Patent Application
20200178472
The present disclosure relates to a work machine for baling crop, and more particularly to a system and method of identification tagging of baled crop.
Hay and foraging equipment are utilized in the processing of plant material and include mowers, conditioners, flail choppers, windrowers, and balers for both dry and silage uses. The hay system, such as a square baler, includes a pickup mechanism, which picks crop material from the ground and supplies it to a bale-forming chamber. The bale-forming chamber receives the crop material and includes a plunger or piston that applies an axial force against an accumulation of the crop material to form a substantially square-shaped bale. The plunger or piston can further apply a force to a face of the bale to further densify the bale. Once the bale reaches a certain or desired density, the bale may be pushed and extruded out the rear of the baler.
In one embodiment of the disclosure, a bale tag for coupling to a piece of twine is provided. The bale tag includes an elongated body having a first end and a second end, the body defining a bore therethrough; a first portion of the body disposed at the first end; a second portion of the body disposed at the second end; and a third portion of the body disposed between the first portion and the second portion; wherein, the first portion is tapered at a first taper angle from a location adjoining the third portion to the first end, and the second portion is tapered at a second taper angle from a location adjoining the third portion to the second end.
In one example of the bale tag, the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion each include a length. The length of the first portion is greater than the length of the second portion, and the length of the second portion is greater than the length of the third portion. In a second example, the bore includes a diameter, the first end of the body includes a first width, and the second end of the body comprises a second width. Here, the diameter is approximately the same as the first width and the second width. In a third example of this embodiment, the body is formed of nylon, a polymer, an elastomer, or a combination thereof.
In another example, the bale tag includes an identification indicia disposed on the body, wherein the identification indicia comprises a bar code, a quick response code, an identification number, an alpha-numeric code, a color, or an embedded radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip and antenna. In a further example, the first taper angle is less than the second taper angle. In yet a further example, the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion each include a length, the length of the first portion and the second portion are approximately the same.
In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method is provided for assembling a bale tag and twine assembly to a baled crop during a baling process. The method includes providing the bale tag having a body with a first end and a second end, and a piece of twine having a defined length; indicating at a location on the bale tag an identification indicia that corresponds to the bale tag; coupling the bale tag to the twine before executing the baling process; forming the baled crop during execution of the baling process; and assembling the bale tag and twine assembly to the baled crop.
In one example of this embodiment, the coupling step includes inserting the twine through a bore defined in the body of the bale tag, where the bale tag substantially surrounds the twine. Moreover, the method may include adhering the bale tag to the twine to limit movement of the bale tag along the length of the twine. In a second example, the coupling step includes embedding the bale tag inbetween the twine, where the twine substantially surrounds the bale tag. In a third example, the coupling step includes intertwining the bale tag with the twine.
In a fourth example of this embodiment, the method may include visually indicating on the twine the location where the bale tag is coupled to the twine. The visually indicating step may include marking a color or other visual identifier on the twine to assist with locating the bale tag. In a fifth example, the assembling step may include tying a first end of the twine to a second end thereof, where a knot is formed during the typing step. In doing so, the knot defines an outer diameter and the bale tag defines an outer width. The outer width may be less than the outer diameter.
In a further example, the method may include providing a second bale tag having a second identification indicia that corresponds to the second bale tag, the second identification indicia being different from the identification indicia of the first bale tag; and coupling the second bale tag to the twine at a location spaced from the first bale tag before executing the baling process. In a further embodiment of this disclosure, a method is provided for producing a bale tag and twine assembly for a baled crop formed during a baling process. The method includes providing a plurality of bale tags, where each of the plurality of bale tags includes a body and a unique identification indicia associated with the corresponding bale tag; coupling a first bale tag of the plurality of bale tags to a piece of twine having a defined length; coupling a second bale tag of the plurality of bale tags to the piece of twine at a location spaced from the first bale tag; and producing the bale tag and twine assembly. The coupling steps may be executed via one of an embedding process, an enveloping process, or an intertwining process. Moreover, the coupling steps are executed before the baling process.
In one example of this embodiment, the enveloping process may include providing a bore defined through the body of each of the plurality of bale tags; inserting the twine into the bore; and pulling the twine through the bore so that each of the plurality of bale tags surround the twine. In a second example, the method may include fastening each bale tag to the twine to limit movement thereof relative to the twine. In a third example, during the baling process the twine is cut at a location along its length and tied to the baled crop. At least one of the plurality of bale tags is assembled to the baled crop.
The above-mentioned aspects of the present invention and the manner of obtaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of the embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The embodiments of the present disclosure described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the present disclosure.
Referring now to
In various embodiments, baler 12 (or vehicle 10) may include one or more computing devices, such as controller 34. Various alternative locations for controller 34 are depicted in
Referring now also to
Baling chamber 38, which is depicted with upper panel 38a in place, may be a chamber of generally rectangular cross section extending axially along baler 12 in a generally front-to-back direction. Chamber 38 may be configured in various ways to receive material gathered by pick-up assembly 16, hold the material for compaction, then release the resulting bale from the back (or other portion) of baler 12 (e.g., as depicted for bale 18, in
Baling chamber 38 may be bounded on one or more sides (e.g., to the right and left, from the perspective of the forward direction of baler 12) by tension panels 52, which may be movable in order to control various aspects of a baling operation. For example, various actuators (not shown) may be mounted to baler 12 and one or more of tension panels 52 such that the actuators may cause tension panels 52 to vary the cross-sectional area of baling chamber 38. In certain embodiments, for example, hydraulic pistons (not shown) may be configured to pivot tension panels 52 into (or out of) baling chamber 38, in order to decrease (or increase) the cross-sectional area of chamber 38 and thereby increase (or decrease) the force required to push a given amount of compacted crop material through chamber 38 (e.g., the pressure required for plunger 54 to move the bale through chamber 38). In this way, for example, tension panels 52 may be utilized to vary the density of the resulting bale 18.
Compaction of crop material within baling chamber 38 may be driven in various ways. For example, as depicted in the various figures, plunger 54 (not shown in
In various embodiments, rotation of PTO connection shaft 26 (e.g., as powered by the PTO output of vehicle 10) may additionally (or alternatively) provide rotational power to various components of baler 12. For example, the motion of various components of pick-up assembly 16, various tying mechanisms (not shown), pumps for hydraulic actuation of tension panels 38 (not shown), and so on, may be driven via power connections of various known types (e.g., chain or belt drives) to PTO connection shaft 26 or associated components.
A twine tying arrangement (not shown) may be provided for wrapping and tying multiple loops of twine about a completed bale. The bale tying cycle may be initiated by a bale length sensor arrangement (not shown) including a toothed metering wheel (not shown) mounted on a shaft (not shown) extending horizontally across and being rotatably mounted to the top of the baling chamber 38. The metering wheel may have a toothed periphery which extends into the baling chamber 38 and is contacted by a forming bale so as to be rotated as the bale grows in length. The rotation of the metering wheel is sensed and converted into a signal representing bale length, with a control signal being sent to initiate the tying cycle when the forming bale reaches a length corresponding to a desired bale length. An example of a twine tensioner or knotter system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,617,834 to Deere & Company, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
As the baled crop is formed in the baler 100, certain parameters or qualities of the crop may be measured or determined, e.g., moisture quality, baling time, bale weight, bale length, etc. The ability to trace or track baling parameters can be useful to an end user. Baled products, such as hay or silage, may be fed to livestock, and the quality of the feed may be important to the diet of the livestock. To achieve this traceability of the baled product, a tagging system may be employed for storing or otherwise retaining the parameters or quality of the crop. For example, a higher quality feed may be fed to certain livestock, whereas feed with lesser quality may go to a different type of livestock (e.g., dairy cow versus a dry cow).
In the organic food industry, for example, traceability of feed quality is desired. Many in the industry want to know where food products (such as milk) come from, what the livestock ate while it was being raised, etc. As a result, the tagging system may be employed in the baling process to provide this type of information to the consumer.
Referring now to
In at least one embodiment, the bale tag may be coupled to or integrated into the twine before the bale is made. This may happen, for example, by the twine manufacturer to improve or simplify the ease of use during the baling process (i.e., tagging issues may be avoided). The bale tag may be coupled to the twine via an adhesive, mechanical clamping or coupling, heat, or otherwise integrated in other known manners. In
In
A central bore or channel 314 is defined in the body 306 from the first end 302 to the second end 304. The bore or channel 314 may be sized such that twine can pass therethrough. The bore or channel 314 may have an outer diameter, DB, whereas the body 306 may have a larger dimension, D. As shown in
The first portion 308 may have a defined length, L1, as shown in
As noted above, the first portion 308 of the bale tag 300 tapers from the third portion 312 to the first end 302. The taper angle, Θ1, may be less than 20° in one example. In a different example, the angle may be less than 10°. Further, in a third example, the angle may be less than 5°. As shown in
In
The bale tag 500 may include a body 504 having a first end 506 and a second end 506. The body 506 may have a smaller dimension at the first end 506 and second end 508, and a larger dimension at a location therebetween. For example, in
In a non-limiting example, the overall length, L, of the bale tag 500 may be approximately 30 mm. The length, LB, of the first and second portions may be approximately 5 mm, and the length, LA, of the third portion may be approximately 20 mm. This, however, is only an example and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. The size of the bale tag may differ in other embodiments, and thus the lengths in
As previously described, the body 504 in
In a non-limiting example, the twine 502 may have a diameter of approximately 4 mm. The first or largest dimension, D1, of the bale tag 500 may be approximately 10 mm, and the second or smallest dimension, D2, may be approximately 6 mm. This, however, is only an example and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. The size of the bale tag may differ in other embodiments, and thus the dimensions or diameters in
As previously described, the material of the bale tag can vary depending upon the embodiment. The material may include nylon, a polymer, or an elastomer. In
The outer surface of the third portion 312 of the bale tag 300 may include a low friction surface. This low friction outer surface may also be the case with the first and second portions as well. In the embodiment of
While the bale tag 300 in
In
During the baling process, opposite ends of a piece of twine may be tied into a knot. As shown in
Another example of a bale tag and twine arrangement 700 is shown in
In a further example, another bale tag and twine arrangement 800 is shown in
Other arrangements may be possible for coupling a bale tag to twine besides the illustrated embodiments. For instance, a bale tag may be clamped, snapped, fastened, adhered, or coupled using any number of fasteners. In at least one embodiment, the bale tag is coupled to the twine in such a way that there is limited movement of the tag along the length of the twine. In other embodiments, however, the bale tag may freely move along the twine.
In a simplified bale forming process, twine may be provided in the form of a roll or other manner by a twine manufacturer. In addition, a plurality of bale tags may be provided. Each bale tag may include a unique identification number, a bar code, a QR code, an embedded RFID chip and antenna, etc. The bale tag may take the form of any design including those shown in
During the manufacturing process, the twine may be visually altered at the location at or near each bale tag to provide a means to locate the bale tag once it is disposed about the baled crop. The visual alteration may include a coloring (e.g., paint) process or any other known method.
Once the bale tags have been assembled to the twine, the twine may be delivered and installed in a baler according to any known method. During the baling process, crop may be collected by the baler according to known methods and the baled crop is formed in the baler, e.g., the baling chamber. Once the baled crop is formed, the twine may be assembled and tied according to any known process. As the twine is assembled to the baled crop, one or more bale tags may be disposed along the crop. If the twine is visually altered at locations near or at the bale tag, the location of the bale tag may be readily identified via the twine. In any event, the bale tags are already assembled to the baled crop once the twine is tied. The one or more bale tags may thus be used for associating certain information about the baled crop to an end user, including moisture of the crop, length or weight of the crop, etc. Moreover, other information such as about the twine may also be associated to the baled crop via the bale tag.
While embodiments incorporating the principles of the present disclosure have been disclosed hereinabove, the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Instead, this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this disclosure pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
The present application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/207,958, filed Jul. 12, 2016.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15207958 | Jul 2016 | US |
| Child | 16791525 | US |
