Needle coupling device for an agricultural baler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10455770-B2
Application number	US-201715712851-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 to compress crop material in the bale chamber to form a bale; a plurality of knotters; a needle yoke with a plurality of needles to deliver a plurality of lower strands through the bale chamber to the plurality of knotters; a tucker arm shaft carrying a plurality of tucker arms to deliver a plurality of upper strands to the plurality of knotters; a driving shaft located above the bale chamber and extending in a traverse direction of the baler; wherein the tucker arm shaft extends parallel to the driving shaft; a tucker arm coupling device to covert the rotation of the driving shaft into a rotation of the tucker arm shaft; a needle coupling device to convert a rotation of the driving shaft into a movement of the needle yoke from a rest position to a twine delivery position and back.

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 plurality of knotters;
a needle yoke comprising a plurality of needles configured to deliver a plurality of lower strands through the bale chamber to the plurality of knotters;
a tucker arm shaft carrying a plurality of tucker arms configured to deliver a plurality of upper strands to the plurality of knotters;
a driving shaft located above the bale chamber and extending in a traverse direction of the baler, the tucker arm shaft extending parallel to the driving shaft;
a tucker arm coupling device configured to covert a rotation of the driving shaft into a rotation of the tucker arm shaft;
a needle coupling device configured for establishing a coupling and an uncoupling between the driving shaft and the needle yoke, and the needle coupling device configured to convert a rotation of the driving shaft into a movement of the needle yoke from a rest position to a twine delivery position and back such that movement of the needle yoke is synchronized with the rotation of the tucker arm shaft;
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,
wherein the plurality of knotters are configured to receive the plurality of upper and lower strands from the plurality of tucker arms and from the plurality of needles, respectively.

2. The baler of claim 1 , wherein the driving shaft is coupled with a gear box configured to continuously rotate the driving shaft when the baler is in operation.

3. The baler of claim 1 , wherein the tucker arm coupling device comprises a cam co-rotating with the driving shaft and a cam follower.

4. The baler of claim 1 , wherein the knotter coupling device is configured to couple the driving shaft to the driveable knotter shaft based on a position of the needle yoke, wherein the knotter shaft is parallel to the tucker arm shaft.

5. 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.

6. The baler of claim 5 , 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 being configured for engaging the clutch such that the driving shaft is coupled to the knotter shaft.

7. The baler of claim 1 , wherein each knotter comprises:
a knotter disc secured to the driveable knotter shaft; and
a billhook.

8. The baler of claim 7 , wherein each knotter disc comprises a first gear stretch, a second gear stretch, and a third gear stretch, wherein for each knotter:
the associated billhook comprises a billhook gear configured for cooperating with the first, second, and third gear stretch, and
the first, second, and third gear stretches are circumferentially spaced in order for the billhook to perform a first rotation during a first knotting forming cycle, a second rotation during a second knotting forming cycle, and a third rotation to ensure ejection of the second knot.

9. The baler of claim 8 , wherein each knotter further comprises a twine disc configured for holding strands of twine in position for engagement by the billhook of the each knotter during rotation of the billhook of the each knotter, and wherein for each knotter:
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; and
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 during the second knot forming cycle which is longer than the first rotation.

10. The baler of claim 8 , wherein each knotter further comprises a swing arm comprising:
a knife blade for severing strands in response to a swinging movement of the swing arm; and
a stripping part for stripping of a knot off of the billhook of the each knotter during the swinging movement of the swing arm,
wherein for each knotter the swing arm comprises a cam adapted for following a cam track of the knotter disc, the cam track being adapted for performing a first swing during the first rotation and a second swing during the second and third rotations.

11. The baler of claim 10 , wherein for each knotter:
the cam track is adapted for moving the swing arm a first time from a rest position to an extended position and back during the first rotation, and a second time from the rest position to the extended position and back during the second and third rotation; and
when moving the swing arm for the second time from the rest position to the extended position, the swing arm is held in the extended position during a predetermined period of time of the first and second rotation, in order to allow for the removal of the second knot.

12. The baler of claim 1 , further comprising 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,
wherein the needle coupling device is further 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.

13. The baler of claim 12 , wherein the needle coupling device comprises:
a crank arm attached to the driving shaft and co-rotating with the driving shaft; and
a plurality of coupling members between the crank arm and the needle yoke, wherein the plurality of coupling members is configured for establishing a coupling between the crank arm and the needle yoke when the bale length measurement and trigger device generates a trigger.

14. The baler of claim 13 , 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 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.

15. The baler of claim 14 , 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 the 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 first fixed pivot axis of the connection member corresponds with the fixed pivot axis o

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Maelfeyt Kenny
• Monbaliu Sven
• Willem Bram

Classifications

• A01F15/042

  Plungers · 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

• A01F15/145

  Twine knotters · CPC title

• A01F15/0858 Primary

  for the tying devices or needles · CPC title