Identification filament with baler binding material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11051454-B2
Application number	US-201816176379-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2018
Priority date	Mar 8, 2017
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A binding material for binding a bale of crop material has bale identification tags used to identify properties of the bale that is bound by the binding material. The binding material includes at least one strand of a non-identifying filament and one strand of an identifying filament incorporating the identification tags, wherein the identifying filament is formed as a continuous identification element comprising a resonant material incorporated into the identifying filament during a production process.

First claim

At least the following is claimed:

1. A binding material for binding a bale of crop material, the binding material having bale identification tags used to identify properties of the bale that is bound by the binding material, wherein the binding material comprises at least one strand of a non-identifying filament and one strand of an identifying filament incorporating the identification tags, wherein the identifying filament is formed as a continuous identification element comprising a resonant material incorporated into the identifying filament during a production process.

2. The binding material of claim 1 wherein the identifying strand incorporating the continuous identification element is wound during a binding material production process with at least one non-identifying filament into a single twine strand.

3. The binding material of claim 1 wherein the non-identifying filament and the identifying filament are wound together before the binding material is used to bind the bale of crop material.

4. The binding material of claim 1 wherein the identifying filament comprises a polypropylene material with the resonant material added to the polypropylene material during an extrusion process.

5. The binding material of claim 1 wherein the resonant materials comprises at least one of copper and aluminum.

6. A bale identification assembly for use with an agricultural baler used to take loose crop material from the ground into bales and compress a formed bale in a baling chamber with a reciprocating plunger, the baler having at least one crop sensor and/or bale sensor configured to sense a parameter of the crop material or formed bale, a knotter system that uses a binding material to bind the formed bale and tie a knot in the binding material, and a discharge chute at the rear end of the bale-forming chamber through which a completed bale is discharged, the bale identification assembly comprising:
a binding material used by the knotter system to bind the formed bale, the binding material comprising at least one strand of a non-identifying filament and one strand of an identifying filament incorporating identification tags, wherein the identifying filament is formed as a continuous identification element comprising a resonant material incorporated into the identifying filament during a production process;
a read module with an antenna configured to transmit interrogator signals and also receives authentication replies from identification tags;
a bale drop sensor comprising a bale activation device, wherein as a completed bale passes through the discharge chute, the completed bale interacts with the bale activation device causing the bale drop sensor to activate, wherein activation of the bale drop sensor activates the antenna for a specified active cycle, and wherein during its active cycle, the read module assigns any identification tag that is sensed to the completed bale that is leaving the discharge chute; and
a controller configured to receive information from the at least one crop sensor and/or bale sensor and associate the information about the completed bale with the identification tag on the completed bale that is leaving the discharge chute.

7. The bale identification assembly of claim 6 wherein knotter system comprises a first supply roll of binding material having identification tags and a second supply roll with binding material without identification tags, wherein the knotter system combines binding material from the first supply roll with binding material from the second supply roll to bind the formed bale.

8. The bale identification assembly of claim 7 wherein the non-identifying filament and the identifying filament are wound together before the binding material is used to bind the bale of crop material.

9. The bale identification assembly of claim 6 wherein the bale activation device is a paddle.

Assignees

• Agco Corp

Inventors

• Hamilton Kevin J
• Magisson Emmanuel Regis
• Soldan Daniel

Classifications

• B65B13/04

  with means for guiding the binding material around the articles prior to severing from supply · CPC title

• A01F15/08 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• G06K19/07749

  the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card · CPC title

• B65B13/26

  by knotting · CPC title

• G06K19/0672

  with resonating marks · CPC title