Low Profile Sickle Drive

摘要

A sickle drive incorporated into a generally flat package or enclosure or floor. The drive includes an epicyclic mechanism, including a rotatable input element in an upper region of a cavity of the enclosure, and an eccentric element below the input element rotatable eccentrically thereby. A drive arm is connected to the eccentric element for rotation about, and eccentric rotation with, the eccentric element, and extends to a pivot element which can be the only component extending upwardly from the enclosure or floor, such that the shaft will be pivoted by the eccentric movement of the drive arm. A knife arm connects to the pivot element and a sickle knife assembly which will be reciprocated by the pivoting action. A second epicyclic arrangement can be employed such that opposite forces generated by operation of the drive will be largely canceled.

主权项

1. A sickle drive comprising:
a first epicyclic drive mechanism comprising:
a rotatable first input element for rotation about a generally upstanding first rotational axis;a first eccentric element in connection with the first input element for rotation thereby in eccentric relation to the first rotational axis about a generally upstanding first eccentric axis laterally offset relative to the first rotational axis;a first shaft having a generally upstanding first pivotal axis;a first pivot element supported for pivoting about the first shaft; anda first drive arm having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the first end being connected to the first eccentric element for rotation about the first eccentric axis and eccentric rotation about the first rotational axis, the first drive arm extending in a first direction from the first end to the second end, the second end pivotally connecting eccentrically to the first pivot element; and a first knife arm mounted on the first shaft for connecting to a first knife assembly of a sickle, and for reciprocatingly moving the first knife assembly sidewardly, wherein the first pivot element is configured to be pivoted about the first pivotal axis by the rotation of the first input element about the first rotational axis.