Strapping system for agricultural implement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10271481-B2
Application number	US-201515301165-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2015
Priority date	Mar 31, 2014
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

An agricultural baler includes a baling chamber configured to receive a compressible material. The baler includes a plunger proximate a first end of the baling chamber and configured to move within the baling chamber to compress the compressible material into a bale. The baler also includes a rear door assembly having one or more rails positioned at a second end of the baling chamber, opposite the first end. The rear door assembly has a rear door with parallel tracks configured to receive and to guide a strap around the second end of the baling chamber to facilitate surrounding the bale with the strap. The rear door is slidingly coupled to the one or more rails and is configured to move along the one or more rails between a closed position and an open position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An agricultural baler comprising:
a baling chamber configured to receive a compressible material, the baling chamber defined by a frame and having a fixed track extending along a longitudinal axis of the baling chamber;
a rear door configured to move along a vertical axis of the baling chamber between a closed position and an open position, wherein the rear door comprises a moveable track configured to align with the fixed track to facilitate transfer of a strap from the fixed track to the movable track of the rear door while the rear door is in the closed position relative to the baling chamber;
a strap feeding assembly coupled to the frame and configured to propel the strap through the fixed track and through the movable track while the rear door is in the closed position relative to the baling chamber; and
a needle coupled to a second side of the baling chamber and having a gripping assembly configured to receive and to grip an end of the strap after the strap propelled through the moveable track of the rear door, wherein moving the rear door from the closed position to the open position relative to the baling chamber while the end of the strap is gripped by the gripping assembly causes the strap to release from the movable track.

2. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the rear door is configured to slide along rails extending along the vertical axis and coupled to the frame.

3. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the moveable track comprises opposed members that are configured to retain the strap within the movable track while the rear door is in the closed position and that are configured to move away from one another to enable release of the strap from the movable track as the rear door moves from the closed position to the open position.

4. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the strap is a wire having a substantially round cross-sectional shape.

5. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the movable track comprises opposed members that are configured to retain the strap within the movable track while in a first position and that configured to be actuated to move away from one another to a second position to enable release of the strap from the movable track.

6. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , comprising a sealing assembly coupled to the agricultural baler and configured to seal an end of the strap to a portion of the strap within the sealing assembly to form a sealed loop surrounding the compressible material.

7. A method for baling an agricultural crop material comprising:
moving a rear door from an open position to a closed position relative to a baling chamber of a baler, wherein the rear door blocks the agricultural crop material from exiting the baling chamber while in the closed position, and enables the agricultural crop material to exit the baling chamber while in the open position;
feeding an end of a strap into a track of the rear door, while the rear door is in the closed position;
propelling the end of the strap through the track of the rear door from a first side of the baling chamber to a second side of the baling chamber, opposite the first side, while the rear door is in the closed position relative to the baling chamber using a strap feeding assembly coupled to the baler; and
moving the rear door from the closed position to the open position relative to the baling chamber while the end of the strap is gripped by an assembly coupled to the baler to cause the strap to release from the track to facilitate surrounding a bale of the agricultural crop material with the strap.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the assembly comprises a gripping assembly of a needle, and the method comprises transferring the end of the strap from the second side of the baling chamber to the first side of the baling chamber via the needle.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising sealing the end of the strap to a portion of the strap using a sealing assembly coupled to the baler to form a sealed loop surrounding the material.

10. The method of claim 7 , comprising moving the rear door from the closed position to the open position in response to achievement of a certain density of the bale of the agricultural crop material within the baling chamber.

11. The method of claim 7 , comprising baling the agricultural crop material via moving the rear door from the open position to the closed position relative to the baling chamber of the baler, feeding the end of the strap into the track of the rear door, propelling the end of the strap through the track of the rear door while the rear door is in the closed position relative to the baling chamber using the strap feeding assembly coupled to the baler, and moving the rear door from the closed position to the open position relative to the baling chamber while the end of the strap is gripped by the assembly coupled to the baling chamber to cause the strap to release from the track to facilitate surrounding the bale of the agricultural crop material with the strap as the baler travels through an agricultural field.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Rizzon Dominick Brian
• Lounder Joshua Lee
• Crandall Robert D
• O'Donnell Shaun Ahrens

Classifications

• A01F15/0875

  Discharge devices · CPC title

• A01F15/08

  Details · CPC title

• B65B27/12

  Baling or bundling compressible fibrous material, e.g. peat · CPC title

• A01F15/14 Primary

  Tying devices specially adapted for baling presses · CPC title

• A01F15/042

  Plungers · CPC title