Light weight needle construction for delivering twine in a large square baler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9936646-B2
Application number	US-201414539348-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2014
Priority date	Nov 12, 2014
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A twine delivery needle is constructed so as to include metal tip and mounting base sections or regions joined together by a relatively light weight central section having a composite structural sandwich construction comprising a low-density rigid foam core encased within a thin, high strength, skin or covering comprised of plies of woven and substantially continuous fibers disposed within a hardened matrix resin material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A baler twine-delivery needle comprising: an elongate, curved needle body including a metal tip section including a tip region carrying at least one twine guide roller, a metal mounting base section and a composite middle section extending between and being joined to each of said tip section and base section; said composite middle section including a foam board core wrapped in at least one ply of fibers disposed in a hardened matrix of a resin based material so as to define a skin about the foam board core.

2. The baler twine-delivery needle, as defined in claim 1 wherein opposite sides of the base section of the needle are constructed of sheet metal and include parallel tabs which straddle and are affixed to opposite sides of the composite middle section.

3. The baler twine-delivery needle, as defined in claim 1 , wherein said tip section includes opposite sheet metal sides having a length sufficient for extending from an outer extreme of the tip section through a bottom of a knotter table when the needle is in a top dead center position penetrating the knotter table, the sheet metal sides of the tip section thereby providing a wear surface accommodating a set operating interference between the needle and the knotter table for damping dynamic vibrations of the needle to allow the needle to consistently catch a top twine held in its path of movement.

4. The baler twine-delivery needle, as defined in claim 3 , wherein the needle includes a forward side, extending from the tip section to the base section; and a sheet metal strap of the tip section being located between, extending coextensive with, and being joined to, said sheet metal sides of the tip section to thereby cooperate therewith so as to form a tip section twine guide along the forward side of the tip section.

5. The baler twine-delivery needle, as defined in claim 4 , wherein the sheet metal strap of includes a portion that extends beyond the sheet metal sides of the tip section and is fixed to a forward side of the composite middle section.

6. The baler twine-delivery needle, as defined in claim 5 , wherein one of a second metal twine guide, and a plurality of metal twine guide segments, each having a U-shaped cross section and being shaped complementary to a region of the forward side of the needle, extends from one end of the tip section twine guide to the mounting base section, is fixed to said forward side of the needle.

7. The baler twine-delivery needle, as defined in claim 6 , wherein the second metal twine guide is fixed to the forward side of the needle and covers the portion of the metal strap of said tip section which extends beyond the sheet metal sides of the tip section.

8. The baler twine-delivery needle, as defined in claim 4 , wherein the sheet metal strap of the tip section is provided with tabs along opposite side edges thereof and wherein the sheet metal sides of the tip section are provided with slots receiving the tabs, with the tabs being welded in place to the sheet metal sides.

9. The baler twine-delivery needle, as defined in claim 2 , wherein the needle includes a top dead center position wherein the needle extends from top-to-bottom through the baling chamber and the tip section is located at least partially above the baling chamber; and a curved metal twine guide having a U-shaped cross section being secured along the forward side of the twine-delivery needle.

10. The baler twine-delivery needle, as defined in claim 9 , wherein said tip section includes opposite sheet metal sides, wherein said metal twine guide extends from said sheet metal sides of the tip section to the metal mounting base section.

11. The baler twine-delivery needle, as defined in claim 1 , wherein said composite middle section includes a base end region, and wherein said metal mounting base section defines a socket receiving and being joined to said base end region of said composite middle section.

12. The baler twine-delivery needle, as defined in claim 1 , wherein the composite middle section includes a base end region comprising first and second base leg sections spaced from each other in a direction transverse to a length of the needle; and said metal mounting base section defining first and second receptacle portions respectively receiving and being joined to said first and second base leg sections.

13. The baler twine delivery needle, as defined in claim 1 , wherein said base section includes a parallel pair of sheet metal side plates joined at one end to a base connection plate defining a base end of the needle and respectively joined at first and second edge regions extending away from the connection plate by first and second sheet metal straps which cooperate with the side plates and the connection plate to define a socket receiving a base end region of the composite middle section of the needle; at least one locking element being fixed within said socket; and said base end region of the composite middle section defining a receptacle for receiving and cooperating with the locking element for establishing a locking connection between the base section and the composite middle section.

14. The baler twine delivery needle, as defined in claim 13 , wherein said at least one locking element comprises a spring metal strap having a deflectable locking end section; and said receptacle being shaped for deflecting the locking end from an initial position during initial movement of the base end region of the composite middle section into said socket during assembly and then permitting the locking end to move back towards the initial position so as to establish a locking condition when the base end region is fully inserted into the socket.

15. The baler twine delivery needle, as defined in claim 13 , wherein the first and second sheet metal straps of said base section extend beyond the socket and are wrapped with the at least one ply of fibers disposed in the hardened matrix of the resin based material whereby the skin extends about said sheet metal straps as well as about the foam board core so as to establish a connection between the metal base section and the composite middle section.

16. The baler twine delivery needle, as defined in claim 13 , wherein the metal tip section includes opposite sheet metal side plates joined by an elongate sheet metal strap having a curvature that is complementary to a curvature of a side of an end region of the composite middle section; said end region of the composite middle section being located between the sheet metal side plates of the metal tip section with said side of the end region of said middle section being in engagement with said sheet metal strap; and said sheet metal strap of the tip section extending beyond said opposite sheet metal side plates of the tip section toward the base section and being wrapped with the at least one ply of fibers disposed in the hardened matrix of the resin based material whereby the skin extends about said sheet metal strap of the tip section as well as about the foam board core so as to establish a connection between the metal tip section and the composite middle section.

17. The baler twine delivery needle, as defined in claim 15 , wherein the metal tip section includes opposite sheet metal side plates joined by an elongate sheet metal strap having a curvature that is complementary to a curvature of a side of an end region of the composite middle section; said end region of the composite middle section being located between the sheet metal side plates with said side of the end region being in engagement with said sheet metal strap; and said sheet

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Demulder Carl F
• Mccunn Gregory S

Classifications

• A01D59/06

  Needles · CPC title

• A01F15/14 Primary

  Tying devices specially adapted for baling presses · CPC title

• A01F15/145

  Twine knotters · CPC title

• A01F15/12

  Feeding devices for the ties · CPC title