Dirt removal and piling machine

Abstract

A dirt removal and piling machine is ideally suited for use in cleaning and piling individualized and non-uniformly shaped workpieces, preferably sugar beets but also potatoes, other tuber crops, and even with aggregate rocks for a tilting receiving station. A further aspect of the present machine includes a workpiece unloading or receiving station which can tip sideways after a dump truck unloads the workpieces and longitudinally drives therethrough. In another aspect, the machine also includes a cleaning station having rotatable rollers, an underlying dirt conveyor and a moveable dirt dumping conveyor, hopper or bucket adjacent an end of the dirt conveyor and external to the rollers. Furthermore, another aspect of the machine includes an automatic and/or robotic sampling arm which is operable to remove a tuber crop workpiece sample and automatically package the sample after the sample has moved through a cleaning station.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A dirt removal and piling machine comprising:
 (a) a workpiece-receiving station comprising:
 at least one end ramp aligned along a longitudinal dump truck-movement direction, and a bed elongated along the dump truck-movement direction; 
 sidewalls upstanding from inboard and outboard edges of the bed; 
 an actuator operably tilting the bed about at least an inboard and horizontal axis which is substantially parallel to the dump truck-movement direction; and 
   (b) a workpiece-cleaning station located inboard of the bed, the cleaning station comprising workpiece-contacting rollers.   
     
     
         2 . The machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a dirt transporter including a stationary frame and a moveable section coupled to the frame, the dirt transporter being capable of receiving dirt removed from workpieces in the cleaning station, and transporting the dirt to a remote location. 
     
     
         3 . The machine of  claim 2 , being configured to allow a vehicular trailer to dump the workpieces and dirt at the receiving station, and the trailer receives the dirt from the transporter at the remote location after the dirt is separated from the workpieces; and
 the moveable section of the dirt transporter comprising an elongated conveyor which includes a substantially horizontal segment located below at least a portion of the cleaning station, and the conveyor of the dirt transporter including a diagonally raised segment spanning between the horizontal segment and the trailer.   
     
     
         4 . The machine of  claim 2 , being configured to allow a vehicular trailer to dump the workpieces and dirt at the receiving station, and the trailer receives the dirt from the transporter at the remote location after the dirt is separated from its workpieces; and
 the moveable section of the dirt transporter comprising a hopper which is rotatable and liftable to dump the dirt into a top of the trailer.   
     
     
         5 . The machine of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one mobile piling conveyor capable of receiving workpieces cleaned by the cleaning station and piling the workpieces, a raised end of the piling conveyor being rotatable about a vertical pivot axis adjacent a lower end to allow piling of the workpieces in a continuous top view arc on the ground. 
     
     
         6 . The machine of  claim 5 , wherein the at least one piling conveyor includes at least three mobile piling conveyors at least one of which is rotatable about its axis, each of the at least three of the piling conveyors having a diagonally raised distal end which overlaps a lower proximal end of the adjacent piling conveyor, and at least one of the piling conveyors being telescopic. 
     
     
         7 . The machine of  claim 1 , wherein the rollers of the cleaning station comprise spaced apart and parallel rollers, at least a majority of the rollers each including a spiral flighting to longitudinally move workpieces between outboard ends thereof while rotating the workpieces. 
     
     
         8 . The machine of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a piling conveyor;   a discharge transporter; and   some of the rollers of the cleaning station rotate in an opposite direction from others of the rollers to first move the workpieces toward the outboard ends and subsequently move the workpieces toward a centerline of the cleaning station where the discharge transporter moves the cleaned workpieces to the piling conveyor.   
     
     
         9 . The machine of  claim 1 , further comprising tuberous crops received directly on the bed of the receiving station and dirt being removed from the tuberous crops in the cleaning station through rotation of the tuberous crops. 
     
     
         10 . The machine of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a piling conveyor transporting the cleaned tuberous crops from the cleaning station and piling the tuberous crops on the ground;   the rollers of the cleaning station being elongated in a direction substantially parallel to an elongation direction of the piling conveyor when the piling conveyor is centered, and the horizontal tilting axis of the bed being substantially parallel to the roller elongation direction; and   the tuberous crops being sugar beets.   
     
     
         11 . The machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a substantially horizontal feed conveyor table located between the receiving station and the cleaning station, the bed of the receiving station being capable of dumping tuberous crop workpieces onto the feed conveyor table for subsequent movement of the workpieces to the cleaning station in a direction substantially perpendicular to the bed tilting axis. 
     
     
         12 . The machine of  claim 1 , being configured to allow a first rear-opening dump trailer to unload first workpieces onto the bed while a second dump trailer receives its previously dumped dirt at a remote location, the previously dumped dirt having been removed from second workpieces cleaned in the cleaning station. 
     
     
         13 . The machine of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first scale coupled to the receiving station to weigh workpieces and dirt before the bed is tilted; and   a second scale weighing the dirt removed from the workpieces by the cleaning station.   
     
     
         14 . The machine of  claim 1 , wherein each of the receiving station and the cleaning station are modular and capable of being transported to another location. 
     
     
         15 . A dirt removal and piling machine comprising:
 (a) a tuberous crop-cleaner comprising rotating rollers capable of tumbling tuberous crops and removing dirt therefrom;   (b) a dirt-removal conveyor having an elongated section located below the rollers; and   (c) a dirt-transporter located adjacent a distal end of the dirt-removal conveyor, the dirt-transporter comprising a stationary frame and a moveable section coupled to the frame, and the dirt-transporter being capable of transporting and then dumping the dirt into a mobile trailer; and   (d) an elongated piling conveyor being capable of receiving the cleaned tuberous crops and piling them.   
     
     
         16 . The machine of  claim 15 , wherein at least a majority of the rollers of the cleaner each include a spiral flighting to longitudinally move tuberous crops between outboard ends thereof while rotating the tuberous crops, and the rollers of the cleaner being coupled to a stationary frame during the cleaning. 
     
     
         17 . The machine of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a discharge transporter; and   some of the rollers of the cleaner rotating in an opposite direction from others of the rollers to first move the tuberous crops toward the outboard ends and subsequently move the tuberous crops toward a centerline of the cleaning station where the discharge transporter moves the cleaned tuberous crops to the piling conveyor.   
     
     
         18 . The machine of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a moveable bed;   a substantially horizontal feed conveyor assembly located between the bed and the cleaner; and   the bed being capable of dumping the tuberous crops onto the feed conveyor assembly for subsequent movement of the tuberous crops to the cleaner in a direction substantially perpendicular to rotational axes of at least a majority of the rollers of the cleaner.   
     
     
         19 . The machine of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a first scale coupled to the bed to weigh the tuberous crops and the dirt before the bed is tilted; and   a second scale weighing the dirt removed from the tuberous crops.   
     
     
         20 . The machine of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a tuberous crop-receiving station;   a subterranean pit located below the receiving station; and   at least a portion of the cleaning station being located in the pit.   
     
     
         21 . The machine of  claim 20 , wherein there are at least two sets of the cleaner and the receiving station located adjacent to each other with vehicles being moveable into the receiving stations in substantially parallel directions. 
     
     
         22 . The machine of  claim 15 , comprising at least two additional mobile piling conveyors, each of the piling conveyors having a diagonally raised distal end which overlaps a lower proximal end of the adjacent piling conveyor, and at least one of the piling conveyors being telescopic. 
     
     
         23 . The machine of  claim 15 , wherein the moveable section of the dirt-transporter comprises a hopper which is rotatable and liftable to dump the dirt into a top of the trailer at a location remote from a crop-receiving station. 
     
     
         24 . The machine of  claim 15 , wherein the moveable section of the dirt-transporter comprises a diagonally raised dirt-removal conveyor moving the dirt from a section of the dirt-removal conveyor located below the rollers to the cleaner. 
     
     
         25 . The machine of  claim 15 , configured to allow a first dump trailer to unload a first group of the tuberous crops from a rear end thereof directly onto a moveable bed while a second dump trailer receives its previously dumped dirt which was removed from a second group of the tuberous crops cleaned in the cleaner;
 wherein the tuberous crops are sugar beets.   
     
     
         26 . The machine of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a sensor operably sensing when the trailer is in a desired location;   an actuator coupled to the dirt-transporter; and   the actuator automatically moving the dirt-transporter from a retracted position to an advanced unloading position when the sensor senses that the trailer is in the desired location.   
     
     
         27 . A dirt removal and piling machine comprising:
 (a) a tuberous crop-receiving station;   (b) a tuberous crop-cleaning station;   (c) a tuberous crop-sampling station including an automated and moveable sample capture chamber and an automated sample bagger; and   (d) an elongated piling conveyor;   the cleaning station being located downstream of the receiving station, the sampling chamber being located downstream of the cleaning station and the piling conveyor being located downstream of the cleaning station.   
     
     
         28 . The machine of  claim 27 , further comprising a dirt transporter capable of receiving dirt removed from workpieces in the cleaning station, and transporting the dirt to a remote location, at least a section of the dirt transporter being located below the cleaning station. 
     
     
         29 . The machine of  claim 27 , wherein the cleaning station comprises spaced apart and parallel rollers, at least a majority of the rollers each including a spiral flighting to longitudinally move tuberous crops between outboard ends thereof while rotating the tuberous crops. 
     
     
         30 . The machine of  claim 27 , further comprising a substantially horizontal feed conveyor located between the receiving station and the cleaning station, a bed of the receiving station being capable of dumping tuberous crops onto the feed conveyor for subsequent movement to the cleaning station. 
     
     
         31 . The machine of  claim 27 , wherein the sampling station is located between a pair of the cleaning stations. 
     
     
         32 . The machine of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 a first scale or load cell coupled to the receiving station operable to weigh tuberous crops and dirt therein; and   a second scale or load cell operable to weigh the dirt removed from the tuberous crops by the cleaning station.   
     
     
         33 . The machine of  claim 27 , wherein the sampling station comprises a robotic arm operable to capture at least one cleaned tuberous crop into the chamber. 
     
     
         34 . The machine of  claim 27 , wherein the chamber is automatically moved to align above the bagger and at least one cleaned tuberous crop is dropped from the chamber into a bag. 
     
     
         35 . The machine of  claim 27 , wherein the bagger automatically encloses at least one cleaned tuberous crop into a bag and labels the bag without manual intervention. 
     
     
         36 . A dirt removal and piling machine comprising:
 (a) at least one end wall, an elongated bed and sidewalls, the sidewalls upstanding from inboard and outboard edges of the bed, the end wall being moveable from an open position to a closed and upstanding position, and the bed operably rotating about its inboard edge;   (b) rotating rollers tumbling tuberous crops and removing dirt therefrom, at least some of the rollers including spiral threads longitudinally moving the tuberous crops while they are tumbled;   (c) a dirt-removal conveyor having a section located below the rollers;   (d) multiple mobile piling conveyors arranged in a serial manner moving the cleaned tuberous crops and piling the tuberous crops on the ground, a raised end of the at least one of piling conveyors being telescopic and being rotatable from side to side in a top view; and   (e) the tuberous crops being unloaded onto the bed in a different location from where the conveyed dirt is unloaded after cleaning.   
     
     
         37 . A method of using a dirt removal machine, the method comprising:
 (a) dumping intermixed crops and debris onto a moveable bed;   (b) moving the bed to transfer the crops and the debris to cleaning rollers;   (c) rotating the crops on the rollers to remove at least some of the debris;   (d) causing the debris to fall from the rollers onto a debris transporter; and   (e) causing the debris transporter to move the fallen debris to a trailer loading location different from the bed.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising:
 piling the crops, which are tuberous crops, on the ground after the rotating step; and   loading the fallen debris, which is dirt, into the trailer simultaneously with another portable trailer dumping its intermixed tuberous crops and dirt onto the bed.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising dropping the dumped crops from the bed into a below-ground pit where a least some of the cleaning rollers are located.