Braking and indexing assembly for rotating members

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9677633-B2
Application number	US-201414452317-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2014
Priority date	Aug 5, 2014
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

An assembly is described for braking and indexing rotating components, including guide rollers of balers. A wheel is attached to a rotating component and is surrounded, at least in part, by a traction device. A tensioning assembly with a lost motion linkage is attached to the traction device and to a frame. A counterforce assembly is also attached to the traction device and to the frame. When a portion of the tensioning assembly is moved in a braking direction, the stop prevents further movement of the lost motion linkage to apply a tensioning force to the traction device. The tensioning force is resisted by the counterforce assembly to impose a braking force on the wheel and thereby brake the rotating component. Moving the portion of the tensioning assembly in a release direction moves the lost motion linkage away from the stop, thereby reducing the braking force on the wheel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A brake assembly for a work machine having a frame and at least one rotating component, the brake assembly comprising:
a wheel attached to and rotating with the at least one rotating component;
a traction device surrounding, at least in part, the wheel;
a tensioning assembly attached to the frame at a frame attachment point of the tensioning assembly, the tensioning assembly including a lost motion linkage limited by a stop to a limited range of motion with respect to the frame, the lost motion linkage being attached to the traction device at a brake attachment point of the tensioning assembly; and
a counterforce assembly attached to the traction device at a brake attachment point of the counterforce assembly, and attached to the frame at a frame attachment point of the counterforce assembly;
wherein moving at least a portion of the tensioning assembly in a braking direction with respect to the frame attachment point of the tensioning assembly moves the lost motion linkage toward the stop such that the stop prevents further movement of the lost motion linkage with respect to the frame, the tensioning assembly thereby applying a first tensioning force to the traction device, the first tensioning force being resisted by the counterforce assembly, via the brake attachment point of the counterforce assembly, to impose a braking force on the wheel via the traction device and thereby brake the rotating component; and
wherein moving the portion of the tensioning assembly in a release direction with respect to the frame attachment point of the tensioning assembly moves the lost motion linkage away from the stop, the tensioning assembly thereby reducing the first tensioning force to reduce the braking force on the wheel.

2. The brake assembly of claim 1 , wherein the counterforce assembly includes:
a mounted member including the frame attachment point of the counterforce assembly; and
a spring extending between the mounted member and the brake attachment point of the counterforce assembly;
wherein, when the portion of the tensioning assembly is moved in the braking direction, the spring provides a resistive force to the traction device to resist the first tensioning force from the tensioning assembly.

3. The brake assembly of claim 2 , wherein wear on the traction device results in a limited lifespan of the traction device; and
wherein the spring is installed on the counterforce assembly in a pre-compressed state, such that the resistive force provided by the spring to the traction device remains substantially constant over the limited lifespan of the traction device.

4. The brake assembly of claim 1 , wherein the counterforce assembly includes a feed lever rotatably mounted to the frame at the frame attachment point of the counterforce assembly;
wherein the tensioning assembly includes a first spring attached to the lost motion linkage;
wherein rotating the feed lever in an indexing direction around the frame attachment point of the counterforce assembly applies a second tensioning force to the traction device, the second tensioning force being resisted by the first spring of the tensioning assembly to impose an indexing force on the wheel and thereby index the rotating component; and
wherein rotating the feed lever in a reset direction around the frame attachment point of the counterforce assembly releases the second tensioning force to remove the indexing force from the wheel.

5. The brake assembly of claim 4 , further comprising:
a catch attached to the frame; and
a second spring extending between the mounted member and the brake attachment point of the counterforce assembly;
wherein, with the counterforce assembly in a braking orientation, the second spring urges the counterforce assembly into the catch, the catch thereby preventing rotation of the feed lever in the reset direction to allow the counterforce assembly to resist the first tensioning force from the tensioning assembly.

6. The brake assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tensioning assembly further includes:
a pivoting member rotatably attached to the frame at the frame attachment point;
wherein a lost-motion linkage is attached to the pivoting member, and the lost-motion linkage includes the brake attachment point of the tensioning assembly.

7. The brake assembly of claim 6 , wherein the lost motion linkage further includes:
a fixed linkage member having first and second connection components, the fixed linkage member being fixedly attached to the pivoting member;
a movable linkage member with a slot, the slot being engaged by the first connection component of the fixed linkage member; and
a spring-mount member attached to the movable linkage member, the first spring extending between the spring-mount member and the second connection component of the fixed linkage member;
wherein, at least one of the moveable linkage member and the spring-mount member include the brake attachment point attached to the second end of the traction device;
wherein moving the portion of the tensioning assembly in the braking direction urges the first connection component into an end of the slot opposite the brake attachment point, the first connection component and the end of the slot thereby providing the stop to limit the range of motion of the lost motion linkage; and
wherein moving the portion of the tensioning assembly in the release direction moves the first connection component along the slot towards the brake attachment point.

8. The brake assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a belt-tensioning device attached to the tensioning assembly; and
a drive belt surrounding, at least in part, the wheel;
wherein moving the portion of the tensioning assembly in the release direction moves the belt-tensioning device to tension the drive belt to cause the drive belt to rotate the wheel and the rotating component.

9. The brake assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a drive member; and
a drive belt surrounding, at least in part, the wheel and the drive member;
wherein moving the portion of the tensioning assembly in the release direction automatically causes a power source to provide drive force to the drive member and thereby to the wheel.

10. The brake assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller determining a state of an operation including the rotating component;
wherein, when the controller determines a first state of the operation, the controller automatically causes an actuation device to move the portion of the tensioning assembly in the braking direction to impose the braking force on the wheel; and
wherein, when the controller determines a second state of the operation, the controller automatically causes the actuation device to move the portion of the tensioning assembly in the release direction to reduce the braking force on the wheel.

11. A baler comprising:
a frame;
a bale-wrapping system including a surface-wrap guide roller;
a counterknife assembly including a support member rotatably mounted to the frame and a counterknife arm mounted to the support member, the counterknife arm pivoting to cause a counterknife to cut surface wrap when the support member rotates with respect to the frame;
a pulley member attached to and rotating with the guide roller;
a traction device surrounding, at least in part, the pulley member;
a tensioning assembly attached to the frame at a frame attachment point of the tensioning assembly, the tensioning assembly including a lost motion linkage limited by a stop to a limited range of motion with respect to the frame, the lost motion linkage being attached to a first end of the traction device at a brake attachment point of the tensionin

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Horner Jennifer R
• Kappelman Jacob D
• Anstey Henry D

Classifications

• F16D65/58 Primary

  with eccentric or helical body · CPC title

• A01F2015/072

  Braking means for the film roll in balers which wrap the bale before opening the pressing chamber in order to stretch the film while wrapping · CPC title

• F16D49/10

  mechanically actuated (self-tightening F16D49/20) · CPC title

• A01F15/0715 Primary

  Wrapping the bale in the press chamber before opening said chamber · CPC title