Abstract:
A large round baler, designed as a non-stop baler, includes a mobile chassis supporting a lower baling chamber section, defined by a floor conveyor arrangement, and an upper baling chamber section. The upper baling chamber section, together with opposite side walls, is mounted for fore-and-aft movement relative to the lower baling chamber section between a rear location, wherein it cooperates with the floor conveyor arrangement to define a rear baling chamber, and a front location wherein it cooperates with the floor conveyor arrangement to define a front baling chamber. The upper chamber section includes front and rear wall portions which are mounted for being raised once a bale is formed in the rear baling chamber so that the upper section may be moved to its forward location. A wrapping device is provided which is operable once the upper chamber section is moved to its front location, for wrapping the bale with overlapping wraps of sheeting made from plastic or the like so as to provide an air tight casing for the crop material so as to make silage.

Description:
[0001]    The invention concerns a large round baler of the type designed for operating non-stop during the processes of forming, binding and/or wrapping and discharging formed bales.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    EP-A-0 064 116 discloses a large round baler with a first and a second baling chamber, that can be charged alternately and thereby permit an uninterrupted operation. For this purpose, a set of belts is provided that extends over a front and a rear housing section and over an intervening region. In the central region, two tension arms are provided that are connected to each other in joints and that control the corresponding section of the belts in such a way that the baling chamber is formed in the front or the rear housing section. As soon as a cylindrical bale is formed in the rear baling chamber, it is wrapped there and ejected. At the same time, a cylindrical bale is formed in the front baling chamber and laid upon a side conveyor after its completion for deposit alongside the baler.  
           [0003]    The problem underlying the invention is seen in the fact that a separate conveyor is required for the delivery of the cylindrical bale from the front baling chamber and that a costly mechanism is necessary in order to guide the belts correspondingly.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    According to the present invention there is provided a novel continuously operating baler.  
           [0005]    An object of the invention is to provide a continuous baler wherein an upper baling chamber section including a pair of side walls is movable fore-and-aft relative to front and rear conveyors of a lower baling chamber section so as to cooperate with the latter to respectively define front and rear baling chambers for alternately receiving crop during the baling process.  
           [0006]    A more specific object of the invention is to provide a continuous baler, as defined in the previous object, wherein the upper chamber section includes front and rear portions in the form of a plurality of rolls located so as to define a circular arc when in respective lowered positions, and so as to permit wrapping of a formed bale located on the rear conveyor, and its discharge from the baler after being wrapped, when the front and rear chamber portions of the upper chamber section are in their respective raised positions.  
       
    
    
       [0007]    These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the ensuing description together with the appended drawings.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a large round baler constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, with the baler being shown in a condition filling a rear baling chamber.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 shows the large round baler of FIG. 1 in a condition wherein the rear baling chamber has become filled with crop material.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 shows the baler of FIG. 1 during a binding process.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 shows the baler of FIG. 1 during the feeding of crop into a region above a front conveyor and with upper front and rear wall portions of the upper baling chamber section being shown in a raised condition.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 shows the baler of FIG. 1 in a condition where the front and rear wall portions of the upper chamber section, together with opposite side walls of the baling chamber, are shifted to a forward region above a floor conveyor.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 shows the baler of FIG. 1, where the front and rear wall portions of the upper chamber section are once again lowered to form a forward-located baling chamber and the cylindrical bale previously formed in the rear-located baling chamber is being wrapped with sheeting.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 shows the baler of FIG. 1 where the wrapping process has been completed.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 8 shows the baler of FIG. 1 at the time where the wrapped bale is ejected.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]    A large round baler  10 , constructed in accordance with the present invention, is shown in the drawing and includes a chassis  12 , wheels  14 , a crop intake arrangement  16 , a lower baling chamber section  18 , an upper baling chamber section  20 , a housing  8  defining opposite baling chamber side walls, a wrapping device  22 , a binding device  24  and a rotary feeder  26 .  
         [0017]    The baler  10  generally represents a machine that can be operated continuously, that is to say, without interrupting the operation during discharge of a completed cylindrical bale  28 . Beyond that, it is equipped with the necessary devices to bind the cylindrical bale  28  with twine or wrap it with foil, such as plastic sheeting, for example. Crops such as grass, hay, straw and the like can be baled in dry or wet condition, in order to produce silage.  
         [0018]    The chassis  12  is joined to a support frame, not shown, that can be attached by a towbar, also not shown, to a towing vehicle for operation across a field. The chassis  12  is configured relatively long so as to form space for rear and front baling chambers  30  (FIGS.  1 - 3 ) and  30 ′ (FIGS.  6 - 8 ), respectively, but, as will be presently described, these baling chambers are not composed of two sets of entirely different components but rather are of a configuration where a considerable part of the baling chambers is movable so as to respectively form a part of each baling chamber. This simplification of the configuration is accompanied by a corresponding reduction in the total weight.  
         [0019]    A guide arrangement  32  is provided that is generally parallel to the ground on which the baler is supported or operated, which extends fore-and-aft in the direction of travel generally over the entire length of the chassis  12  and provides a free space to the support frame which, in the preferred embodiment, corresponds to the height of the baling chambers  30  or  30 ′. Nevertheless, the guide arrangement  32  can also extend lower than the height of the baling chambers  30  or  30 ′.  
         [0020]    In the preferred embodiment, the wheels  14  are attached to two tandem axles and spring-mounted to the chassis  12 , but this is not an absolute requirement.  
         [0021]    The crop intake arrangement  16  is configured in a known manner as a pick-up conveyor, that is, it is provided with a multitude of tines circulating in vertical planes that raise crop from the ground and convey it upward. At the outlet end of the crop intake arrangement  16 , an intermediate conveyor  34  is provided, which can be configured as a rotary cutter, and conveys crop through a channel defined by and located between a bottom  36  of the crop intake arrangement  16  and a sheet metal guide vane  38  that extends at an upward inclination, where the intermediate conveyor  34  extends with tines, not described in any further detail, through slits, not shown clearly, in the sheet-metal guide vane  38 , and grasps the crop. The inclined sheet-metal guide vane  38  has a rear end joined to a front end of opposite side guide vanes  40 , that generally extend horizontally and border the lower chamber section  18  at their sides so as to continue the aforementioned channel. In this way the crop is prevented from falling down at the sides.  
         [0022]    In this special embodiment, the lower chamber section  18  includes a front conveyor  42  immediately followed by a rear conveyor  44 , with the conveyors serving to carry the crop taken in on their upper surfaces. Altogether, the two conveyors  42  and  44  extend generally over the length of the chassis  12 . Both conveyors  42  and  44  have a conveying surface of the same width, but not necessarily of the same length. The conveyors  42  and  44  are driven in a conventional manner, for example, by chains or shafts or by means of hydraulic motors, preferably synchronously. Nevertheless, differing drive speeds can be selected, in particular, if the front conveyor  42  is incorporated into the baling process of the cylindrical bale  28  and the rear conveyor  44  is incorporated into the wrapping process of another cylindrical bale  28 . The lower baling chamber section  18  can be configured as a one-piece component and be provided over its entire length, for example, with a belt conveyor or a bar-chain conveyor or a multitude of rolls on parallel axes.  
         [0023]    The front conveyor  42  follows immediately upon the outlet end of the crop intake arrangement  16 , that is, at the outlet end of the channel formed by the bottom  36  and the sheet-metal guide vane  38 . The front conveyor  42  is configured as a belt conveyor and contains a conveyor belt  46  and several deflecting or driven pulleys  48  that support the belt. The pulleys  48  are arranged in such a way that the upper span of the conveyor belt  46  is planar; nevertheless, the rolls  48  could also be arranged in such a way that a depression or cavity that forms a circular segment in side view results in which the cylindrical bale  28  can be partially accommodated. The front conveyor  42  spans the region between the crop intake arrangement  16  and the rear conveyor  44  in the condition according to FIGS. 1 and 2, and in the condition according to FIGS. 3 through 5, as a storage area for crop that has been accepted by the crop intake arrangement  16 , but cannot be delivered to the baling chamber  30  located at the rear, and, in the condition according to FIGS. 6 through 8, as a carrier and drive means for a cylindrical bale  28  that is being formed.  
         [0024]    The rear conveyor  44  is configured in the form of a pan, whose bottom is formed by rolls  50 , that are arranged so as to lie along a segment of a circle. The rolls  50  are supported, as by bearings, for free rotation in side walls  52  located at the opposite ends of the rolls, with at least some of the rolls  50  being driven. The rear conveyor  44  is mounted to the chassis  12  for vertical pivotal movement about a horizontal axis that is coincident with the longitudinal axis of the front-most roll  50 , with the conveyor  44  being movable between a raised, operating condition, as shown in FIGS.  1 - 7 , and a lowered, discharge position, as shown in FIG. 8. The rear lower conveyor  44  is retained in its raised operating position by a locking arrangement, not shown, and can be repositioned, for example, by a hydraulic motor. Except for the discharge condition, the conveyor  44  always carries crop, either for the forming of a cylindrical bale  28 , and then for supporting the formed bale for wrapping and discharge. As will become apparent from the following description, with the front and rear conveyors  42  and  44 , respectively, being formed by belts, chains or the like and by a plurality of rolls located on a circular arc, different functions may be attained. For example, the rolls are appropriate for resisting the high compacting forces during the baling process, while the belts, chains or the like can border the underside of an intermediate storage area for the crop in the starting phase of the formation of the bale, and convey the loose crop. With loose or crumbling crop, the application of a belt conveyor forming the entire lower housing section has the advantage that leaves and other loose plant components are not lost, but remain contained in the mass of the crop.  
         [0025]    The upper baling chamber section  20  cooperates with the lower chamber section  18  to form the upper region of the rear baling chamber  30  when the chamber section  20  is above the rear conveyor  44 , and to form the upper region of the front baling chamber  30 ′ when the chamber section  20  is in a forward location above the front conveyor  42 . The upper chamber section  20  is supported in bearings for movement in the direction of travel along the fore-and-aft extending guide arrangement  32  so as to move horizontally, relative to the lower chamber section  18 , between rear and front positions respectively above the rear and front conveyors  44  and  42 . The upper chamber section  20  is divided into front and rear chamber wall portions  54  and  56 , respectively, that extend between and have respective upper rear and upper front ends pivotally attached to opposite side walls  58 .  
         [0026]    The front and rear upper chamber wall portions  54  and  56  are configured generally similarly and are arranged in mirror image manner to each other and surround the circumference of the baling chamber  30  or  30 ′ to approximately 240°. Both wall portions  54  and  56  include rolls  50  that are retained, free to rotate, in arcuate side frames, the axes of rotation of the rolls  50  being located along a circular path when the wall portions  54  and  56  are in their respective lowered working positions as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3. An inlet opening is provided between the lower end roll  50  of the upper front wall portion  54  and the upper surface of the front conveyor  42  when the wall portion  54  is in its lowered working position. The upper rear and upper front ends respectively of the chamber wall portions  54  and  56  are connected to each other by a joint  62  and are each mounted in the joint  62  for pivoting vertically, so that they can be swung upwardly from their respective lowered working position to a raised non-working position, as illustrated in FIG. 5. For moving the chamber wall portions  54  and  56  between their working and non-working positions, combined or separate actuation devices, not shown, for example, hydraulic cylinders or rope pulls may be employed.  
         [0027]    The actuation devices can be controlled, configured or arranged in such a way that the chamber wall portions  54  and  56  can simultaneously assume the raised position, shown in FIG. 5, wherein the opposite ends of each portion lie on a substantially horizontal plane. Both of the chamber wall portions  54  and  56  can be moved as a unit, together with the opposite side walls  58 , along the guide arrangement  32 .  
         [0028]    Although the chamber wall portions  54  and  56  are shown as including a plurality of the rolls  50 , the rolls can be replaced by rolls, or the like, over which belts or chains can be conducted. Instead of there just being two chamber wall portions  54  and  56  interconnected by a single joint  62 , it is possible to employ a multitude of chamber wall portions connected to each other by joints which, nevertheless, can assume the shapes of the chamber wall portions  54  and  56  that are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.  
         [0029]    The side walls  58  extend to the side of the rolls  50  and form the vertical side walls of the baler housing  8 . The walls  58  are so dimensioned that they enclose the baling chamber  30  or  30 ′ at the sides when the chamber wall portions  54  and  56  are located in their lower working positions as well as form a chamber  72  that is bordered at the bottom by the front conveyor  42  and at the rear by the front side of the upper front chamber wall portion  54 . The sheet-metal side guide vanes  40  project by a small degree into the chamber  72 , so that crop is safely conducted into it. The sheet-metal side guide vanes  40  and the walls  58  can also be connected to each other so that the guide vanes  40  are moved as a whole, or only in some regions, when the walls  58  are moved. The outside of the walls  58  are located opposite the inside of a pair of rails  70  forming part of the guide structure  32 , so that the entire upper baling chamber section  20  can be shifted within the space located between the rails  70 . The walls  58  are aligned with the side walls  52  of the lower chamber section  18  and end in their upper edge in a horizontal intersecting point, so that they cannot collide when the upper chamber section  20  is moved horizontally.  
         [0030]    At the lower end region of the upper front chamber wall portion  54  that borders the inlet opening  60 , the feeder  26  is provided in such a way that it can pivot vertically with the upper front chamber wall portion  54 .  
         [0031]    The wrapping device  22  is used for wrapping a completed cylindrical bale  28  with foil, such as plastic sheeting, so that the bale  28  containing moist crop becomes silage feed. As can best be seen in FIG. 6, the wrapping device  24  includes a carrier  64 , a wrapping arm  66  and wrapping material  68 . The wrapping arm  66  is supported in bearings, free to rotate about a vertical axis, on the carrier  64  and extends from the axis of rotation initially inclined radially outward and downward, and subsequently downward so as to be disposed along the axis of the roll of wrapping material  68 , in order to carry and deliver the wrapping material  68 . The wrapping arm  66  is dimensioned and arranged in such a way that the inclined region remains between the guide rails  70  and that the region carrying the wrapping material  68  can move diametrically about the cylindrical bale  28 . Instead of only one, several wrapping arms  66  could be provided, in order to reduce the wrapping time. The wrapping arm  66  is brought into rotation by a drive (not shown) supported by the carrier  64  and coupled to the axle carrying the arms  66 .  
         [0032]    As a rule, the wrapping material  68  is formed by a stretch foil that is applied to the cylindrical bale  28  under high tension and adheres to previous layers on the basis of adhesion. While the wrapping material  68  is applied to the cylindrical bale  28 , the cylindrical bale  28  continues to rotate slowly, so that the individual layers come to lie offset from one another.  
         [0033]    Furthermore, the wrapping device  22  is provided with retaining, tensioning and separating or severing devices for the wrapping material  28 , each of which is not shown but is known in itself and are used to initiate the beginning and the end of the bale wrapping process. The bale wrapping process always occurs after the cylindrical bale  28  is deposited on the rear conveyor  44 . The wrapping arm  66  can move freely around the cylindrical bale  28  as soon as the upper chamber section wall portions  54  and  56  are raised from their respective operating region and moved forward on the guide rails  70 , along with the side walls  58 .  
         [0034]    The binding device  24  is configured as a net binding device and is attached to an upper forward location of the opposite side walls  58  so as to be adjacent the front of the upper forward chamber wall portion  54 , when the latter is in its lowered working position. Alternatively, the binding device  24  could be mounted to the support structure for the rolls  50  of the chamber wall portion  54  so as to move with the portion  54  when it is pivoted vertically. Instead of net, a twine binding or foil binding device could be provided. In each case, the binding material is introduced in a known manner through the inlet opening  60  or through a gap between the rolls  50  into the baler housing  8  and wound around the rotating cylindrical bale  28 . The binding device  24  is located at the upper chamber section  20  because the cylindrical bale  28  is bound while it is still subject to the pressure in the baler housing  8 .  
         [0035]    The feeder  26  is configured as a driven rotor that rotates about a horizontal axis and is equipped with fingers, tines or other conveying elements. The feeder  26  is arranged in such a way that the crop arriving from the front conveyor  42  is slid safely into the inlet opening  60  and is not jammed there. This function is accomplished by the feeder  26  in that it rotates in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1, for example. The drive to the feeder  26  is reversible and when the feeder  26  rotates in the reverse direction, it moves the crop from the inlet opening  60  and conveys it into the region of the baling chamber  30 ′ for being partially formed into a bale there. Alternatively, the front lower conveyor  42  could also be temporarily driven slowly in reverse, or it could be brought to a halt and thereby either move the incoming crop away from the inlet opening  60  or momentarily hold it back.  
         [0036]    In the preferred embodiment, the guide arrangement  32  is provided with rails  70  that extend over the entire length of the chassis  12  and are configured or arranged to be so stable that they can carry the weight of the upper chamber section  20 . The guide arrangement  32  is provided with a drive, not described in any further detail, that contains, for example, a rack and a gear motor or rope pulls and sliding or rolling guides with which the upper chamber section  20  can be moved along the rails  70  of the guide arrangement  32 .  
         [0037]    The rails  70  are arranged parallel to each other and considerably above the chassis  12  and formed, for example, by an U-profile, an L-profile or a T-profile, so that the joint  62  and possibly stabilizing struts can be guided along their lengths for the retention of the upper chamber section  20 .  
         [0038]    On the basis of the above description, the large round baler  10  operates as follows.  
         [0039]    Assume the large round baler  10  to be in a condition where it has not taken any crop up and that the upper chamber section  20  is located above the rear, lower conveyor  44 . This condition is shown generally in FIG. 1, where however, some crop already taken up is shown.  
         [0040]    At the beginning of the operation of the large round baler  10 , the crop intake arrangement  16  takes up crop from the ground and conveys it upward to the rear through the channel defined between the bottom  36  and the inclined sheet-metal guide vane  38 , and then into the channel defined between the front lower conveyor  42  and the horizontal sheet-metal guide  40 . The front lower conveyor  42  carries the crop on the conveyor belt  46  that is equipped, if necessary, with battens or other drivers, up to the intake opening  60 , where it is grasped by the feeder  26  and forced through the inlet opening  60  into the baling chamber  30 , this condition being that shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0041]    The crop collects on the rear lower conveyor  44  until it is brought into rotation as a mound by the rotating rolls  50 . The more the baling chamber  30  is filled, the more the crop is compressed into a cylindrical bale  28  and continuously rotated. This condition is shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0042]    As soon as the bale  28  has reached the desired density, the binding device  24  is brought into operation and the cylindrical bale  28  is bound with net, twine or the like, in accordance with a known process. During the binding process, the crop intake arrangement  16  continues to operate and delivers crop to the front lower conveyor  42 . This crop is not forced into the intake opening  60 , but is collected in front of it by the feeder  26  that is now operating in the backward direction. This condition is shown in FIG. 3. After the binding process and while crop principally accumulates in the chamber  72 , the front and the rear chamber wall portions  54  and  56  are pivoted upward and free the cylindrical bale  28 . This condition is shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0043]    While the chamber wall portions  54  and  56  are raised, they are shifted along the guide arrangement  32  to the front over the cylindrical bale  28  and over the crop accumulated on the front conveyor  42 . Since both chamber wall portions  54  and  56  are raised, the baling chamber  30  is open at the front and the rear, and the front chamber wall portion  54  does not push the crop along in front of it on the lower conveyor  42  during its forward movement. In the end position of the upper chamber section  20 , both chamber wall portions  54  and  56  are located as a pincer above the mound of crop formed on the front lower conveyor  42 . This condition is shown in FIG. 5.  
         [0044]    After the upper chamber section  20  has been slid, rolled or otherwise moved, the two chamber wall portions  54  and  56  are lowered so that they enclose the crop between themselves and the front lower conveyor  42  and form the baling chamber  30 ′ at the front of the baler  10 . The crop brought in by the crop intake arrangement  16  now moves again through the intake opening  60  and reaches the baling chamber  30 ′, if necessary supported by the feeder  26 , which is now again driven in the clockwise direction as seen in the drawing. While the crop in the front baling chamber  30 ′ is at least being pre-compressed, in the case that the previously formed cylindrical bale  28  is to be wrapped with foil, then the wrapping arm or arms  66  are brought into rotation and thereby apply wrapping material  68  to the bale  28 , until an airtight surface is attained. This condition being shown in FIG. 6.  
         [0045]    As soon as the wrapping of the cylindrical bale  28  is completed, the wrapping process is ended and the wrapping arm or arms  66  are brought into a position in which they do not hinder an unloading of the cylindrical bale  28 . This condition can be seen in FIG. 7.  
         [0046]    After the wrapping process, the rear lower conveyor  44  is pivoted vertically in the counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 8 for example, so that the cylindrical bale  28  resting on it is slid to the rear onto the ground, while in the baling chamber  30 ′ located at the front, crop continues to be compressed.  
         [0047]    Finally the upper chamber section  20 , with the crop contained in it, is moved to the rear, up to the rear lower conveyor  44 , where the baling process is continued and ended. Except for the fact that there is less crop material contained in the baling chamber  30  than what is shown in FIG. 8, the condition of the baler  10  is once again like that illustrated in FIG. 1.