1. A cotton harvester drive structure for driving a cotton harvesting row unit at a speed dependent on ground speed and for varying the speed for different harvesting conditions, the drive structure comprising:
a variable speed row unit drive connected to the harvesting row unit and having a speed control input;
a ground speed sensor providing a speed signal dependent on row unit ground speed;
a drive controller connected to the speed control input and responsive to the speed signal for operating the row unit drive at a preselected speed ratio dependant on the row unit ground speed; and
wherein the drive controller includes a ratio adjustment input connected to a ratio adjusting device for varying the speed ratio from the preselected speed ratio in accordance with the harvesting conditions;
wherein the drive controller includes a groud speed versus unit spped curve and the speed curve is non-linear and adjustable in accordance with varying crop and field conditions; and
wherein the harvester has a maximum speed and the speed curve has a decreased slope near the maximum speed compared to the slope at havester speeds below the maximum speed.
2. The drive structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the ratio adjusting device includes a harvested crop detector providing an indication of the picking efficiency of the row unit, and wherein the drive controller is responsive to the picking efficiency indication to vary the speed ratio to improve the picking efficiency of the row unit.
3. The drive structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the ratio adjusting device includes an operator control for manually selecting the speed ratio.
4. The drive structure as- set forth in claim 1 wherein the ratio adjusting device includes a crop vision device sensing cotton on cotton plants.
5. (canceled)
6. (canceled)
7. The drive structure as set forth in claim 1 including a crop detector providing a crop condition signal, and wherein the controller is responsive to the crop condition signal to automatically adjust the speed curve in dependence on crop condition.
8. A cotton harvester drive structure for driving a cotton harvesting row unit at a speed dependent on ground speed and for varying the row unit speed relative to the ground speed for different harvesting conditions, the drive structure comprising:
an electronic controller;
a ground speed sensor connected to the controller for providing a harvester ground speed signal;
a row unit speed sensor connected to the controller for providing a row unit speed signal; and
wherein the controller is responsive to the ground speed signal and the row unit speed signal to provide a first row unit speed based on harvester ground speed and a preset ground speed versus unit speed curve; and
wherein the speed curve is non-linear and has an initial slope at first harvester speeds that is steeper than the slope at havester speeds above the first harvester speeds to provide a higher unit speed relative to ground speed ratio at low harvester speeds.
9. The drive structure as set forth in claim 8 wherein the controller includes a ratio adjustment input, the ratio adjustment varying the row unit speed from the first row unit speed.
10. The drive structure as set forth in claim 9 wherein the ratio adjustment input is connected to a crop sensor providing a signal indicative of the amount of cotton on cotton plants.
11. The drive structure as set forth in claim 10 wherein the crop sensor comprises a field vision device which determines the amount of unpicked cotton remaining on the plants that have passed through the row unit.
12. The drive structure as set forth in claim 8 wherein the controller reads row unit speed from the unit speed sensor, and including an electronic drive control (EDC) connected to the controller and to a variable speed transmission device to adjust unit speed to a calculated value determined from the ground speed versus unit speed curve.
13. The drive structure as set forth in claim 12 including a field vision device connected to the controller for determining the amount of unpicked cotton remaining on the plants, the controller responsive to the field vision device for adjusting the row unit speed relative to the harvester ground speed.
14. The drive structure as set forth in claim 12 wherein the variable speed device comprises one of the following:
a. a hydro motor;
b. a variable sheave;
c. a continuously variable transmission.
15. (canceled)
16. (canceled)
17. A cotton harvester drive structure for driving a cotton harvesting row unit at a speed dependent on ground speed and for varying the row unit speed relative to the ground speed for different harvesting conditions, the drive structure comprising:
an electronic controller:
a ground speed sensor connected to the controller for providing a harvester around speed signal:
a row unit speed sensor connected to the controller for providing a row unit speed signal; and
wherein the controller is responsive to the ground speed signal and the row unit speed signal to provide a first row unit speed based on harvester ground speed and a preset ground speed versus unit speed curve;
wherein the speed curve is non-linear; and
wherein the harvester has a maximum speed and the speed curve has a decreased slope near the maximum speed compared to the slope at harvester speeds below the maximum speed.
18. The drive structure as set forth in claim 17 wherein the speed curve is adjustable for varying crop and field conditions.
19. The drive structure as set forth in claim 8 wherein the row unit speed comprises cotton picker spindle drum and cotton picker spindle rotational speeds.
20. The drive structure as set forth in claim 19 wherein the spindle speed is adjustable relative to the drum speed.
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 turbine blade, comprising:
a generally elongated blade having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a tip at a first end;
a root coupled to the blade at an end generally opposite the first end for supporting the blade and for coupling the blade to a disc;
at least one cavity forming a cooling system in the turbine blade;
at least one outer wall defining the at least one cavity forming the cooling system;
a platform generally orthogonal to the generally elongated blade and proximate to the root;
at least one rib protruding from a bottom surface of the platform, extending at an oblique angle to the platform contacting the root; and
at least one platform cooling channel in the at least one rib providing a pathway from the at least one cavity forming a cooling system in the root of the turbine blade to an outer side surface of the platform, wherein the at least one platform cooling channel terminates at the outer side surface of the platform to provide impingement cooling to a platform side surface on a platform of an adjacent turbine blade.
2. The turbine blade of claim 1, wherein the at least one rib is positioned on an outer surface of the platform on a side of the platform extending proximate to a pressure side of the generally elongated blade.
3. The turbine blade of claim 1, wherein the at least one rib is positioned on an outer surface of the platform on a side of the platform extending proximate to a suction side of the generally elongated blade.
4. The turbine blade of claim 1, wherein the at least one platform cooling channel is positioned nonparallel relative to an outer surface of the platform and nonparallel relative to a longitudinal axis of the generally elongated blade.
5. The turbine blade of claim 1, wherein the at least one rib comprises a plurality of ribs protruding from the bottom surface of the platform in a generally parallel configuration.
6. The turbine blade of claim 5, wherein the plurality of ribs extend along the bottom surface of the platform only on a single side of the root.
7. The turbine blade of claim 1, wherein the at least one rib protruding from the bottom surface of the platform tapers from a first thickness at a tip of the rib to a second thickness at an intersection between the at least one rib and the root, wherein the second thickness proximate the root is larger than the first thickness.
8. A turbine blade, comprising:
a generally elongated blade having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a tip at a first end;
a root coupled to the blade at an end generally opposite the first end for supporting the blade and for coupling the blade to a disc;
at least one cavity forming a cooling system in the turbine blade;
at least one outer wall defining the at least one cavity forming the cooling system;
a platform generally orthogonal to the generally elongated blade and proximate to the root;
at least one rib protruding from a bottom surface of the platform, extending at an oblique angle to the platform and contacting the root; and
at least one platform cooling channel in the at least one rib providing a pathway from the at least one cavity forming a cooling system in the root of the turbine blade to an outer side surface of the platform, wherein the at least one platform cooling channel terminates at the outer side surface of the platform to a provide impingement cooling to platform side surface on a platform of an adjacent turbine blade;
wherein the at least one platform cooling channel is positioned nonparallel relative to an outer surface of the platform and nonparallel relative to a longitudinal axis of the generally elongated blade.
9. The turbine blade of claim 8, wherein the at least one rib is positioned on an outer surface of the platform on a side of the platform extending proximate to a pressure side of the generally elongated blade.
10. The turbine blade of claim 8, wherein the at least one rib is positioned on an outer surface of the platform on a side of the platform extending proximate to a suction side of the generally elongated blade.
11. The turbine blade of claim 8, wherein the at least one rib comprises a plurality of ribs protruding from the bottom surface of the platform in a generally parallel configuration.
12. The turbine blade of claim 11, wherein the plurality of ribs extend along the bottom surface of the platform only on a single side of the root.
13. The turbine blade of claim 8, wherein the at least one rib protruding from the bottom surface of the platform tapers from a first thickness at a rip of the rib to a second thickness at an intersection between the at least one rib and the root, wherein the second thickness proximate the root is larger than the first thickness.