Cylindrical module unwrapping device and method

Abstract

A device and method for removing fibrous materials from a wrapped cylindrical module of fibrous material. The wrap material encloses the lateral sides of the cylindrical module, but only overlaps a portion of each end of the module. A cylindrical module is advanced on its side upon a conveyor to a loading position where it is lifted by one or more grasping members on one or more arms to an unloading position without altering the orientation of the module. The cylindrical module is then turned vertically to allow the fibrous material to fall out of the wrap material. The wrap material remains attached to the grasping member by a plurality of projections. Once empty, the empty wrap material may be manually removed and discarded and the arm returned to the loading position to lift the next module.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates in general to processing fibrous materials, and in particular to a method and apparatus for removing a wrapping or cover from cylindrical modules of fibrous materials. While the invention may be useful for unwrapping modules of other fibrous materials, it has been developed for use in conjunction with cylindrical modules or bales of cotton wrapped in plastic film.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Freshly picked seed cotton must be transported from the field where it has been picked to a cotton gin. Recent improvements to harvester technology have resulted in the popularity of cotton harvesters with on-board processing systems that create compacted cylindrical bales of seed cotton. In order to protect the cotton and to ease its transportation, current harvesters wrap the module in plastic sheet or netting material at least around the rounded sides (i.e., the curved surface of the cylinder) and typically with some overlap on the top an...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved module unwrapping system and method which avoids contamination of the cotton by wrap material remnants.

[0008]A further object of the present invention is to remove the wrap material from a cylindrical fibrous module while keeping the wrap material in a single piece, thereby avoiding contamination of the cotton.

[0009]It is still other object of the present invention to provide a method for easily removing the wrap material from round modules while assuring complete removal of the cotton from the wrap.

[0011]In one embodiment, a pair of parallel arms affixed on either side of a module conveyor grasp the advancing, wrapped cylindrical module from either side, lift the cylindrical module and turn it into a vertical orientation, thereby allowing the weight of the cotton itself to pull the cotton out of the open-bottomed sheet of the wrap which is retained by spikes the arms. Once the cotton falls or is shaken out of the wrap material, the intact wrap material can be easily removed and discarded or recycled.

Problems solved by technology

Such wrap material typically covers the cylindrical sides (or curved surface) of the module and part or all of one or more ends of the module so that water cannot enter the module when it is lying on its side on the ground, and thereby damage the cotton.

However, if not precisely controlled, such cuts may result in the tail of the wrap material remaining in the cotton and entering the gin.

Such contaminated cotton is undesirable because it may foul the workings of the gin or later processing of the gin cotton into thread.

Thread made with contaminated cotton is virtually unusable.

Contaminated cotton is often rejected by the mill and returned to the grower or deeply discounted, resulting in expensive losses to the grower.

When the wrap material is removed, the cotton quickly loses its cylindrical shape, resulting in a mass of relatively loose cotton which can no longer practically be handled as a cohesive unit except by placing the entire pile of loose cotton on a conveyor.

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