting mechanism 102 chops the invasive weeds 12 at the height set by the user and leaves undisturbed crops 10 in the vehicle’s wake.

Sunlight may now reach the undisturbed crops 10 and countless time and money are saved in the process. In this embodiment 100, the chassis 104 is preferably built sufficiently high enough above the ground that no adjustment of chassis height is required. In this embodiment 100, the chassis 104 is effectively a conventional farm vehicle with an internal combustion engine that drives the wheels 106 and, by means of a hydraulic system, operates the cutting mechanism 102.

[0016] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, side and top perspective views of another embodiment 200 are depicted. In this embodiment 200, the vehicle has a pair of front wheels 206, each of which is powered by a hydraulic motor 212. Because of the hydraulic motors 212, no axle connects the wheels and each wheel is driven

independently. This allows the height of the vehicle 200 to be adjusted to raise the bottom of chassis 204 above the crop height, so various height adjustments 214 are shown. It also allows guidance of the vehicle 200 by differential power to the wheels receiving drive power. In this embodiment, the cutting mechanism 222 is fixed statically to the chassis, and the proper height is determined by a lowering and raising of wheels 206. Each front wheel 206 may be arranged so the side-view of the strut 207 to which the wheel is attached is perpendicular with the ground, allowing the highest cutting setting. Angular movement of the strut 207 allows the front wheel 206 to be positioned at various angles to reduce the overall height of the vehicle 200 and allow for different cutting heights 214. The single back wheel 216 may also be attached to a hydraulic mount 218 such that both front and back wheels 206, 216 can be adjusted in tandem to keep the chassis 204 of the vehicle substantially parallel with the ground. In certain embodiments, a weight 220 may be added to the back of the chassis 204 to

counterbalance the weight of the cutting mechanism 222 located at the front of the chassis. Although a hydraulic mount is depicted to change the height of the cutting mechanism 222, any other means for raising and lowering the vehicle may be employed. Instead of having the wheels move from the hydraulic mount to change the cutting height, the cutting mechanism 222 may be connected to the hydraulic mount or other means of raising and lowering the cutting mechanism while the wheel positions remain constant on the vehicle.

[0017] In this embodiment, the cutting mechanism 222 may apply an upward rotational cutting force to the weeds. This upward, rotational force may carry the weeds above the cutting mechanism in a scooping manner to allow the weeds to fall into a collection basin or bag 224 located behind it and underneath the chassis. All operational controls 226 are positioned at an easily accessible location relative to the operator’s seat 228. These may readily be replaced with electronic processors to allow autonomous operation, which may be important as it significantly can reduce the overall weight borne by the device. Located behind the operator’s seat 228 may be any necessary components 230 essential to providing operative power, including but not limited to or limited by, an engine, radiator, and oil cooler.

[0018] A shield 232 may be located near the cutting mechanism to prevent errant displacement of cut material. The vehicle will also have a sufficiently wide base such that the entire crop row 234 may pass underneath it unscathed. In this embodiment the single back wheel 216 may pass over crops but damage will be minimized due to the narrow size of the wheel.

[0019] Referring to Fig. 4, another embodiment 300 of the invention is depicted. In this embodiment, the cutting mechanism 302, which is located at the front end of the intended direction of travel, may rotate to provide a downward cutting force to the weeds. Cutting mechanism 302 is attached to the chassis 304, which has wheels 306. The lifting mechanism 312 may also be in connection with the cutting mechanism 302 to adjust the height at which the weeds are cut. Beneath the cutting mechanism 302 is a collection device 314 where the weeds will land after being cut. The collection device 314 may then move the weeds to a storage basin or tote 316 by conveyor, suction, fans, or any other weed-movement means. This embodiment may also contain a location in the back 318 of the vehicle to empty the storage basin or tote 316. Internal to the chassis 304 is a means for driving the wheels, preferably a means for providing hydraulic power to the wheels 306 and the cutting mechanism 302. The power could be provided by a battery-powered electric motor or an internal combustion engine. Notably, there is no provision for a driver compartment in embodiment 300. This embodiment 300 is anticipated to be an autonomous vehicle, with drive power being applied individually to at least the two rear wheels, although some versions could have drive power applied to all four wheels. Although no crops are shown in Fig 4 to allow comparison, the base of the chassis 304 will be sufficiently high for it to clear the canopy of the crop. Adjustability of the base height of the chassis 304, while desirable, is not required and, in some embodiments, the base height may be fixed. [0020] Referring to FIG. 5, a perspective view of another embodiment 400 is depicted. This embodiment 400 may be operated by a user in a driver compartment 410 with all controls conveniently located within arm’s length. The invention may also utilize a separate mechanism 412 to guide the canopy to the cutting mechanism 414. This gleaning mechanism 412 and cutting mechanism 414 may be raised and lowered through connected bars 416 and an appropriate height adjusting mechanism, either in tandem or separately. This height adjustment may be used to accurately glean the top of the crop canopy leaving the crop below unscathed. The gleaning mechanism 412 may consist of rotating blunt blades to guide the canopy towards the cutting mechanism 414. This cutting mechanism 414 may employ its own rotating sharpened blades to cut the plant material after being guided by the gleaning mechanism. This cutting mechanism 414 may also contain serrated teeth moving side to side to effectuate a cut of the canopy. The gleaning mechanism 412 may also be used to properly position the plant material above the cutting mechanism 414. In doing so, the plant material will fall on top of the cutting mechanism 414, past the blades where a plant movement mechanism 418 will guide the cut plant material to the collection basin 420. The plant movement mechanism 418 may include a revolving conveyor, fans, suction, or any other means to move the plant material to the collection basin 420. Both the gleaning mechanism 412 and the cutting mechanism 414 may be removed. This embodiment depicts an alternative flail mower 422 mechanism that may be attached in the same manner as the gleaning or cutting mechanism. This flail mower 422 may be advantage to chop up cut plant material into smaller pieces allowing for quicker decomposition, resulting in more nutrients provided to the soil quicker. When the flail mower 422 is attached, the plant movement mechanism 418 may be disabled by the user if the purpose is to naturally allow the chopped canopy to become organic fertilizer. As the flail mower 422 may be adjusted by the connected bars 416, the flail mower 422 may be advantageous to grind all remaining plant matter to begin decomposing faster. The height may be set to ground level and the entire field can efficiently be chopped providing better soil structure and nutrients for next year’s crops.

[0021] Any embodiment of the present invention may include any of the optional or exemplary features of the other embodiments of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention so that others skilled in the art may practice the invention. Having shown and described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will realize that many variations and modifications may be made to the described invention. Many of those variations and modifications will provide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimed invention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention only as indicated by the scope of the claims.