60 results about "Contour following" patented technology

An endless track assembly that mounts to a wheeled vehicle. The assembly provides 1) a track suspension having fixed or adjustable, independently biased sets of idler wheels to vary the track contour without affecting track tension, 2) an eccentric bearing housing at a drive sprocket controls track tension, 3) a contoured peripheral edge at the drive sprocket prevents ice and mud buildup, 4) rubber-coated, plastic idler wheels facilitate track movement, 5) a multi-vehicle compatible adapter mounting plate accommodates a variety of vehicles, 6) a rotation limited torsion coupler and / or rotation limiting coupler arms prevent track contact with the vehicle, 7) a locking steering arm coupler prevents loss of steering control, 8) shaped track lugs and channels clear and direct debris away from the track suspension and drive assembly, and 9) a center, spring biased coupling suspension stabilizes and enhances the contour following and load handling capabilities in the center region of the track. The improved suspension particularly supports sets of idler wheels in pivotal relation to the track support frame and resiliently biases a pre-tensioned rocker arm that links adjacent suspension arms mounted to the adjoining idler wheels. Suspension arm movement induces expansion and contraction of tension springs coupled to the rocker arms to augments shape changes at the track contact surface to optimize traction and steering control.

The invention discloses an inter-seedling weeding device and method, and relates to the technical field of agricultural machinery. The inter-seedling weeding device comprises a ground contour following device, a hoe blade lifting device, a tool setting device and a hoe blade device; and the ground contour following device comprises a contour wheel, a sliding plate, two sliding blocks, a spring and a cylindrical slide rail. The contour wheel and the hoe blade device are fixedly arranged on the sliding plate; and the sliding blocks are fixedly arranged on the sliding plate, and the sliding blocks and the spring are sleeved outside the cylindrical slide rail. The hoe blade lifting device comprises a second parallelogram mechanism and a second hydraulic cylinder, and the second hydraulic cylinder is arranged at the opposite sides or the adjacent sides of the second parallelogram mechanism. The tool setting device comprises a first parallelogram mechanism and a first hydraulic cylinder; and the first hydraulic cylinder is arranged on the opposite sides or the adjacent sides of the first parallelogram mechanism. According to the inter-seedling weeding device and method, disclosed by theinvention, the hoe blade can be protected and the seedling injuring rate during weeding can be reduced.

A scrubbing implement for cleaning a surface with contours is disclosed. The scrubbing implement includes a resilient base that includes a plurality of resilient fingers, each of which extend radially away from center of the base. A rigid cap comprises an inside upper end and a wider open lower end. The cap preferably includes a handle receiving means pivotally fixed to the cap for receiving a threaded end of an elongated handle. A flexible pad is included that comprises a cleaning surface on a lower side thereof. The pad has a peripheral lip forming an aperture in the pad for receiving the distal ends of each finger of the base. In use, the base is fixed to the cap with the attachment means. The flexible pad is fixed around the distal ends of the fingers such that the pad may be applied to the surface to scrub the surface. The fingers and flexible pad conform to the shape of the surface. An additional resilient base is provided such that with the fingers pressed firmly against the surface each of a plurality of central scrubbing nibs contacts the back side of the pad to reinforce the pad against the surface, thereby providing additional scrubbing force to the surface. An alternate embodiment having a rotational scrubbing surface driven by a motor is also disclosed.

A modular apparatus for supporting and guiding a tool such as an ultra-high pressure water jet along a work surface, including a contour following assembly attached to a motorized lift vehicle. The contour following assembly includes a gimbals assembly with an instrument or tool carriage assembly, a positioning assembly that urges the gimbals assembly and the instrument carriage against the surface, and, optionally, a hydraulic, mechanical, or pneumatic pressure system that applies pressure to the positioning assembly. A scissors lift, hydraulic lift, telescoping arm, or other suitable device raises and lowers the apparatus. In operation, the gimbals assembly and the positioning assembly cooperate to maintain the instrument carriage in a user-selected position with respect to a work surface such as a ship hull, aircraft fuselage, storage tank, or the like. Depending on the type of tool selected, the apparatus may be used for cleaning or stripping surface coatings, buffing, painting, washing, and so forth. The apparatus is mobile, compact, cost-effective, and can be operated by a single operator.

A rotary mower for cutting vegetation including grass, brush and the like, and more particularly to a rotary ditch mower having a main body and extension wings or side sections supporting a number of cutting blades. The main body and extension wings are supported by contour following ground wheels and the main body also foldably supports the extension wings which may be inclined relative to the main body. The mower is also provided with a hitch pole for pull behind connection with a tractor and an articulation mechanism of the main body and extension wings for adjustment of cutting height over varying terrain during cutting operations as well as for raising the extension wings to a transport position and for raising the mower to a substantially vertical position, i.e., the main body and extension wings raised perpendicular with respect to the ground to facilitate servicing and maintenance of the mower.

The present invention is directed to an automated system that includes a hi-resolution three-dimensional imaging apparatus for topographic modeling that is electronically coupled with a computer. The system incorporates one or more algorithms for converting the complex and randomly-occurring contours found in natural terrain into an efficient series of adjacent and parallel coloring-agent imaging paths or swaths (comprised of inks, dyes, paints, and / or pigments). The swaths are defined in simplified 2-axis surface contour-following printer-head movements by the system's CPU, printer driver software, driver circuitry and / or logic circuitry. This multi-axis control of the system assures that each of the swaths are seamlessly rendered next to one another while also maintaining an optimal proximity between the upper surface of the 3D model and the nozzle end of one or more hi-resolution printer. A single coloring-agent such as black ink, may be used solely, or in combination with a plurality of colors such as a Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black or “CMYK” combination. The system also incorporates algorithms for applying accurately registered indicia of a prescribed color, or colors, onto the surface of models including man-made boundaries such as property lines, easements, right-of-ways, land-development features; naturally occurring boundaries such as ridges and flow-lines, bodies of water, lakes, lake-beds, rivers, river-beds and forested areas including tree varieties; lettering including the accommodation of a variety of fonts; graphical embellishments; and cartographic elements.

The invention provides a high-efficiency crawler-type pick-up baler and a bale automatic stacking system thereof. The system mainly comprises a straw pick-up stubble harvesting device, a continuous delivery pre-pressing device, a lower-feeding compression baling device, a bale delivery arrangement device, a bale stacking device, a walking device and a counting control system, wherein the straw pick-up stubble harvesting device has ground-contour-following and high stubble harvesting capacities, can realize automatic matching of pick-up tracks, cutting tracks and mechanical forwarding speeds, and has excellent pick-up and stubble cutting performance; the continuous delivery pre-pressing device has negative-pressure inspiratory lifting straw delivery performance, and can realize straw continuous delivery and primary compression to avoid straws from plugging in a compression chamber; and the counting control system is used for calculating the number of bales discharged from the compression chamber, and controlling the bale delivery arrangement device and the bale stacking device, so that automatic bale delivery, propelling and stacking can be realized, manual secondary conveying is avoided, and the operation efficiency of machines can be remarkably improved.

A shaving device includes cooperating hair cutting elements and a driver for driving the hair cutting elements. The shaving device is configured to allow for automatic contour following during its application on the skin of a user. At least one cutting element is pivotably arranged in the shaving device, wherein a pivot axis intersects at least one position where the cutting element is contacted by a driving member for imposing reciprocating movement on the cutting element.

A shaving head includes at least one cutting unit in which an external cutting member is subjected to a shaving action. The external cutting member is suspended relative to a holder of the shaving head through suspension means. The suspension means includes at least two pivot constructions, wherein one pivot construction enables a member of the suspension means to be pivotable relative to the holder. The other pivot construction enables the external cutting member to be pivotable relative to the suspension member. Furthermore, a pivoting stiffness of a connection of the latter pivot construction is lower than a pivoting stiffness of the first pivot construction. In this manner, good contour following performance is obtained at two levels, in both relatively small and relatively large curvature changing areas.

A shaving head includes at least one cutting unit in which an external cutting member is subjected to a shaving action. The external cutting member is suspended relative to a holder of the shaving head through suspension means. The suspension means includes at least two pivot constructions, wherein one pivot construction enables a member of the suspension means to be pivotable relative to the holder. The other pivot construction enables the external cutting member to be pivotable relative to the suspension member. Furthermore, a pivoting stiffness of a connection of the latter pivot construction is lower than a pivoting stiffness of the first pivot construction. In this manner, good contour following performance is obtained at two levels, in both relatively small and relatively large curvature changing areas.

A multi-row agricultural soil treatment implement includes a semi-trailed carriage and a rearward folding toolbar. The toolbar is suspended from the semi-trailed carriage through parallel links and includes a center section, flex hinges, main wings, main wing latches, and outer flip wings operatively connected to hydraulic cylinders to move them between transport and field position. The main wings fold rearward relative to the center section and are supported by a transport rack but they retain the ability to pivot up or down as needed for ground contour following capability or row end turning.

A contour-following loin puller for separating the loin from the belly through the finger lean. The contour-following loin puller follows the contour of the surface rib line through at least one rib height sensor and positions the z-blade relative to the surface rib line. The contour-following loin puller offers the ability to greatly increase yield by automating the separation of the loin and the belly to produce finger lean even on thin, soft or nearly frozen product which is very difficult to manipulate manually.