Abstract:
A large round baler includes inner and outer runs of bale-forming belts that define a space between them in which brittle crop may fall through the gaps between adjacent belts and build up between the belt runs. In order to avoid wrapping problems a crop passage is provided at opposite sides of the space through which crop may pass from the space and gravitate to a crop feeding device which picks up crop from the ground and delivers it to the bale-forming chamber delimited by the inner run of belts.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to a large round baler having a crop feeding device, at least one roll, at least one revolving belt, which belt delimits a periphery of a bale-forming chamber and runs over said roll, and side walls delimiting face sides of the bale-forming chamber.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     EP-A1-0 201 897 disclose a round baler with several belts which are offset from each other in a certain part of the runs by training them alternately over a pair of spaced rolls. This offset provides for gaps in the belt running plane, through which trapped crop may escape and fall onto a mat of incoming crop.  
         [0003]     “Fundamentals of Machine operation—Hay and Forage Harvesting, page 153, print remark FMO-141B Litho in U.S.A. (D-00) of DEERE &amp; COMPANY show a round baler, the bale-forming chamber of which is open at its face sides in an rear section. Accordingly, crop trapped between runs of belts may escape laterally, but will fall onto the ground.  
         [0004]     WELGER round baler type 502 allows crop to exit a space between belt runs laterally, whereas this crop shall be directed to a chamber at the bottom of which a driven roll is provided, which should force the crop into the bale-forming chamber via a gap through which net may be inserted as well.  
         [0005]     The problem from which this invention starts, is seen in the need of a device achieving the same result as the one in EP-A1-0 201 897, but reducing the space required to allow the installation of tying or wrapping systems.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     According to the present invention, there is provided an improved way of removing crop material trapped between an inner, expansible section of an endless, bale-forming element arrangement, and an outer, fixed section of the endless bale-forming element arrangement.  
         [0007]     An object of the invention is to provide a way of removing trapped crop material, in the aforementioned environment, without requiring an additional roll for supporting the bale-forming element arrangement.  
         [0008]     A more specific object of the invention is to mount a support roll of the bale-forming element arrangement, which is located above part of a crop feeding device of the baler, so that it penetrates opposite side walls of the bale-forming chamber such as to leave a space about the roll at the region of each side wall through which trapped crop may pass and/or such that opposite sides of the bale-forming element arrangement are spaced from the side walls.  
         [0009]     Still a more specific object of the invention is to provide a guide which directs the crop from the region adjacent the opposite ends of the roll to the crop feeding device.  
         [0010]     By accomplishing these objects, crop is not kept in the area between the inner and outer runs of the endless bale-forming element arrangement or in the roll area, where it could create another wrapping, but it is re-circulated into the incoming crop flow. The crop feeding device could be a pick-up or a conveyor between the pick-up and the bale-forming chamber. The crop could escape at the end area of the roll, through a circular cutout of the side wall, or through a gap between the side wall edge and the bale-forming element arrangement edge. In the simplest way the guide consists of sheet metal, bent or slanted along which the crop can slide due to gravitation. However, blowers, paddle wheels, brushes and other simple conveyors may be used to move the crop along the guide and assure that crop build up does not happen. This invention is useful on variable chamber balers as on fixed chamber balers. The bale-forming element arrangement could be a belt or a slat and chain conveyor, in case the surface of which is so closed, that the exiting crop cannot escape through the openings in this type of a conveyor (hereinafter, the term “belt” will be used for the sake of brevity, with it being understood that any other endless bale-forming arrangement could be used). The roll may be smooth or profiled and may even carry spirals, slats, or the like. This solution forms a true alternative to prior art solutions, in which one or more belts are trained over offset rollers, as disclosed in EP 201 897. One bale-forming belt extending over the full width of the bale-forming chamber may be used as well as several endless bale-forming belts being trained over the roll in the same planes and side-by-side.  
         [0011]     If the guides are each open at a lower end the crop can easily fall on top of the crop mat or on conveyors transporting said crop mat; no active feeding means are needed.  
         [0012]     Especially if the belt forms a loop around the roll, in which loop the crop is caught, it is very helpful if the runs of the belt diverge and open the gap through which the crop can escape. It is furthermore advantageous, if a run remote from the bale-forming chamber also diverges from a side wall edge to let the crop escape.  
         [0013]     When gaps between the belts are provided, which are so narrow, that the crop cannot fall through, the crop will move laterally to the roll end and will not get pinched and create problems.  
         [0014]     If the roll extends beyond the side wall, also its bearing will be located outside and does not obstruct the way of the crop through the guide. If the frame supporting the roll is significantly moved away from the side wall, the roll then largely extends beyond the side wall and its bearing will be located well outside in a manner that a large path is provided for the crop to escape.  
         [0015]     While a semi-circular cut or a cut of any other shape in the side wall may be used to let the roll extend through, it is helpful if a circular path of a diameter considerable bigger than the roll is used to let the roll extend through; other forms are possible, too. Such a cutout would leave the bale-forming chamber still closed in the remainder. Such a cutout may be arranged concentrically as well as eccentrically with respect to the roll axis. The crop could escape to the guide through the gap between the roll and the cutout.  
         [0016]     If the roll terminates in a stub shaft, i.e. with a reduced diameter portion, more space is available for the crop to escape. Especially if the roll extends through a cut-out in a side wall, the gap will be much wider and crop will be exposed to less circumference of the roll, which reduces the wrapping problem, too.  
         [0017]     While under normal conditions crop will roll and jump on the top of the roll until it leaves the space between the belt runs at the side, tougher conditions may not allow such a movement. It is thus proposed to force the crop out of the space actively, for example by means of pressurized air or by an auger or any other driven conveying means.  
         [0018]     A simple aid to move the crop outwardly is present in a sheet metal with a surface extending downwardly from an inner, center azimuth. Such a sheet metal could also strip debris from the inner surface of the belt.  
         [0019]     In cases, in which a high volume of crop has to be recycled to the feeding device, an active conveyor can be used at the outer end area of the roll, like an auger, a paddle wheel. Such a device may move the crop axially away from the roll, the belts and the side wall and radially to the guide. It may also give some inertia to the crop, such that the crop will be positively moved through the guide and reach the feeding device.  
         [0020]     Since the crop tends to move with the belt(s) and/or the roll, it is helpful to rotate the conveyor in the opposite direction and achieve a stripping and or catching effect thereby. The speed of rotation may be selected to achieve the best crop engagement effect at lowest drive energy consumption.  
         [0021]     Paddles and any other crop-engaging fins, like teeth, tines, brushes etc. positively throw the crop in a direction given by the guide.  
         [0022]     A simple, well covered and highly reliable way to drive the conveyor by means of the roll and in a reverse direction, is seen in the use of a planetary gear, which, due to the little driving force, may consist of plastic. The sun gear may be located or processed in the roll or its stub shaft, the planet gear carrier may be rotationally fixed, e.g. at the side wall, and the ring gear may form the conveyor.  
         [0023]     Since a gap exists between the roll and the sidewalls and/or belt(s) for the crop exit, said gap may also be used to feed in net or other web material into the bale-forming chamber, whereas said material would be guided by the circumference of the roll, eventually with the belt(s) on it. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]     The drawing shows a single embodiment of the invention, which is described more in detail in the following description.  
         [0025]      FIG. 1  is a schematic, left side view of a large round baler constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.  
         [0026]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the baler shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 3  is a right, front perspective view of a section of the round baler of  FIG. 1  showing a roll end area and a path followed by ejected trapped crop.  
         [0028]      FIG. 4  is a front view of a large round baler showing a conveyor on each end of one of the bale-forming belt support rolls.  
         [0029]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken through one end of the support roll of  FIG. 4  showing a drive system for the conveyor. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0030]     A round baler  10  shown in  FIG. 1  comprises a frame  12 , side walls  14 , rolls  16 , belts  18 , a feeding device  20  and a crop passage or path  22 .  
         [0031]     While the large round baler  10  is shown as being of the variable chamber type, it could be also of the mixed chamber or fixed chamber type. Generally the round baler  10  is used to bale agricultural crop like hay, straw or grass, whereas said crop, depending on the weather and drying conditions, may break into small pieces. The round baler  10  is driven and pulled by a non-shown tractor over a field to collect crop usually lying on the ground in the form of a windrow or swath, not shown.  
         [0032]     The frame  12  serves to carry and connect all widely known parts, like tongue, wheels, side walls  14 , rolls  16 , feeding device  20  and other components not shown in the drawing but known to the men skilled in the art.  
         [0033]     The side walls  14  are formed of sheet metal fixed to a structure and define opposite sides of a bale-forming chamber  24  where face sides of a bale  26  are formed. Substantially parallel to the side walls  14 , side shields may be provided, which cover the round baler  10  on its side areas to avoid contact with driven components, etc. As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the side walls  14  cover the bale-forming chamber  24  substantially except in a front, lower region, where a cut-out  28  is provided. The cut-out  28  is arranged and formed such, that a lower front one of the rolls  16  and the belts  18  are not covered laterally.  
         [0034]     The rolls  16  extend between the sidewalls  14  with their axes running parallel to each other. Some of the rolls  16  are driven and each roll  16  supports one or more belts  18 . The position of at least one of the rolls  16  can be changed against the force of a tensioning device, not shown, to avoid slack in the belts  18  and to assure that the bale  26  can reach a high density, as is well known. The following description will refer only to the lower front roll  16  adjacent the cut-out  28 . This roll  16  is the lowermost roll  16  in the front region of the round baler  10 , although this is not necessary. An inner run  30  of the belts  18 , adjacent to the bale-forming chamber  24 , changes over into an outer run  32 , remote from the bale-forming chamber  24 . It is clear from the drawing that these two runs  30 ,  32  delimit a space  34  between them. Furthermore the two runs  30 ,  32  extend upwardly from the lower front roll  16  in a diverging manner. While the outer run  32  is always located outside the side walls  14  or even through the cut-out  28 , the inner run  30  does not or hardly cross the cut-out  28 , but remains between the sidewalls  14 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the roll  16  terminates in stub shafts  36  extending beyond the side walls  14  and being journalled in the frame  12  or in a structure fixed to it. The roll  16  has a smooth circumferential surface, but could also be provided with sleeves to assure a straight belt movement and/or to avoid that crop gets squeezed between the belts  18  and the roll  16 . The roll  16  in question is located above the feeding device  20 , and defines a top side of a crop inlet  38  of the bale-forming chamber  24 .  
         [0035]     A series of belts  18  is trained over the rolls  16  and form a more or less closed surface. However, gaps do exist between the parallel belts  18 . Instead of several belts  18  a single belt  18  extending over the full width of the bale-forming chamber  24  could be used. While this would eliminate pieces of brittle crop from entering the space  34  from the baling-forming chamber  24  by passing through belt gaps, crop leaving the bale-forming chamber  24  in the area of the side walls  14  still could enter the space  34  between the runs  30 ,  32 .  
         [0036]     The feeding device  20  is a device that forwards the crop lying on the ground to the bale-forming chamber  24  through the inlet  38 . As such, the feeding device  20  can be of various compositions, sizes and principles. For example, it could be a mere pick-up  40 , or a pick-up followed by an overshot or undershot conveyor  42 , and/or followed by a cutting device, and/or by a converging auger, etc. In the preferred embodiment, a pick-up  40  followed by an overshot conveyor  42  is used, which both at least extend over the full width of the bale-forming chamber  24 , as is shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0037]     The crop passage or path  22 , as is best seen in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , is formed at each side of the baler by a space which exists between a front edge  44  of the side wall  14  and the belt  18  in the fore-and-aft direction, between the side wall  14  and the frame  12  in the lateral direction and between the roll  16  and the feeding device  20  in the vertical direction. This passage  22  allows an unobstructed flow of crop from the space  34  to the feeding device  20 . The crop, which escaped along this path, falls either on the top of an incoming crop mat or onto the pick-up  40  or the conveyor  42 .  
         [0038]      FIG. 4  shows a similar embodiment, however, both ends of the roll  16  is in addition provided with a conveyor  46  to assist the crop flow along the passage  22 . While in non-shown embodiments, this conveyor  46  could be fixed to the roll  16  or even be a part of it, in the preferred embodiment, each conveyor  46  is separate from the roll and is driven as explained with reference to  FIG. 5 .  
         [0039]     According to  FIG. 5 , the conveyor  46  is formed with an inner hub  48  and an outer hub  50 , with the outer hub  50  being bigger in diameter than the inner one. The hubs  48 ,  50  are formed integrally with each other, extend concentrically to each other and form a shoulder  52 . A plurality of triangular crop-engaging fins  54  are spaced angularly about, and formed along, the inner hub  48 , beginning at an inner end of the hub  48  and terminating at a radial outer edge of the outer hub  50 . Such crop-engaging fins  54  can be formed integrally with the hubs  48  and  50 , as shown, or they can be releasably fixed. The shape of the fins  54  may be straight, as shown, or they may be bent, like a spiral etc. Further, the fins  54  may be made of metal or plastic. The particular version of the fins  54  used depends on the crop and the circumstances under which it is processed.  
         [0040]     The inner hub  48  is journalled on the outside of the roll  16  by a set of bearings  56  and can rotate freely with respect to the roll  16 . The interior of the outer hub  50  is formed as, or contains, a ring gear  58 . The stub shaft  36  is formed as a gear  60  or has a gear wheel installed on it, the diameter of which is much smaller than the inner diameter of the ring gear  58 . In an outer end region, the stub shaft  36  is journalled in the frame  12  by means of a bearing  66 .  
         [0041]     Attached to the inner side of the frame  12  in the area, where the conveyor  46  will be located, when installed, is one or more studs  62 . These studs  62  may be fixed or screwed in, and each stud  62  carries a gear wheel  64 , which is dimensioned such, that it may mesh with the ring gear  58  as well as with the gear  60 . The ring gear  58 , the gear  60  and the gear wheels  64  form a planetary drive, in which the gear  60  is the sun wheel and the gear wheels  64  are the planets.  
         [0042]     From the foregoing, it is obvious, that when the planetary gear is installed, the conveyor  46  is journalled on the roll  16  and the stub shaft  36  is journalled in the frame  12 , the conveyor  46  is driven in a direction opposite to the direction of the roll  16 , such catching and forcing the crop along the passage  22 .  
         [0043]     Having described the preferred embodiment, it will become apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.