Patent Application
20210212262
The present invention pertains to agricultural vehicles and, more specifically, to agricultural balers.
For many years harvesters, such as agricultural balers, have been used to consolidate and package crop material to facilitate the storage and handling of the crop material for later use. Usually, a mower-conditioner cuts and conditions the crop material for windrow drying in the sun. When the cut crop material is properly dried, a harvester, such as a round baler, travels along the windrows to pick up the crop material and form it into cylindrically-shaped round bales.
More specifically, pickups of the baler gather the cut and windrowed crop material from the ground, then convey the cut crop material into a bale-forming chamber within the baler. A drive mechanism operates to activate the pickups, augers, and a rotor of the feed mechanism. A conventional baling chamber may include a pair of opposing sidewalls with a series of belts that rotate and compress the crop material into a cylindrical shape.
When the bale has reached a desired size and density, a wrapping system may wrap the bale to ensure that the bale maintains its shape and density. For example, a net may be used to wrap the bale of crop material. A knife or severing mechanism may be used to cut the net once the bale has been wrapped. The wrapped bale may be ejected from the baler and onto the ground by, for example, raising a tailgate of the baler. The tailgate is then closed and the cycle repeated as necessary and desired to manage the field of cut crop material.
Wrapping the bale in material helps maintain the shape of the formed bale and protect the bale from, for example, rain or other harmful external conditions. However, in some instances the bale is not wrapped because, for example, the wrapping material is not delivered by the material roll or is wrapped around something besides the bale. In such instances, an unwrapped bale may be inadvertently released, which must be re-baled and wrapped.
What is needed in the art is a baler that can address at least some of the previously described issues with known balers.
Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein provide a wrapping system with a controller that is configured to output a successful wrap signal responsively to determining that a current size of a bale is less than a starting size of the bale by a defined amount.
In some exemplary embodiments provided according to the present disclosure, a wrapping system for an agricultural baler includes: a material roll configured to hold a roll of wrapping material; a duckbill assembly configured to draw wrapping material from the material roll and including a duckbill motor; a bale size sensor configured to output bale size signals; and a controller operatively coupled to the duckbill motor and the bale size sensor. The controller is configured to: determine a starting size of a bale based on at least one received bale size signal; output an initiation signal to the duckbill motor to initiate a wrap cycle; determine a current size of the bale is less than the starting size of the bale by a defined amount after outputting the initiation signal; and output a successful wrap signal responsively to determining that the current size is less than the starting size by the defined amount.
In some exemplary embodiments provided according to the present disclosure, an agricultural baler includes: a chassis; a baling chamber carried by the chassis; a material roll carried by the chassis and configured to hold a roll of wrapping material; a duckbill assembly configured to draw wrapping material from the material roll and including a duckbill motor; a bale size sensor disposed in the baling chamber and configured to output bale size signals; and a controller operatively coupled to the duckbill motor and the bale size sensor. The controller is configured to: determine a starting size of a bale based on at least one received bale size signal; output an initiation signal to the duckbill motor to initiate a wrap cycle; determine a current size of the bale is less than the starting size of the bale by a defined amount after outputting the initiation signal; and output a successful wrap signal responsively to determining that the current size is less than the starting size by the defined amount.
In some exemplary embodiments provided according to the present disclosure, a method of controlling an agricultural baler is provided. The method is performed by a controller and includes: determining a starting size of a bale formed in a baling chamber; outputting an initiation signal to a duckbill motor to initiate a wrap cycle; determining a current size of the bale is less than the starting size of the bale by a defined amount after outputting the initiation signal; and outputting a successful wrap signal responsively to determining that the current size is less than the starting size by the defined amount.
One possible advantage that may be realized by exemplary embodiments disclosed herein is that the controller can detect when the bale is not being wrapped even if wrapping material is being drawn from the material roll.
Another possible advantage that may be realized by exemplary embodiments disclosed herein is that the controller can output a warning signal if the controller determines that the current size of the bale is not less than the starting size of the bale by the defined amount at an end of the wrap cycle.
For the purpose of illustration, there are shown in the drawings certain embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements, dimensions, and instruments shown. Like numerals indicate like elements throughout the drawings. In the drawings:
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
A bale forming chamber 20 for forming bales is defined partly by a sledge assembly 30 including a plurality of rollers 31, 32 extending transversely in the arcuate arrangement shown in
The bale forming chamber is further defined by an apron assembly 40 including a plurality of continuous side-by-side chains, which also may be referred to as belts, supported by guide rolls 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 rotatably mounted in tailgate 13 and a drive roll 48, mounted on chassis 11. Apron assembly 40 passes between roller 32 on sledge assembly 30 and idler roller 33, and is in engagement only with idler roller 33 and not roller 32 which is located in close proximity to the apron chains to strip crop material from the chains, in addition to its bale forming function. Drive roll 48 is powered via coupling to a coupler 70, which may be a power take-off (PTO) coupled to the tractor 501, and a drive train which moves apron assembly 40 along its changing path, indicated generally by arrows A and B in
A pair of take up arms 51 (only one shown) are mounted to pivot conjointly with a cross shaft 52 between inner and outer positions, shown in
The wrapping assembly 211, including the duckbill assembly 250 and its associated structure and mechanisms may be conventional and common to the structure and operation described in the baler patents referenced and incorporated herein by reference above.
As shown, the wrapping material, such as net, may be fed from the material roll 213 and travel over the duckbill rolls 251 and exit a tip 254 of the duckbill 253. The tip 254 of the duckbill 253 serves to pinch the net and prevent the net from snapping back through the duckbill 253 once it is cut. Typically, a portion of net will extend out of the tip after a net knife action. For example, it is common for a section of net that hangs out of the tip of the duckbill and that net tail is where it grabs on to the bale when the duckbill 253 is inserted for the next net wrap cycle.
As shown, the duckbill motor 252 may be dedicated to the duckbill 253, and operation of the duckbill motor 252 functions to insert the duckbill 253 to commence a net wrap cycle and then to retract the duckbill 253 at the end of the wrap cycle once the net has been cut. The duckbill motor 252 is thus configured to move the duckbill 253 between a first position, which may be an insert position, and a second position, which may be a home position, during retraction of the duckbill 253. The duckbill motor 252 may be, for example, a motor that is powered by electricity, hydraulics, and/or pneumatics, as is known. The duckbill rolls 251 function to define the path of the net as it weaves through the duckbill assembly 250 and to ensure the net is stretched to one side of the bale to the other side of the bale. In the operation of the illustrated wrapping assembly 211, the net comes off the bottom of the material roll 213, which, in the figure, rotates clockwise, and goes around the upper side of the upper duckbill roll 251 and then makes essentially an 180-degree turn and then goes on the material roll side of the lower duckbill roll 251 and then through the tip 254 of the duck bill 253. The rotational direction of the material roll 213 is unimportant, but ultimately determines the location where the net leaves the roll, and/or the number and placement of additional rolls needed to direct the net appropriately to the duckbill, and eventually rearward, toward the baling chamber.
The roll 38 closest to the up-cut knife assembly 212 may include ribs 257 disposed about the outside of the roll. Another roll 31 positioned above this roll may also include ribs. A gap or clearance may be formed between these two baling chamber rolls 31, 38 to allow access for the tip 254 of the duckbill 253. As the baling chamber roll 31 rotates, the net pinches between the rolls and the bale and ribs 257 help grabs the net and feed it into the baling chamber and onto the bale. In the illustrated embodiment, the bale may rotate such that the top material moves forward and downward, with respect to the baler, clockwise as shown in the figure, in the chamber and the baling chamber rolls rotate in the opposite direction, here counterclockwise.
During a net wrap cycle, the wrapping assembly 211 moves through two positions: the home position to the insert position and back to the home position. In the home position (
In other embodiments, the baler 10 is not connected to the tractor 501 but is connected to other equipment, such as, for example, a harvester or a part of a harvester, such as a cotton picker, or the like. In these embodiments, the other equipment (e.g., harvester) may include a controller, similar to the tractor controller 520, and an operator interface, similar to the display 525.
As illustrated in
In known balers, the controller normally signals for a bale to be released when the wrap cycle finishes. However, there are instances when the controller cannot accurately determine that the bale is fully wrapped and the wrap cycle is complete. For example, the wrapping material may sometimes get wrapped around an element of the baler, such as a frame roll. In such a case, the controller may detect that wrapping material has been drawn from the material roll, which would normally indicate that the bale is being wrapped, and incorrectly signal for the tailgate to open and release the unwrapped bale. The released, unwrapped bale would then need to be re-baled and wrapped, which is inconvenient for an operator.
To address some of the previously described issues, and referring to
The controller 510 is operatively coupled to the bale size sensor 110 and the duckbill motor 252. The controller 510 is configured to determine a starting size of a bale in the baling chamber based on at least one received bale size signal from the bale size sensor 110. The controller 510 also outputs an initiation signal to the duckbill motor 252 to initiate a wrap cycle, as previously described. In some embodiments, the controller 510 is configured to determine the starting size of the bale prior to outputting the initiation signal. Alternatively, the controller 510 can be configured to determine the starting size of the bale after outputting the initiation signal as, for example, the duckbill 53 moves to the insert position. After outputting the initiation signal, the controller 510 determines a current size of the bale. When the controller 510 determines that the current size of the bale is less than the starting size by a defined amount, the controller 510 outputs a successful wrap signal in response. The controller 510 may, for example, output the successful wrap signal to the tailgate actuator 19 or a different element to cause the tailgate 13 to open, allowing the bale to be released from the baler 10.
It has been found that the size of the bale decreases as wrapping material is applied due to the wrapping material compressing the bale tightly. By determining that the current size of the bale is less than the starting size of the bale by the defined amount after outputting the initiation signal, which starts the wrap cycle, the controller 510 can determine that the bale has been properly wrapped and output the successful wrap signal. Such a determination is more reliable than, for example, simply monitoring the amount of wrapping material that is drawn from the material roll 213 because the drawn wrapping material may not be wrapped around the bale. It should thus be appreciated that the controller 510 determining the bale size has decreased allows the controller 510 to accurately determine when the bale has been wrapped.
In some embodiments, the controller 510 is configured to determine the wrap cycle has ended and determine the current size of the bale after the wrap cycle has ended. To determine the wrap cycle has ended, the controller 510 may be operatively coupled to a wrap sensor 220 (illustrated in
In some embodiments, a pressure sensor 130 is included that is configured to output bale pressure signals corresponding to a current bale density pressure of the bale. The bale density pressure sensed by the pressure sensor 130 increases as the bale becomes larger, and vice versa. The pressure sensor 130 can, for example, output bale pressure signals with a greater amplitude when the exerted pressure is greater and bale pressure signals with a smaller amplitude when the exerted pressure is smaller, allowing the controller 510 to also determine the size of the bale based on the bale pressure signals. Such pressure sensors are known, so further description is omitted for brevity.
Referring now to
The controller 510 may determine the starting size of the bale at a time point of the vertical line 604 and determine the current size of the bale at a time point of the vertical line 605, with the starting size and current size of the bale being compared to determine that the current size is less than the starting size by a defined amount. In some embodiments, the defined amount is between 2.5 cm and 10 cm. Alternatively, the defined amount can be a certain percentage of the starting size, such as 2%. As can be appreciated from
Referring now to
In some embodiments, the controller 510 is configured to output a warning signal if the current size of the bale is not less than the starting size by the defined amount, as illustrated in
It should be appreciated that the controller 510 may determine that the wrap cycle has ended in other ways than determining the length of drawn wrapping material. In some embodiments, the controller 510 determines the wrap cycle has ended by determining a defined time period has elapsed after outputting the initiation signal. Alternatively, the controller 510 can determine the wrap cycle has ended when the current size of the bale is less than the starting by the defined amount, i.e., the determinations are concurrent.
Referring now to
Determining 903 the current size of the bale is less than the starting size of the bale by the defined amount may be performed in a variety of ways. The current size may be determined 903, for example, directly from bale size signals from a bale size sensor 110 associated with one or both of the take up arms 51. In some embodiments, determining 903 the current size is less than the starting size by the defined amount includes determining a pressure drop, as sensed by a bale pressure sensor 130, is at least a threshold amount after outputting the initiation signal. Since the pressure exerted by the bale on the bale pressure sensor 130 decreases as the size of the bale decreases, as previously described, the pressure drop of at least the threshold amount indicates that the size of the bale has decreased by the defined amount.
In some embodiments, the method 900 further comprises determining 905 the wrap cycle has ended and determining 903 the current size of the bale is less than the starting size of the bale by the defined amount occurs after the wrap cycle has ended. Determining 905 the wrap cycle has ended may include determining a length of wrapping material that has been drawn from the material roll is at least a defined length. Alternatively, determining 905 the wrap cycle has ended may include determining a defined time period has elapsed after outputting the initiation signal or may be concurrent with determining 903 the current size is less than the starting size by the defined amount.
In some embodiments, the method 900 further comprises outputting 906 a warning signal if the current size of the bale is not less than the starting size by the defined amount. The warning signal may be output 906, for example, after the wrap cycle has ended without the current size of the bale becoming less than the starting size by the defined amount. The warning signal may be output 906 to a display 525 or other element, such as an audio speaker, to alert an operator that wrapping of the bale is not detected. It should be appreciated that the warning signal may also be output in other ways to cause various responsive actions within the baler 10, e.g., output to a brake 240 to stop rotation of the material roll 213.
It is to be understood that the steps of the method 900 are performed by the controller 510 upon loading and executing software code or instructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readable medium, such as on a magnetic medium, e.g., a computer hard drive, an optical medium, e.g., an optical disc, solid-state memory, e.g., flash memory, or other storage media known in the art. Thus, any of the functionality performed by the controller 510 described herein, such as the method 900, is implemented in software code or instructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readable medium. The controller 510 loads the software code or instructions via a direct interface with the computer readable medium or via a wired and/or wireless network. Upon loading and executing such software code or instructions by the controller 510, the controller 510 may perform any of the functionality of the controller 510 described herein, including any steps of the method 900 described herein.
The term “software code” or “code” used herein refers to any instructions or set of instructions that influence the operation of a computer or controller. They may exist in a computer-executable form, such as machine code, which is the set of instructions and data directly executed by a computer's central processing unit or by a controller, a human-understandable form, such as source code, which may be compiled in order to be executed by a computer's central processing unit or by a controller, or an intermediate form, such as object code, which is produced by a compiler. As used herein, the term “software code” or “code” also includes any human-understandable computer instructions or set of instructions, e.g., a script, that may be executed on the fly with the aid of an interpreter executed by a computer's central processing unit or by a controller.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing specification. Accordingly, it is to be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is intended to include all changes and modifications that are within the scope and spirit of the invention.
