DEFLECTOR DEVICE, PRESS AND METHOD

A press of an agricultural machine for forming bales includes a housing, a pressing means disposed in the housing and a deflector device. The pressing means at least partially forms and surrounds a bale pressing space in which a bale formed by the press is located. The deflector device includes at least one deflector formed in an at least partially movable, flexible manner for reducing material accumulations in a press of a round baler.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to German Patent Application Ser. No. 102017208761.7, filed May 23, 2017, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a deflector device for reducing material accumulations in a press, and particularly for a deflector device of an agricultural round baler.

BACKGROUND

Conventional or known deflector devices are used in presses in order to counteract an accumulation of material inside the press and consequently to prevent a clogging or a blockage of the press or individual or a plurality of operating means of the press. These presses are used both in the agricultural and in the industrial field. Corresponding agricultural presses serve, for example, to form crop bales such as in the case of round bales, and often produce at least substantially round cylindrical bales of harvested crop, for example, such as straw, hay, chopped material, etc. Industrial presses are used in the compression of waste, textiles or other materials or during the pressing thereof into bales.

Some deflector devices direct material away from specific regions or operating means such as, for example, pressing means in the manner of belts, rollers or drums in order to counteract accumulations of material. These deflector devices are generally constructed in the manner of rigid covers, which in particular under difficult harvesting conditions, such as, for example, dry crops, do not operate in an optimum manner.

Thus, there is a need for a deflector device for overcoming the limitations of conventional deflector devices noted above.

SUMMARY

In a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a deflector device is provided for reducing material accumulations in a press which has at least one deflector constructed in an at least partially movable manner. The deflector may, for example, be moved by means of operation-related vibrations of the press brought about by means of a movement in particular of mechanical operating means or components of the press, such as a receiving device, which introduces material or harvested crops into a bale pressing space, or one or more pressing means which move(s) in order to produce a bale in the bale pressing space, or which occur when the press travels over a particularly uneven surface. The deflector may, for example, be constructed in such a manner that it vibrates, oscillates or also wobbles, whereby an accumulation or depositing or adhesion of material in close proximity of the deflector can be prevented or counteracted. In particular, the deflector may be constructed in a flexible manner, for example, so as to be inherently flexible.

The deflector may be provided so as to be able to be connected at one end by means of one or more retention means advantageously directly or indirectly to a frame of the press. At the other end, the deflector may be provided so as to be at least substantially freely movable or to extend away from the retention means or the frame. The deflector may thus extend, for example, at least in an idle state at least substantially vertically downwards, but it is also possible for it to define an angle with respect to the vertical.

It is particularly simple and cost-effective if the deflector is constructed in one piece. A single-piece construction may further improve the durability of the deflector. The deflector may also be constructed in the form of a lug so that it can protrude or be suspended substantially freely in the region of the press in which an accumulation of material is intended to be counteracted. However, it is also conceivable for the deflector to be constructed in several parts or for the deflector device to have a plurality of deflectors, for example, in order to thereby produce a movement pattern which deviates from a single-piece construction.

In another embodiment, the deflector(s) may be formed by one or more movable plate(s) or to have a plate. The one or more plates may be constructed in a rigid manner or from metal, hard plastics material or another rigid material. It is also possible, however, for the deflector to at least partially comprise a resilient or rubber-like material. The deflector can thus also be retained in a particularly simple manner by the retention means without an articulated connection being required for this purpose. An improved durability can be achieved when the material used has a textile carrier layer.

If the deflector forms at least in the end region thereof a loop, this may counteract fraying, in particular when a textile carrier material is used. As a result of such a loop, an accumulation or aggregation/depositing of material can also be further counteracted, in particular when this region achieves an action which is not only wobbling but also beating. It is also possible to provide at a region facing the retention means a loop which can optionally also be used as a securing possibility or for supporting a securing of the deflector to the frame.

The deflector device may be arranged so as to be adapted to the respective requirements. However, the deflector device may also be orientated at least substantially in a horizontal manner so that a free movement of the deflector(s) is possible to the greatest possible extent.

If a press is provided with one or more of the above-described deflector device(s), this may support the function of the press in that accumulations of material in the press or in one or more regions of the press can be reduced or prevented. In this manner, adhesions or deposits of material or occurrences of clogging of the press and consequently undesirable down-times of the press can be counteracted. Such a press generally has a housing and at least one pressing means which is arranged in the housing. The press may be an agricultural round baler for forming round cylindrical bales. However, the press may also be used in the industrial field, for example, in order to form bales from paper, waste, fabric or other materials.

The deflector device may be arranged in any region of the press in which accumulations of material may occur. However, in one example, it is possible to arrange at least one deflector device between the pressing means and the housing and adjacent or below a wrapping means supply device.

According to another embodiment of this disclosure, a method for operating a round baler is provided. Here, the deflector device during the production of a bale is influenced by vibrations which occur during operation of the press in such a manner that the deflector is caused to move, e.g., oscillate, vibrate or wobble, whereby the deflector can counteract an accumulation of material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

InFIG. 1, an embodiment is shown of a press10which has a frame14supporting a housing12and which is supported via a chassis16on a substrate18. The press10may be constructed in the manner of a round baler and can be used both in the agricultural and the industrial fields in order to produce a round, cylindrical bale from harvested crop, but also from waste, paper, fabric or material, cotton, tobacco, etc. The press10may be pulled by an operating vehicle which is not shown such as a tractor. Alternatively, the press10may be constructed to be self-driving.

According to the present embodiment, a drawbar20is provided on the front side of the frame14in order to be able to suspend the press10on a tractor which is not shown and to pull it across a field. A receiving device22in the form of a pick-up serves to receive harvested crop lying on the substrate18, for example, hay or straw which has been deposited in a swath. The harvested crop received by the receiving device22is supplied to an inlet24of a bale pressing space26and is rolled at that location in a helical manner to form a round cylindrical bale, tied and subsequently placed on the substrate18.

A lower, fixed roller28and two upper rollers30,32are positioned at the inlet24of the bale pressing space26. The bale pressing space26is further formed by means of a continuous pressing means34which is constructed according to the present embodiment in the form of two pressing belts which abut each other and which is guided around a number of fixed rollers36,38,40,42and movable rollers44,42,46,48,50,52,54,56. The pressing means34has an outer side34afacing the frame14and an inner side34b.

While the bale pressing space26is surrounded at the peripheral side substantially by the pressing means34and the rollers28,30and32, it is laterally delimited by side walls which are not shown.

Four rollers50,52,54,56of the movable rollers44-56are freely rotatably supported in a lower region58of a delta-shaped carrier60which is pivotably articulated about the upper tip62thereof about an axis64which extends horizontally and transversely relative to the forward direction and which can be moved by means of an actuator (not shown) from the bale forming position shown inFIG. 1into a bale discharge position pivoted upwards to the rear.

A clamping mechanism66for tightening the pressing means34has a clamping lever68which cooperates with a first clamping element (not shown) and a clamping arm72which cooperates with a second clamping element70. Both the clamping element (not shown) and the clamping element72can be constructed in conventional manner as a mechanical spring or as a hydraulic motor or may have one.

The clamping lever68is supported in the region of the side walls (not shown) about an axis74which extends horizontally and transversely relative to the forward direction and carries in an end region76facing away from the axis74two of the movable rollers46,48and cleaning rollers46a,48awhich are associated with these rollers46,48. The clamping arm72is accordingly supported about an axis78and carries in an end region80one of the movable rollers44. Furthermore, the clamping arm68is operationally connected at one end to the clamping element70which is connected at the other end to the press or the frame14thereof in a manner not shown.

The pressing means34is securely placed against the rotatably driven, fixed roller38by means of the clamping arm70that it is ensured that it is carried along. The roller36is also rotatingly driven. The pressing means34assumes a starting state, in which in a state extended in a straight manner it bridges the inlet24, and an end state, in which it wraps around a bale in the manner of a large loop. The bale pressing space26can consequently be changed in terms of its size, that is to say, its diameter increases with the size of the bale18. The bale is located while it is being formed in the bale pressing space26and is surrounded for the most part by the pressing means34, but falls backwards out of the bale pressing space26onto the substrate18as soon as the carrier60with the movable rollers50-56pivots upwards in a counter-clockwise direction when the drawing is viewed. Alternatively, the bale may also be placed on a device which is arranged downstream of the press10.

One embodiment of the baling press is described in EP 1 308 078 A1. Additional embodiments are described in DE 198 51 470 A1, DE 102 41 215 A1 and EP 1 264 531 A1, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. It is also possible, however, for the press10to be able to be constructed in the manner of a so-called fixed chamber press whose pressing means are formed by substantially fixed rollers.

In a region82of the baling press10facing the drawbar20there may further be provided a wrapping means supply device84which guides a wrapping means (not shown) to a bale formed in the bale pressing space26. According to the present embodiment, the supply is carried out between the upper rollers30and32. At86, a housing or frame portion of the wrapping means supply device84is illustrated. Adjacent to the housing or frame portion86, there is a deflector device88shown which is provided to counteract an accumulation of material or harvested crop, in particular in a region90between the housing or frame portion86and the pressing means34.

InFIG. 2, the deflector device88is shown in an enlarged illustration. The deflector device88extends in the region90at least substantially over the width of the press10. Here, the deflector94is connected to the frame14of the press10via retention means92which are illustrated only by way of indication and extends away from it. The deflector device88is arranged between the pressing means34and a housing or frame portion86of a wrapping means supply device84. The deflector device is arranged in such a manner that non-pressed material being discharged from the bale pressing space26is at least partially caught by the deflector device88. Consequently, the material discharged from the bale pressing space is prevented from reaching a front region of the baling press, in particular a region of the wrapping means supply device84in order to settle at that location. Instead, there is provision for the material caught by the deflector device88to bounce off without material accumulations and to fall down in the direction of the receiving device22.

The deflector94is at least partially constructed in the manner of a movable or flexible lug. According to the illustrated embodiment, the deflector94is provided in one piece and is substantially formed by means of a rubber-like material which is applied to a textile carrier material, wherein the term “rubber” is not limited to natural rubber, but instead is intended to include any other suitable material including a plastic material. Both in the end region96a, bthereof facing and facing away from the retention means92, the deflector94forms a loop98which reinforces the respective end region96a, band can counteract fraying.

During operation, the press10is moved by means of the operating vehicle (not shown) over a generally uneven substrate. Furthermore, various components or operating means of the press10are moving. Thus, for example, the receiving device22supplies harvested crop to the bale pressing space26to form a bale. Furthermore, the pressing means34is moved as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2(see arrow A). The vibrations induced by the press10by means of which the flexible deflector94is moved and, for example, depending on the strength and type of the vibrations which occur and the precise construction of the deflector94, vibrates, wobbles or oscillates. As a result of the movement of the deflector94, a deposit of material which, for example, under difficult, in particular dry, harvesting conditions may be introduced from the actual bale pressing space26in the region of the rollers28-32or rollers36-56into the surrounding housing12is counteracted. In this manner, a deposit or adhesion of material, in particular in regions around the housing or frame portion86of the wrapping means supply device84, can be counteracted.