Abstract:
An appliance for removing wrapping from bales of agricultural harvested crop and including a knife having a cutting edge directed transverse to the wrapping for cutting through the wrapping upon displacement of the bale and/or the knife, with the knife being displaceable relative at least one side of the bale; and an element for removing a cut wrapping form the bale.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This Application is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 09/916,797 filed Jul. 27, 2001. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The invention relates to an appliance for removing the wrapping from bales of agricultural harvested crop that includes at least one cutting device for slitting or cutting the wrapping and an element for stripping off the cut wrapping.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Such an appliance is described in WO 99/00758, wherein a round bale wrapped in a sheet film is surrounded on three sides by a cutting wire. A drive motor is arranged at each free end, the cutting wire being deflected, approximately 90° at the bale edge and suspended there on springs. In order to separate the sheet film wrapping, the drive motor draws the cutting wire around the bale tightening it inwards towards the center of the bale, so that the wrapping is separated by the resulting compression force. Because the base wrapping systems known in the art produce more overlapping sheet layers on the front side of the bale than on the circumference of the bale, the conventional appliance does not provide consistent separation of the sheet wrapping along the entire intended line of separation. Whereas the circumferential force applied by the cutting wire could conceivably be increased to such a degree that even the relatively thick wrapping on the front side of the bale would be separated, cutting into the bale would be accompanied by the disadvantage that the cutting wire suspension springs would no longer be capable of freeing the cutting wire from its engagement in the bale.  
           [0006]    Accordingly, it is the object of the invention to improve the cutting device of the appliance described above.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    Starting with the device described in the introduction, the problem relating to the cutting device is solved, in that the cutting device is configured as a knife, whose cutting edge is oriented diagonally to the surface of the wrapping and cuts the wrapping as the bale and/or the knife advances along the circumference of the bale or along one or more of the sides of the bale.  
           [0008]    Since the separation of the sheet film wrapping according to the invention is accomplished with a knife edge, as is already commonly done in the manual process, the sheet wrapping is cut through simply and with minimum force along the desired line of separation. The displacement force increases only negligibly in the area of greater sheet thickness (multiple sheet film layers) and, because, the cut is made diagonally to the surface, the sheet film is easily separated. Owing to the clean cut, there is also no entanglement of the sheeting in the bale, so that it is more easily removed, from the bale.  
           [0009]    In accordance with a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the operating knife is so arranged that it forms with the surface of the wrapping, in the cutting direction, an angle of less than 90°, so that the wrapping is separated ‘along ’ the cut, with the cut depth of the knife corresponding approximately to the thickness of the wrapping.  
           [0010]    The cutting time can be reduced with the bale and the knife moving relative to each other. The removal of the cut wrapping can be effected with at least one driven rotatable member provided with a carrier element.  
           [0011]    The appliance can be stationary or movable and includes a frame with driven support elements for supporting and rotating a bale, a knife for separating the wrapping, and at least one element for removing the wrapping.  
           [0012]    Advantageously, the appliance includes a frame, which is adapted to be mounted on a lifting device of a tractor and which has at least one driven rotatable arbor extendable through a cylindrical round bale, at least one knife for separating the wrapping, and at least one element for removal of the wrapping from the bale.  
           [0013]    Basically, it is possible, according to the present invention, to mount the appliance on a forage distributing or forage mixing trailer and combine it with a bale loading device.  
           [0014]    The novel features of the present invention, which are considered as characteristic for the invention, are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional advantages and objects thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, when read with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    The drawings show:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1. a perspective view of a first embodiment of an appliance for removal of a film wrapping of a round bale;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2. a plan view of the knife and, the round bale at the beginning of separation of the wrapping along three sides of the bale;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3. a side view of the rotatable member with carrier elements for grasping and removing the wrapping;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4. a view similar to that of FIG. 2 of the knife, with a bale, of a second embodiment of an appliance for removing a bale wrapping according to the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5. a schematic side view of the Appliance shown on FIG. 1 with two rotatable members with carrier elements for grasping and removing the wrapping;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6. a side view of an appliance according to the second embodiment of the present invention without a knife;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7. a front elevational view of an appliance according to the present invention for removing a wrapping of a round bale; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8. a plan view of a third embodiment of an appliance for removing a bale wrapping according to the present invention, with a linearly displaceable knife. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0024]    An appliance for removing a round bale wrapping according to the present invention which is shown in FIGS.  1 - 3 , includes a frame  1  carrying two spaced from each other, support rollers  2 , a rotatable arm  4  with a knife  5 , which rotates about a vertical axis  3 , and a rotatable member  6  arranged parallel to the support rollers  2 . A cylindrical round bale  8 , which is wrapped around with a film material  7 , is supported on the support rollers  2 . The reference numeral  9  shows a circular trajectory which is described by the rotatable arm  4 , together with the knife  5 , for cutting the bale wrapping  7 . The radius of the rotatable arm  4  and the height of the knife  5  are to so selected, with respect to the support rollers  2 , that the rotatable arm  4  can freely circle the bale  8  approximately in its horizontal central plane.  
         [0025]    In order to be adapted to different bale diameters, the height of the knife  5 , relative to the support rollers  2  and the radius of the rotatable arm  4 , are adjusted with slidable guide elements  10  and  11  which can be, locked in predetermined positions. The control of the trajectory, i.e., the initial and end positions  12  and  13 , of the rotatable arm  4  can be effected with an arranged above the support  14  of the rotatable arm  4 , disc  15  having a predetermined hole pattern and equipped with two sensors  16  and  17 . The disc  15  cooperates with the rotatable arm  4  during the rotation of the arm  4 , indicating the arm positions.  
         [0026]    The knife  5  has a triangular shape and pivots about an axis  18  extending parallel to the rotational axis  3  of the arm  4 . The knife  5  is supported on a bracket  19  secured at the lower end of the arm  4 . In an operational position  20  of the knife  5 , a tension spring  21 , which is secured, at one of its ends, to the knife  5  and, at another of its ends, to the bracket  19 , biases a cutting edge  22  of the knife  5 , which is formed by a cathetus of the knife-forming triangle, against the wrapping film  7  at an angle of less than 90°. Upon rotation of the arm  4  in a direction, which is indicated by arrow  23 , the film  7  is draw cut through. It is important that during the entire rotation of the arm  4 , a constant or, at critical, points, a higher than constant, cutting force is applied by the knife  5  to the film  7  so that the film  7 , is perfectly separated also at the corners, end surfaces, and at the front side of the round bale  8 . The mechanical control of the knife  5  can be effected by selecting lever arm ratios and/or points at which the tension spring  19  is connected with the knife  5 . The appliance can also include a hydraulic cylinder in combination with a hydraulic accumulator (not shown) which would permit to adapt the knife position to the bale profile. Pivoting of the knife  5  and retaining it in the non-operatinal position  24 , which is shown in FIG. 2 with dash lines, can be effected with a hydraulic cylinder or a like device.  
         [0027]    Beneath the horizontal central plane of the round bale  8 , i.e., beneath the separation line  25  of the wrapping, which is shown with a dash-dot line, there is provided a rotatable member  6  for grasping and removing the wrapping. The rotatable member  6  is formed as a roll  26  with radially projecting prongs  27  the tips of which lead the roll  26  in its rotational direction  28 , as shown in FIG. 3. Four rows of prongs  27  are uniformly distributed over the circumference of the roll  26 . Each row is formed of a plurality of spaced from each other, prongs  27 .  
         [0028]    Theoretically, even one row of prongs, which extend in the axial direction of the roll  26 , would suffice. The length of the roll  26  is greater than the width of the bale  8 , so that the opposite ends of the roll  26 , together with the stub shafts  29 , project beyond respective ends of the bale  8 . The roll  26  is rotatably supported in a pivot frame  30 . The pivot frame  30  Is supported, at its lower end and at its axially opposite ends, on the frame  1  for a pivotal movement about an rotational axis  31  extending parallel to the support rolls  2 . At its upper end, the pivot frame  30  has upwardly open, U-shaped receptacles  32  in which the stub shafts  29  of the roll  26  engage. A tension spring  33 , which is secured at one of its ends, to the pivot frame and at its other end, which is located below the one end, to the frame  1 , biases the roll  26  with a slight biasing force against the wrapping beneath the separation line  25 , so that the roll  26  resiliently engages the wrapping. Upon rotation of the bale  8  in a direction, which is indicated with an arrow  34 , the roll  26  pivots in the direction indicated with the arrow  28 . At that, the rotational speed of the prong tips is equal to or greater than that of the bale  8 .  
         [0029]    The arm  4  is driven, e.g., with a hydraulic motor (not shown). The support rolls  2  are connected with each other by a chain drive  36  likewise driven by a hydraulic motor (not shown). The roll  26  is driven by chain drives  36 ,  37  which are connected with chain drive  35  of the support rolls  2 .  
         [0030]    The drive of different elements is coordinated, in course of the described operating sequence by control means (not shown). The appliance can be made stationary, displaceable, or be suspended on a front-end loader. It can also be formed with a three-point hydraulic support. The inventive appliance can be modified for effecting wrapping of a bale with a film. To this end, the knife  5  should be replaced with a stretching unit, and the rotatable member  6  should be replaced with a cutting and binding device. In reverse, a wrapping appliance or appliance can be converted in an appliance for removing the bale wrapping. The appliance can be combined with a bale loading device or be mounted on a forage mixing or distributing trailer, so that the bales can be processed further, without any manual work, immediately after removing their wrapping.  
         [0031]    The appliance according to the present invention operates as follows.  
         [0032]    After the appliance has been connected, in a per se known manner, with a drive source of a tractor, the bale  8 , which is wrapped into a foil  7 , is placed on the support rolls  8 . With the bale  8  remaining stationary, in the initial position  12  of the arm  4 , shown in FIGS.  1 - 2 , the knife  5  cuts into the film  7  with its cutting edge  22  at an end of the bale  8 . During the rotation of the arm  4  in the direction, which is indicated with the arrow  23 , the cutting edge  22  of the knife  5  draw cuts the wrapping film  7  along the separation line  25 . After rotation by an angle of about 270°, the arm  4  reaches its end position;  13  in which it automatically stops. In this position of the arm  4 , the wrapping foil  7  is separated into upper and lower halves at three sides  38 ,  39 , and  40 , with the fourth side  41  remaining unseparated. Only after the wrapping foil  7  has been separated, at its three sides  38 ,  39 ,  40 , into the upper and lower halves, the bale  8  is rotated in the direction, which is indicated by the arrow  34 , by the drive of the support rolls  2  which rotate in a direction indicated by arrow  42 . Simultaneously, the roll  26  starts to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow  28 . The tip of the prongs  27  cut in the film  7  and retain the film  7  during the rotation of the roll  26 , so that the film  7  becomes separated from the bale surface, wrapping around the roll  26 . The wrapping film  7  is completely separated after several complete rotation of the bale  8 . The prong length is so selected that approximately three layers of the wrapping film  7  can be wound off the bale  8  and wound on the roll  26 . The roll  26  can easily be taken off the U-shaped receptacles  32  of the frame  30  and replace with a, new roll. The unwrapped bales ban be further processed without any manual work and be loaded, with a front-end loader, in a forage mixing trailer or in another bale processing apparatus. It is also possible to replace the roll with a breaking roll with catches and/or a knife, which permits to provide, in a simple manner, a bale wrapping-unwinding or bale-processing appliance.  
         [0033]    With the embodiment, which is shown in FIGS.  4 - 5 , the separation of the wrapping film  43  takes place along all four sides of the bale  44  in lower and upper halves  45  and  46 . As shown in FIG. 4, the arm  4  describes a full circle  47 , and the knife  5  circles the bale  44  by 360°, starting from point  48 . To insure a reliable separation, the knife  5  runs somewhat past the starting point  48  during the cutting of the film  43 .  
         [0034]    The grasping and removal of the lower and upper film halves  45  and  46  is effected by rotatable members  50  and  49  which are provided with catching prongs. The upper rotatable member  49  is associated with the upper film half  46  and is located above the separation line  51 , and the other, lower rotatable member  50  is associated with the lower film half  46  and is located beneath the separation line  51 . The driven support rolls  2  rotate the bale  44  in the direction of the arrow  44   a , whereby the driven rotatable members  49  and  50  are rotated in the directions indicated with arrows  52 ,  53 . The rotatable members  49 ,  50  grasp the ends of respective film halves  46 ,  45  of the wrapping film  43  and wound them thereon, respectively, over an angle somewhat greater than 180° during one revolution of the bale  4 . The film  43  is thereby rapidly removed as each rotatable member  49 ,  50  has to provide for removal of only half of the wrapping film  43 .  
         [0035]    The embodiment shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to that of FIGS.  1 - 3  and differs from the embodiment of FIGS.  1 - 3  in that the rotatable member  54  has another direction of rotation  56  with respect to the direction  55  of the bale. The rotatable member  54  grasps the wrapping film  57 , which is cut along three sides * and transports it, according to the overhead principle, during the rotation of the bale, into a container  58  or into a film compressing apparatus instead of winding the film on itself After the removal of the wrapping film  57 , the appliance of FIG. 6 can be used for unwinding of the bale itself. In this case, the bale is rotated in a direction opposite to the direction it is rotated during the removal of the film.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 7 shows a rotatable drive  59  with an arbor  60  which extends along the axis  61  of the drive  59  and has a pointed tip at its free end. Two retaining arbors  62 , which extend parallel to the central arbor  60  are also secured to the disc  59 . A bales 64 , which is wrapped into a film  63 , is supported on the arbor  60  in such a way that the arbor  60  extends somewhat along the symmetrical axis of the bale  64 . The object of the off-center arbors  62  is to prevent an idle rotation of the arbor  60  in the bale  54  during the rotation of the disc  59  instead of providing the rotation of the bale  64  therewith. The disc  59  is supported in a frame (not shown) which, e.g., can be mounted on a front-end loader of a tractor. At the circumference of the bale  64  adjacent to its end surface, there is provided a cutting tool  65  having an adjustable cutting depth. The cutting tool  65  is supported on a frame. The cutting tool  65  cuts through the end side wrapping film section  66  of the bale  64  along the entire circumference of the bale  64  during the rotation of the bale  64 , separating the end side film section  66  from the circumferential film section  66   a . For grasping and removing the cap-shaped wrapping film of the bale  64  can, e.g., a suction head  67 , per se known, can be used.; The section had  67  reciprocates in directions shown with a double arrow  68 . Alternatively or simultaneously the head  67  can be rotatably supported. The bale 74  can be unwound upon further rotation of the bale  64  after the wrapping film  63  has been removed.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 8 shows a bale  69 , which is wrapped in a film  72 , being supported or arbor  70  similar to the arbor  60  shown in FIG. 7. The bale  70  is lifted by a front-end loader (not shown) so that its rotational axis  71  is somewhat lifted above the ground surface. The cutting of the wrapping film  72  is effected in a horizontal central plane of the bale  69  along three sides  73 ,  74 ,  75  of the bale  69  with two linearly displaceable knives  76 ,  77  in a manner conventional for band knives. The wrapping film  72  remains uncut on the bale end side remote from the arbor  70 . As drive means for the cutting knives  76 ,  77 , a link chain, a rack, or a tooth belt/belt:  78 , which is connected with a drive (not shown), can be used. The link chain or tooth belt/belt  78  is formed as a U-shaped endless loop  79  with two parallel runs movable in opposite directions. The, loop  79  surrounds the bale  60  along its three sides  73 ,  74 ,  75  in the central horizontal plans.: The two cutting knives  76 ,  77  are supported on an adjacent to the bale  69 , run  80  and are so offset relative to each other than each of the knives  76 ,  77  cuts a half-length of the total length of the film  72  during their linear displacement in directions  83 ,  84 , respectively. Each of the cutting knives  76 ,  77  is pivotally arranged on the run  80  or on a guide rail (not shown). The knives  76 ,  77  are deflected, dependant on the run position, e.g., by cams (not shown). The knives  76 ,  77  are deflected or pivoted away during mounting of the bale  69  on the arbor  70 . In FIG. 8, the cutting knives  76 ,  77  are shown in their initial or starting position  82 ,  85 . Upon actuation of the knife drive, the knives  76 ,  76  are displaced in the directions shown with the arrows  83 ,  84 . The cutting process stops when the first knife  76  reaches the starting position  85  of the second knife  77  which at that time reaches a position  86 . Experiments have shown that both upper and lower wrapping film halves fell downward to the ground upon a short rotation of the bale  69 , without a need in any additional elements for grasping and removing the film. Such elements can be used for a short time with certain crops to which the film can adhere.  
         [0038]    Though the present invention was shown and described with references to the preferred embodiments, such are merely illustrative of the present invention and are not to be construed as a limitation thereof, and various modifications of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, not intended that the present invention be the disclosed embodiments or details thereof, and the present invention includes all variations and/or alternative embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.