System and method for continuous bale forming

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10058038-B2
Application number	US-201615216025-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2016
Priority date	May 22, 2015
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

A crop feeding mechanism for a harvester includes one or a plurality of screws or augers positioned in a hollow chamber of defined by the interior surface of an elongated frame, whereby the interior surface is tapered with decreasing volume in it rear portion. The one or a plurality of screws or augers are affixed upon a rotating axis and, as crop material is fed into the chamber, the one or a plurality of screws or augers conveys crop material rearward toward the tapered end and compact the crop materials so that the compacted crop material is extruded out of an opening at the rear end at a rate and temperature and in a form sufficient to allow a net wrap mechanism positioned at or near the opening to wrap the crop into a bale.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A baling system comprising:
(a) a crop feeder mechanism comprising an elongated frame extending between a crop collection mechanism and a bale chamber, said elongated frame comprising:
a front portion with at least one front opening configured for receiving crop material collected by the crop collection mechanism;
a rear portion comprising at least one rear opening configured for extruding crop material from the crop feeder mechanism to the bale chamber; and
at least one member mechanically linked to a subframe of a harvester;

wherein the front and rear portions of the elongated frame comprise a contiguous internal surface defining a hollowed interior;
wherein the continuous internal surface is substantially tapered in the rear portion such that the hollow interior is continuously decreasing in volume from a frontward to rearward direction; and
(b) a net wrap system positioned rearward of the crop feeder mechanism;
wherein the crop collection mechanism is positioned frontward of the crop feeder mechanism;
wherein the bale chamber is positioned rearward of the crop feeder mechanism;
wherein the crop feeder mechanism comprises at least one auger longitudinally oriented in a frontward to rearward direction and affixed to a rotating axis such that one end of the auger is positioned at or proximate to the at least one rear opening configured for extruding crop material from the crop feeder mechanism to the bale chamber; and
wherein the crop feeder mechanism comprises a temperature control element positioned at or proximate to the at least one rear opening.

2. The baling system of claim 1 , wherein the crop feeder mechanism comprises two augers, wherein the augers longitudinally oriented in a frontward to rearward direction and affixed to separate rotating axes and the augers are positioned proximate to each other such that threads of the augers define a plurality of spaces into which crop material is fed from the front of the crop feeder mechanism to the rear of the crop feeder mechanism by rotation of the augers along the axes.

3. The baling system of claim 1 , wherein the crop feeder mechanism further comprises a die positioned adjacent to or proximate to the one opening configured for extruding crop material from the crop feeder mechanism to the bale chamber such that the die defines the shape of extruded crop material as it exits the crop feeder mechanism through the at least one rear opening.

4. The baling system of claim 1 , wherein the hollowed interior of the elongated frame has a conical or substantially conical shape such that the volume of the hollowed interior is defined by increasingly narrow diameters of contiguous internal surface from the frontward to rearward direction; and wherein the at least one auger is longitudinally oriented in a frontward to rearward direction and a rearmost end of the auger is positioned at or proximate to the at least one rear opening such that crop material is compacted as it is fed from the front portion of the crop feeder mechanism to the rearward portion of the crop feeder mechanism.

5. The baling system of claim 1 , wherein the crop feeder mechanism further comprises a drive mechanism operably linked to the end of the at least one auger such that operation of the drive mechanism spins the at least one auger on its rotating axis.

6. The baling system of claim 1 , wherein the front opening of the crop feeder mechanism is positioned on the top of the elongated frame surrounded by funnel shaped sidewalls or substantially funnel shaped side walls that are adapted to receive crop material from the crop collection device and direct the crop material through the at least one front opening.

7. The baling system of claim 1 , wherein the temperature control element comprises a temperature sensor and one or a plurality of heating or cooling members in electronic communication with a controller that monitors the temperature sensor signals and is capable of maintaining a predetermined temperature.

8. The baling system of claim 7 , wherein the one or a plurality of heating or cooling members comprise a collar defining a round, circular, or semi-circular member that is positioned adjacent to or proximate to the interior surface of rear portion of the elongated frame.

9. The baling system of claim 1 , wherein the crop feeder mechanism further comprises a controller in electronic communication with a circuit that monitors and adjusts the speed of rotation of the at least one auger.

10. The baling system of claim 9 , wherein the crop feeder mechanism further comprises a first operational mode in which crop material is fed through the front opening and into contact with the at least one auger such that crop material is fed from the crop collection device to the crop feeder mechanism and into contact with the auger, thereby compacting the crop material as it moves in contact with the at least one auger from the front portion of the crop feeder mechanism to the rear portion of the crop feeder mechanism.

11. The baling system of claim 10 , wherein the crop feeder mechanism further comprises a second operational mode in which the direction of the rotation of the at least one auger is reversed such that crop material in contact with the auger is fed from the rear portion of the crop feeding mechanism to the front portion of the crop feeding mechanism.

12. The baling system of claim 10 , wherein the crop feeder mechanism further comprises one or a plurality of sensors positioned at or near the contiguous internal surface of the elongated frame such that the one or plurality of sensors detects a value that corresponds with a mass of crop material at or proximate to the sensor.

13. The baling system of claim 1 , wherein the net wrap system comprises a wrapping mechanism and is positioned immediately behind or proximate to the rear opening, such that twine or a net wrapping material is dispensed from a wrapping mechanism onto crop material as it passes through the rear opening into the bale chamber.

14. A harvester comprising the baling system of claim 1 , wherein the baler comprises a subframe with two oppositely facing sidewalls; wherein the crop feeder mechanism and bale chamber are positioned therebetween; and wherein the at least one member mechanically attaches the crop feeding mechanism to at least one of the two oppositely facing sidewalls.

15. The harvester of claim 14 , wherein the harvester is chosen from a round baler, square baler, combine, or cotton harvester.

16. The harvester of claim 14 , wherein the crop collection mechanism comprises a rotary cutter and a pickup assembly positioned in front of the crop feeding mechanism.

17. The harvester of claim 14 , further comprising at least a first and second operable modes, wherein:
in the first operable mode, crop material is fed through the front opening and into contact with the at least one auger such that crop material is fed from the crop collection device to the crop feeder mechanism and into contact with the auger, thereby compacting the crop material as it moves in contact with the at least one auger from the front portion of the crop feeder mechanism to the rear portion of the crop feeder mechanism; and
in the second operable mode, the direction of the rotation of the at least one auger is reversed such that crop material in contact with the auger is fed from the rear portion of the crop feeding mechanism to the front portion of the crop feeding mechanism.

18. A method of forming a bale in a harvester comprising:
feeding material into the crop feeding

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Posselius John
• Gardus John D

Classifications

• A01F15/042

  Plungers · CPC title

• A01F15/10 Primary

  Feeding devices for the crop material {e.g. precompression devices} · CPC title

• B30B9/3089

  Extrusion presses · CPC title

• A01F15/00

  Baling presses for straw, hay or the like · CPC title

• B30B1/18

  by screw means {(B30B9/3064 takes precedence)} · CPC title