Patent Publication Number: US-2021169011-A1

Title: Baling Apparatus and Method

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
     The present application is a continuation of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/025,751 filed Jul. 2, 2018 and claims priority therefrom. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to baling apparatus and methods wherein multiple bales of crop material from a field are formed simultaneously and distributed on the field in a manner to facilitate collecting the bales 
     Brief Discussion of the Related Art 
     Picking up and baling of material in a field is an integral aspect of farming and is an expensive and labor-intensive process. The material normally is forage such as, for example, hay, biomass, alfalfa, straw, coastal Bermuda, and corn stalks and is referred to herein as crop material. Typically, crop material is picked-up by machinery and fed to a baling chamber where the crop material is compressed and tied to form bales. “Square” bales are preferred in that the square-shouldered bales facilitate stacking, delivery and use and, as used herein, square bales means bales having square shoulders. 
     Attempts to improve baling efficiency have included the production of very large bales which are heavy, awkward, and difficult to handle, such that truck loads and storage are not maximized. That is, current baling apparatus and methods do not move the most amount of baled material in the least amount of time. 
     Another attempt to provide a more efficient baling process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,203 to Klemm et al by producing bales in pairs or sections of a reduced size. The Klemm et al baling machine utilizes a stationary blade mounted i a baling chamber and a movable second blade mounted on a plunger to be movable therewith. The stationary and movable blades have tapered cutting edges which exert a shearing action on material therebetween. The combination of stationary and movable blades has the disadvantage of requiring a complex blade arrangement in an attempt to prevent intermingling of fibers of the sections as the sections are discharged from the baling chamber. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of prior art baling techniques and increases the amount of crop material baled from a field in the least amount of time by dividing square bales into smaller bales and by distributing the bales in the field in a pattern to facilitate collecting the bales with conventional equipment. 
     In one aspect, the present invention divides crop material compressed in a baling chamber to increase the number of bales normally produced in the baling chamber by movement of a plunger in the baling chamber to discharge the divided bales simultaneously from the baling chamber and to separate the discharged divided bales using an ejection chute structure. The separation can be by longitudinal and/or lateral spacing. The baling apparatus is moved along a field by motive means, such as a tractor, and the path followed by the tractor is considered to be “longitudinal” as the term is used herein, To achieve longitudinal spacing of the divided bales, which are simultaneously received from the baling chamber, the divided or split bales are ejected at staggered times by slowing or staffing one bale in the ejection chute structure relative to the other bale. To achieve lateral spacing of the sir simultaneously received divided bales, the bales engage angled surfaces e ejection chute structure to spread the bales apart. The angled surfaces can also be used to rotate the divided bales 90° to be set in an upright position in the field. 
     In another aspect, the present invention uses one or more vertically extending, laterally spaced stationary knives within a baling chamber to produce two or more square bales of crop material simultaneously in response to movement of a plunger within the baling chamber to compress the material to be baled against and past the knives and discharge the bales simultaneously from the baling chamber. 
     A further aspect of the present invention utilizes an ejection chute structure at the rear end of a frame carrying a baling chamber to receive discharged bales of crop material from the frame such that bales are discharged simultaneously from the baling chamber but ejected from the ejection chute structure at staggered times. 
     The present invention is generally characterized in baling apparatus including a frame movable along a field surface laden with crop material to be baled with a rear end for ejecting square bales of the crop material, a baling chamber carried on the frame and having an inlet therein for receiving the crop material to be baled, a pick-up unit coupled with the frame for picking up the crop material from the field and delivering the crop material to the baling chamber via the inlet, a stationary knife disposed in the baling chamber and extending vertically from the floor thereof, a plunger movable rearwardly within the baling chamber to compress the crop material and move the compressed crop material rearwardly toward the rear end of the frame to push the compressed crop material against and past the knife to be split and form first and second square bales of the crop material and an ejection chute structure disposed at the rear end of the frame to receive the first and second bales simultaneously and eject the first and second bales in spaced relation to each other as the frame moved along the field. 
     The present invention is further generally characterized in a method of mechanically baling crop material in a field using a frame moved along the field including the steps of picking up the crop material and delivering the crop material to a pick-up chamber carried by the frame to create preformed flakes, forcing the preformed flakes into a baling chamber in a space between a plunger and a stationary splitting knife, moving the plunger toward the splitting knife to push the preformed flakes against and past the splitting knife to simultaneously form stacks of flakes on opposing sides of the splitting knife, tying the stacks of flakes to form first and second square bales of the crop material and ejecting the first and second bales from the frame in spaced relation to each other via an ejection chute structure as the frame is moved along the field to form a first line of the first bales and a second line of the second bales spaced from the first line. 
     The method according to the present invention as described above can also be implemented to produce more than two bales simultaneously by using a plurality of splitting knives in the baling chamber. 
     The present invention is additionally generally characterized in apparatus for distributing bales of picked-up crop material on a field including a frame adapted to be moved along the field and carrying bales of picked-up crop material to be distributed on the field, the frame having a rear end discharging the bales of picked-up crop material from the frame, simultaneously, in groups and an ejection chute structure located at the rear end of the frame for disposing each of the bales in a group in a time-staggered manner to form a bale collection path formed of substantially parallel lines of the bales. 
     Some of the advantages of the present invention over prior art baling machines, apparatus and methods are that much more crop material can be baled and collected per hour to produce at least twice the production of a conventional baler and at a rate of at least twice the bales per hour, the cost to a farmer is reduced, relating to equipment, labor and fuel, bales are distributed on a field in a position to facilitate collecting the bales and stacking of bales is facilitated due to the size and orientation of the bales. 
     Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like parts in each of the several figures are identified by the same reference characters. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  a perspective view of the baling apparatus of the present invention in use in a field. 
         FIG. 2 . is a broken perspective view of the baling apparatus of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the baling apparatus of the present invention in partial section with parts broken away. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the baling apparatus of the present invention shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a broken perspective view of the baling chamber of the baling apparatus of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a broken perspective view of the baling chamber of  FIG. 5  after initial splitting of crop material to be baled. 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of the baling apparatus of the present invention showing the pickup unit. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view the ejection chute structure of the baling apparatus of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a top view of the ejection chute structure shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  is a top view showing the ejection chute structure simultaneously receiving divided bales discharged by the baling chamber. 
         FIGS. 11 and 12  are top and perspective views, respectively, of the ejection chute structure slowing one bale and turning the other bale. 
         FIG. 13  is an exploded, perspective viewing showing manipulation of both bales. 
         FIG. 14  is a representation of the positioning of the bales in a field for collection and showing the increased lateral and longitudinal spacing therebetween. 
         FIG. 15  is a broken perspective of a modified bating chamber for use with the baling apparatus of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference to the drawings, baling apparatus  20  is shown in  FIG. 1  for use with motive means, such as a tractor  22 , for moving the baling apparatus  20  along a field  24  laden with crop material  26  to be baled. As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , the baling apparatus includes a frame  28  having wheels  30  on opposite sides thereof, a front or leading end  32  coupled with the tractor via a hitch  34  and a rear or trailing end  38  for ejecting bales of the crop material to be distributed on the field. The baling apparatus  20  is shown in  FIG. 1  as being pulled along the field  24  by a tractor; however, the baling apparatus  20  can be self-propelled to move in the manner exemplified by the Freeman Division of Allied Systems Company Model 380, Self Propelled Baler. 
     A baling chamber  38 , shown in  FIG. 5 , is carried on the frame between the front and rear ends, as shown in  FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 , and has a floor or bottom  40  extending horizontally along the frame, spaced vertical side walls  42  and  44  extending vertically from the floor, a top or roof  46  and an inlet  48  located in the floor  40  above a pickup unit  50 . The top, the floor and the side walls are formed of spaced members to reduce weight and provide gaps to accommodate needles and twine of knot tying means  52  carried by the frame and to allow the walls to be adjusted to control compression of bales in the baling chamber. The knot tying means is of conventional construction such as the knotters used in the Freeman Division of Allied Systems Company Model 370 Baler. 
     The pickup unit  50  is coupled with frame  28  and includes a rotating pickup head  54  with tines  56  extending radially outward from the head such that the tines rotate and pick up the crop material  26  and send it rearward to a pick up chamber  58  to create preformed flakes of the crop material. The preformed flakes are supplied to the inlet of the baling chamber by force from rotating fingers  60 . The pickup unit and chamber are of, conventional construction, such as the pickup and packer used in the Heston/Massey Ferguson Large Square Baler Model 2170. 
     A plunger  62  is movably disposed in the baling chamber to have a rest position, as shown in  FIG. 5 , forward of the inlet  48 . The plunger is hydraulically moved rearward to compress crop material received in the baling chamber from the pickup unit such that the plunger pushes the compressed crop material against and past a splitting knife  64  which is stationary and extends vertically from the floor  40  in a plane parallel with the vertical side walls  42  and  44 . Movement of the plunger to form successive bales from successive flakes is controlled by a toothed wheel  45  disposed on the roof of the baling chamber to be rotated as crop material passes thereby and provide signals to control circuitry such as a computer. Control of the size and weight of the split bales is achieved by rotary sensors  67  and  69  which sense the parameters of each of the bales and provide an indication of any need to vary the flow of crop material to the baling chamber. The top of the splitting knife is mounted at  65  to be at the same level as the reef  46  of the baling chamber. The compressed crop material is thus split by movement of the plunger relative to the knife to form first and second square bales of the crop material  66  and  68 . The plunger comes close to contacting the splitting knife but, preferably, does not contact the splitting knife. The splitting knife  64  has angled vertical cutting edges tapering to a leading cutting edge such that the knife assists center splitting of the compressed crop material. The crop material received at the baling chamber inlet is in the form of preformed flakes, aid the plunger mashes the preformed flakes of crop material into the face of the splitting knife to split each flake as it enters the bale forming portion of the baling chamber. Accordingly, each flake of the crop material is formed into two bales in the baling chamber while each bale is being made. A completed bale is typically made up of 12 to 15 flakes and can range from 80 pounds up to 180 depending on desired bale weight. The portion of the baling chamber rearward of the splitting knife forms a tension chamber controlled by hydraulic cylinders with the use of a computer to create the desired weight in each bale. The tension chamber squeezes the top, bottom and both sides of the bales to achieve the desired weight and size of each bale. The bales  66  and  68  are tied by the knotting means  52  and after the crop material is split by the knife. The splitting knife is mounted to be stationary and achieves splitting of the crop material without movement of the knife. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the bales  66  and  68  are discharged simultaneously from the open end of the baling chamber with the bales positioned close to each other, that is, separated primarily only by the width of the splitting knife. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the depth D of the bales is less than the width W of the bales and the length L of the bales. 
     An ejection chute structure  70  is disposed at the rear end  36  of the frame  28  and simultaneously receives the bales  66  and  68  as the bales are discharged from the exit of the baling chamber, as shown in  FIG. 10 . The ejection chute structure  70  is pivotally carried at the rear end of the frame and includes first and second slideways  72  and  74  extending from the rear end of the frame downwardly toward the field surface The first slideway  72  has a sliding surface  76  receiving the first bale  66  substantially directly from the baling chamber. The second slideway  74  has a sliding surface  78  receiving the second bale  68  from the baling chamber after the first bale is received by the sliding surface  76  of the first slideway. The second slideway  74  is configured to stall or delay rearward movement of the second bale  68 . In one embodiment, the second slideway has a shelf  80  disposed between the discharge end of the baling chamber and the sliding surface  78  such that the second bale  68  does not drop directly onto the sliding surface. Additionally, the ejection chute structure has angled surfaces to turn or rotate the bales, preferably by 90°, such that the bales are “stood up” before being ejected from the end of the ejection chute structure. Slideway  72  has an angled surface  82  disposed above sliding surface  76  such that the first bale  66  is turned 90° by engagement with the angled surface  82  as shown in  FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 . Similarly, slideway  74  as an angled surface  84  disposed above the sliding surface  8  to turn the second bale 90°. The angled surfaces  82  and  84  are formed on a central bale guide  96  disposed between the slideways  72  and  74  such that the angled surfaces  82  and  84 , which extend from a flat top  97  coplanar with shelf  80 , are angled away from the center of the ejection chute structure. Accordingly, the first and second bales are ejected in spaced relation to each other as the frame is moved along the field. The spaced relation can be longitudinal, that is, along the path upon which the frame is moved, due to time staggering created by slowing the second bale  68  relative to the first bale  66  and/or lateral, due to the angled surfaces in the ejection chute structure moving the bales outwardly relative to each other and rotating the bales to increase the lateral spacing therebetween. 
       FIG. 10  shows the first and second bales being received by the ejection chute structure simultaneously.  FIG. 11  shows the first bale  66  having been received on the sliding surface  76  of the slideway  72  while the second bale  68  is supported on the shelf  80  and the flat top  97  of the central bale guide  96  and to be stalled or slowed before it is received on the sliding surface  78  of slideway  74 .  FIGS. 11 and 12  illustrate the 90° turning of bale  66  while bale  68  has not yet turned.  FIG. 13  shows both bales having been turned 90°, it being noted that bale  66  has been delivered to the field while bale  68  has not yet been delivered to the field so as to create time staggering or longitudinal spacing of the bales. Accordingly, as the bales exit the rear of the baling apparatus, one bale is immediately stood up and dropped to the ground while the second bale is stalled via the longer platform above the sliding surface such that the second bale sits for a period of time, for example 10 seconds, to create the stall effect. The ejection of bales in spaced relation to each other facilitates picking up the bales where bales stacking scenes can only pickup one row of bales at a time. The spaced relation of the bales allows the same bale stacker to pick up both bales whereas, if the bales were sitting side by side, the bales stacker would have to make two trips across the same path. 
     The manipulation of the bales to provide the spaced relation to each other in the field other is illustrated in  FIG. 14  wherein the movement of the frame along the field is represented by arrow A, longitudinal spacing between bales is designated as “long” and lateral spacing between bales is designated as “lat.” The first bales form a first line of bales  90  and the second bales form a second line of bales  92  spaced from the first line of bales and substantially parallel to the first line. The frame moves along the field carrying bales of picked up crop material to be distributed on the field with the ejection chute structure located at the rear end of the frame disposing each of the bales in a group in a time-staggered manner to form a bale collection path P formed of substantially multiple parallel lines of the bales. 
       FIG. 15  shows a modified baling chamber  38 ′ utilizing a plurality of stationary splitting knives  64  extending vertically from the floor in spaced planes parallel to the vertical side walls of the baling chamber The splitting knives define baling spaces  88  between the splitting knives  90  and between the splitting knives and the baling chamber side walls. Movement of the plunger rearwardly within the baling chamber compresses the crop material to be baled and moves the compressed crop material rearwardly toward the rear end of the frame pushing the compressed crop material against and past the plurality of splitting knives to be split and form bales of the crop material in each of the baling spaces  88 . With the modified baling chamber shown in  FIG. 15 , an ejection chute structure will be used having multiple slideways with the number of slideways equal to the number baling spaces such that each slideway can receive an individual bale after splitting. 
     Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations, modifications, and changes in detail, it is intended that the subject matter discussed above and/or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative only and not taken in a limiting sense.