U.S. patent application number 10/572002 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-29 for material sorter.
Invention is credited to Angus Peter Robson.
Application Number | 20070068430 10/572002 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34270862 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070068430 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Robson; Angus Peter |
March 29, 2007 |
Material sorter
Abstract
A material sorter (23) including a material sorting assembly
capable of receiving, sorting, and discharging material, a chassis
including mobility means, and an attitude adjusting assembly (14)
extending from the chassis to contact an environmental terrain
surface (24) supporting the material sorter (23) to alter the
material sorter (23) attitude with respect to the environmental
terrain surface (24). There is also disclosed a method of operating
a material sorter.
Inventors: |
Robson; Angus Peter;
(Matamata, NZ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN
12400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD
SEVENTH FLOOR
LOS ANGELES
CA
90025-1030
US
|
Family ID: |
34270862 |
Appl. No.: |
10/572002 |
Filed: |
September 9, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
September 9, 2004 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/NZ04/00214 |
371 Date: |
November 3, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
110/220 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B07B 1/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
110/220 |
International
Class: |
F23G 5/02 20060101
F23G005/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 9, 2003 |
NZ |
528128 |
Claims
1. A material sorter including; a material sorting assembly capable
of receiving, sorting and discharging material, and a chassis
including; mobility means, and an attitude adjusting assembly,
characterised in that the attitude adjusting assembly is capable of
extending from the chassis to contact an environmental terrain
surface supporting said material sorter to alter the material
sorter attitude with respect to said environmental terrain surface
thereby lifting said mobility means from the terrain surface during
operation of the material sorting assembly.
2. A material sorter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said material
sorting assembly includes at least one of: at least one hopper, a
material screening assembly including at least one screening box,
and/or at least one discharge assembly.
3. A material sorter as claimed in claim 2, wherein in use,
material from the hopper is fed to the material screening assembly
for screening and transport to a discharge assembly.
4. A material sorter as claimed in claim 3, wherein said discharge
assembly is capable of passing material from at least one exit of
the material screening assembly to a collection point external to
the material sorter.
5. A material sorter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attitude of
the chassis of the material sorter with respect to the
environmental terrain surface may be varied by movement around at
least one pivot point in contact with the environmental terrain
surface.
6. A material sorter as claimed in claim 5, wherein the chassis of
the material sorter may be pivoted around at least one pivot point
positioned on an underside of the chassis.
7. A material sorter as claimed in claim 5, wherein a distal
portion of the chassis is configured to receive a coupling
mechanism of a towing vehicle.
8. A material sorter as claimed in claim 5, wherein said pivot
point is provided by a support element projecting downwards from
the chassis.
9. A material sorter as claimed in claim 8, wherein said support
element is capable of supporting the material sorter in conjunction
with the mobile means in an un-tilted, substantially horizontal
orientation, without support from the attitude adjustment
assembly.
10. A material sorter as claimed in claim 5 wherein the
longitudinal location of pivot point is positioned substantially
centrally on an underside of the chassis.
11. A material sorter as claimed in claim 7, wherein the
longitudinal location of the pivot point is positioned toward the
distal portion of the chassis configured to receive the coupling
mechanism of a towing vehicle.
12. A material sorter as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said mobility
means are wheels.
13. A material sorter as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said attitude
adjusting assembly includes hydraulic or pneumatic rams or a manual
jack system.
14. A material sorter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attitude
adjusting assembly is provided with laterally enlarged
grounding-engaging feet.
15. A material sorter as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said attitude
adjusting assembly is housed within the chassis until deployed for
use.
16. A material sorter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hopper is
positioned toward one distal end of the material sorting
assembly.
17. A material sorter as claimed in claim 2, wherein material
placed in the hopper is transferable onto a conveyor and conveyed
to a material screening assembly including a series of sieves or
gratings to provide size screening of the material.
18. A material sorter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the material
screening assembly includes screening boxes, decks and wash
bars.
19. A material sorter as claimed in claim 18, wherein said
screening boxes are capable of vibrating during screening.
20. A material sorter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the gradient
of at least one discharge assembly is adjustable.
21. A material sorter as claimed in claim 20, wherein the discharge
assembly may be positioned at an opposing distal end to the
coupling mechanism.
22. A material sorter as claimed in claim 7, wherein the hopper is
located at a distal end toward the coupling mechanism.
23. A material sorter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said attitude
adjustor is retrofitted to the material sorter underside.
24. An attitude adjustor for retrofitting to a material sorter
including a material sorting assembly capable of receiving, sorting
and discharging material, and a chassis including a mobility means,
said attitude adjustor including an attitude adjusting assembly
adapted to be attached to the material sorter underside, wherein
the attitude adjusting assembly is capable of extending from the
material sorter chassis to contact an environmental terrain surface
supporting said material sorter to alter the material sorter
attitude with respect to said environmental terrain surface,
thereby lifting said mobility means from the terrain surface during
operation of the material sorting assembly.
25. A method of operating a material sorter as claimed in claim 1,
characterised by: activating the attitude adjusting assembly to
extend from the chassis to contact an environmental terrain surface
supporting said material sorter; pivoting the material sorter about
at least one pivot point located on an underside of the chassis by
continued extension of the attitude adjusting assembly to a defined
point to alter the material sorter attitude with respect to said
environmental terrain surface, thereby lifting said mobility means
from the terrain surface; and operating said material sorting
assembly.
26. A method of retrofitting an attitude adjustor as claimed in
claim 25, to a material sorter, said attitude adjustor including an
attitude adjusting assembly adapted to be attached to the material
sorter underside characterised by the step of attaching the
attitude adjusting assembly to the material sorter underside.
27-30. (canceled)
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to an improved material sorter.
[0002] In particular, this invention relates to a modified material
sorter, preferably in the form of a screening plant configured to
extend the life expectancy of the mobility means, improve the ease
of relocation of the plant and improve the height of the discharge
assembly drop off points.
[0003] While reference through the specification will be directed
toward a material sorter for separating and sorting rocks, it
should be appreciated that such a device may also used be used in
other industries such as the horticultural industry, the salt
mining industry and other various industries that require the
sorting and separating of various sizes or grades of materials, and
as such, reference to rocks and rock crush should not be seen to be
limiting in any way.
BACKGROUND ART
[0004] Material sorters such as screening plants have been used in
various industries in order to separate various grades of
material.
[0005] In particular, screening plants are often used in the mining
or rock processing industries to separate various grades of
material into stockpiles for sale, or for further processing.
Further processing may for example be undertaken by sending the
graded crush to another sorting machine for further processing or
to a further processing plant.
[0006] The majority of screening plants available to industry
include towed and self propelled wheels or tracks as a means of
enabling movement hereinafter referred to as `mobility means`.
These mobility means provide mobility to the screening plants, an
essential feature in many quarries or work sites as the working
face of the quarry, or supply of raw material, is not fixed. As
such, it is an advantage to be able to keep the processing
machinery as close to the supply of material as is practicable, as
minimising the distance travelled by the cartage machinery (such as
excavators, wheel loaders or the like), enables a more rapid job
completion with less machinery wear and an overall improvement in
cost effectiveness.
[0007] Although many screening plants employ caterpillar tracks,
movement between quarries or the like is generally undertaken by
the loading of the screening plant onto a transporter. This is due
to potential road surface damage imparted by the tracks and the
minimal practicable screening plant travelling speed over long
distances.
[0008] Furthermore, tracked plants are significantly more expensive
than wheeled plants. The cost of moving a tracked screening plant
by road is also compounded by an extra tax on weight and the need
for a separate road trailer to transport the plant. Moreover, the
maximum height of a tracked unit, and therefore the maximum room
available for the screen box and conveyors, is less than a wheeled
unit because allowance must be made for the height of the road
trailer when the tracked plant is being transported on a main
road.
[0009] It is an advantage with tracks however that they are less
susceptible to damage by rock and rock dust getting in between the
mechanical workings of the tracks and as such tracks are generally
more durable.
[0010] Wheeled screening plants are generally considered to possess
increased mobility between quarries or the like, as they can be
towed behind a truck rather than requiring loading on a
transporter.
[0011] However, a disadvantage of wheeled screening plants is the
ingress of fine rocks and crush of various grades into the various
mechanical components of the wheels including the brakes and brake
linings (also known as running gear) causing the accelerated
degeneration of the mechanical components. Conventionally, the
build-up of rock and dust accumulating around the running gear
during operation requires hand removal before the plant can be
moved, which can be time consuming and difficult. As such, the life
expectancy of various components of wheeled screening plants is
lower. Accordingly, even though wheeled screening plants provide
many advantages over tracked screening plants, tracked screening
plants are currently preferred in the industry.
[0012] It would be an advantage therefore to be able to protect the
running gear in order to maintain the mobility of the screening
plant without the need for an energy-intensive and time consuming
process such as boxing in the wheels at the time of use or covering
them heavily by material or the like. Any protection imparted to
the running gear needs to be sufficiently practical to retain the
vehicle's mobility.
[0013] Screening plants generally include at least one (and often
more) conveyor or discharge means, and also have a material
screening assembly. The screening assembly receives the material to
be graded or sorted and as the material filters through various
sieves or gratings, the sorted products are then released onto
various conveyor belts. Each conveyor belt then moves the material
to be deposited into a pile, into an awaiting vehicle, or on to a
second screening machine or the like.
[0014] Increasing the size of a pile requires a commensurate
increase in the size of the conveyor belt required to deposit
material on top of a pile cone. It will be appreciated that a
typical conical or cone shape will be formed by dropping of
material from a height above the pile, and consequently a short
conveyor belt would be insufficient to create a large pile. The
base of the pile would encroach on the screening plant before the
pile was of a large enough size to be practical. Accordingly,
longer conveyor belts are desirable. However, to have such a
conveyor belt be able to be attached to a screening plant requires
sufficient room to pack it when the plant is being transported.
[0015] Accordingly, there is a compromise between the length of the
conveyor belt and the steepness of such. The longer the conveyor
belt, the less number of conveyor belts available on the machine
due to packing constraints, and therefore the less useful the
machine.
[0016] The steeper the conveyor belt, the harder it is for the
material to ride up it, and as such cleats need to be included on
the belt in order to hold the material in place. When the cleats
roll over the top of the conveyor belt they often drag the material
being carried back down with the cleat and therefore the pile
created may be generally lopsided or the material may be dragged
back down into the machinery itself.
[0017] The compromise between length of conveyor belts and
steepness of such is often reached by using shorter steep belts
with cleats. Short steep belts are used to allow for packability,
and the steep gradient of the belt provides a reasonable sized pile
of material. Accordingly, it would be an advantage to be able to
raise the height of the conveyor belt without increasing its
length. This would allow for the production of a large pile of
graded material without losing the packability and therefore
overall mobility of the screening plant itself.
[0018] In instances where there may be up to five conveyor belts
included on the sorting machine, it should be appreciated that the
efficiency of packing in order for transportation becomes
essential. Accordingly, the more space allowable for that packing,
the more useful the overall screening plant.
[0019] Furthermore, where the material is not being dumped into a
pile, but being fed into another screening plant, that plant may be
able to be positioned further away, therefore maintaining
manoeuvrability of other heavy machinery around such, and also
maintaining certain safety levels.
[0020] All references, including any patents or patent applications
cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference.
No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The
discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and
the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and
pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood
that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to
herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of
these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the
art, in New Zealand or in any other country.
[0021] It is acknowledged that the term `comprise` may, under
varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an
inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and
unless otherwise noted, the term `comprise` shall have an inclusive
meaning--i.e. that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not
only the listed components it directly references, but also other
non-specified components or elements. This rationale will also be
used when the term `comprised` or `comprising ` is used in relation
to one or more steps in a method or process.
[0022] It is an object of the present invention to address the
foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful
choice.
[0023] Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way
of example only.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
[0024] According to one aspect of the present invention there is
provided a material sorter, said material sorter including; [0025]
a material sorting assembly capable of receiving, sorting and
discharging material, and [0026] a chassis including; [0027]
mobility means, and [0028] an attitude adjusting assembly,
characterised in that the attitude adjusting assembly is capable of
extending from the chassis to contact an environmental terrain
surface supporting said material sorter to alter the material
sorter attitude with respect to said environmental terrain surface
during operation of the material sorting assembly.
[0029] Preferably, said material sorting assembly includes at least
one of: [0030] at least one hopper, [0031] a material screening
assembly including at least one screening box, and/or [0032] at
least one discharge assembly.
[0033] Preferably, in use, material from the hopper is fed to the
material screening assembly for screening and transport to a
discharge assembly
[0034] Preferably, said discharge assembly is capable of passing
material from at least one exit of the material screening assembly
to a collection point external to the material sorter.
[0035] The term `attitude` in accordance with the present invention
should be understood to include the position, angle, inclination,
separation or orientation of the chassis and material sorting
assembly with respect to the environmental terrain surface
supporting the material sorter. Accordingly, when the attitude of
at least one point of the material sorter is altered, it should be
appreciated that, in some embodiments, the chassis of the material
sorter may in fact be tilted and/or raised with respect to the
environmental terrain supporting surface, hereinafter referred to
as `the ground`.
[0036] Preferably, the attitude of the chassis of the material
sorter with respect to the ground may be varied by movement around
at least one pivot point or fulcrum in contact with the
environmental terrain surface. In further embodiments the chassis
of the material sorter may be pivoted around at least one pivot
point positioned on an underside of the chassis.
[0037] It will be appreciated that the whole chassis/material
sorting assembly may be raised from the ground by appropriately
configured attitude adjusting assemblies (e.g. utilising four rams
positioned about the chassis periphery), though this adds the
disadvantage of requiring support of the entire weight of the
sorter plus any material being processed. Consequently, tilting or
pivoting the material sorter to achieve the aims of the invention
is significantly more attractive. It may however be desirable to at
least partially raise the lowermost end portion of the tilted
chassis from contacting the ground during pivoting.
[0038] In order to pivot a chassis with respect to the ground
around at least one pivot point, it will be appreciated that either
the chassis must be raised a distance above the ground in order to
provide room for the pivoting movement without interference with
the ground, or alternatively one portion of the chassis may be
truncated or specially configured to allow tilt without contacting
the ground.
[0039] In an embodiment where the material sorter is configured to
be towable, a distal portion of the chassis is configured to
receive a coupling mechanism of a towing vehicle, e.g. a kingpin
and fifth wheel arrangement located on the chassis and towing
vehicle respectively. Accordingly, said at least one pivot point
may be provided by a part of the chassis already configured to
provide support for the chassis in a static un-towed configuration
when decoupled from a towing vehicle. Utilising the existing
chassis support element to also provide the pivot or fulcrum for
pivoting the material sorter during sorting operation clearly
provides an efficient configuration from an operational and
manufacturing perspective. It will however be appreciated that
alternative configurations are possible, utilising at least one
pivot point distinct from said support element.
[0040] Thus, in one embodiment, said pivot point is provided by a
support element projecting downwards from the chassis, said support
element being capable of supporting the material sorter in
conjunction with the mobile means in an un-tilted, substantially
horizontal orientation, without support from the attitude
adjustment assembly.
[0041] The support element may be configured in numerous forms
including a simple elongated vertical strut or leg, or
alternatively including additional strengthening elements. In each
case the axis of the pivoting action occurs at the lowermost point
of the support element contacting the ground.
[0042] Accordingly, in some embodiments the pivot point may be
positioned substantially toward the center of the underside of the
chassis of the material sorter. Alternatively, the at least one
pivot point may be positioned toward the portion of the chassis
configured to receive the coupling mechanism of a towing
vehicle.
[0043] In further embodiments, as the attitude adjusting assembly
is activated, the material sorter is successively pivoted about two
or more pivot points. The material sorter may, for example
initially pivot about the support element, and as the one end of
the chassis contacts the ground, the material sorter may pivot
about that second contact point it will be appreciated that such a
configuration would necessitate sufficient structural integrity for
the chassis to withstand the additional load conferred by such as
arrangement, together with an sufficiently stable contact point
configuration at the second pivot point to prevent tipping or
rocking of the material sorter.
[0044] It should be appreciated that the term `chassis`, while
maintaining its usual meaning to one skilled in the art, should
also be understood to also include the structural body of the
material sorter, and as such, should also be seen to refer to the
structural support housing of the conveyors, screen boxes, hopper
and other devices associated with the sorter itself and includes
any embodiment in which the structural function of a chassis is
effectively replaced by, or integrated with a material sorting
assembly to form a rigid structural object.
[0045] While various mobility means are employed for use with
material sorters, in preferred embodiments, the mobility means may
include wheels.
[0046] Accordingly, mobility means such as wheels may then be able
to be used in conjunction with the material sorter without
adversely affecting the efficiency of the sorter itself, as has
happened previously due to increased wear or damage to the running
gear.
[0047] It is an advantage of the present invention that should the
pivot point be positioned toward the coupling mechanism region of
the underside of the sorter chassis, the mobility means associated
with the chassis, positioned generally away from the coupling
mechanism, may then be raised off the ground and therefore away
from the accumulation of debris on the ground, such as rock, rock
dust or other materials that can cause damage to mechanical parts
such as brakes and brake linings in the mobility means
themselves.
[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the change in attitude of the
chassis of the material sorter is provided by an attitude adjusting
assembly.
[0049] In some embodiments, such an adjusting assembly may include
a hydraulic or pneumatic ram, or rams, a manual jack system; or
other raising means known to those skilled in the art.
[0050] In preferred embodiments, the attitude adjusting assembly
may be a hydraulic ram assembly.
[0051] The attitude adjusting assembly is preferably provided with
laterally enlarged grounding-engaging feet that provide increased
stability for the pivoted material sorter and reduced ground
pressure to avoid undue avoid sinkage into the surface of the work
site.
[0052] Furthermore, it would be an advantage of such an attitude
adjusting assembly that it would be housed, in some embodiments,
within the chassis of the sorter until deployed for use.
[0053] Sorters of various configurations are used in numerous
industries where sorting or grading of material may be required.
While this invention specifically discusses the sorting of rocks,
it should be appreciated that the separation of other goods such as
rock salt grades, fruits such as olives from leaves, or stones from
sand may also be undertaken, however these are listed by way of
example only and should not be seen to be limiting in any way.
[0054] Most material sorters include a hopper, typically formed
from a container with downward tapering sides. Accordingly,
material to be sorted may be deposited into the hopper by any
convenient means, including from an excavator, or another material
sorter, or any other supply source used on site.
[0055] The hopper may be positioned usually toward one end of the
material sorter, and material from the hopper may be placed onto a
conveyor that takes the material to a series of sieves or gratings
which provide for the screening of the material into various size
grades, or types.
[0056] A material screening assembly should be understood to
include a combination of sieves or gratings with various conveyors,
washers and screening decks and at least two screening boxes. The
inclusion of two screening boxes is an advantage in that it
provides for greater sortability of material grades. Furthermore,
due to size constraints in a mobile material sorter, the ability to
house two screening boxes in combination with at least four
conveyor belts is a distinct advantage over the prior art.
[0057] The assembly making up the screening process may be of a
configuration well known in the art and may include screening
decks, wash bars and other apparatus usually included in screening
plant machinery.
[0058] It should further be appreciated that screening boxes may be
vibrating in order to encourage the material to be sorted to
progress through the screens or gratings accordingly, as is well
known to those skilled in the art.
[0059] Also included in the material sorter as part of the
screening assembly may be sieves or gratings used to sort the
material. These are well known to those skilled in the art and may
vary depending on the type of material to be sorted.
[0060] In the case of rocks to be sorted, heavy-duty grating may be
used. The vibrating motion of the sieve or grating may cause the
rocks to rotate or oscillate, and therefore, rocks of a certain
diameter may pass through the grating. The oscillating motion of
the sieve or grating may also allow rocks of a certain diameter but
abnormal length to pass through, thereby allowing for a more
accurate sort, and decreasing the chance of blockages in the sieve
or grating itself due to abnormally shaped rocks and the like.
[0061] The sorted material may then be deposited from the hopper
and screening assembly onto the appropriate discharge assembly.
[0062] In preferred embodiments the discharge assembly may include
a conveyor belt or belts, although the term belt should not be seen
to be limiting in any way. One skilled in the art would recognise
the type of conveyor system used in various industries varies and
as such, while a belt system may be appropriate in some cases,
other types of conveyance devices may be more appropriate in other
environments.
[0063] Embodiments incorporating up to five conveyor belts
associated with one material sorter have been found to operate
effectively, though it will be appreciated that this is not
necessarily an upper maximum number of belts. The limiting factor
for the number of conveyor belts is primarily the packaging
constraints of fitting all the belts into and around the chassis of
the sorter in a volume acceptable for transport. Accordingly, the
maximum obtainable length of each conveyor belt is otherwise
restricted by this packaging issue.
[0064] Accordingly, in preferred embodiments, the material sorter
may include three or more conveyor belts, but not limited to
this.
[0065] Mechanisms for depositing of the screened material onto the
appropriate conveyor are also well known to those skilled in the
art. Once the material is deposited onto the appropriate conveyor
belt, the movement of the belt then conveys the material to the
point of deposition.
[0066] Conveyors are well known in various industries and as such
it should be appreciated that the angle of such with respect to the
chassis of the sorter may be adjusted, according to the desired
drop off point. Where the drop off point is created without the
need to move the material sorter itself, which may be an
advantage.
[0067] It should also be appreciated that the gradient of the
conveyor may be adjusted accordingly also.
[0068] It is an advantage of the present invention that the tilting
of the chassis of the material sorter may raise the height of the
discharge assembly, particularly the in-feed height onto the
conveyor from the sorter box, which, combined with the conveyor
angle, dictates the out-feed height.
[0069] In preferred embodiments, the hopper may be positioned
toward the coupling mechanism of the material sorter. Accordingly,
the discharge assembly may be positioned at the alternate distal
end, whereby tilling the chassis of the sorter around a pivot point
raises the discharge assembly whilst lowering the hopper
height.
[0070] By raising the height of the discharge assembly, a larger
pile of material may be achieved with the same length of conveyor
belt used. Where the material is being sent to another sorter, the
gradient of the conveyor may be adjusted accordingly to allow the
subsequent sorter to be positioned a greater distance away, or to
potentially be on a different, possibly higher level within a
quarry or work site environment.
[0071] By lowering the height of the hopper, machinery bringing the
material to the sorter may not be required to lift the material as
high before dumping it into the hopper, thereby potentially placing
less stress on the machinery, and also opening the possibility for
less specialised machinery to be used. Alternatively, in the case
of separation of, say, potatoes from soil, the lower height of the
hopper may provide less dust spread, although this is listed by way
of example only and should not be seen to be limiting in any
way.
[0072] According to a further aspect of the present invention there
is provided a method of operating a material sorter, said material
sorter including; [0073] a material sorting assembly capable of
receiving, sorting and discharging material, [0074] a chassis
including; [0075] mobility means, and [0076] an attitude adjusting
assembly capable of extending from the chassis to contact an
environmental terrain surface supporting said material sorter to
alter the material sorter attitude with respect to said
environmental terrain surface thereby lifting said mobility means
from the terrain surface during operation of the material sorting
assembly. characterised by the steps of [0077] a) activating the
attitude adjusting assembly to extend from the chassis to contact
an environmental terrain surface supporting said material sorter;
[0078] b) pivoting the material sorter about at least one pivot
point located on an underside of the chassis by continued extension
of the attitude adjusting assembly to a defined point to alter the
material sorter attitude with respect to said environmental terrain
surface; [0079] c) operating said material sorting assembly.
[0080] It should be appreciated that a material sorter may have its
attitude adjustment undertaken at any point before or during or
after the operation of the material sorter.
[0081] Accordingly, in some embodiments, should the height of the
piles of sorter material reach a height level with the dropping end
of the conveyor belt, the machine may be further tilted during
operation in order to provide for continuous operation.
[0082] It should also be appreciated that such an attitude
adjusting assembly may be retrofitted to existing material sorters
in order to provide a lift in height to the discharge assembly and
to preserve the mobility means associated with such.
[0083] While discussions in the specification refer to the rock
industry, it should be appreciated that other industries also
utilise grading and screening devices and the invention detailed
here may also apply to such. Accordingly, discussions regarding
rock and the sorting of such should not be seen to be limiting.
[0084] It should be appreciated that the mobility of the material
sorted in combination with the ability to tilt the sorter around an
axis or pivot point provides a distinct advantage over the prior
art. The conveyor belts associated with the material sorter may be
kept at a shorter length as the achievable height of such is
increased by tilting the material sorter. The mobile means allow
the overall height of the material sorter to be maximised, as it
does not need to be transported on a trailer. Accordingly, the
material sorter may be packed down to a compact size, enabling it
to be small enough and light enough to transport, but not limiting
the number of conveyor belts and associated sorting means able to
be included in the material sorter. Accordingly, a greater amount
of conveyors and sorters are able to be included in a material
sorter of its size. Accordingly, the material sorter can be used to
provide greater sorting capacity and larger sorted pile sizes
coupled with ease of transport
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0085] Further aspects of the present invention will become
apparent from the following description which is given by way of
example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0086] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0087] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a material sorter in a tilted
position, and
[0088] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the material sorter in a packed
transportable position.
BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0089] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a material sorter generally
indicated by arrow 1, including a material sorting assembly
comprising a hopper (2), the upper portion of the material
screening assembly (3) and five conveyor belts (4, 5, 6, 7 and
8).
[0090] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a material sorter in a tilted
position ready for operation.
[0091] The material sorter, as displayed in FIGS. 2 and 3, includes
a material sorting assembly comprising a chassis (9), a hopper (2),
a conveyor (3) as part of the material screening assembly, an upper
screen box (10) with grating of varying size indicated by a dashed
line (11), a lower screen box (12) with further grating indicated
by a dashed line (13), an upper conveyor (4) for receiving one
level of the sorted material from the upper screen box (10), a
second and third upper conveyor (5 and 6) for receiving other
levels of sorted material from the upper screen box (10), and two
lower conveyors (7 and 8) for receiving the sorted and rejected
material from the lower screen box (12).
[0092] Also shown in FIG. 2 is the attitude adjusting assembly (14)
which includes a hydraulic ram (15), lower support strut (16),
upper support strut (17), mobility means in the form of tandem axle
wheels (18), a support element (19) capable of being extended when
the towing vehicle (20) is removed and coupling mechanism in the
form of interlock point (21) for connection to the towing truck
(20). The upper strut (17) includes a ratchet configuration to
provide further stability to the material sorter when in the tilted
position (although lift is provided by the hydraulic ram (15)),
but, which is able to be released on lowering of the interlock end
(22) of the chassis (9).
[0093] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the material sorter with the
material sorting assembly in a packed configuration (generally
indicated by arrow 23), where the attitude adjusting assembly (14)
is raised above the ground in a disengaged position with the
material sorter assembly and chassis in a substantially horizontal
position and connected to a towing vehicle (20) ready for
transportation.
[0094] Also shown in FIG. 3 is the discharge assembly, represented
by conveyors (4), (5) and (7) (conveyors 6 and 8 being obscured) in
a packed position suitable for transportation.
[0095] In order to deploy the material sorter, the support element
(19) is extended and abuts the environmental terrain surface (24).
The towing truck (20) is then disconnected from the material sorter
at the interlock point (21).
[0096] The material sorter is then stably held in a substantially
horizontal position by the combination of support element (19) and
tandem axle wheels (18), in preparation for deployment.
[0097] When the material sorter is deployed for use in sorting
material, the support element (19) may be retracted away from its
fully extended state in combination with activation of the
hydraulic ram (15). The hydraulic ram (15) is then extended outward
from its lower extremity, exerting a downward pressure against the
environmental terrain surface (24), usually being a quarry floor,
causing the interlock end (22) of the chassis (9) to initially
incline downward, resulting in the further retraction of the
support element (19) to a minimum packed state as the weight of the
chassis (9) presses the support element (19) downward.
[0098] It should be appreciated that as the hydraulic ram (15) is
first activated, the interlock end (22) of the chassis (9) will
tilt downward, as described above, causing the end (25) of the
material sorter distal to the interlock point (21) to tilt upward,
with the pivot point being around the structural element (19). As
the hydraulic ram (15) is further extended, the tandem axle wheels
(18) are elevated above the terrain surface (24), causing the end
of the material sorter distal to the interlock point (21) to rise
higher, with the pivot point of the chassis (9) shifting from the
first pivot point, being the support element (19) to a second pivot
point (26) at the interlock end (22) of the chassis (9).
[0099] It should be appreciated therefore that the point of pivot
of the chassis may vary, depending on the length of extension of
the hydraulic ram (15) and the support element (19) and as such, it
will be appreciated that the material sorter (1) may about two or
more pivot points without departing from the scope of the
invention.
[0100] In use, material is deposited in to the hopper (2) by an
excavator or wheel loader or the like (not shown). The hopper is
configured with sloping sides to enable the material to feed onto
the material screening assembly conveyor (3).
[0101] The material then moves from the conveyor (3) into the upper
screening box (10) where the material either passes through the
various levels of grating (11), or is fed into the lower screening
box (12).
[0102] The material that has passed through the grating (11) is fed
onto one of the corresponding upper level conveyor belts (being 4,
5 or 6).
[0103] The material fed into the lower screening box (12) then
either passes through the second grating (13) and onto the lower
conveyor (7) or is fed onto the final conveyor (8).
[0104] The embodiment shown in the drawings both preserves the
wheels (18) from damage and increases the height of the conveyor
drop off points as the chassis (9) is rotated around the second
pivot point situated at the tip (26) of the interlock end (22) of
the chassis (9) by the activation of the hydraulic ram (15).
[0105] The first pivot point is indicated by the support frame
(19), said support frame (19) also being used to support the
material sorter in a substantially horizontal position when not
connected to a towing vehicle or truck (20).
[0106] A second (optional) pivot point (26) is located toward the
interlock end (22) of the chassis (9).
[0107] Accordingly, the material sorter including the material
sorting assembly pivots around the support frame (19), providing a
first lift to the discharge assembly, where the discharge assembly
may be made up of a number of conveyor belts.
[0108] The material sorter may (if yet further height is required)
be further pivoted around the second pivot point (26) located
toward the interlock end (22) of the chassis (9) providing a second
lift to the discharge assembly. Alternatively, the point when the
interlock end (22) contact the terrain surface (24) may be used as
a upper limit to the pivoting action of the chassis (9) about the
support element (19). The additional contact of the interlock end
(22) with the terrain surface (24) further adds to the stability of
the whole material sorter (1) already being provided by the support
element (19) and attitude adjustment assembly (14).
[0109] It should be appreciated that the hydraulic ram (15) may be
optionally secured on the environmental terrain surface (24) by
pins (not shown) that enter the terrain surface, or by having an
expanded base on the structural element (19) that provides
stability against any lateral movement of the material sorter (1)
or support against downward pressure as the weight of the material
sorter is loaded on to the structural element (19).
[0110] The tilt imparted by the hydraulic ram (15) may be increased
at any time during operation of the material sorter, or maximum
tilt may be obtained prior to sorting operation. The tilt of the
material sorter (1) may be adjusted by adjustment of the hydraulic
ram (15), with hydraulic systems well known to those skilled in the
art.
[0111] It should of course be appreciated that while five conveyor
belts (48) as part of the discharge assembly are shown here, this
should not be seen to be limiting as any practical number of belts
may be associated with the material sorter and limitation is
provided only by the packability of the entire system for
transport.
[0112] It should also be appreciated that the entire material
sorter including the material sorting assembly (3) is tilted when
the attitude adjustment assembly (14) is activated. As such, while
certain conveyors and screen boxes and the like may be
independently tiltable, the sorter as a whole is tilted when the
hydraulics are activated.
[0113] Aspects of the present invention have been described by way
of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and
additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope
thereof as defined in the appended claims.
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