HK1175361A - Continuous round baler with pickup - Google Patents

Description

Continuous round baler with pickup

Technical Field

The invention relates to a round baler.

Background

Conventional round baler machines are typically pulled by a tractor through the field where they gather and form crop material, such as hay, into a bale. The baler typically comprises a pickup for collecting crop material and supplying the crop material to an adjacent baling chamber in which the crop material is formed into a bale.

The baler has three common operating cycles: a bale forming cycle, a bale wrapping cycle, and a bale ejection cycle. During the bale forming cycle, the baler is pulled through the field and the pickup provides crop material to the baling chamber. The baling chamber operates the forming belts to form the received crop material into a bale. Once the bale is fully formed and the bale forming cycle is complete, the operator stops pulling the baler through the field, stops the pickup to discontinue providing crop material to the baling chamber, and begins the bale wrapping cycle. An automatic mechanism is typically used to pack the bale when the tractor is idling. Once the baling cycle is complete, a bale ejection cycle begins in which the baled bale is ejected from the baling chamber. After discharging the wrapped bale, the operator again starts pulling the baler through the field and restarts the pickup to again provide crop material to the baling chamber, and restarts the bale-forming belts of the baling chamber during a new bale-forming cycle.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an example embodiment of a continuous round baler towed by a trailer with a pickup conveyor.

Figure 2 shows a schematic view of an example embodiment of a continuous round baler with a pickup conveyor.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a pick-up conveyor apparatus.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a crop collection end of a pickup conveyor apparatus.

Fig. 5 shows a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a crop collection end of a pickup conveyor apparatus.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of an electronic control system of the continuous baler of fig. 2.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of an example embodiment of a console located on a vehicle that is accessible by an operator when towing the round baler of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart of an example method of providing crop material to a round baler.

FIG. 9 shows a flow diagram of an example method of providing crop material to a round baler.

Figure 10 shows a flow chart of an example method of a continuous round baler.

11A-11L illustrate operation of a continuous round baler according to an example embodiment.

Detailed Description

Summary of the invention

In an example embodiment, a continuous round baler collects crop material and bales the crop material into bales. The baler may be operable to continuously collect crop material and to deliver the crop material into the baler according to a predetermined scheme. In one example embodiment, crop material may be provided to a baling chamber of a baler during bale-forming operations, and collected and gathered during non-bale-forming operations. This eliminates stopping the movement of the baler through the field in connection with prior art balers and allows crop material to be continuously collected without stopping. Although in the example embodiment the baler is shown as collecting dry crop such as hay, the term "crop material" is meant to include grain and material other than grain (MOG). For example, a continuous baler may be used to bale hay or biomass material, such as corn cobs and the like.

In one example embodiment, the pickup conveyor is configured to collect crop material, gather the crop material, and convey the crop material to a baling chamber of the baler. The pick conveyor may include: a variable speed conveyor configured to receive a crop and provide the crop material to a baling chamber; and a pickup head positioned adjacent to the variable speed conveyor to collect crop material and provide the crop material to the variable speed conveyor. The speed of the pickup conveyor may be varied (i.e., stopped, started, accelerated, decelerated, and/or reversed) according to a predetermined scheme (e.g., according to the operating cycle of the baler). The controller may be arranged to manipulate the speed of the variable speed conveyor according to the predetermined scheme. For example, the controller may direct the conveyor to feed crop material to the baling chamber when the baler is in a bale-forming operation, and accumulate crop material on the conveyor during a non-bale-forming operation. A user interface may also be provided for receiving operating instructions from an operator of the continuous baler and for controlling certain functions of the baler and the pickup conveyor in accordance with the operating instructions.

In an example embodiment, the pick-up conveyor may include a pick-up head configured to be mounted to a tongue plate, and the variable speed conveyor may include one or more conveyor belts rotatably coupled to a variable speed drive roller. A variable speed motor may be provided for powering the pick-up device and/or the conveyor. The motor may be controlled by the controller through various solenoids, flow control valves and/or other devices to vary the speed and direction of the motor, thereby varying the speed and direction of movement of the pickup and/or conveyor belt, and thereby manipulating the collection of crop material and the delivery of the crop material to the baling chamber of the baler.

The pickup may be coupled to a tongue for pulling the baler such that the pickup can contact the ground to collect crop material and provide the crop material to the baling chamber of the baler. In an example embodiment, a front or feed end of the conveyor may be positioned adjacent the pickup such that the crop material collected by the pickup is provided to the conveyor.

The rear or outlet end of the conveyor may be positioned adjacent the inlet of the baler so that the crop material provided to the conveyor by the pickup may be fed into a baling chamber for baling when the conveyor is operated in a feed direction. Although the exemplary embodiments are discussed in the context of a belt conveyor, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other conveyor devices may be used, such as auger conveyors or chain conveyors as are known in the art, and the term "conveyor" is meant to include these alternative devices.

This arrangement allows for continuous collection of crop material and continuous movement of the baler through the field. This arrangement also allows operation of the baler according to a predetermined scheme, for example feeding crop material to the baling chamber during bale forming operations of the baler, and gathering the crop material during non-bale forming operations of the baler.

An example method includes: continuously collecting crop material; conveying the crop material in a feed direction to a baling chamber of a baler during a bale-forming operation of the baler; and conveying the crop material in a non-feed direction during a non-bale-forming operation of the baler. For example, the crop conveyor may run in a feed direction during a bale forming operation and the conveyor may run in a reverse direction when the bale forming operation is complete. In an example embodiment, the conveyor is operated in reverse to reset the conveyor to an initial condition and move crop material from an output end of the conveyor adjacent the inlet of the baling chamber to a receiving end of the conveyor adjacent the pickup. The example method may also include conveying the crop material in a feed direction during the non-bale-forming operation of the baler. For example, once the conveyor is reset to an initial condition, the conveyor may be operated in a feed direction to move the crop material to the baling chamber.

In an example embodiment, the conveyor is operated at a speed such that the crop material located on the conveyor during the non-bale-forming mode is accumulated on the conveyor rather than being fed into the baling chamber. In an example embodiment, the conveyor runs at a speed such that crop material is placed adjacent the bale chamber when the baler reenters the bale forming operation. In other words, the conveyor runs at a speed such that at the start of the non-bale-forming operation, a point on the conveyor at the receiving or entrance end of the conveyor moves to the output end of the conveyor, i.e. the amount of time it takes for a point on the conveyor to move through the length of the conveyor coincides with the amount of time it takes for the baler to complete the non-bale-forming operation, hence the term uniform speed. This allows the crop material to accumulate on the conveyor and be positioned to enter the baling chamber once the bale-forming operation is resumed.

Another example method includes: continuously collecting crop material; providing the crop material to a variable speed conveyor; operating the conveyor in a feed direction at a first speed during a bale forming operation of a baler to feed the crop material to a baling chamber of the baler; running the conveyor in a second direction during a non-bale-forming operation of the baler; and operating the conveyor in a feed direction to provide the crop material to the baling chamber. In an example embodiment, the non-bale-forming operations may include bale wrapping and/or bale ejection operations, but can include other operations.

Detailed Description

As required, example embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. The various embodiments are meant as non-limiting examples of the various ways in which the invention may be practiced, and it should be understood that the invention may be embodied in alternative forms. The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views, and in which example embodiments are shown. The figures are not necessarily to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular elements while related elements may be eliminated to prevent obscuring novel aspects. Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

Turning to the drawings, fig. 1 shows a schematic of a continuous baler 10 including a baler 12 and a pickup conveyor 14. The pickup conveyor 14 collects crop material 16 and provides the crop material 16 (as indicated by the small arrows) to the baler 12 for formation into a bale 20. A tractor 12 or other vehicle may be used to pull the baler 12 through the field, as indicated by the large arrow in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 2, the pickup conveyor 14 may include a pickup device 18 and a conveyor 90, and may be incorporated as part of the round baler 12. The baler 12 may be substantially similar to conventional round balers such as those manufactured by Agco (e.g., 5500 and 900 series round balers manufactured by Agco, including Hesston 5545, 5556A and 5546 balers); however, the present invention may be incorporated as part of other types of baling apparatus, such as fixed chamber balers and the like. Additional details of a round baler that may be used with the present invention are described in U.S. patent nos. 7,337,713, 6,675,561 and 6,477,824.

As seen in the example embodiment shown in fig. 2, the round baler 12 may include a lower drive roller 24 and a starter roller 26. The upper drive roller 28 is located above the lower drive roller. A belt tensioning arm 30 is pivotally mounted within the baler, and front 32 and rear 34 belt tensioning rollers are pivotally mounted to the belt tensioning arm 30. A front upper idler roller 36 and a rear upper idler roller 38 are located on top of the front portion of the bale chamber. Clockwise along the interior of the baler wall are tailgate belt rollers 40, rear lower tailgate rollers 44, and front lower idler rollers 46. A bale density arm 48 is pivotally mounted within the baler and has a front bale density roller 50 and a rear bale density roller 52, each pivotally mounted on a distal end of a pivotal mounting of the bale density arm 48. An upper bale chamber roller 54 is shown above the bale density roller near the top of the baling chamber. As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of bundle forming bands 56 are mounted about each of the above-identified rollers. The bale forming belt is tensioned by front and rear belt tensioning rollers 32, 34 mounted on the belt tensioning arm 30 and rollers 50, 52 mounted on the bale density arm 48.

The example baler includes a tailgate 58 that opens and closes about a pivot point 60. A bale kicker assembly 62 (shown schematically) is associated with the tailgate. The bale kicker assembly 62 includes a bale push rod 64 (depicted in its home position) and two hydraulic cylinders (not shown). The bale thrower is used to prevent contact between the tailgate 58 and the bale when the tailgate 58 is closed. After the tailgate is raised, hydraulic pressure is applied to the base end of the kicker hydraulic cylinder. Before the tailgate closes, the bale push rod 64 is raised upward and rearward, pushing the bale away from the tailgate. After tailgate 58 closes, kicker 62 returns to its home position.

The baler control system may include a controller 70 positioned on or near the round baler 12, and a user interface 500 (fig. 7) preferably positioned on the tractor 22 or other vehicle that pulls the baler 12. Although the controller 70 and user interface 500 are preferably separate components, their functions can also be combined into a single unit that is positioned on the baler 12 or the trailer 22 thereof. The controller 70 may receive data from a plurality of different sensors and responsively issue instructions to carry out various operations of the baler 12 and/or the pickup conveyor 14. The controller 70 may be used to control the operation of the variable speed crop conveyor 14 and the operation of the baler 12, including various operational cycles of the baler, such as bale forming, bale wrapping, and bale discharge cycles. For example, a bale size sensor 68 (shown schematically) may determine the size of the bale 20 located in the baling chamber and provide a corresponding signal to the controller 70 and the user interface 500. For example, the bale size sensor 68 may be disposed on the density arm 48, detect the angular position of the bale density arm, and signal the electronic control system to indicate the bale size during the bale forming cycle. The controller 70 may then determine a desired operating cycle for the baler 12, and a desired operation of the pickup conveyor 14.

The baler 12 can also include: a tailgate switch 80 (shown schematically) that detects whether the position of the tailgate 58 is open or closed; a kicker switch 82 (shown schematically) that detects whether the position of the kicker 62 is out or home; and a lockout switch 84 (shown schematically) that detects whether the tailgate 58 is locked out. The tailgate switch 80 and kicker switch 82 may cause a signal to be sent to the controller 70 indicating the status of the elements to which they are connected.

In addition to the above elements, the baler 12 can include a variable speed drive system (fig. 1) that may include a hydraulic pump 88 and various hydraulic components. The baler may also include a clutch assembly and various electronic controls, none of which are shown in fig. 2, but which are necessary for operation of the baler as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. A clutch assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,272,825, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 3, the conveyor 90 includes a plurality of endless belts 92 wrapped around rollers 94, 96 for movement. The top surface 98 of the conveyor belt 92 defines a movable gathering and conveying surface for receiving the crop material 16 from the pickup 18 and conveying the crop material 16 to an inlet 110 of the baling chamber 66 of the baler 12. The conveyor belt 92 may be arranged to extend from a front or receiving end 112 positioned adjacent the pickup 18 to a rear or output end 114 adjacent the inlet 110 of the baler 12. The conveyor belt 92 may include a plurality of parallel spaced endless belts wrapped around rollers 94, 96. Other arrangements can be used, such as a single band of greater width. In an exemplary embodiment, the belts 92 may be staggered such that every other belt engages the lower idler roller 86. This arrangement creates a gap between the belt portions extending below the rollers 94, 96 to allow crop material 16 falling into the gap between the conveyor belts 92 to pass to the ground.

The pickup 18 may be similar to pickers previously provided adjacent the inlet of the baler, such as those shown in U.S. patent nos. 7,337,713, 6,675,561 and 6,477,824. For several years, similar pick-up devices have been provided on round banders manufactured by Agco. The pickup 18 may be disposed at a front or receiving end 112 of the conveyor 90 such that crop material 16 collected by the pickup 18 is provided onto the conveying surface 96 of the conveyor 90.

In the example embodiment shown in fig. 3-5, the pickup 18 is in the form of a telescoping finger pickup reel having a plurality of radial tines 100 attached to a drive roller for rotation about an axis to pick up crop material 16 from the ground and throw the crop material 16 back onto the conveyor belt 92 for transport by the conveyor 90. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 3, an inner tine 108 may also be provided. The tines 100, 108 may have different diameters and different spring rates, if desired. For example, the outer tines 100 may be made larger in diameter and have a stiffer spring rate than the inner tines 108. The pickup 18 may be mounted to the tongue plate 200 such that the pickup is positioned a short distance above the ground such that as the pickup 18 moves through the field, the pickup raises the previously harvested and air dried crop material 16 above the ground and directs the crop material 16 toward the conveyor 90. A pickup drive roller (not shown) may be journaled to mounting plate 192 (e.g., by bearing assembly 170). The pick-up device 18 may be pivotally mounted to the tongue plate 200 to allow adjustment of the pick-up device 18. For example, the pickup 18 may be mounted to the support member 164 and movable about the support member 164 by a spring 160 and a hydraulic cylinder 162 coupled to the tongue 200 and mounting plate 192 (fig. 4). In fig. 3, the pickup 18 is shown in a first orientation, while in fig. 4 the pickup 18 is shown pivoted to a different orientation as the hydraulic cylinder 162 may be expanded or contracted by the hydraulic pump 88.

To couple the pickup conveyor 14 to the baler 12, a front mounting assembly 188 and a rear mounting assembly 190 may be provided. The mounting assembly may include mounting plates 192, 194 that couple the conveyor 90 and the pickup 18 to the tongue 200 and the baler 12, and that rotatably support the pickup drive roller 104 and the conveyor rollers 94, 96, 86. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other conveyor means may be employed, such as an auger conveyor or a chain conveyor as are known in the art. A wind shield 178 may be provided that extends downwardly toward the conveyor belt between the tongue support members 180 to assist in preventing crop material 16 from falling out of the lateral sides of the conveyor 90 and to protect the crop material 16 from cross winds.

The conveyor 90 and the pickup 18 may be driven by a drive system 102, and the drive system 102 may include a motor 120 having a motor drive wheel 166. For example, as best shown in fig. 5, the hydraulic motor 120 may be mounted on the motor mounting plate 168 and arranged to rotate the pickup drive wheel 172, which in turn rotates the pickup drive roller 104, as the pickup drive wheel 172 rotates. The hydraulic motor 120 may also be arranged to drive a conveyor drive wheel 174 associated with the conveyor drive roller 96. For example, the drive belt or chain 106 may be looped around the motor drive wheel 166, the picker drive wheel 172, and the conveyor drive wheel 174 such that when the motor drive wheel 166 rotates, the picker drive wheel 172 and the conveyor drive wheel 174 also rotate, and in turn drive the picker roller 104 and the conveyor drive roller 96 to rotate via the drive belt 106. Thus, the tines 100 of the pick-up device 18 and the conveyor belt 92 may be driven by the variable drive system 102 and their speed varied by operating the motor 120. For example, fluid may be provided to the hydraulic motor 120 by the hydraulic pump 88 and may be manipulated by solenoids and/or flow control valves to vary the fluid flow to vary the speed of the motor 120 and the movement of the pickup tines 100 and the conveyor belt 192.

This arrangement enables the movement of the conveyor belt 92 to be controlled by the controller 70. Although shown in the exemplary embodiment as a single drive belt 106 that powers the pickup 18 and the conveyor 90, other arrangements may be provided such that the pickup 18 and the conveyor 90 may be driven independently. For example, separate motors may be used to power the pickup 18 and the conveyor 90, and the motor drive wheel 168 would only loop around the pickup drive wheel 172. In this case, a separate conveyor drive wheel 122 may be provided at the rear roller 94, with a second hydraulic motor 124 dedicated to driving the rear roller 94 with a belt 130, as discussed in the related U.S. patent application entitled "continuous round baler" and as shown in phantom in fig. 2. The conveyor drive wheel 122 can be driven similarly to the motor drive wheel 168 and actuated in a similar manner by the controller 70. In this arrangement, the pick up device 18 and the conveyor 14 can be driven at different speeds and directions, if desired. For example, the pickup can continue to provide crop material 16 to the conveyor 14 when the conveyor 14 is operating in a forward or backward direction and at various speeds. In the example embodiment of fig. 2, the drive system 102 may include a hydraulic pump 88 mounted in the baler 12 and powered by the output mechanism of the vehicle 22. The hydraulic line 140 may extend to a manifold 142 mounted in the baler 12 and be coupled to solenoids and/or flow control valves that are responsive to command signals sent from the controller 70 to manipulate hydraulic fluid provided to the motor 120. In an example embodiment, an "on" solenoid valve 150, an "off" solenoid valve 152, and a flow control valve 154 (all shown schematically in fig. 7) may be communicatively coupled with the controller 70 and used to control the hydraulic motor 120 and, thus, the movement of the conveyor belt 92. The hydraulic circuit may also be coupled to other components that may be controlled by controller 70. For example, the controller 70 may control the opening or closing of the tailgate 58 by manipulating tailgate hydraulic cylinders (not shown), and the positioning of the pickup 18 by manipulating the associated hydraulic cylinders 162. It should be noted that although a single controller 70 is shown controlling the operational cycle of the pickup conveyor 14 and baler, multiple controllers could be used to accomplish the same task.

As discussed in more detail below, the pickup conveyor 14 may be manipulated by the controller 70 according to a predetermined scheme input by the operator. For example, the conveyor 90 and/or the pickup 18 may be driven at different speeds in relation to different operating cycles of the baler 12. For example, the conveyor belts 92 may be driven at a first speed during a bale-forming cycle of the baler 12 and at a second speed during non-bale-forming operations (e.g., baling and discharge operations) to allow the crop material 16 to accumulate on the conveyor belts 92. This allows for continuous movement of the baler 12 through the field of crop material 16 and continuous collection of crop material 16 by the pickup 18. Crop material 16 may be gathered on a conveyor 90. The gathered crop material 16 can then be fed into the baler 12 during a suitable operating cycle, such as a bale forming cycle.

The controller 70 can use various sensors in the baler 12 to control the operational cycle of the baler 12 and the pickup conveyor 14. For example, the bale size sensor 68 can be used to determine when to end the bale-forming cycle and begin the non-bale-forming cycle by sending a signal that the bale is an appropriate size. For example, if the bale size sensor 68 signals that the bale 20 is less than the minimum size, the controller 70 may cause the conveyor belt 92 to run at a first speed. If the bale size sensor 68 indicates that the bale 20 is of sufficient size, the controller 70 may command the baler to enter a non-bale forming operation, such as bale wrapping, and reverse (e.g., reverse) the conveyor at a second speed. When other sensors, such as the tailgate switch 80, indicate that the bale 20 has been discharged from the baler 12, the controller 70 may then begin a new bale forming cycle and run the conveyor 90 at the desired speed.

Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an electronic control system 400 of the continuous round baler 12 of figure 2. The system 400 of fig. 6 includes a system box 402, the system box 402 housing the controller 70 and associated electronic components, the structure of which should be understood by those skilled in the art, but the details of which are not important to the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the arrangement may comprise hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. For example, the controller 70 may be a microcontroller capable of receiving data and issuing instructions for controlling various systems and components according to a particular scheme that may be programmed in the microcontroller.

Three harnesses are schematically depicted connecting the system box 402 and the controller 70 to the elements controlled by the controller distributed around the round baler 12 and the conveyor 90. There is a main harness 406, a net harness 410, and a kicker harness 414. Although single wires are depicted as extending from the system box to the various elements, these wires are meant to represent multi-wire connections that extend through the wiring harness and connect to the indicated elements.

The main harness 406 connects the system box 402 and the controller 70 to various sensors and switches including a cord arm sensor 420, a bale size sensor 68, a left cord run switch 424, a right cord run switch 428, an over-size limit switch 430, and a left tailgate latch switch 434. The bale size sensor 68 sends a signal to the controller 70 during the forming cycle to indicate the size of the bale. The cord arm sensor 420 sends a signal to the controller 70 to indicate the position of the cord arm in the event that a cord pack is used. Likewise, the left and right cord run switches 424, 428 indicate to the controller when the left and right cord rollers are rotating and thereby dispensing the cord. The over-size limit switch 430 indicates to the controller 70 when the bale has exceeded a trigger point for a maximum bale size in the cavity. The left tailgate latch switch 434 indicates whether the left tailgate latch is open or closed. Line 440 is meant to schematically indicate that left tailgate latch switch 434 is actually connected in series with right tailgate latch switch 444 (described below).

The main harness 406 also connects the system box 402 and the controller 70 to the various solenoids and valves that initiate the flow of hydraulic fluid to the various systems of the baler 12 and conveyor 90. These solenoids and valves may include rope feed solenoid 450, rope home solenoid 454, tailgate up solenoid 460, tailgate down solenoid 464, picker up solenoid 466, picker down solenoid 468, conveyor on solenoid 150, conveyor off solenoid 152, flow control valve 154, kicker solenoid 470, clutch solenoid 472, and auxiliary solenoids (not shown). The cord feed solenoid 450 actuates the cord wrapping mechanism. The cord home solenoid 454 causes the cord arm to return to its home position. The tailgate up solenoid 460 actuates a hydraulic cylinder that lifts the tailgate 58. The tailgate down solenoid 464 causes the same hydraulic cylinder to close the tailgate 58. The pickup up solenoid 466 actuates the hydraulic cylinder 162 (fig. 4) to raise the pickup 18 to the up position, while the pickup down solenoid 468 actuates the same hydraulic cylinder to move the pickup to the down position. Kicker solenoid 470 actuates the hydraulic cylinder to reciprocate the kicker. The clutch solenoid 472 engages and disengages the main drive clutch to establish and terminate a drive connection between the power output shaft of the tractor 22 and various components of the baler 12, such as the short auger, starter roll and belt drive roll of the baler. The conveyor on solenoid 150 actuates movement of the conveyor belts 92 of the conveyor 90, the conveyor off solenoid 152 causes the conveyor belts 92 to stop, and the flow control valve 154 regulates the speed of the conveyor belts 92 by controlling the flow of hydraulic fluid to the motor 460. The auxiliary solenoid can be used to operate alternative devices. Similarly, the rotation of the tines 100 of the pickup 18 may vary depending on the arrangement of the motor 120 and the pickup drive roller 104. Other alternative embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, in an alternative embodiment, a hydrostatic transmission including a pump on the trailer and a motor on the baler may be used in place of the mechanical power take off shaft of the tractor 22. In another alternative embodiment, the motor may be mounted on the baler to form a self-propelled baler. The clutch may then be used to disconnect the engine from the baler drive.

The net harness 410 connects the system box 402 and controller 70 to the midnet switch 474, the net count switch 476, the net feed solenoid 478, the net cut switch 480, and the net home solenoid 482. The net wrapping mechanism is optional and therefore may or may not be present on any given unit. The intermediate wire switch 474 provides position feedback to the controller 70 to stop the wire dispensing roller at the correct baling position. Net count switch 476 allows controller 70 to estimate net usage and indicate that a net is being applied. The web feed solenoid 478 causes the web to be fed into the baling chamber during the baling cycle. The net home solenoid 482 actuates a hydraulic cylinder which returns the net baling mechanism to its home position where the mechanical cut-off will cut the net and close the net cutting switch 480, signaling the controller 70 that the net baling process is complete.

Kicker harness 414 connects system box 402 and controller 70 to various switches including tailgate up switch 484, right tailgate latch switch 444, tailgate down switch 486, kicker out switch 488, and kicker home switch 490. When the tailgate 58 is in the up position, the tailgate up switch 484 signals the controller. When the tailgate 58 is latched, the right tailgate latch switch 444 wired in series with the left tailgate latch switch 434 signals the controller 70. Due to the series connection between the two switches, no signal is sent unless both switches are closed. Tailgate down switch 486 signals controller 70 when tailgate 58 is in its down position and kicker solenoid 470 should be de-energized. When the kicker is in its outward position, the kicker signals the controller at the outer switch 488 and the tailgate down solenoid 464 should be energized. The kicker home switch 490 signals the controller 70 when the kicker is in its home position.

Fig. 7 shows a user interface 500 in the form of a console 500 provided on an operator station, for example in the cab of a trailer, such as the tractor 22 that pulls the baler 12 through the field and provides crop material 16 to the baler 12, which is accessible to an operator when operating the round baler 12. The console 500 may be configured with controls to provide the operator with different levels of control over the baler 12 and the pickup conveyor 14. For example, the operator may be provided with a fully manual control mode, a semi-automatic control mode, or an automatic control mode of the round baler. In the fully manual mode, the operator initiates each major step in the baling process. In the semi-automatic mode, the operator will have less interaction and control less tasks. In the fully automatic control mode, the baler 12 and the pickup conveyor 14 may operate continuously without further input from the operator.

The exemplary embodiment of the console 500 of fig. 5 includes a power on/off button 502, a cord/net selection button 504, a drive control button 506, a cycle start button 508, a program set button 510, a value control button 512, a kicker on/off button 514, a field/total bale count button 516, a test button 518, an auxiliary output on/off button 520, and a pickup lift button 534. In addition, a variety of control buttons are provided, including net 522, cord 524, clutch 526, tailgate 528, kicker 540, and conveyor 532. A central display 540 is also provided which indicates to the operator the status of the baler and the conveyor during various baler operating cycles as well as the conveyor operating mode. In addition to the console 500, a remote control (not shown) may also be used to handle some control functions, including the cycle start function as described below.

The controller 70 can have a variety of operating modes: (1) neutral position; (2) testing; (3) programming; (4) driving; (5) semi-automatic; (6) manual operation; and (7) automatic/continuous. The system starts in neutral mode. At system start-up, certain checks are performed by the system and the status of the baler and conveyor are displayed to the operator. From the neutral mode, the operator can press a test, set, drive or any mode key.

The test mode is entered when the operator presses the test key 518. The test mode is used to detect the condition of the electronic system components of the baler. This status will be displayed on the console screen 540.

The programming mode is entered by pressing the set key 510. The operator uses a programming mode to set various settings for controlling the functions of the baler and conveyor. The programming mode symbol will illuminate. The name and value of the setting will appear on the display screen. To change values or set options, the operator can press the appropriate side of the value key 512. The set button can be pressed again to advance to the next set name. During the programming mode and the selected bale size conveyor scheme, the baler can be set to an automatic mode, also referred to as a continuous mode, among other values and settings.

Two semi-automatic modes are provided: automatic throwing and automatic packing. In the auto-throw mode, the baler 12 will form a bale and wait for a signal before baling the bale. Once the bale signal is issued, the bale is baled and immediately ejected without operator intervention. In the automatic baling mode, the bale is automatically baled after a predetermined bale size is achieved, and the baler waits for an operator signal before discharging the baled bale. In the automatic or continuous mode, the bale forming, automatic throwing and automatic baling modes, and the movement of the conveyor may be performed without direct operator intervention. In the continuous mode, the baler 12 may be pulled through the field without stopping and crop material may be continuously provided to the conveyor.

The drive mode is entered by pressing drive key 506. When the drive mode is entered, the clutch is engaged and the forming belt 56 of the baler 12 begins to rotate, the conveyor motor 120 is powered and the conveyor belts 92 of the conveyor 90 and the tines 100 of the pickup 18 begin to rotate. The operator may drive the tractor 22 or other trailer to pull the baler 12 forward behind it, with the pickup 18 down to collect crop material and provide the crop material 16 to the conveyor belt 92. The operation of the various modes of the baler 12 may be similar to that disclosed in U.S. patent No.6,675,561 entitled "semi-automatic sequential cycle of operation of a round baler and selective variable position of operator intervention," the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, including bale forming, bale wrapping, and bale ejection modes, which may be operated in a semi-automatic manner with some or fully automatic manner without operator intervention. In either case, the operation of the conveyor 90 may be automatically operated in response to the various modes of the baler 12. For example, the conveyor may be programmed to move in response to different operating modes of the baler 12, whether the mode of the baler 12 is performed automatically, semi-automatically, or manually. Whether a manual, semi-automatic, or automatic (continuous) mode is to be employed, the drive mode key 506 may be depressed to control the baler operating cycle. In the semi-automatic mode, when the baler 12 completes all cycles for forming and discharging the bale 20, the baler 12 will automatically return to the drive mode for a subsequent cycle, as described further below. In the automatic (continuous) mode, the baler 12 and conveyor 90 may be continuously switched between the various modes until further instructions, and enable the baler 12 to be continuously towed through the field and continuously fed crop material.

The semi-automatic baler mode may be entered by first selecting one of two modes (auto-toss or auto-bales) during the programming mode and then pressing the activation key 506 as previously described. The automatic or continuous mode may be entered by selecting the continuous mode during the programming mode and then pressing the actuation key 506 as previously described. The manual mode can be entered at any time by pressing one of the manual keys. Once in manual mode, the operator controls the forming cycle by controlling the clutch with clutch button 526, the baling cycle by pressing web button 522 or rope button 524, the discharge cycle by controlling the tailgate with tailgate button 528 and the kicker with kicker button 530, and the pickup conveyor by pressing conveyor button 532. The pickup button 534 may be used to raise and lower the pickup 18. In addition to the conveyor on/off button, a conveyor speed button 550 and a conveyor direction button 552 may be provided to manually control the speed and direction of the conveyor 90 when the system is operating in a manual and/or semi-automatic mode. These buttons 550, 552 will send signals to the controller 70 for operating the flow control valve 154 and the drive roller 94.

The baler 12 and conveyor 90 may operate as follows. A variable flow pump 88 within the baler receives energy from the power take off of the vehicle 22 and pressurizes the system. When the operator signals the start of a bale forming cycle by depressing the drive key 506, the electronic controller 70 sends a signal to the clutch solenoid 472, which engages the clutch causing the starter roll 26 and forming belt 56 to rotate. For example, the controller 70 may send signals to the conveyor-on solenoid 150 and the flow control valve 154 to power the motor 120 to operate the motor drive wheel 166 to rotate the conveyor roller 84 and the pickup roller 104 to move the conveyor belt 92 and the pickup tines 100 at a desired speed.

An operator may move the baler 12 through the field by pulling the baler 12 behind the tractor 22 and collect crop material 16 using the pickup 18 and provide the crop material 16 to the conveyor belt 92. The conveyor belts 92 convey the received crop material to the inlet 110 of the baling chamber 66 of the baler 12 as the belts 92 travel in the feed direction. The centering feeder 196 may be provided to assist in feeding the crop material 16 into the baling chamber 66, and may include an auger to move the crop material laterally inward toward the inlet. Once in the baling chamber 198, the crop material contacts the roughened top surface of the upwardly moving forming belt 56. The forming belts carry the crop material 16 to the top of the starting chamber formed by the front and rear bale density rolls 50, 52. The movement of the forming belt causes the crop material to rotate downwardly against the starter roll 26. The core is started and starts to roll. The hydraulic cylinder pulls the bale density arm 28 and the belt tensioning arm 30 downward. The bale density rolls 50, 52 are held down to reduce the size of the bale chamber to the starting size. The belt tensioning rollers 32, 34 are held down to provide tension to the forming belt. As the bale size increases, the bale density rollers 50, 52 and the belt tension rollers 32, 34 are pushed upward. The bale density rollers 50, 52 apply an increasing downward force to the bale. The force maintains tension on the bale and compresses the crop material entering the bale chamber. The belt-tensioning roller moves upwardly to provide more forming belt for increasing the size of the bundle within the cavity.

As the bale size increases and the bale density arm 48 moves upward, the bale size sensor 68 continuously sends a signal to the controller 70 indicative of the bale size. The controller 70 will detect when the bale has reached or exceeded a desired bale size, which may have been initially programmed by an operator during the programming mode. The bundle size may also be displayed on the console screen 500. If the baler 12 is operating in the continuous mode, the baler 12 enters a baling cycle or other non-bale-forming mode when the bale size has reached or exceeded the predetermined bale size. The conveyor 90 can be operated according to the new operating mode. For example, during a baling cycle, as the baler 12 continues through the field and crop material continues to be provided to the conveyor 90 by the pickup 18, the conveyor 90 may accelerate, decelerate, stop, and/or reverse such that crop material 16 accumulates on the conveyor 90. In an exemplary embodiment, the conveyor 90 is reversed such that crop material at the output end 114 of the conveyor is placed at the receiving end. The conveyor can thus be run in the feed direction during the non-bale-forming cycle. In the exemplary embodiment, the conveyor 90 is run at a speed such that crop material placed at the receiving end when the conveyor is reversed is placed at the inlet 196 of the baling chamber 66 when the baler begins a new bale-forming cycle. This allows crop material to accumulate on the conveyor 90 during non-bale-forming operations and be placed at a location for feeding when the bale-forming operation is resumed.

During the baling cycle, the controller 70 may activate the net feed solenoid 478 or the rope feed solenoid 450 to bale the bale, depending on the baling method selected during the programming mode. As should be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the rope wrapping mechanism or net wrapping mechanism performs its function. Once the packaging cycle is complete, the clutch solenoid 472 is de-energized by the controller 70 to disengage the clutch and stop the movement of the forming belt 56. The controller then proceeds to the drain cycle. As discussed above, during non-bale-forming operations, as the pickup 18 continues to collect crop material 16 and provide crop material 16 to the conveyor 90, the conveyor may reverse direction and then operate at a particular feed rate.

During the discharge cycle, the controller 70 causes the tailgate 58 to lift by actuating the tailgate up solenoid 460. Once tailgate up switch 484 is closed, the position of the tailgate is signaled to controller 70, and controller 70 activates kicker solenoid 470, causing the kicker to push the bale away from the baler. The kicker advances outward until it is in its fully extended or out position, closing kicker out switch 488. The controller then activates the tailgate down solenoid 464 causing the tailgate 58 to move to the down position and close the tailgate down switch 486, which in turn indicates the down position to the controller 70. Controller 70 then causes kicker solenoid 470 to be de-energized. The tailgate latch switches 434, 444 close, causing the clutch solenoid 472 to energize and rotate the forming belt 56. De-energizing kicker solenoid 470 causes the kicker to return to home, thereby closing kicker home switch 490. The baler 12 then immediately begins a new forming cycle as described above and the controller 70 begins feeding crop material 16 into the baling chamber.

If the operator selects the semi-automatic mode of automatic baling, the baler will form the bale as described above and, after a short delay, proceed directly to the baling cycle to bale the bale without operator intervention. The baler will then wait for operator intervention, including depressing the cycle start key 508 or a remote cycle start switch, before beginning the discharge cycle. Upon receiving the operator input, the baler 12 will lift the tailgate 58, unload the bale from the chamber, send the kicker out, lower the tailgate, and send the kicker back in place, all as previously described. When the tailgate latches 434, 444 are closed, the drive forward arrow may illuminate on the display 540. The conveyor 90 is capable of automatically adjusting its speed in response to different modes of the baler 12. Similarly, in a fully automatic (continuous) mode, the baler 12 is able to move through various bale forming, baling and discharge cycles without operator intervention, and the movement of the conveyor is automatically changed according to the different operating cycles of the baler 12. If operating in a discontinuous mode, such as a manual or semi-automatic mode, the operator can control the pickup conveyor 14 by means of a conveyor on/off button 532, a conveyor speed button 550, a conveyor direction button 552, and a pickup button 534 on the console 500.

Fig. 8 shows an example flow diagram of a method 600 for the pickup conveyor 14 for use with the continuous baler 12, wherein the baler 12 is continuously movable through the field and operated through its various operating cycles without stopping, and which allows for the continuous collection of crop material 16. At block 602, crop material 16 is collected by a pickup and provided to the conveyor 90. At block 604, the crop material 16 is fed to the baling chamber of the baler 12. For example, the conveyor 90 may operate in a feed direction to convey the crop material 16 to the inlet of the baling chamber 66. At block 606, the conveyor 12 may discontinue providing crop material 16 to the baler during non-bale-forming operations. For example, the conveyor 90 may be stopped or run in the reverse direction. At block 608, crop material is accumulated on the conveyor 90 during a non-bale-forming operation of the baler. For example, the pickup 18 may continue to provide crop material 16 to the conveyor when the conveyor is operating, stopped, or operating in a non-feeding direction. This allows the baler 12 to be continuously pulled through the field as the pickup continuously collects crop material 16. At block 610, crop material is then fed into the baler 12. This allows the gathered crop material to be fed into the baler 12 for baling.

Fig. 9 illustrates an example embodiment of a method 700 for providing crop material 16 to a round baler. The pick conveyor 14 is activated at block 702. For example, as discussed above, the operator may use the user interface 500 to activate the pickup conveyor 14. At block 704, the conveyor is operated at a first speed in the feed direction to convey the crop material 16 to the baling chamber 66 of the baler. For example, the pickup 18 may provide the crop material 16 to the conveyor 90, which in turn, the conveyor 90 delivers the crop material to the baling chamber 66 of the baler 12. In an example embodiment, the feed of the conveyor belt 92 of the conveyor 14 may be 600 feet/minute. At block 704, it is determined whether the bale forming mode of the baler is complete. For example, the bale size sensor 68 may be used to determine whether the bale has reached a desired size for baling and ejection. If the bundle does not reach the desired size, the conveyor may continue to operate at the feed speed. If the bale-forming mode is complete (e.g., the bale has reached the desired size), the conveyor is reversed to the initial condition. For example, the conveyor may be reversed such that the point at which the conveyor belt 92 is adjacent the inlet 110 of the baling chamber 66 moves to a point adjacent the pickup 18 when the bale-forming operation is complete. At block 710, the conveyor is run at a consistent speed such that the point on the conveyor 90 adjacent the pickup at the beginning of the non-bale-forming operation will be adjacent the inlet 110 of the baling chamber at the completion of the non-bale-forming operation (and the beginning of a new bale-forming operation). At block 712, it is determined whether the non-bundle forming mode is complete. If not, the conveyor continues to run at a consistent speed. If the non-bale-forming mode is complete, the conveyor operates at the feed rate at block 704.

It should be noted that although three specific cycles of operation, bale forming, bale wrapping, and bale discharging have been discussed, the term "cycle" is meant to include other existing or future operations that can be performed by the baler and is not limited to the three cycles mentioned above. Thus, many other cycles can be performed by the baler 12, and the conveyor 90 is adjusted in response to the various cycles. In addition, for convenience, the term "mode" has been used to describe the movement and operation of the conveyor 90. It should be noted that the conveyor may be manipulated to change speed (including direction or zero speed) during various modes, and while in some example embodiments the conveyor mode corresponds to a cycle of operation of the baler, other modes of operation can be employed independently of the baler cycle and various modes of the conveyor may last longer or shorter periods of time than the baler mode of operation. Additionally, for convenience, the terms bale-forming mode and non-bale-forming mode may be used to indicate when the baler is forming a bale and when the baler is not forming a bale. Each of these modes may include a plurality of sub-modes. For example, the non-bale-forming mode includes a baling and/or discharge mode.

Fig. 10 and 11A-11L illustrate an example embodiment of the operation of the continuous round baler 12 and will be discussed together. Fig. 11A shows a schematic of the continuous baler 12 and the pickup conveyor 14 in an initial condition prior to start-up, wherein the pickup conveyor 14 includes the pickup 18 and the conveyor 90. The conveyor extends a length L between the pickup 18 and the baling chamber of the baler 12. In an example embodiment, the length L may be greater than five feet, such as about 10 feet. This provides sufficient surface area for gathering large quantities of crop material 16, such as alfalfa, which crop material 16 may then be fed into the baling chamber 66. Thus, unlike prior art banders (where the pickup 18 is placed adjacent to the entrance of the baling chamber), the pickup 18 of the exemplary embodiment may be displaced from the baling chamber 66.

The pickup 18, conveyor 90, and baling chamber 66 of the baler 12 are activated at blocks 802, 804, and 806, respectively, of fig. 10. As shown in fig. 10B, at block 812 in fig. 10, the pickup 18 rotates to provide crop material 16 to the conveyor 90. As shown in fig. 11B, at block 814, the conveyor 90 is operated in a feed direction as indicated by the arrow. The baler 12 enters a bale forming mode (block 816). The crop material 16 is thus collected by the pickup 18 and fed by the conveyor into the baling chamber 66 to form the bale 20 (fig. 11B-11F).

Once the bale 20 reaches the desired size, such as when the bale size sensor 69 indicates that the bale is of sufficient size, the controller 70 ends the bale forming mode (fig. 11G and block 826) and directs the conveyor to reverse to the initial condition (fig. 11H and 11I and block 834). As shown in fig. 11G, when the baler ends the bale-forming cycle, point a on the conveyor is adjacent the baler 12 at the output end. As seen in fig. 11H and 11I, the conveyor 90 may be run in a reverse direction such that point a of the conveyor belt 92 is positioned at the entrance 110 of the baling chamber 66 (referred to as the home position). Thus, the crop material 16 on the conveyor 90 moves closer to the pickup 18 when the bale forming operation of the baler 12 is stopped.

As seen in block 844 and fig. 11J and 11K, the conveyor may then operate at a consistent speed during a non-bale-forming cycle of operation (block 836) of the baler 12, which in this example includes a bale wrapping cycle (block 846) and a bale ejection cycle (856). The uniform speed is the speed required for point a on the conveyor 90 to move from the initial position shown in fig. 11I to the feed position adjacent the entrance of the baling chamber 66 shown in fig. 11K during the non-bale-forming mode. Thus, when the non-bale-forming mode ends (block 866) and/or a new bale-forming mode begins, the conveyor 90 ends the uniform speed (block 864) and runs at the feed speed of block 814 when the baler enters the new bale-forming mode (block 816). It should be noted that throughout these operations, the pickup 18 may continuously provide crop material 16 to the conveyor 90, allowing the baler 12 to continuously move through the field to collect crop material 16.

The foregoing has outlined broadly some of the more pertinent aspects and features of the present invention. These should be construed as merely illustrative of some of the more pertinent features and applications of the present invention. Other advantageous results can be obtained by applying the disclosed information in a different manner or by modifying the disclosed embodiments. Therefore, other aspects and a more complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims.

Claims (35)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a round baler configured to form crop material into a bale; and

a pickup conveyor having a variable speed conveyor configured to receive crop material and convey the crop material to the baler, wherein the speed of the conveyor is adjustable according to a predetermined scheme.

2. The continuous round baler of claim 1, wherein the pickup conveyor further comprises a pickup configured to collect the crop material and provide the crop material to the variable speed conveyor.

3. The continuous round baler of claim 2, wherein the pickup is displaced from a baling chamber of the baler.

4. The continuous round baler of claim 2, wherein the pickup is displaced from a baling chamber of the baler, and the conveyor is positioned between the pickup and the baling chamber.

5. The continuous round baler of claim 1, wherein the variable speed conveyor is configured to provide the crop material to a baling chamber of the baler.

6. The continuous round baler of claim 1, wherein the conveyor has a length greater than five feet.

7. The continuous round baler of claim 1, wherein the conveyor is configured to gather the crop material.

8. The continuous baler of claim 1, wherein the predetermined scheme comprises varying the speed of the conveyor according to an operating cycle of the baler.

9. The continuous baler of claim 8, wherein varying the speed of the conveyor according to the operational cycle of the baler comprises: changing a direction of the variable speed conveyor according to an operating cycle of the baler.

10. The continuous baler of claim 1, wherein the crop material comprises hay.

11. The continuous baler of claim 1, wherein the conveyor further comprises:

a variable speed drive for manipulating movement of the conveyor.

12. The continuous baler of claim 1, further comprising a controller for manipulating the speed of the variable speed conveyor according to the predetermined scheme.

13. The continuous baler of claim 1, wherein the variable speed conveyor comprises at least one conveyor belt.

14. The continuous baler of claim 1, wherein the variable speed conveyor comprises at least one feed auger.

15. The continuous baler of claim 1, wherein the variable speed conveyor is operable in at least two directions.

16. A pickup conveyor for a continuous round baler, comprising:

a variable speed conveyor configured to receive crop material and provide the crop material to a baling chamber of a baler; and

a pickup configured to collect the crop material and provide the crop material to the conveyor.

17. The pickup conveyor of claim 16, further comprising a controller configured to manipulate the speed of the conveyor according to a predetermined scheme.

18. The pickup conveyor of claim 17, wherein the predetermined scheme includes an operating cycle of the baler.

19. A method, comprising:

collecting crop material by a pickup device;

providing the crop material to a conveyor; and

operating the conveyor according to a predetermined schedule to convey the crop material to a baling chamber of a baler.

20. A method, comprising:

gathering crop material on a conveyor; and

the gathered crop material is delivered to a baling chamber of the baler according to a predetermined scheme.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the predetermined schedule includes delivery of the crop material according to an operational cycle of the baler.

22. A method, comprising:

operating a variable speed conveyor in a feed direction during a bale forming operation of the baler to convey crop material located at the conveyor to a baling chamber of the baler; and

operating the variable speed conveyor in a non-feed direction during a non-bale-forming operation of the baler.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

collecting crop material during the non-bale-forming operation of the baler.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

gathering crop material at the conveyor during the non-bale-forming operation of the baler.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

operating the conveyor in a feed direction to convey the gathered crop material to the baling chamber.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

Gathering crop material at the conveyor during the non-bale-forming operation of the baler.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

operating the conveyor in a non-feed direction during a non-bale-forming operation to gather crop material at the conveyor; and

operating the conveyor in a feed direction to convey the gathered crop material to the baling chamber.

28. A method of providing crop material to a baling chamber of a baler, comprising:

operating a variable speed conveyor at a first speed during a bale forming operation of the baler, the variable speed conveyor configured to provide the crop material to a baling chamber of the baler; and

operating the variable speed conveyor at a second speed during non-bale forming operations.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said operating said variable speed conveyor at a second speed during non-bale forming operations comprises:

operating the variable speed conveyor in a non-feed direction.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein said operating said variable speed conveyor at a second speed during non-bale forming operations comprises:

Initializing the variable speed conveyor.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein said operating said variable speed conveyor at a second speed during non-bale forming operations comprises:

initializing the variable speed conveyor; and

operating the variable speed conveyor at a third speed.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the third speed is a uniform speed.

33. The method of claim 28 wherein the non-bale-forming cycle of operations comprises a bale-eject cycle.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the non-bale-forming cycle comprises a bale-wrapping cycle.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the non-bale-forming cycle comprises a bale-wrapping cycle and a bale-forming cycle.