Title of Invention

A SELF PROPELLING CHOPPER TYPE HARVESTER FOR HARVESTING SUGAR CANE

Abstract

A chopper cane harvester for harvesting cane from a cane field including fallen cane stalks is disclosed. The harvester includes a harvester frame, a plurality of rotating drivers for supporting the harvester frame while moving the harvester through the cane field having a plurality of spaced apart furrows, and a drive engine for powering the rotating drivers. Also is provided a front guide mechanism for lifting , fallen and tilted cane stalks upwardly, a chopper assembly for enabling cane billets, a feeding conveyor for transferring cane billets to main conveyor; a main conveyor for conveying cane billets from the front receiving end to a rear cleaning end via a base cutter; a de-topping mechanism and a de-trashing mechanism within the main conveyor and skewed loader bottom sheet, and at the extraction end for cleaning leaves off the billets; and a discharge conveyor for discharging cleaned cane from the harvester to a alongside moving trolley/ truck etc..

Full Text

FORM-2 THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970) & THE PATENTS RULES, 2003 COMPLETE Specification (See section 10 and ruie 13) A SELF PROPELLING CHOPPER TYPE HARVESTER FOR HARVESTING SUGAR CANE (a) PRATAP RANE, an Indian National of 23 Yeshwant Nagar, Ganeshkhind Road, Rane Circle, Pune 411007, Maharashtra, India; (b) INDIAN COUNCIL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH an Indian registered body incorporated under the Registration of Societies Act 1860 of Krishi Bhavan, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi 110 001, India; and (c ) VASANTDADA SUGAR INSTITUTE an Indian Society registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 of Manjari (Bk), Tal.-Haveli, Dist.Pune 412 307, Maharashtra, India 15 MAY 2005 THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT iS TO BE PERFORMED. This invention relates to a self propelling chopper type harvester for harvesting sugar cane. Particularly, the present invention relates to cane harvesters and, more particularly, to a Chopper type harvester for harvesting tropical green sugar cane, and to an improved method for harvesting tropical sugar cane which includes semi-erect and heavily lodged and incumbent cane stalks. The chopper harvester is designed particularly suitable for Indian field conditions. Harvesting of sugar cane is done manually in India. In India cent per cent cutting is done by manual labourers using conventional types of knives. Harvesting of sugar cane involves cutting, de-topping, de-trashing , bundling and transportation to sugar factory . In India harvesting of sugarcane is carried out either by contract labour hired by the sugar factories or by farmer's own workers. Harvesting manually is a very laborious job. In manual harvesting the farmhand has to kneel down and hold the sugar cane with one hand and chop the cane at the bottom (generally above ground level) with a knife using the other hand . Once the cane is cut, it is held in one hand and the dried leaves on the cane stem are removed with the help of the non - cutting edge of the knife (referred to as the de-trashing operation ) . For this operation the knife has to be moved at least twice along the entire length of the cane and on opposite sides of the cane. After the dried leaves are removed de-topping is done i.e. chopping off the green top portion with the knife . In case -the cane height is more than 9 feet then added operations are required to remove further dried 2 leaves. The cane stalk is generally cut into two pieces with each piece in the range from 4 to 6 feet. The cut cane is bundled by using two numbers of green tops. Each bundle consist of about 10- 20 canes depending upon the size and weight of the canes. The bundled cane is then transported manually to a loading point . On arrival of the truck / trailer / special bullock cart and the like , the bundled cane is then manually loaded. In order to load more amount of harvested cane in a trolley/truck some cane bundles are further cut into 3 feet length. The green top that is used for binding the bundle is cut loose so that the canes spread evenly while loading. Once the loading is complete the vehicle transports these canes to the sugar factory . Internationally, in some countries in the recent past sugar cane was conventionally harvested by manually first burning the cane to remove the leaves, then hand cutting and piling the cane, and finally mechanical grab loading the piled cane into a transport vehicle. However this practice has been discarded due to pollution related problems arising out of burning the cane. When a cane field that has not been burned (green cane) is cut by hand, as in countries like India and South Africa, the output of cut and piled cane is only approximately one-third of that which is achievable by mechanized cutting of burned cane. Therefore, the cost of hand cutting green cane is higher for most applications. As the economies of sugar cane producing areas improves, hand labour for cutting cane becomes difficult to justify as the cost of labour increases. Accordingly, mechanical cane harvesters are being increasingly used to supplement and replace the vanishing hand cutters. 3 There are two basic types of machines for mechanically harvesting cane: (1) a chopper harvester and a whole stalk harvester. WHOLE STALK HARVESTERS: these machines are relatively smaller in size and cheaper than chopper harvesters. These machines keep the stalk of the cane intact and do to not chop the cane into small pieces. De-topping by these machines are not suitable for farmers as it shreds the green tops . For de-topping to be used as cattle feed the de-topped portion should remain intact and not shredded. A whole stalk harvester is used for harvesting erect cane, and takes the erect cane into a center carrier where the cane is conveyed through the body of the harvester while remaining vertical. While the cane is erect in the field, the tops of the cane are removed and the cane is base cut at ground level. However present day whole cane harvesters are not suitable for harvesting lodged cane. If the cane is not standing erect, one type of harvester the front end lifts the cane to an erect position prior to the cane entering the center carrier for progressing through the harvester in the erect position. The cane is thus lifted into the centre carrier and, while held by the centre carrier, is topped, base cut, and passed through the carrier in the body of the harvester. After being carried in its vertical position through at least a portion of the body of the harvester, the cane is piled in one or multiple row heaps, where the cane is later conventionally burned to remove the dead leaves on the milleable cane stalks. The cut cane is loaded whole stalk into transporters by grab loaders. However lodged cane cannot be harvested easily by whole cane harvesters especially when the cane stems are bent. 4 While the whole stalk harvester works quite efficiently in conditions where cane varieties allow the cane to be easily moved to an erect position without burning, the soldier harvester does not work as well in cane fields where the row spacing is less than 5 ft. 6 inches wide, or where burning of the cane on the ground is not done. Since the cane is transversely piled whole stalk, a large row spacing is desired to stack the relatively long whole cane stalks. CHOPPER HARVESTERS : chop the sugar cane into small pieces and load directly onto a truck moving alongside the harvester . These machines are huge and very heavy and are very costly. These machines are not at all suitable for small fields. The sugar cane green topping are shredded and not kept intact, hence it cannot be used as cattle feed . Moreover the loading system at sugar factories in India and other countries do not facilitate loading of chopped cane (small pieces). Conventional tropical cane chopper harvesters are characterized by their bottom first feeding of the cane stalks into the mouth of the harvester. This is followed by a chopper cleaning mechanism which cuts the passing cane and leaves into short pieces. A forced air current is used to remove the free leaves. The chopped cane is conventionally passed through a side loading conveyor and loaded directly into the transport vehicle or the articulated loaders. While a conventional bottom first chopper harvester works reasonably well in a burned cane field where most of the cane is erect, it has more difficulty 5 working in a green, unburned cane field, and also has difficulty working a field with much of the cane in a semi-erect or lodged condition. Those familiar with cane harvesting operations recognize that as the yield per area of harvested cane increases, more of the cane is fallen and is either semi-erect or lodged, and less of the cane remains erect. While chopper harvesters theoretically are designed to work in green cane fields where cane varieties result in a high yield with more cane stalks being semi-erect or lodged, conventional chopper harvesters are not suitable for harvesting green cane, and instead such cane is harvested predominantly from burned cane fields, however combined chopper harvesters are now available which harvest green cane. Burning standing cane in the field removes most of the leaves, thereby facilitating harvesting of the cane without the harvester becoming plugged with material as it moves through the field. Cane burning is environmentally undesirable, however, since clouds of ash from a burnt field may drift over residential areas, thereby making breathing difficult and creating a significant nuisance by covering furniture, and outdoor plants with a layer of ash. Those familiar with processing cane have long recognized that burning the trash in the cane field has a significant and undesirable effect upon the amount and quality of the sugar produced from the cane. From a cane-processing standpoint, cane should desirably be brought to the processing plant whole stock and green, with little dirt and cane leaf or top matter. Conventional chopper harvesters which operate in burned cane fields cut the 6 stalks of cane into billets which are typically from eight to ten inches long, thus increasing the likelihood that at least some of the sugar in the cane stalk adjacent the end cuts will become lost or will decompose before processing. Even when harvesting burned cane, conventional bottom first chopper harvesters have the following problems when the cane is semi-erect or lodged: (1) the inability to remove tops from the cane; (2) the inability to base cut cane efficiently and cleanly; (3) substantial damage to the field and to the planted cane as a result of harvester operations, resulting in future crop yield losses and requiring manual replanting of a higher percentage of total cane area; and (4) substantial harvesting costs due to low production rates and high initial costs of conventional single-row, bottom first chopper harvesters. Due to the above problems, the overall cost of mechanical harvesting cane can be higher than a reasonable hand cutting operation. When a chopper harvester attempts to harvest green cane, each of the problems mentioned above for the chopper harvester becomes more pronounced. A primary problem for harvesters working in green cane field is the abundance of leaves on the cane and also loose trash that is fallen in the furrows. This effects the harvester in two distinct places, namely the front end of the harvester and the body of the harvester. The front end of the harvester must allow the harvester to move through fallen down and windblown green cane in a continuous fashion without choking the cane prior to feeding the cane into the harvester. While conventional bottom first chopper harvesters may move reasonably well through some burned cane fields, bottom first chopper harvesters typically encounter extreme difficulty in green fields 7 because of the abundance of cane leaves at the front end of the harvester. Moreover, once cane is in the body of a harvester, the harvester must clean the cane without choking by first removing the leaves from the cane stalks and then removing the leaves from the body of the harvester. Conventional harvesters do not have adequate mechanical devices to separate the leaves from the cane stalks while the green cane passes through the harvester. More particularly, conventional chopper harvesters have a de-topping mechanism that is far out in front of the cane intake into the body of the harvester and is operationally independent of the crop divider scrolls. Conventional crop dividers cannot therefore lift and feed much of the semi-erect or lodged cane into the topping mechanism. If tops are not efficiently removed at the front end before they enter the mouth or intake of a harvester, the body of the harvester must then accommodate this extraneous material, which becomes particularly difficult in wet conditions. Conventional bottom first chopper harvesters remove leaves from the cane within the harvester by chopping simultaneously through both the cane and leaves. Conventional chopper harvesters blow away free cut leaves, but cannot blow away that part of the leaf which is still attached to the stalk or is trapped by the passing cane. Therefore, the cleaning efficiency of a conventional chopper harvester becomes a function of how short the cane billets are cut. As cane billets are shortened in length, the cane is cleaner. However, shorter billets result in more juice loss and juice deterioration adjacent the many cut ends. 8 Also, more pieces of good millable cane get sucked out of the harvester with the leaves. The above machines do not de-top and de-trash the sugar cane according to Indian conditions. Both these machines require sugar cane furrows ( rows) spacing of 1.5 meters .While in India generally the row spacing is approximately 1 meter . Hence these machines cannot be used in our fields . Also these machines require bigger turning radius . Most of the land holdings in India are very small and range between 0.05 to 0.5 hectares . The chopper machines are generally very heavy above 12 tons. The disadvantages of the prior art of mechanical harvesters are overcome by the present invention. An improved chopper type harvester is hereafter disclosed suitable for harvesting tropical cane. Most importantly, the harvester of the present invention is able to move efficiently through unburned or green tropical cane fields with semi-erect or lodged/heavily lodged cane or incumbent cane, and outputs cane which may be more efficiently used by the cane processing facility. This invention seeks to remove the limitation of the aforesaid mechanized harvester and also eliminate the problems and inefficiencies associated with manual harvesting techniques. The sugar cane harvester in accordance with this invention is specifically designed and developed to suit Indian sugar cane fields , i.e. it suits small and big fields, moreover it can work for furrow spacing ranging between 0.750 to 1 meter. 9 This harvester performs all three operation such as base cutting, De-topping the green portion and de-trashing i.e. removing dried leaves . All these operations are carried out in one continuous operation during harvesting . An additional operation of shredding of dried leaves is also carried out which is beneficial to the farmer as it will convert into manure and also burning of sugar cane field after harvesting is eliminated i .e. pollution due to burning of dried leaves in fields is eliminated. Basically, the manual method of harvesting is completely replaced by this machine. This machine is a self propelling machine using two numbers diesel engines coupled with hydraulic pumps . All the hydraulic motors required for the above operations derive its power from the hydraulic pumps driven by diesel engines. A specially designed helical gear box with oil sump is used for continuous use without much heating and to facilitate power distribution for various hydraulic pumps. Both the diesel engines are mounted on the chassis. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The chopper harvester of the present invention is particularly well suited for harvesting cane which includes semi-erect and lodged cane stalks, incumbent cane common to high yield varieties of tropical sugar cane. The harvester is particularly designed for harvesting green cane. The chopper harvester cuts cane into billets of length ranging from 8 to 24 inches. The harvester is highly efficient at removing most of the valuable cane from the field, and is capable of delivering clean, green cut cane into billets form to the mill. A powerful air suction blower is used which extracts the loose cane trash and cuts it into small pieces and deposited in a manner which promotes new cane growth after 10 harvesting. The cut cane billets are carried along a conveyor towards the extractor. The bottom sheet of this conveyor is perforated so as to facilitate removal of loose residual dirt from the cane. When harvesting tropical cane, high production per area is realized, environmental problems associated with burning cane may be eliminated. It is essential that the cane billets be sent to the mill as early as possible to reduce losses. Ideally the cane billets should be crushed between 6 to 12 hours depending on the ambient temperature. SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE OF CHOPPER HARVESTER in accordance with this invention. Two row harvester (90 cm to 100 cm spacing) or (5 feet spacing single row). The present invention cuts two rows of 90 to 100 cms. spacing at one time which is specially suitable for Indian field conditions as majority of the cane fields have this row spacing. The field in India are of shorter length and hence cutting two rows in one pass saves on turning time at the end of each pass. In Indian field conditions most of the canes that are not erect can be grouped into two catogories: a) Lodged cane- the stem of the cane is almost straight but the cane is lodged, i.e. not erect, may be tilted 3Q to 70 degrees with respect to the vertical axis. b) Incumbent cane: In those regions where there is high yield (tonnage/ha) the canes are generally heavily lodged. These cane stem are found to be bent and due to the the extra length and weight of the stem they are tilted and take support from the field surface. The length of these stem are generally more than 9 feet and are generally found to rest along the 11 field surface not particularly in any one direction. This direction may vary from row to row or field to field basis. There is heavy weeding generally in these types of fields. c) Most chopper harvesters can harvest lodged (type a) cane but have great difficulty in harvesting Incumbent (type b ) cane and this is overcome in the present invention. In India (tropica region) the general practice is to harvest: 1) the first cane crop after plantation 2) the 2nd ratton crop 3) the 3 rattoon crop Generally the 2nd and 3rd crop poses a great challenge for harvesting by mechanized harvesting. During the second and 3rd crop the furrow condition is very poor and heavy weeding is present in the fields. The cane is incumbent cane with the cane stem being curved at the top. This curved position at the top many a times clogs the conveyor system in whole cane harvester and does not feed into the intake system of general combine harvesters. Hence for such cane fields it becomes extremely important that the cane is cut into billets at the intake system i.e. at the mouth of the harvester. The present invention takes care of the heavy bent cane by chopping the canes at the mouth of the harvester. Twin engines are used for fuel economy . One number engine is used for traction and as auxiliary supply for low power hydraulic circuit. The second engine is used for high power hydraulic circuit. Since our fields are of shorter 12 length and 20 feet clear headland is not maintained as a practice the turning time required is quite high. During this turning time the (hydraulic) second engine may be shut down or kept at idling speed . At idling speed the fuel consumption is minimum. While moving from one field to the other the second engine (hydraulic) is shut down and only the traction engine is kept running. Both the above conditions reduce fuel intake. A Hydrostatic transmission system is used as it is most suitable for harvesting. A special De-topping mechanism is designed for increasing the percentage of green top recoverable. A special circuit which enables two speed option i.e. high speed on tar road and low speed & high torque in heavy field conditions . Chopper & Ground cutter are reversible , this feature is specially designed to de-weed the weed wound round the rotating cutters. Skewed loader 180° for harvesting in both directions. Central cabin is centrally located for better visibility height of cabin top from ground level is kept at 13 feet which is required as in India telephone and other cables are generally at about 14 feet from ground level. Air conditioned cabin for operator comfort considering our ambient conditions. Separate hydraulic oil tanks are used for Traction & Hydraulic system. Since Indian ambient temperatures are high the hydraulic oil gets heated up after a 13 few hours of operation specially during the day. Two separate coolers are also provided for cooling the hydraulic oil. Heavy-duty extractor (blower) which extracts the loose leaves and also shreds the leaves. These shredded leaves spread evenly on the field and can decompose and is helpful for the growth of cane. Hydraulic power steering is designed for ease of operation and facilitates turning in small fields . According to this invention there is provided a chopper cane harvester for harvesting cane from a cane field including fallen cane stalks and incumbent cane, the harvester including a harvester frame, a plurality of rotating drivers and mechanisms for supporting the harvester frame while moving the harvester through the cane field having a plurality of spaced apart furrows, and two engines for powering the rotating drivers and various mechanisms, the cane harvester further comprising: a de-topping mechanism for de-topping the cane stalks; a side cutter assembly for trimming adjacent furrow heavily lodged cane tops which may come across the current furrow canes being cut. a front rotating guide mechanism for lifting , fallen and tilted cane stalks upwardly and for supporting the cane stalks along substantially a center path as the harvester moves toward the supported cane stalks and pushing (two sets of pushers are provided) the cane in front and at the same time feeding the cane stalks to the chopper assembly after base cutting; a pair of base cutters for cutting base of the cane stalks; a chopper assembly for chopping the cane 14 a feeding conveyor for receiving chopped cane (billets) and feeding the billets to the main slat conveyor; a main slat conveyor having slats spaced at 6 inches for conveying the billets along the conveyor positively from the front receiving end to a rear loose leaves extraction end; a partial trash loosening mechanism within the main conveyor base support sheet which consist of perforated sheet. The edges of perforation are specially punched with knife like cutting edge and hardened . The billets while traversing along the main conveyor towards the rear end rub against the sharp edges of the perforations which facilitate loosening of the leaves and are pushed into the extractor; and a primary extractor which is a specially designed impeller for extracting the loose leaves from the billets and also the loose leaves which come along with the cane billets. These billets less a large percentage of loose leaves are dropped into a skewed loader; a skewed loader which consists of a large bowl for collecting the cane billets falling of the main conveyor discharge end. The main conveyor discharge end is kept at about 3 to 6 feet from the collecting bowl. During this free drop the billets which are heavy fall into the collecting bowl , while the light weight leaves are extracted by the primary extractor. Skewed conveyor moves the billets upward along by means of a slat conveyor to the lifted end which is the discharge end to facilitate loading into alongside traversing trolley/truck/bullock cart/tipper trolleys etc.; a secondary extractor located at the discharge end of the skewed loader for further extracting loose leaves is provided to further remove loose trash which come along with the billets. 15 Typically, the front rotating guide comprises a plurality of powered rotable continuous mild steel pipes loops on a cone, the transverse spacing between the loops being restricted to support the cane stalks there between. Typically, the pipe loops are attached spirally to the loops for enabling the cane to be guided to the feed conveyor along a spiral pipe. The loops are advantageously fitted on the cones for assisting in making erect the fallen cane. In accordance with a preferred embodiment the loops along with the cone are capable of up and down movement for enabling the shoes to follow the contour of a furrow, which bears the cane stalk. Shoes are fitted on the guides for easy penetration and to enable the shoes to make erect the fallen cane. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention a front guide speed control for regulating the speed of rotation of the front guides independently of the speed of the harvester moving through the cane field is provided. Preferably, the front rotating guides are conical in shape with the narrow portion facing the base of the cane stalk. In use, four front guides are provided consisting of outer guides and inner guides, the said outer guides for deflecting and erecting cane stalks of an adjacent furrow to ensure that only cane stalks borne in a selected two furrows (spacing 90 to 100 cms. or single furrow spacing 150 cms.) is cut and not of the adjacent furrow. The rotating drivers are typically provided in spaced apart sets and the distance separating a set of drivers within a set are adjustable for accommodating furrows of different widths. 16 The pusher assembly typically, comprises a plurality of plates fitted on a drum for pushing the cane stalks introduced by the front guides in the forward direction away from forward movement of the harvester. Two sets of pushers are provided , the second pushers helps in pushing the cut cane stalk to the chopper. The pusher speed control is provided for regulating the speed of rotation of the pushers independently of the forward speed of the harvester moving through the cane field. The base cutter includes a plurality of oppositely rotable circular plates having fitted thereon a plurality of blades , the plates being rotated by independent hydraulic motors, preferably, the base cutter assembly is vertically displaceable. Typically, the blades are fitted to the plate at an angle ranging from 5 to 20 degrees with respect to the ground along the direction of the furrows. The base cutter is mounted on two separate wheels axially attached adjustably to the harvester main frame, the wheels rotating on the cane field on either side of the furrow of cane stalks being harvested, the wheels following the ground contour. A special designed spring fitted allows the base cutter to float and glide over the soil thus reducing frictional losses and also following the furrow contour. A special designed cone is also fitted at the bottom center of the cutting disc which also reduces frictional losses and facilitates following the ground contour. A base cutter speed control for regulating the speed of rotation of the base cutter independently of the forward speed of the harvester moving through the cane field may also be provided. 17 The chopper consists of 1 to 4 sets of blades mounted each on two sets of rotating shafts. A helical gear box is used and the power source is supplied by a hydraulic motor. The rotational speed of the chopper may be adjustable. The length of the billets cut depend on the number of blade sets used on each shaft. The billet length shall vary between 8 to 32 inches depending upon the number of sets of blades fitted on each shaft and the speed of the shaft. The design also allows quick change over of the sets of blade used to get the desired billet length. The direction of rotation of blades is reversible so that at times when clogging of the chopper may occur the same can be removed easily by rotating in the reverse direction. Manual intervention is avoided and this saves time. The feeder conveyor consists of plurality of rotable drums with flat strips specially contoured to facilitate the conveying of billets on to the main conveyor. The drive for the feeder conveyor is taken from the chopper so that the speeds of both are synchronised for efficient traverse of the billets. The main conveyor consists of a plurality of rotatable continuous chain link slat conveyor with slats which enable cane billets to move from a front receiving end to a rear trash extraction end . In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the rotatable continuous chain of the main conveyor consists of a plurality of slats fitted on the chain at equal spacing. A main conveyor speed control for regulating the speed of rotation of the main conveyor independently of the speed of the harvester moving through the cane field is also provided. 18 The de-topping mechanism comprises: at least one power driven disc having a plurality of blades fitted thereon, the operative height of the rotating disc with respect to the ground being adjustable as per the cane height .The blades are fitted at an inclination of 10 to 20 degrees with respect to the disc for assisting the cane toppings to fall on either side of the harvester during the de-topping operation. The direction of rotation of blades is reversible so that at times when clogging of the de-topping mechanism may occur the same can be removed easily by rotating in the reverse direction. Manual intervention is avoided and this saves time. The de-topping mechanism is specially designed to keep the majority of the green tops intact as required for fodder for the cattle's. Shredding of the green tops are avoided which is desirable. A de-topping speed control for regulating the speed of rotation of the de-topping disc independently of the speed of the harvester moving through the cane field may also be provided. The direction of rotation of the de-topping disc is reversible as this enables harvesting from either end of the cane field. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, the extractor speed is changeable so that in case of some topping or part of toppings in the form of green tips are left uncut on the cane extremity, the same is extracted by the main extractor, the main de-topping mechanism. The de-trashing mechanism is in-built in the main conveyor and the skewed loader. A partial trash loosening mechanism within the main conveyor and skewed loader base support sheet which consist of perforated sheets. The edges of perforation are specially punched and hardened with knife like cutting edge. The billets while traversing along the main conveyor towards the 19 rear end rub against the sharp edges of the perforations which facilitate loosening of the leaves. The main extractor and the secondary extractor extract these loosened leaves. According to this invention there is provided a chopper cane harvester for harvesting cane from a cane field including fallen cane stalks, the harvester including a harvester frame, a plurality of rotating drivers and mechanisms for supporting the harvester frame while moving the harvester through the cane field having a plurality of spaced apart furrows, and two drive engines for powering the rotating drivers and various mechanisms, the cane harvester further comprising: a de-topping mechanism for de-topping the cane stalks; a front rotating guide mechanism for lifting , fallen and tilted cane stalks upwardly and for guiding the cane stalks along substantially a center-path as the harvester moves toward the supported cane stalks and pushing (two sets of pushers are provided) the cane in front and at the same time feeding the cane stalks to the chopper assembly after base cutting; a pair of base cutters for cutting base of the cane stalks; a chopper assembly for chopping the cane a feeding conveyor for receiving chopped cane ( billets) and feeding the billets to the main slat conveyor; a main slat conveyor having slats spaced at 6 inches for conveying the billets along the conveyor positively from the front receiving end to a rear loose leaves extraction end; a partial trash loosening mechanism within the main conveyor and the skewed loader base support sheets; 20 a primary extractor which is a specially designed impeller for extracting the loose trash from the billets and also the loose leaves which come along with the cane billets; a skewed loader which consists of a large bowl for collecting the cane billets falling of the main conveyor . Skewed conveyor moves the billets upward along by means of a slat conveyor to the lifted end which is the discharge end to facilitate loading into alongside traversing trolley/truck/bullock cart/tipper trolleys etc.; a secondary discharge extractor is provided to further remove loose trash which come along with the billets. 4 number camera's are so fitted which enables the operator to easily control the quality of harvesting and also increase the tonnage recoverable by base cutting cane at optimum level. Camera at four locations with a 14" colour screen is located inside the cabin. Camera #1: Cane base cutting and initial height setting of the cane base cutters . This enables setting of the base cutters at the optimum height ideally 25 to 50 mm below ground level. This portion of the cane has the maximum sugar content and also results in increased tonnage of harvested cane per hectare. Camera #2: Wide angle camera at rear facilitates good view of the actual harvested cane stubble height and also facilitates view of rear while reversing. Camera #3: Rear steering wheel actual position can be viewed which helps in in easily aligning the harvester front movement path as per the actual furrow path. In Indian field conditions sometimes the furrows are not in a straight line. Camera #4: Top of skewed loader so that the billets and some trash which are unloaded into the alongside moving trolley can be seen. In case more trash is 21 being discharged into the trolley then the operator can increase the RPM of the extractor and reduce trash level. The additional features for viewing are provided as follows: AUTOMODE: 4 camera views in sequence at fixed intervals. MANUAL MODE: only selected camera view can be seen. OPTIONAL MODE: All 4 camera views can be seen on one screen. A significant advantage of the invention is that semi-erect and lodged cane stalks are lifted prior to de-topping, and the stalks are substantially aligned such that de-topping may be more efficiently accomplished. The harvester is constructed such that the operator can easily see the topped cane and control the topping height. Fuel economy is a major advantage of this invention. Another significant advantage of the invention is that extraneous leafy material is removed from the cane stalks and is deposited in the field, after shredding, in a manner which promotes growth of new cane. These and further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, when reference is made to the figures in the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 represents a block diagram of the method of cane harvesting in accordance with this invention; Figure 2 is the side elevation of the machine in accordance with this invention; 22 Figure 3 is the front view of the machine of Figure 2. Figure 4 is the plan view of the machine of Figure 2. Figures 5a ,5b and 5c show the details of the de-topping mechanism for the machine of figure 2. Figure 6a and Figure 6b show details of the front guide for the machine of Figure 2; Figure 7 shows the pusher mechanism I and II for the machine of Figure 2. Figure 8a and Figure 8b shows the details of the base cutters for the machine of Figure 2. Figure 9a, 9b and 9c shows details of a chopper and the feed conveyor for the machine of Figure 2; Figures 10a, 10b and 10c shows the main conveyor in accordance with this invention; Figure 1 la, 1 lb and lie shows the skewed loader diagram for the machine of Figure 2. Figure 12a, 12b and 12c shows the slats and de-trashing ( leaf loosening) mechanism for main conveyor and skewed loader for the machine of Figure 2. Figure 13 shows the control block diagram for the machine of Figure 2. In the BLOCK DIAGRAM of the process steps in accordance with this invention is seen in the figure 1 of the accompanying drawing in which the following blocks represent the designated function mentioned alongside the blocks: 1. Aligning harvester machine along direction of furrow. 2. Tilted / fallen/semi-fallen cane made upright by rotating front guides 23 3. De-topping of cane 4. De-topping disposal on one side (ground ) 5. Cane pushed forward by Pusherl and fed onto Chopper with Pusher II. 6. Cane chopped into billets by chopper. 7. Billets fed onto main conveyor by feed conveyor. 8. Billets conveyed to main extractor by slat conveyor roller 9. Loose trash extracted by main extractor 10. Billets further conveyed via skewed loader 11 Loose trash extraction by secondary extractor 12 Shredding of the trash & disposal on ground by the primary extractor 13. Shredding of the trash & disposal on ground by the secondary extractors. 14. Collection of billets directly onto alongside moving trolley/ directly onto Bullock cart /truck/tipper trolley/special trolley 15. Moving tipper trolley to point of loading 16. Loading by special conveyor with additional extractors into Truck/ Tractor Trolley etc. 17. Loaded Truck/trolley driven to sugar factory 18. Manually lifting De-toppings (from harvested field/ground ) The sugarcane harvester designed and developed in accordance with this invention consist of the following major parts as can be seen in figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawing 24 Figure 2 is the side elevation of the machine in accordance with this invention whereas Figure 3 is the front view of the machine of Figure 2. Figure 4 is the plan view of the machine of Figure 2. The following numerical indications represent specific parts : Front Guides (4 nos.) Cane Pusher I and Pusher II Base cutters Chopper assembly Feed conveyor De- topping unit Main conveyor Primary extractor Skewed loader Secondary extractor Rear steering mechanism Hydro-motor with gear box for wheel drive Hydrostatic pump assembly Engine for traction and auxiliary hydraulic pump drives Engine for main hydraulic pumps Operator cabin Control Panel box Hydraulic oil cooling unit Traction oil cooling unit 10]) Front Guides : The main function of the front guides 10] are to make erect the tilted , fallen , semi-fallen canes . In use, four front guides as shown in Figure 3 are provided consisting of outer guides 10]a and 25 inner guides 101b, the said outer guides for deflecting and erecting cane stalks of an adjacent furrow to ensure that only cane stalks borne in selected furrows is cut and not of the adjacent furrows. As seen particularly in Figure 6a and 6b the front guide comprises a plurality of powered rotable continuous mild steel pipe loops 01 fitted on a cone 02 the transverse spacing between the loops being restricted to support the cane stalks there between. Typically, the metal pipes 01 are attached spirally to the cone 02 for enabling the cane to be guided upwards and feed onto the pusher I. The loops are advantageously fitted on the cones for assisting in making erect the fallen cane. A special abrasive coating 03 as shown in Figure 6c is given to the metal loop so as to enable loosening of leaves of the cane stalk which come in contact with it, thus enabling partial de-trashing of cane. In accordance with a preferred embodiment the loops along with the cone are capable of up and down movement, being mounted on a frame 04 fitted on a hinge 05 which connects the front guides to the main frame of the harvester for enabling the shoes 06 to follow the contour of a furrow, which bears the cane stalk. This movement is depicted schematically in Figure 6a and 6b by the straight arrow the curved arrow representing the rotational movement of the cone 02 as the harvester moves along the furrow 07 in the direction represented as shown. The front guides are provided with their independent hydraulic power source 08. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention a front guide speed control for regulating the speed of rotation of the front guides independently of the speed of the harvester moving through the cane field is provided as seen in the block diagram in Figure 13. 26 Preferably, the front guides are conical in shape with the narrow portion facing the base of the cane stalk. The metal pipes attached spirally to the guides also removes some portion of the dried leaves while rotating. These guides are given a rotational motion so that the cane gets guided from the bottom to the top of the guide along a spiral tube. These guides are conical in shape with the narrow portion at the bottom . Outer two guides 101a and 101b (Fig 3) are for erecting & pushing the cane of the adjacent furrow so that it does not come into the path of the machine so as to ensure that the cane of the furrow in question is cut only & not the canes from the adjacent furrows. Shoes 06 are provided to the guides so as to have easy penetration & assist in lifting fallen cane . A special feature of these guide assemblies is that the shoes 06 (Fig 6) along with the guides follow the furrow contour i. e they moves up and down as per the ground contour thus giving efficient fallen cane lifting performance . The hydraulic cylinders 09 as shown in Figure 6b is provided which enables lifting as well as lowering of the guide with respect to the ground as and when required especially during turning and low furrow heights. Side cutters 101 e as shown in Figure 6a and 6 b are provided for cutting/ trimming the cane tops of adjacent furrow which come in the path of the furrows being cut. (102 )Cane Pusher I (102a) and Pusher II (102b): The main function of Pusher I (102a) Fig 7 is to push the cane in the forward direction so as to facilitate the base cutter to cut the cane. This cut cane stalks are pushed by the pusher II (102b) into the chopper assembly. The Pusher I (102a) and Pusher II (102b) is shown in Figure 7. It has a special designed plate profile as seen in Figure 7, which enables canes leaning along the direction of the furrows 27 to be pushed and fed onto the chopper. The Pusher assembly typically, comprises a plurality of plates 10 with a special sine wave type contour 11 fitted on a shaft 12 . Four or more such plates are fitted on the shaft. The shaft is rotated by a hydraulic motor with individual drives for each pusher. A speed control is provided for regulating the speed of rotation of the Pusher I and II independently of the speed of the harvester moving through the cane field. A special plate with sharp edges is provided at the rear of both the Pushers. In Indian cane fields certain variety of weeds growth are seen which are thin and long and are very tough. These weeds wound round the rotating parts and clog the rotation. A special plate with sharp edges 13 are so advantageously fitted which cut these weeds as it wounds round the Pusher. 103) Cane base cutter Assembly: This assembly is particularly seen in Figure 2, Figures 8a and 8b . The assembly consists of two heavy round circular plates(14) each of which has between 3 to 8 blades (15). The plates (14) are rotated by hydraulic motors (16) and motor (17). The assembly can be moved in a vertical direction with a range between 0 to 300 mm..The circular plates 14 are mounted is at an angle ranging between 5 to 20 degree with respect to the ground along the direction of the furrows [see particularly figure 8b showing the cutter angle CA 1 i.e . the front portion of the cutter is lower than that of the rear . This angle enables the cane to be cut clean without shredding the cane . The vertical height adjustment enables the cane to be cut at 20 to 50 mm below soil level which is the optimal level for maximum sugar recovery . The two circular plates 14 rotate in opposite directions so as to facilitate efficient cane cutting. The entire cutter assembly is mounted on two separate wheels (18). These two wheels move on either side 28 of the furrows being cut . The wheel follows the ground contours and hence the cane base cutter height is with respect to the furrow depth. A cup shaped cone 19 is placed at the center on the bottom side of the cutting disc. This reduces the frictional force as instead of the entire plate rubbing the ground only a conical portion rests and rubs the ground. Moreover the base cutter assembly is fitted with a hinge 20 . This hinge allows the base cutter to rotate about a small angle CA2 as shown in Figure 8b. A spring 21 is shown in Figure 8b which enables the base cutter assembly to glide over the ground and the spring tension is so adjusted so that the base cutter follows the ground contour more precisely and the cane is cut with respect to ground level thus ensuring that the sugar rich bottom portion of the cane is cut at the desired level at all times. The cutter assembly is supported on 4 vertical guides attached to the main frame 04(Fig 6b) of Guide cone and shoe assembly which allows flexibility in positioning the cutter point with a range of + - 400mm . A base cutter speed control for regulating the speed of rotation of the base cutter assembly independently of the speed of the harvester moving through the cane field is provided. The cutter motor 16 and 17 is operated by the Operator seated in the cabin via a D.C solenoid valve in conjunction with the hydraulic circuit [see Figure 13]. 104 Chopper Assembly: The details are shown in Figure 9a, 9b and 9c. The chopper consists of 1 to 4 sets of blades (22) mounted each on two sets of rotating shafts 23. A helical gear box 24 is used and the power source is supplied by a hydraulic motor 25. The rotational speed of the chopper may be adjustable. The speed of rotation is independent of the forward speed of the harvester. 29 The length of the billets cut depend on the number of blade sets used on each shaft. The billet length shall vary between 8 to 32 inches depending upon the number of sets of blades fitted on each shaft. The design allows quick change over of the sets of blade used to get the desired billet length. The direction of rotation of blades is reversible so that at times when clogging of the chopper may occur the same can bee removed easily by rotating in the reverse direction. Manual intervention is avoided and this saves time. This feature is extremely helpful while harvesting in cane fields that have a large quantity of weeds. 105) The feeder conveyor (Fig 9c) consists of plurality of flat strips 26 with a sine wave type contour fixed on a rotable tube with flat strips specially contoured to facilitate the conveying of billets on to the main conveyor. The drive for the feeder conveyor is taken from the chopper so that the speeds of both are synchronized for efficient traverse of the billets. One end of the feeder conveyor 28 is hinged to the chopper assembly so that it can rotate within a limited angle CA3. The other end rest on the guide 29 (Fig 10b) provided on the main conveyor. When the chopper assembly moves up or down along with the side rollers 18 the feed conveyor continues to rest on the guide provided on the main conveyor so that efficient transfer of billets to the main conveyor takes place. 106) De-topping Unit: [seen particularly in Figures 2 and in Figures 5a, 5b and 5c. This consist of a hydraulic motor 30 driven four-blade rotating disc 31 which cuts the cane at the point where the blades 32 come in contact with the cane. The blade consists of two cutting edges as shown in Figure 5c. A baffle plate 33 is placed between two blades.The baffles 33 30 ensures that the cane stalk de-topped end is removed from the path of traverse of the remaining blades. The height of this rotating disc 31 can be adjusted hydraulically by means of a cylinder 34 as per the cane height. According to the height of the cane in the field to be harvested the rotating disc height is adjusted so that maximum cane can be de-topped at the correct height which enables the green topping to remain intact and not shredded . A hollow cylindrical sheet metal drum 35 is fitted on the disc 31. Metal plate flaps 36 extend from the drum as particularly seen in Figure 5b. The flaps 36 operating in conjunction with a baffle 33 ensure that once the tops of the cane stalks have been cut off, they are thrown perpendicular to the path of traverse of the harvester along the furrow. The de-topping 4 blades rotating disc 31 assembly is given an inclination between 10 to 30 degrees on either side of the blade with respect to ground level with the help of hydraulic cylinder 37. This inclination helps the de-topped cane to fall in a either direction i.e. towards either side of the machine, i.e. at right angles to the path of the harvester . The blade are specially designed for efficient cutting & disposal of tops. In Indian field conditions sometimes the canes are heavily lodged and the green tops are away from the furrow. A special hydraulic cylinder 38 is provided which allows the de-topping mechanism to rotate at an angle of 30 degrees on either side of the furrow being cut. Due to this added sideways movement the percentage of green tops recoverable are increased. The construction features of the de-topping assembly is particularly seen in Figure 5b. The drive motor 30 drives the disc 31 on which the blades 32 are fitted. The typical configuration of the blades is seen in Figures 5a and 5c. 31 The de-topping assembly consisting of drive motor30 , disc 31, blades 32, drum 35 and flaps 36 are supported at one end of a tubular arm 39. This tubular arm 39 is hinged 40 at one end so that the cutting disc 31 can be raised with respect to the ground with the help of cylinder 34 , this enables the de-topping height to be adjusted as per the cane height thus enabling cutting of the green tops at the desired height. A semi-circular sheet metal guide 41 is provided [as seen in general detail in figure 5a and in particular detail in Figure 5b]. This semi-circular sheet metal guide 41 enables the cut off green tops to be thrown generally perpendicularly to the path of the harvester traverse. The direction of rotation of the de-topping disc is reversible enabling the cut green tops to be thrown at that side which has no standing cane so that the green tops fall to the ground and can be collected manually. A mechanism fitted to the alongside moving tractor trolley can also collect the green tops. 107) Main Conveyor [see figures 2 and 10a, 10b and 10c]: The main conveyor consists of a plurality of rotatable continuous chain link slat conveyor with slats which enable cane billets to move from a front receiving end to a rear trash extraction end . In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the rotatable continuous chain of the main conveyor consists of a plurality of slats fitted on the chain at equal spacing . The de-trashing mechanism is in-built in the main conveyor and the skewed loader [see figure 12]. A partial trash loosening mechanism within the main conveyor and skewed loader base support sheet 44 which consist of 32 perforated sheets. The edges of perforation are specially punched with knife like cutting edge and hardened . The billets while traversing along the main conveyor towards the rear end rub against the sharp edges of the perforations which facilitate loosening of the leaves. The main extractor and the secondary extractor extract these loosened leaves. A guide rest for the feed conveyor exit end 29 is shown in Figure 10a, 10b and 10c. The main conveyor is driven by a chain link via a hydraulic motor. The feed rate can be varied. 108) Primary Extractor [see figures 2 ] : The main function of the primary extractor is to extract the loose trash which comes along with the billets. Some of the loose green tops / green leaves are also extracted. The speed of the extractor can be varied depending upon the trash content by the operator. The primary extractor blades are so designed that they shred the loose trash green as well as dried trash and blow the shredded trash to the ground. This trash can be advantageously converted into manure. 109 ) Skewed Loader. [Figure 2 and Figure 1 la,l lb ,1 lc and lid]. A skewed loader consists of a specially designed hinge 45(fig lid) with double thrust bearings. Hydraulic cylinder 46 enables the skewed loader to be rotated through an angle of 180 degrees CA4 with respect to the forward direction of the harvester. Hydraulic cylinder 47 allows the skewed loader to be raised or lowered with respect with the ground level CA5. The skewed loader consist of a slat conveyor 49 which is driven by hydraulic motor 48. The slat conveyor carries the billets from the collecting bin 51 to the exit loading end shown by arrow in Figure 11. A partial trash loosening mechanism is in-built within the 33 skewed loader base support perforated sheet (53). The edges of perforation are specially punched with knife like cutting edge (54) and hardened more specifically shown in Figure 12b . The billets while traversing along the main conveyor towards the rear end rub against the sharp edges of the perforations which facilitate loosening of the leaves. The secondary extractor 52 (Fig 1 lb) extract these loosened leaves/trash. 110) Secondary extractor: [Figure 2 and 11]. The secondary extractor 52 consists of a hydraulically driven specially designed impeller which extracts the loose green tops and loose trash which come along with the billets at the skewed loader billet exit end. 111) Rear Steering Mechanism : [rear](Fig 4) This consist of two driven traction wheels mounted on a axle . The rear wheels are rotated through an angle which enables a shorter turning radius. The entire rear assembly is also rotatable to a limited extent thus providing a shorter turning radius. Further the use of all four wheels drive may be used advantageously for getting a better degree of turn. The cost of such a system being the limiting factor for use at present. 112 a) Hydro-motor with gear box for wheel drive(Fig 4): Front traction tyres with independent gear box and hydraulic motor are used in conjunction with a hydrostatic drive and a hydraulic differential unit 112 b. Two speed option are used, one for low torque and high speed for tar road and the other high torque and low speed in field condition. The hydraulic differential unit allows maximum power to be delivered to a single wheel in case the harvester gets stuck in wet mud. 34 113 ) Hydrostatic Pump Assembly(Fig 2): This consist of a variable speed hydrostatic pump coupled to a diesel engine- traction diesel engine 114. 114) Engine for Traction and auxiliary hydraulic pump drive (Fig 2): A turbo charged diesel engine is used. At the rear of the engine the hydrostatic pump is coupled. At the front a special gear box which drives 3 to 5 pumps is fitted. 115)Engine for main Hydraulic pumps(Fig 2): A turbo charged diesel engine is used. At the rear a tandem high capacity hydraulic pump is coupled. At the front a special gear box which drives 2-3 pumps is used. 116) Operator Cabin .(Figure 2, 3 and 4) : A air conditioned Cabin is provided for the machine operator which has all the major controls such as a panel box (117) housing the switches operating the various solenoid valves, the steering mechanism , a 6 to 9 lever hydraulic bank for operating various hydraulic cylinders, sleek display panel for displaying (analog/digital) all required engine and hydraulic system data to the operator, a coloured monitor etc. A special lighting arrangements is also provided to enable the machine to be operated at night. Adjustable and rotable seat is provided for the operator. 117) Control Panel box (Fig 2) : Control Panel box is provided which house all the DC operated switch gear for controlling all the hydraulic motors and also changing the direction of rotation of the motors. Fuses and other safety devices are also fitted. 118 ) Hydraulic oil cooling unit (Fig 2): Indian ambient temperatures are generally high and this results in the hydraulic oil being heated above safe 35 operable limits. A special cooling unit is provided which continuously cools the hydraulic oil. The temperature is displayed on the sleek panel and a high temperature, low oil level alarm is provided. 119 ) Traction oil cooling unit(Fig 2): Indian ambient temperatures are generally high and this results in the hydraulic oil being heated above safe operable limits. A special cooling unit is provided which continuously cools the traction hydraulic oil. The temperature is displayed on the sleek panel and a high temperature, low oil level alarm is provided Figure 13 illustrates a typical control setting block diagram for a power drive circuit. The same type of controls in plurality are applied for other power drive circuits . A typical circuit consists of power drawn from the engines (El) which is coupled to the various hydraulic pumps (PI). Hydraulic oil is sucked through the strainer into the pump from the hydraulic tank (OT2). The pump is rotated by the diesel engine. The output of the pump is connected to a hydraulic motor (M1,M2) via a manifold block(HOCB) which consists of various controls such as pressure relief valve, flow control valve, directional control valve . The output from the hydraulic motor is connected back to the manifold block and the oil is returned to the oil tank after cooling in an oil cooler (OC1). A hydraulic oil temperature control is provided; a low hydraulic oil level alarm is provided. OPERATION : This harvester is driven and aligned in such a manner that the sugarcane furrow is between its two tyres and more 36 specifically in line with the conveyor direction . The tyres spacing can be changed to suit the furrow width 750mm to 1000mm.. Generally two furrows are harvested in one pass. As the harvester moves forward the front guides lifts the cane that come in contact with the guide cones. A large portion of the canes that are tilted , fallen & semi-fallen are lifted in the direction to make the canes in a suitable path so as to facilitate easy entry into the chopper assembly. Some dried leaves are removed which are in contact with the special abrasive coating on the metal pipes which rotates along with guides . The cane between the inner rotating guides (two furrows) are cut when the machine moves forward . The cane is cut at ground level by the rotating cutter. The base cutter design assembly facilitates automatic height adjustment as per the furrows contour, thus, enabling the cane to be base cut at the desired ground level. The Pusher I and Pusher II is also provided in the front which also help in feeding the cane onto the chopper assembly. At the exit end of the chopper a feed conveyor is provided which conveys the billets to the main conveyor. This conveyor has special designed slats which enable the billets to be carried to the main extractor . A de-topping mechanism is provided with 3 degree of freedom which allows efficient cutting of the green tops at the desired height. The rotating blade of the de-topping unit cut the cane at the point of contact . This cut green topping (vada) falls along one side of the machine so that it falls clear of the harvester track . This de-topping have to be lifted 37 manually or collected by a suitable collecting mechanism fitted to the tractor trolley moving alongside the harvester. The de-topping mechanism height is manually adjusted by the use of hydraulic cylinder so as to give an optimum de-top cut which is ideally about 150 to 200mm below the top green stalk. The de-trashing mechanism is in-built in the main conveyor and the skewed loader. A partial trash loosening mechanism within the main conveyor and skewed loader base support sheet which consist of perforated sheets. The edges of perforation are specially punched with hardened and knife like cutting edge . The billets while traversing along the main conveyor towards the main slat conveyor having slats spaced at 6 to 12 inches for conveying the billets along the conveyor positively from the front receiving end to a rear loose leaves extraction end. A primary extractor which is a specially designed impeller for extracting the loose trash from the billets and also the loose leaves which come along with the cane billets. A skewed loader which consists of a large bowl for collecting the cane billets falling of the main conveyor . Skewed conveyor moves the billets upward along by means of a slat conveyor to the lifted end which is the discharge end to facilitate loading into alongside traversing trolley/truck/bullock cart/tipper trolleys etc.; A secondary discharge extractor is provided to further remove loose trash which come along with the billets. 38 The canes loaded directly into a truck or trolley moving alongside the harvester can be transported directly to the sugar factory . To increase output billets from the harvester are loaded into a tipper trolley moving alongside the harvester. Three such tipper trolleys are required. Once the tipper trolley is full it unloads into a specially designed stationery loader parked at the edge of the field. This stationery loader has a large collecting bin at one end in which the tipper trolley unloads the billets. These billets are traversed at the other unloading end by the slat conveyor. At the unloading end special twin extractors are fitted which extract the loose trash that still remain along with the billets. An additional blower is also provided which blows air on the billets while the billets are free falling into the loading trolley i.e. after the billets leave the stationery loader exit end and prior to falling into loading trolley. TYPICAL SPEEDS: 1. Traction speed of harvester: up-to 7 kms/hr harvesting up-to 15 kms /hr in off field road up-to 30 to 40 kms/hr on tar road 2. Chopper motor 100 to 800 RPM . 3. Front guide rotation rate 60 to 350 RPM. 5. Cane base cutter speed: 100 to 700 RPM . 6. Main conveyor feed rate lOm/min to 250m/min . 7. Side cutters 600 to 1500 rpm 8. De-topping : 300 to 800 RPM . 9. Skewed conveyor feed rate 10m/minto 350m/min . 39 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE PRIOR ART AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRESENT INVENTION The harvester in accordance with this invention can work even in small field (. 05 to .5 hectares), Whereas the prior art harvester require large farms to be efficient. The harvester in accordance with this invention can work in row spacing of 0.75 to 1 meter, whereas the prior art harvester are suitable only for spacings of 1.5m. Two furrows can be harvested in one pass. Morever the harvester accordance to this invention is comparatively light and hence does not sink into the soil . Further when the tyres pass over the canes in the prior art because of the weight of the harvester the ratoons get spoilt and soil compaction takes place which is not the case in the harvester in accordance with the present invention. The harvester in accordance with this invention de-tops the cane clearly and does not shred the tops whereas the prior art harvester shred the tops and these are wasted . In India the tops are suitable for feeding cattle . The harvester in accordance with this invention shreds the trash and a large percentage of the trash is extracted thus burning of the field after harvesting is not required . Moreover the shredded trash will turn into manure , whereas the prior art harvester do not carry out efficiently this operation as some percentage of trash is not removed . 40 The harvester in accordance with this invention cuts the cane at ground level . The cutter height is adjusted automatically as per the furrows contour thus giving high recovery of cane & sugar per acre , whereas the prior out harvester do not adjust height of cutter with respect to furrow contour automatically. Because of the aforesaid limitation the prior art harvesters cannot be used in Indian condition for harvesting sugarcane and even today most of the cane harvesting is done manually. As compared to manual harvesting the present harvester has the following advantages : ITEM * MANUAL * PRESENT INVENTION cost of harvesting cane * Rs 85-150/ton * Rsl40 to Rs 155/ton tonnage loss due to * 1-1 1/2 ton/acre * Nil cutting of cane above *(Rs 900-1350/acre)*Thus saving Rs.900per acre ground level * * acre tops of cane * labourer who cuts the * tops will go to the farmer cane lays claim to it * additional benefit Rsl200 per.acre cane lying in field * 0.4 to0.5 ton/acre * Nil thus saving (Rs 400 to Rs500 per acre ) 41 Net saving for farmer * Nil * Rs2500 to Rs 3650 per acre labour * 40 workers 8 hours * 1 acre harvested in3.5hours per acre (40 tonnes) 2 operators per machine including loading 3 drivers for tipper /trolley loading Further in the manual operation a stubble shaving step is required for a ratoon crops : i. e. the bare roots are left intact and the stubble is cut off. This increases the cost for the next cycle by Rs 200/ acre . In the harvester of the present invention since the cane is cut below ground level stubble cutting step is eliminated . Further in the sugar recovery process , it is known that most of the sucrose is concentrated at the base of the sugar cane stalk. In a manual cutting operation valuable sucrose is lost whereas in the harvester in accordance with this invention valuable measurable and significant quantities of sucrose are retained. As the manual harvesting cost increase mechanized harvesting shall be cheaper. With a large scale mechanization harvester machines can be operated at night also so that the entire crushing season can be ultimately reduced to about 100 days instead of present 170 days. This will also result in lowering sugar production cost. PILOT FIELD TRIALS: 42 Pilot field trials were carried out at Lavale Village, Pirangut, Taluka Mulshi, District Pune in the field of Shri Manohar Chandrarao Shitole. The machine was driven to the sugarcane field through the narrow lanes and zigzag roads of Lavale village. From Lavale village to the field distance of 3 kms there was no marked road. The harvester was driven through very undulating and very rough terrain. The harvester could be successfully maneuvered through the rough terrain's thus suitably to Indian field road conditions was confirmed. Stationery trials of the machine was conducted by feeding cane in the machine to demonstrate and check the functional performance of various components and assemblies. All the mechanisms worked successfully. Actual field trials were taken covering half an acre of sugarcane . The cane crop was heavily lodged and inter culture operations were not done by the farmer. The functional performance of various components of the machine such as base cutter, de-topping, pusher, chopper, feed conveyor, main conveyor, extractor, skewed loader carried out the functions successfully. The guide cones enabled only the canes of the two rows in question to be cut, The Pusher I pushed the cane forward and the base cutters cut two rows of cane. The Chopper worked very well and the billets were transferred to the extractor via the feed conveyor and main conveyor. 43 The Primary Extractor removed the loose trash as well as the green trash that came along loose with the billets. The skewed loader carried the billets and discharged at the unloading end successfully. The secondary extractor further removed loose trash. The de-topping mechanism worked satisfactorily. Green tops cut were discharged to the side of the path of travel of the harvester. These green tops could be manually successfully recovered and was found useful as fodder. The air-conditioned cabin was ideally located and comfortable for the operator. The machine was operated by a single operator. The hydraulic systems worked satisfactorily. Areas requiring improvement were as follows: Base cutter height was required to be brought down by another 6 inches. The power required for the base cutter was at the higher end of the capacity and hence higher powered motors was installed. Stubble height of the cut cane was not uniform as the ground contour was not uniform. A spring loaded and cone at bottom of base cutter disc was introduced. The support arm of the de-topping assembly was partially obstructing the view of the operator. The support arm position has been shitted and presently there is no obstruction for the operator. It can be concluded that the machine worked successfully in the pilot field trials. Certain improvisations as mentioned have been carried out and these shall be tested in the coming harvesting season. 44 Large scale trials are planned in the current harvesting season to test the machine prior to commercialization. Various modifications and workshop alteration will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the aforesaid description, without departing from the nature and the scope of the invention. While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to a typical sugar cane harvesting machine which is the preferred embodiment in accordance with this invention , it will easily be apparent that the art disclosed here in is applicable to other machines. The embodiments of the invention as described above and the methods disclosed herein will suggest further modifications and alterations to those skilled in the art. Such further modifications and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the following claims. Further modifications include converting the diesel engine-hydraulic pump driving assembly to ethanol or other such renewable source of fuel engine-hydraulic pump assembly. Further modifications may also include microprocessor controlled and robotics for further increasing the output and efficiency of the harvester. Still further, it will be easily understood that by a process of duplication the double furrow cutting can be duplicated to cut multiple furrows simultaneously. In such case, the harvester will be more stable. At present only considerations of cost prevent a more prolific use of a multiple furrow device. 45 We Claim: 1. A chopper cane harvester for harvesting cane from a cane field including fallen cane stalks and incumbent cane, the harvester comprising a harvester frame, a plurality of rotating drivers and mechanisms for supporting the harvester frame while moving the harvester through the cane field having a plurality of spaced apart furrows, and two independent drive engines one for traction and the other for powering rotating drivers for the hydraulic operation of the harvesting operations, the cane harvester further comprising: a de-topping mechanism for de-topping the cane stalks; a side cutter assembly for trimming adjacent furrow heavily lodged cane tops which may come across the current furrow canes being cut. a front rotating guide mechanism for lifting , fallen and tilted cane stalks upwardly and for supporting the cane stalks along substantially a center path as the harvester moves toward the supported cane stalks and pushing (two sets of pushers are provided) the cane in front and at the same time feeding the cane stalks to the chopper assembly after base cutting; a pair of base cutters for cutting base of the cane stalks; a chopper assembly for chopping the cane a feeding conveyor for receiving chopped cane ( billets) and feeding the billets to the main slat conveyor; a main slat conveyor having slats for conveying the billets along the conveyor positively from the front receiving end to a rear loose leaves extraction end; a partial trash loosening mechanism within the main conveyor base support perforated sheet having perforations with sharp edges facing the conveying surface; and 46

Documents:

1021-mum-2002 abstract.pdf

1021-mum-2002 claims.pdf

1021-mum-2002 correspondes(ipo).pdf

1021-mum-2002 correspondes.pdf

1021-mum-2002 description(granted).pdf

1021-mum-2002 drawing.pdf

1021-mum-2002 form 1.pdf

1021-mum-2002 form 19.pdf

1021-mum-2002 form 2(granted).pdf

1021-mum-2002 form 2(provision).pdf

1021-mum-2002 form 2(title page).pdf

1021-mum-2002 form 26.pdf

1021-mum-2002 form 3(cancelled).pdf

1021-mum-2002 form 3.pdf

1021-mum-2002 form 5(cancelled).pdf

1021-mum-2002 form 5.pdf

1021-mum-2002 form 6.pdf

1021-mum-2002 power of attorney.pdf

1021-mum-2002-abstract(25-05-2005).doc

1021-mum-2002-abstract(25-5-2005).pdf

1021-mum-2002-abstract.doc

1021-mum-2002-cancelled pages(22-7-2005).pdf

1021-mum-2002-claims(granted)(25-05-2005).doc

1021-mum-2002-claims(granted)-(25-5-2005).pdf

1021-mum-2002-claims.doc

1021-mum-2002-correspondence(25-5-2005).pdf

1021-mum-2002-correspondence(ipo)-(22-7-2005).pdf

1021-mum-2002-description(granted).doc

1021-mum-2002-drawing(25-5-2005).pdf

1021-mum-2002-form 1(5-8-2004).pdf

1021-mum-2002-form 19(15-12-2004).pdf

1021-mum-2002-form 2(granted)(25-05-2005).doc

1021-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(25-5-2005).pdf

1021-mum-2002-form 26(5-8-2004).pdf

1021-mum-2002-form 3(22-11-2002).pdf

1021-mum-2002-form 3(25-5-2005).pdf

1021-mum-2002-form 4(5-8-2004).pdf

1021-mum-2002-form 5(20-11-2003).pdf

1021-mum-2002-form 5(25-5-2005).pdf

1021-mum-2002-form-2(garanted).doc

1021-mum-2002-power of attorney(16-12-2002).pdf

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