Agricultural baler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11140832-B2
Application number	US-201916702021-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2019
Priority date	Dec 3, 2018
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

An agricultural baler including a bale chamber; a plunger; a feeder duct; and a rotor feeder unit. The rotor feeder unit includes a rotor feeder unit bottom distant from a rotor feeder forming a lower boundary of a conveying channel through the rotor feeder unit. The rotor feeder unit also includes scrapers placed in a conveying direction behind the rotor feeder. The scrapers extend in between the tines and have a leading face cooperating with the tines. The agricultural baler further includes a position adjuster configured to displace the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom, and to displace a top wall and/or the bottom wall of the feeder duct, in order to adjust the volume of the feeder duct.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An agricultural baler, comprising:
a bale chamber for the compression of crop material into bales, the bale chamber having a floor, a ceiling, a first wall, and a second wall, wherein a bale forming direction of the bale chamber extends from an inlet end to an outlet end of the bale chamber, and wherein the floor comprises an inlet opening;
a plunger for forcing the crop material from the inlet end of the bale chamber towards the outlet end of the bale chamber;
a feeder duct communicating with the bale chamber through the inlet opening for charges of crop material to be transferred from the feeder duct into the bale chamber, the feeder duct having an upper end facing generally upwardly and communicating with the inlet opening in the bale chamber and a lower end facing generally in a forward direction, the feeder duct further having a top wall and a bottom wall extending between the lower end and the upper end of the feeder duct, wherein the top wall or the bottom wall are movable in order to adjust a volume of the feeder duct;
a rotor feeder unit comprising:
a rotor feeder carrying a set of tines, the rotor feeder rotatable about an axis of rotation;
a rotor feeder unit bottom distant from the rotor feeder forming a lower boundary of a conveying channel through the rotor feeder unit;
a plurality of cutting blades, each of the cutting blades extending between the tines; and
scrapers placed in a conveying direction behind the rotor feeder, the scrapers extending in between the tines and having a leading face cooperating with the tines; and

a position adjuster configured to:
displace the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom, and
displace the top wall or the bottom wall of the feeder duct, in order to adjust the volume of the feeder duct, wherein the position adjuster is configured to displace the leading face of the scrapers and the top wall or the bottom wall of the feeder duct in dependence on each other.

2. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the position adjuster is further configured to rotate the scrapers about an axis of rotation in order to adjust a cross-sectional profile of the conveying channel as it extends in a conveying direction through the rotor feeder unit.

3. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the position adjuster is further configured to rotate the scrapers about an axis of rotation that is offset from the axis of rotation of the rotor feeder, for angularly displacing the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom.

4. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein a path of movement of a distal edge of the leading face corresponds to a path of movement of a distal edge of the top wall.

5. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the position adjuster is configured to displace the leading face of the scrapers and the top wall of the feeder duct so as to provide a generally smooth transition between the leading face and the top wall.

6. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the top wall is mechanically connected to the scrapers.

7. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to activate the position adjuster, wherein the controller is configured to activate the position adjuster during a baling operation.

8. The agricultural baler of claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to activate the position adjuster at one or more instants in time during an operational cycle of the baler.

9. The agricultural baler of claim 8 , further comprising a stuffer operable to convey crop material from the feeder duct through the inlet opening and into the bale chamber, wherein the controller is configured to activate the position adjuster at one or more predetermined instants in time during a stuffer cycle of the stuffer.

10. The agricultural baler of claim 8 , further comprising a feeder operable to convey crop material from the lower end of the feeder duct toward the upper end, wherein the controller is configured to activate the position adjuster at one or more predetermined instants in time during a feeder cycle of the feeder.

11. The agricultural baler of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to activate the position adjuster at one or more predetermined instants in time during a plunger cycle of the plunger.

12. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the position adjuster is adapted for manual operation thereof.

13. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured for controlling the position adjuster and at least one sensor for measuring at least one operational parameter of the rotor feeder unit or of the agricultural baler in which the rotor feeder unit is arranged, wherein the controller is further configured for receiving measuring data from the sensor and for displacing the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom, the top wall, or the bottom wall of the feeder duct based on the at least one operational parameter.

14. The agricultural baler of claim 13 , wherein the at least one operational parameter comprises a parameter related to a mechanical load on the rotor feeder unit during operation.

15. The agricultural baler of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured to displace the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom so that a reverse funnel shape of the end of the conveying channel is widened in case the load on the rotor feeder exceeds a certain predetermined value.

16. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the position adjuster is further configured to allow displacement of the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom as a function of a force exerted by crop material on the leading face of the scrapers.

17. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the position adjuster is further configured to rotate the scrapers about the axis of rotation of the rotor feeder for angularly displacing the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom.

18. The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the position adjuster is configured to displace the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom such that an angle of the leading face of the scrapers relative to the leading face of the tines is adjusted.

19. A method for operating an agricultural baler, the baler comprising:
a bale chamber for the compression of crop material into bales, the bale chamber having a floor, a ceiling, a first wall, and a second wall, wherein a bale forming direction of the bale chamber extends from an inlet end to an outlet end of the bale chamber, and wherein the floor comprises an inlet opening;
a plunger for forcing the crop material from the inlet end of the bale chamber towards the outlet end of the bale chamber;
a feeder duct communicating with the bale chamber through the inlet opening for charges of crop material to be transferred from the feeder duct into the bale chamber, the feeder duct having an upper end facing generally upwardly and communicating with the inlet opening in the bale chamber and a lower end facing generally in a forward direction, the feeder duct further having a top wall and a bottom wall extending between the lower end and the upper end of the feeder duct, wherein the top wall or the bottom wall are movable in order to adjust a volume of the feeder duct; and
a rotor feeder unit comprising:
a rotor feeder carrying a set of tines, the rotor feeder rotatable about an axis of rotation;

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Devroe Jeroen
• Kindt Dieter
• Rosseel Bram
• Mooren Jeng

Classifications

• A01F15/101 Primary

  Feeding at right angles to the compression stroke (A01F15/106 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A01F2015/108

  Cutting devices comprising cutter and counter-cutter · CPC title

• A01F15/042

  Plungers · CPC title

• A01D89/002

  Rotors · CPC title

• A01F2015/102

  the pressing chamber is fed from the bottom side · CPC title