Baling device and method to form bales of crop material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9756789-B2
Application number	US-201514822920-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2015
Priority date	Nov 2, 2009
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A baling device to form bales of crop material, including a frame, an intake device, a bale forming device for forming a bale of the crop material, the bale forming device including at least one endless belt to delimit a baling chamber, and a number of guiding elements to guide the endless belt, the outlet of the intake device is located at a fixed position with respect to the frame, and at least three guiding elements are movably mounted with respect to the outlet of the intake device to position for subsequent bales different pairs of two guiding elements of the at least three movable guiding elements at the opposite sides of the outlet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A baling device to form bales of crop material,
the bales each having a cylindrical shape,
the baling device comprising:
an intake device comprising an outlet and
a bale forming device for forming a bale of said crop material,

wherein the bale forming device comprises
at least one endless belt to delimit a baling chamber,
a first moveable guiding element pair comprising a first and second moveable guiding element,
a second moveable guiding element pair comprising a third and fourth moveable guiding element,

wherein the at least four moveable guiding elements of said two moveable guiding element pairs each comprises two rollers,
wherein the at least four moveable guiding elements of said two moveable guiding element pairs are arranged for guiding the at least one endless belt,
wherein each pair of moveable guiding elements is arranged to be moved between an intake position and a release position,
wherein the two moveable guiding elements of a moveable guiding element pair in the intake position are arranged at opposite sides of the outlet,
wherein the endless belt is arranged on the moveable guiding elements to receive, during formation of a bale, crop material from the outlet of the intake device accumulated between the two guiding elements of the moveable guiding element pair arranged at opposite sides of the outlet, the baling chamber to be formed between the two guiding elements to form the crop material into a complete bale, and
wherein the pair of moveable guiding elements between which the complete bale is formed is arranged for being moved from the intake position to the release position,
wherein the angular distance between two movable guiding elements of the pair of moveable guiding elements are changeable,
wherein during formation of a bale, two of the movable guiding elements between which the baling chamber is formed are arranged at a distance smaller than a diameter of the complete bale, wherein during release of the bale from the baling device, the same two movable guiding elements have to be arranged at a distance larger than the diameter of the complete bale.

2. The baling device of claim 1 , wherein the baling device further comprises a frame, the outlet of the intake device is located at a fixed position with respect to said frame.

3. The baling device of claim 1 , wherein every pair of moveable guiding elements can further be moved from the release position into a back end support position for providing a back end support for the endless belt and from the back end support position into the intake position.

4. The baling device of claim 1 , wherein different pairs of moveable guiding elements do not have one of the moveable elements in common.

5. The baling device of claim 1 , wherein the bale forming device comprises five or six moveable guiding elements.

6. The baling device of claim 1 , wherein the baling device is arranged such that two moveable guiding elements of said first moveable guiding element pair are used for formation of a bale, the two moveable guiding elements of said second moveable guiding element pair are used as a back end support for the endless belt.

7. The baling device of claim 1 , wherein each of the moveable guiding elements is arranged on an arm and each arm is pivotally mounted on a rotatable element, and wherein for each arm an actuator is provided between the arm and the rotatable element to position the arm in a desired rotational position with respect to the rotatable element.

8. The baling device of claim 1 , wherein each of the moveable guiding elements is arranged on an arm which arm is rotatable with respect to a common axis of rotation.

9. The baling device of claim 1 , wherein the baling device comprises a guiding rail to guide the moveable guiding elements at least along the outlet of the intake device.

10. The baling device of claim 1 , wherein the guiding rail forms a continuous loop.

11. The baling device of claim 1 , wherein each moveable guiding element comprises one or more rollers.

12. The baling device of claim 1 , wherein the other pair of moveable guiding elements is arranged for being moved into the intake position such that the two moveable guiding elements of this other pair are arranged at the opposite sides of the outlet such that formation of a new bale can be started using the moveable guiding elements of the other pair.

13. A method for forming at least two bales,
the bales each having a cylindrical shape,
the method comprising the steps of:
providing a baling device comprising:
an intake device comprising an outlet and
a bale forming device for forming a bale of said crop material,
wherein the bale forming device comprises
at least one endless belt to delimit a baling chamber,
a first moveable guiding element pair comprising a first and second moveable guiding element,
a second moveable guiding element pair comprising a third and fourth moveable guiding element,
wherein the at least four moveable guiding elements of said two moveable guiding element pairs each comprises two rollers,
wherein the at least four moveable guiding elements of said two moveable guiding element pairs are arranged for guiding the at least one endless belt,
wherein each pair of moveable guiding elements is arranged to be moved between an intake position and a release position,
wherein the angular distance between two of the movable guiding elements are changeable,
wherein the two moveable guiding elements of a moveable guiding element pair in the intake position are arranged at opposite sides of the outlet,
taking up crop material with the intake device from the ground surface,
pressing the crop material out of the outlet of the intake device,
forming a baling chamber delimited by the at least one endless belt by feeding crop material between said two moveable guiding elements arranged at opposite sides of the outlet and forming said pair,
filling the formed baling chamber with crop material until a bale of desired diameter is formed,
moving the pair comprising the two moveable guiding elements into the release position to release the bale from the baling chamber, and
arranging said another pair comprising two moveable guiding elements at opposite sides of the outlet for formation of a baling chamber for forming a subsequent bale between the other pair of two moveable guiding elements,
wherein during formation of a bale, two of the movable guiding elements between which the baling chamber is formed are arranged at a distance smaller than a diameter of a complete bale, wherein during release of the bale from the baling device, the same two movable guiding elements have to be arranged at a distance larger than the diameter of the complete bale.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein alternate moveable guiding element pairs are arranged at opposite sides of the outlet for formation of a baling chamber between the moveable guiding elements of the respective pair.

Assignees

• Lely Patent Nv

Inventors

• Reijersen Van Buuren Willem Jacobus

Classifications

• A01D89/001

  Pick-up systems · CPC title

• A01F15/0883

  for round balers · CPC title

• A01F15/0705 Primary

  Arrangements for continuous operation · CPC title

• A01F2015/077

  Pressing chamber formed by belts and rollers · CPC title

• A01F15/18

  Endless belts, rolls or the like · CPC title