Rotor feeder unit for agricultural machines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9775298-B2
Application number	US-201615299083-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2016
Priority date	Oct 20, 2015
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A rotor feeder unit for an agricultural machine, such as an agricultural baler. The rotor feeder unit includes a rotor feeder, and a drive for driving the rotor feeder. The drive of the rotor feeder unit include an input that is configured to be coupled to a power source, an output coupled to the rotor feeder for rotating the rotor feeder about its axis of rotation, and a variable ratio transmission coupling the input and the output. The variable ratio transmission includes a variable-diameter input pulley, a variable-diameter output pulley, and a belt arranged between the input pulley and the output pulley.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotor feeder unit for an agricultural machine, the rotor feeder unit comprising:
a rotor feeder carrying a set of tines for cutting crop material;
a drive for driving the rotor feeder, the drive comprising:
an input that is configured to be coupled to a power source;
an output coupled to the rotor feeder for rotating the rotor feeder about its axis of rotation; and
a mechanical continuously variable ratio transmission coupling the input and the output, wherein the mechanical continuously variable ratio transmission is of a belt type comprising:
a variable-diameter input pulley;
a variable-diameter output pulley;
a belt arranged between the input pulley and the output pulley;
an actuator for selective operation of the mechanical continuously variable ratio transmisson; and
a controller connected to the actuator for controlling the actuator; and
at least one sensor connected to the controller and configured for measuring at least one operational parameter of the rotor feeder, wherein the controller is configured for causing the actuator to selectively operate the variable ratio transmission based on the at least one operational parameter measured by the sensor.

2. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 1 , wherein the drive further comprises a reversing mechanism for selectively reversing a direction of rotation of the rotor feeder.

3. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 1 , wherein the mechanical continuously variable ratio transmission is variable by selective operation.

4. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one operational parameter of the rotor feeder is at least one of an operational parameter indicative of a torque at the output of the drive, an operational parameter indicative of a torque at the input of the drive, an operational parameter indicative of a rotational speed of the rotor feeder, an operational parameter indicative of an operational speed at the input of the drive, and an operational parameter indicative of an operational speed at the output of the drive.

5. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a rotor feeder unit bottom wall distant from the rotor feeder forming a lower boundary of a conveying channel through the rotor feeder unit; and
cutting blades that are configured to protrude from the rotor feeder unit bottom wall into the conveying channel besides moving paths of the tines,
wherein the cutting blades are selectively movable between a cutting position in which the cutting blades protrude into the conveying channel and a retracted position in which the cutting blades do not protrude into the conveying channel.

6. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a rotor feeder unit bottom wall distant from the rotor feeder forming a lower boundary of a conveying channel through the rotor feeder unit; and
scrapers placed in conveying direction behind the rotor feeder, the scrapers extending in between the tines of the rotor feeder and each having a leading face cooperating with the tines,
wherein the rotor feeder unit comprises a scraper position adjusting arrangement adapted for angular displacement of the leading face of each of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom wall.

7. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 6 , wherein the scraper position adjusting arrangement is adapted for rotating the scrapers about the axis of rotation of the rotor feeder for angularly displacing the leading face of each of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom wall.

8. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 6 , wherein the scraper position adjusting arrangement comprises an actuator acting on the scrapers and configured for displacing the leading face of each of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom wall,
wherein the controller is further connected to the actuator of the scraper position adjusting arrangement for controlling of the actuator of the scraper position adjusting arrangement in addition to controlling of the actuator of the variable ratio transmission.

9. The rotor feeder unit according to claim 8 ,
wherein the controller is further configured for causing the actuator of the scraper position adjusting arrangement to displace the leading face of the scrapers relative to the rotor feeder unit bottom wall based on the at least one operational parameter measured by the sensor.

10. An agricultural machine, comprising:
a rotor feeder unit configured for conveying crop material, the rotor feeder unit comprising: a rotor feeder carrying a set of tines for cutting crop material; a drive for driving the rotor feeder, the drive comprising: an input that is configured to be coupled to a power source; an output coupled to the rotor feeder for rotating the rotor feeder about its axis of rotation; and a mechanical continuously variable ratio transmission coupling the input and the output, wherein the mechanical continuously variable ratio transmission is of a belt type comprising: a variable-diameter input pulley; a variable-diameter output pulley; a belt arranged between the input pulley and the output pulley; an actuator for selective operation of the mechanical continuously variable ratio transmission; and a controller connected to the actuator for controlling the actuator; and at least one sensor connected to the controller and configured for measuring at least one operational parameter of the rotor feeder, wherein the controller is configured for causing the actuator to selectively operate the variable ratio transmission based on the at least one operational parameter measured by the sensor;
at least one additional operation implement; and
a main drive for driving the rotor feeder unit and the at least one additional operational implement, wherein the main drive comprises an output for driving the rotor feeder unit and the input of the drive of the rotor feeder unit is coupled to the output of the main drive.

11. The agricultural machine according to claim 10 , further comprising at least one additional sensor connected to the controller and configured for measuring at least one operational parameter of the main drive that is indicative of a load on the main drive or for measuring at least one operational parameter of the at least one additional operational implement that is indicative of a load on the at least one additional operational implement.

12. An agricultural baler, comprising:
a bale chamber having an inlet opening formed therein;
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;
a plunger reciprocally movable within the bale chamber to compress successive charges of crop material received from the feeder duct to form a bale;
a feeder operable within the feeder duct to accumulate a charge of crop material therein and then stuff that accumulated charge into the bale chamber;
a rotor feeder unit configured for conveying crop material to the feeder duct, the rotor feeder unit comprising: a rotor feeder carrying a set of tines for cutting crop material; a drive for driving the rotor feeder, the drive comprising: an input that is configured to be coupled to a power source; an output coupled to the rotor feeder for rotating the rotor feeder about its axis of rotation; and a mechanical continuously variable ratio transmission coupling the input and the output, wherein the mechanical continuously variable ratio transmission is of a belt type comprising: a variable-diameter input pulley; a variable-diameter output pulley; a belt arranged between the input pulley and the ou

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Rosseel Bram
• Devroe Jeroen
• Liefooghe Dries
• Kindt Dieter

Classifications

• A01F15/042

  Plungers · CPC title

• A01F15/0841

  Drives for balers · CPC title

• A01D89/002

  Rotors · CPC title

• A01F15/101

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

• A01F15/10 Primary

  Feeding devices for the crop material {e.g. precompression devices} · CPC title