1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a device for loading bales of biomass into a container for transporting to another location, and more particularly to a bale loading apparatus that simplifies and speeds up the loading process.
2. Background Art
U.S. Pat. No. 8,408,857to a Bale Picking Truck by Kelderman shows a method and apparatus for quickly and efficiently picking up and removing biomass bales from a field in which the biomass was baled, compactly stacking the bales after picking the bales off the ground, and efficiently depositing the bales on the ground or platform at a staging area for later loading onto a semi-trailer, straight truck, or train car.
Published U.S. Patent Application No. 2012/0045310 to a Bale De-Stacker by Kelderman relates to a method and apparatus for efficiently unstacking square bales from a stack and conveying the square bales in small sets or individually once they arrive from their aforementioned staging area to the place they are to be used, such as in an ethanol production plant, a plant where the bales are to be burned for fuel, or a feedlot.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,734,077 to a Bale Loading Trailer and Method of Using Same by Kelderman relates to the step of picking sets of bales off the ground, such as at the aforementioned staging area, and loading said bales into a trailer via a moving floor. The aforementioned patents and Published U.S. Patent Application are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The present invention is an improvement over that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,734,077. The moving floor of the present invention comprises a hydraulic, electric, or other motor disposed approximately midway along the direction the bales are moved. The motor drives two sets of chains or belts, or any equivalent thereof. The first set of chains or belts is disposed rearmost in the container, while the second set is disposed front-most in the container. During loading from the rear of the container, the first set of chains can transfer sets of bales approximately up to the drive motor while the second set of chains can transfer sets of bales to the front of the container. In unloading, the second set of chains transfer sets of bales to the proximity of the drive motor, while the first set of chains deliver sets of bales to the rear of the container for unloading.
An advantage of locating the motor such that conveyors are disposed on both sides thereof is a reduction in strain in the conveyors compared to the case where the motor is disposed at an extreme end of the container, and therefore, the conveyor.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the bales are introduced into the container at the approximate center of the container. When the bales are introduced into the container near the drive motor location, the sets of conveyors must reverse direction in order to move the sets of bales to the extreme ends of the container.
A novel aspect of the present invention is the open platform on which to load sets of bales from the side. In the case where the open platform is in the rear, rear loading is another option. Of course, a container may be made to load from the front, approximate middle, and rear. In any case, sets of bales may be loaded from either side of the container.
The term open, for the purposes of this document, including the claims, is hereby defined as without sides. The container of the present invention includes sides—solid, barred, meshed, etc.—to contain the bales of biomass during transport. The loading port, in contradistinction, has no such sides. Bracing along the top of the loading port may or may not be incorporated, but this type of loading port is still termed open.
The above mentioned improvement is effected through provision of the method and apparatus described in the following detailed description, particularly when studied in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate identical or similar parts throughout the several views,
Referring now to
Squeeze flaps 120 are included on both sides in the general front of the loading area to: (1) guide the bale stack 910 (
Bale stacks 910 are transferred from and to the loading port 110 by virtue of conveyors, such as the chain conveyors 160 shown in
In
Squeeze flaps 120 are included on both sides in the general front of the loading area to: (1) guide the bale stack 910 into the container 10, and (2) to reduce the width, if necessary, of the bale stack 910 by hydraulically actuating the squeeze flaps 120.
To effect these goals, the squeeze flaps 120 comprise a front post 130, operatively, pivotally affixed to the bale loading container 10 and a rear post 140, made to swing outward and inward as the front post 130 is rotated about its axis of rotation 150. The squeeze flaps 120 are preferably hydraulically actuated.
Squeeze flaps 220 are included on both sides in the general rear of the loading area to: (1) guide the bale stack 910 into the container 10, and (b) to reduce the width, if necessary, of the bale stack 910 by hydraulically actuating the squeeze flaps 220. To effect these goals, the squeeze flaps 220 comprise a rear post 230, operatively, pivotally affixed to the bale loading container 10 and a front post 240, made to swing outward and inward as the rear post 230 is rotated about its axis of rotation 250. The squeeze flaps 220 are preferably hydraulically actuated, but may be pneumatically or electrically actuated, instead.
The bale loading container 10 shown in
Details of the chain conveyors 160 and the driver 170 are shown more completely in
Compared to driving the chain conveyors 160 from one extreme end of the bale loading container 10, an advantage to driving the chain conveyors 160 in the center of the bale loading container 10 is the strain on the chains is reduced.
Drive cogs 330 are employed at the driver 170 to engage the chain conveyors 160 and provide slipless drive. Outboard cogs 340 are engaged by the chain conveyors 160 at their respective extreme ends.
The term forward is herein defined for the purposes of this document, including the claims, as the principle direction the bale loading container 10 is conveyed by the prime mover 100. An arrow indicating the forward direction 350 is shown in
A sensor 330, 340 is included at each end of the bale loading container 10 toward which bale stacks 910 travel during loading. In a preferred embodiment, only one such sensor 330, 340 is included, and that at the forward end of the bale loading container 10, as shown in
An alternative configuration is shown in
The chain conveyors 160 are shown from the top in
It is noted that the conveyors 160 are illustrated as roller chain conveyors, but web chains or belts 710, such as those shown in
The underside of the chain conveyors 160 is shown in
An alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown in
Stacks of bales 910 are shown being loaded into the open loading port 110 in
The procedure for loading the bale loading container 10 is illustrated in
If the bale loading container 10 is not full at comparison block 1030, the process is repeated, starting with step 1010 where a bale stack 910 is set on the platform of the bale loading container 10.
The example remote control unit 1100 shown in
The display 1110 of the remote control unit 1100 may be used to indicate the bale loading container 10 is full. However, that information may also be provided by a sound, emanating from a sound generator 1150, or vibration, generated by a vibrator 1160, both detectable by the operator.
Unloading the bale loading container 10 may be accomplished by reversing the loading process. The driver 170 is necessarily reversible. Typically, the bale stacks 910 are unloaded from the rear of the bale loading container 10, even if they are loaded into the center.
The action of the squeeze flaps 120 is illustrated in
The bale stack 910 is then advanced in the direction of the arrow, as shown in
In
The bale loading container 10 has been filled in
In the event the last bale stack 1510 cannot be advanced sufficiently to bring its leading edge between the squeeze flaps 120, a second ratchet strap 1520 is typically applied to the last bale stack 1510 in order to secure the same.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept as expressed by the attached claims.