Agricultural baler with improved needle coupling device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10455769-B2
Application number	US-201715712383-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2017
Priority date	Sep 22, 2016
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A baler including a bale chamber; a plunger configured to compress crop material in the bale chamber in order to form a bale; a needle yoke with a plurality of needles configured to deliver twine through the bale chamber; a plurality of knotters configured to receive the twine from the plurality of needles; a bale length measurement and trigger device configured to measure the length of the bale in the bale chamber and to generate a trigger when a predetermined length is reached; a driving shaft located above the bale chamber and extending in a traverse direction of the baler; a needle coupling device between the driving shaft and the needle yoke, the needle coupling device being configured for moving the needle yoke from a rest position to a twine delivery position and back, when the bale length measurement and trigger device generates a trigger.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A baler comprising:
a bale chamber;
a plunger configured to compress crop material in the bale chamber in order to form a bale;
a needle yoke comprising a plurality of needles configured to deliver twine through the bale chamber;
a plurality of knotters configured to receive the twine from the plurality of needles;
a bale length measurement and trigger device configured to measure a length of the bale in the bale chamber and to generate a trigger when a predetermined length is reached;
a driving shaft located above the bale chamber and extending in a traverse direction of the baler;
a gear box configured to continuously rotate the driving shaft when the baler is in operation; and
a needle coupling device between the driving shaft and the needle yoke, the needle coupling device configured for moving the needle yoke from a rest position to a twine delivery position and back when the bale length measurement and trigger device generates a trigger, the needle coupling device comprising:
a crank arm attached to the driving shaft and co-rotating with the driving shaft; and
a plurality of coupling members positioned between the crank arm and the needle yoke, the plurality of coupling members configured for establishing an uncoupling and a coupling between the crank arm and the needle yoke when the bale length measurement and trigger device generates a trigger.

2. The baler of claim 1 , wherein the needle yoke further comprises:
two needle support arms each having a first end and a second end; and
a needle carrying rod extending in a transverse direction of the baler and carrying the plurality of needles,
wherein the needle carrying rod is mounted between the first ends of the needle support arms, and
wherein the second ends of the needle support arms are pivotally mounted around a fixed pivot axis extending in the transverse direction of the baler.

3. The baler of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of coupling members comprises:
a drive rod having a first end pivotally connected to the crank arm and a second end;
a connection member pivotally mounted at a first location around a first fixed pivot axis extending in a transverse direction of the baler, and pivotally connected at a second location to the second end of the drive rod, such that in operation the connection member is swung back and forward around the first fixed pivot axis by the drive rod; and
a coupler configured to couple the connection member to the needle yoke upon receipt of a trigger,
wherein the first fixed pivot axis of the connection member corresponds with the fixed pivot axis of the second ends of the needle support arms.

4. The baler of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of coupling members comprises:
a drive rod having a first end pivotally connected to the crank arm and a second end;
a connection member pivotally mounted at a first location around a first fixed pivot axis extending in a transverse direction of the baler, and pivotally connected at a second location to the second end of the drive rod, such that in operation the connection member is swung back- and forward around the first fixed pivot axis by the drive rod; and
a coupler configured to couple the connection member to the needle yoke upon receipt of the trigger.

5. The baler of claim 4 , wherein the coupler is a hook member which is pivotally attached to the needle yoke and which is positionable in a first coupling position in which the connection member engages the hook member during swinging and in a second uncoupling position in which the connection member does not engage the hook member during swinging, and wherein the bale length measurement and trigger device is further configured to generate a first trigger which positions the hook member in the first coupling position when a predetermined length is reached, and a second trigger which positions the hook member in the second uncoupling position.

6. The baler of claim 5 , further comprising a trigger coupling device between the connection member and the bale length measurement and trigger device, the trigger coupling device configured to cause the bale length measurement and trigger device to generate the second trigger.

7. The baler of claim 5 , wherein the bale length measurement and trigger device comprises:
a star wheel configured to rotate as the bale in the bale chamber moves in a longitudinal direction of the baler; and
a linkage assembly coupled to the star wheel, the linkage assembly comprising a pivotally mounted trigger arm arranged to trigger a movement of the coupler from an uncoupled position to a coupled position and back.

8. The baler of claim 1 , further comprising a needle holding device configured to hold the needle yoke in the rest position and to allow the needle yoke to be released when movement from the rest position to the twine delivery position and back is required.

9. The baler of claim 1 , further comprising:
a driveable knotter shaft coupled to the plurality of knotters; and
a knotter coupling device between the driving shaft and the driveable knotter shaft, the knotter coupling device configured to couple the driving shaft to the driveable knotter shaft based on a position of the needle yoke.

10. The baler of claim 9 , wherein the needle yoke further comprises:
two needle support arms each having a first end and a second end; and
a needle carrying rod extending in a transverse direction of the baler and carrying the plurality of needles,
wherein the needle carrying rod is mounted between the first ends of the needle support arms,
wherein the second ends of the needle support arms are pivotally mounted around a fixed pivot axis extending in the transverse direction of the baler, and
wherein the knotter coupling device comprises:
a clutch between the driving shaft and the knotter shaft: and
a rod assembly comprising a rod connected to at least one of the two needle support arms of the needle yoke, the rod assembly configured for engaging the clutch such that the driving shaft is coupled to the knotter shaft.

11. The baler of claim 9 , wherein each knotter comprises:
a knotter disc secured to the driveable knotter shaft; and
a billhook.

12. The baler of claim 11 , wherein for each knotter:
the knotter disc comprises a first gear stretch, a second gear stretch, and a third gear stretch,
the billhook comprises a billhook gear configured for cooperating with the first, second, and third gear stretches, and
the first, second, and third gear stretches of the knotter disc are circumferentially spaced in order for the billhook to perform a first rotation during a first knot forming cycle, a second rotation during a second knot forming cycle, and a third rotation.

13. The baler of claim 12 , wherein for each knotter:
the each knotter further comprises a twine disc configured for holding strands of twine in position for engagement by the billhook during rotation of the billhook,
the knotter disc comprises a plurality of gear sections,
the twine disc comprises a twine disc gear configured for cooperating with the plurality of gear sections of the knotter disc,
the plurality of gear sections are circumferentially spaced in order for the twine disc to perform a first rotation during the first knot forming cycle and a second rotation which is longer than the first rotation during the second knot forming cycle, and
the each knotter further comprises:
a swing arm with a knife blade for severing strands in response to a swinging movement of the swing arm, the swing arm comprising a cam adapted for following a cam track of the knotter disc, the cam track being adapted for perfo

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Maelfeyt Kenny
• Monbaliu Sven
• Willem Bram

Classifications

• A01F15/145

  Twine knotters · CPC title

• A01F15/0858 Primary

  for the tying devices or needles · CPC title

• A01F2015/0866

  Clutching means for the knotting process; Bale length measuring means for triggering the clutching mean · CPC title

• A01D59/06

  Needles · CPC title

• A01F15/042

  Plungers · CPC title