1. An apparatus for harvesting agricultural row crops having stalks, comprising
(a) a frame having a front portion and a rear portion, said frame configured for traversing along a field of row crops;
(b) a hollow arm mounted adjacent an upper section of said front portion of said frame, said hollow arm comprising a first section disposed along an incline formed by said upper section of said front portion of said frame and the ground, said first section having a first end and a second end;
(c) a stalk inlet positioned adjacent said first end of said first section of said hollow arm, said stalk inlet for receiving stalks of row crops;
(d) means for cutting stalks of row crops, said means for cutting stalks mounted within said first section of said hollow arm;
(e) means for engaging and conveying the stalks along said hollow arm; and
(f) a biased guide assembly for accommodating stalks of varied diameters, said biased guide assembly comprising a plurality of individual biasing members positioned along at least a portion of said hollow arm to apply an accommodating clamping force to the stalks sufficient to keep each stalk substantially upright as they are conveyed along at least a portion of said hollow arm, said accommodating clamping force accommodating possible differences in stalk diameters from one stalk to another,
wherein at least a portion of said plurality of individual biasing members include a friction-reducing polymeric coating.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for engaging and conveying the stalks along said hollow arm comprises an endless chain having a plurality of links, said plurality of links alternately provided with at least one barb for engaging a stalk.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said plurality of links are alternately provided with three barbs for engaging a stalk.
4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said endless chain is positioned to travel along at least a portion of a vertical wall of said hollow arm in a spaced relationship with said biased guide assembly.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said inlet is provided in front of said means for cutting stalks and configured to direct the row crops into said means for cutting stalks.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for cutting stalks comprises a circular saw.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said circular saw comprises a high speed tool steel blade.
8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said circular saw comprises a carbide-tipped blade.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said friction-reducing polymeric coating comprises ultra high molecular weight polyethylene.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of individual biasing members are positioned so as to overlap with an adjacent biasing member to maintain a substantially constant compressive force on the stalk.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said biased guide assembly is effective to accommodate stalks of diameters between about 1.5 to 3.0 inches.
12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said hollow arm further comprises a second section having a first end and a second end, said first end operably connected to said second end of said first section, said second section mounted along said upper section of said front portion of said frame.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a conveyer for depositing cut row crops thereupon.
14. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said plurality of individual biasing members are positioned in a fixed relation to said hollow arm and in an opposing relation to said endless chain, said endless chain moving relative to said fixed biasing members.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of said plurality of fixed individual biasing members are positioned so as to overlap with an adjacent biasing member to maintain a substantially constant compressive force on the stalk.
16. A method of harvesting agricultural row crops having stalks, the method comprising:
(a) sequentially engaging stalks of row crops;
(b) cutting each sequentially engaged stalk so as to sever each stalk from the ground;
(c) applying a clamping force to each of the engaged stalks sufficient to keep each stalk upright; and
(d) conveying the stalks to a point for collection,
wherein the clamping force is applied by a biased guide assembly for accommodating stalks of varied diameters, the biased guide assembly comprising a plurality of individual biasing members positioned along one side of a hollow arm to apply an accommodating clamping force to the stalks as they are conveyed along an opposite side of said hollow arm, said accommodating clamping force accommodating possible differences in stalk diameters from one stalk to another.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the hollow arm includes a first section disposed along an incline formed by an upper section of a front portion of said frame and the ground, said first section having a first end and a second end and a an inlet positioned adjacent the first end of the first section of the hollow arm, the inlet for receiving stalks of row crops.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein said engaging and conveying steps utilize an endless chain having a plurality of links, the plurality of links alternately provided with at least one barb for engaging a stalk.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the inlet is positioned in front of a means for cutting stalks and configured to direct the row crops into the means for cutting stalks.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the means for cutting stalks comprises a circular saw.
21. The method of claim 16, wherein the biased guide assembly is effective to accommodate stalks of diameters between about 1.5 to 3.0 inches.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A cam cap for an internal combustion engine, having an intake side cam cap portion for an intake camshaft and an exhaust side cam cap portion for an exhaust camshaft, which are integrally formed, comprising:
two connection portions that are formed at the intake side cam cap portion and the exhaust side cam cap portion, respectively, so as to protrude from the side of the cam cap opposite from where the camshaft support faces of the intake and exhaust side cam cap portions are formed, the connection portions having oil passage connection faces that are connected to corresponding oil passage connection faces of a cylinder head cover at which the openings of oil passages leading to ports of oil control valves are formed, respectively, so that oil passages in the exhaust and intake side cam cap portions are connected to the respective oil passages in the cylinder head cover;
a wall portion that extends between the connection portion of the intake side cam cap portion and the connection portion of the exhaust side cam cap portion; and
a hydraulic oil distribution passage that is formed in the wall portion and through which a hydraulic oil supply passage formed in the connection portion of the intake side cam cap portion and a hydraulic oil supply passage formed in the connection portion of the exhaust side cam cap portion communicate with each other;
a hydraulic oil inlet passage that communicates with the hydraulic oil distribution passage and via which hydraulic oil is externally supplied into the hydraulic oil distribution passage.
2. The cam cap according to claim 1, wherein
the wall portion is formed such that the entire part of the exhaust side cam cap portion including the connection portion and the entire part of the intake side cam cap portion including the connection portion are connected to each other via the wall portion.
3. The cam cap according to claim 1, wherein
the upper edge portion of the wall portion extends straight.
4. The cam cap according to claim 3, wherein
the upper edge portion of the wall portion is cylindrical, having a diameter larger than the thickness of the wall portion measured below the upper edge portion and extending between the connection portion of the intake side cam cap portion and the connection portion of the exhaust side cam cap portion, and
in the upper edge portion, the hydraulic oil distribution passage extends straight between the hydraulic oil supply passage in the connection portion of the intake side cam cap portion and the hydraulic oil supply passage in the connection portion of the exhaust side cam cap portion, such that the entire part of the hydraulic oil distribution passage is located higher than the camshaft support faces of the exhaust and intake side cam cap portions.
5. The cam cap according to claim 1, wherein
the hydraulic oil inlet passage is formed in the wall portion such that the lower opening of the hydraulic oil inlet passage is formed at the bottom face of the cam cap and the upper end of the hydraulic oil inlet passage is connected to an intermediate portion of the hydraulic oil distribution passage.
6. The cam cap according to claim 1, wherein
the openings of the hydraulic oil supply passages for supplying hydraulic oil to the respective oil control valves and the openings of pressure-adjusting oil passages that supply or receive hydraulic oil at a pressure adjusted by the oil control valves are formed at the oil passage connection faces of the connection portions of the exhaust and intake side cam cap portions and the lower openings of the pressure-adjusting oil passages are formed at the camshaft support faces of the exhaust and intake side cam cap portions.
7. The cam cap according to claim 6, wherein
the pressure-adjusting oil passage at the connection portion of each of the exhaust and intake side cam cap portions consists of two pressure-adjusting oil passages, and
each of the oil control valves has a function of selectively supplying hydraulic oil from the hydraulic oil supply passage to one of the two pressure-adjusting oil passages while discharging hydraulic oil from the other of the two pressure-adjusting oil passages.