Patent Abstract:
A method of unplugging hay and forage equipment, including the steps of identifying a plug, activating unplugging devices, unplugging the equipment, and returning the unplugging devices to position of normal operation. The identifying step includes identifying a plug in the equipment caused by the material entering the equipment. The activating step includes activating substantially simultaneously a plurality of unplugging devices. The returning step includes returning the plurality of unplugging devices to their normal operating positions.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    The present invention relates to an unplugging apparatus and method for the unplugging of a feeding system; and, more particularly, to an unplugging apparatus and method for a feeding system of hay and foraging systems. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]    Hay and foraging equipment are utilized in the processing of plant material and include mowers, conditioners, flail choppers, windrowers, and balers for both dry and silage uses. The hay system, such as a round baler, includes a pickup mechanism, which picks the crop material from the ground and supplies it to a bale forming chamber. The bale forming chamber receives the crop material and includes a series of side-by-side moving belts, which rotate the crop material into a round or more accurately a cylindrical bale. Typically, the bale forming chamber has a crop inlet and has a width that corresponds to the width of the bale being formed within the bale forming chamber. The crop material is typically initially formed into windrows on the ground after it is cut and processed through a conditioner. The crop material in the windrow may have varying densities and may even include foreign material. The pickup header of the baler picks the crop material off of the ground and directs it to the bale forming chamber. 
         [0003]    As the baler is driven across the field encountering crop material, the crop material may be bunched or otherwise non-uniformly distributed causing surges in the amount of power required from the power source to process the material encountered. If the material encountered is too thick or even includes some foreign material such as a piece of wood or a stone, a plug can be formed that causes the baling mechanism to be overloaded. Typically, this requires operator intervention requiring the operator to stop the tractor and try to unplug it by perhaps reversing the travel of the tractor to try to pull some of the material out. The encountering of a plug often requires the operator to stop the drive mechanism and then release various aspects of the baler mechanism associated with the flow of the material so that the plug can be removed either manually or by operating portions of the baler with mechanisms in their non-normal operating positions to try to clear the plug from the baler. Once the plug is removed, the operator then goes and repositions the mechanisms that were disengaged, moving them back into a normal operating position. This prior art techniques disadvantageously require operator intervention and the operator can even potentially damage the machine by operating it with only some of the mechanisms being moved to a released position. 
         [0004]    Various unplugging devices are included in the feeding systems on hay and forage equipment which include drop floors, knife disengagement, reversers, rotor movement, pickup baffle positioners, power feed clutches, and the like. These devices are activated electrically, hydraulically, PTO driven, or a combination thereof. These devices are activated individually to make the necessary steps to relieve tight plugs and to then sequentially feed crops through the feeding device. Actuating these devices individually is cumbersome, time-consuming and difficult to understand for inexperienced operators. For example, if knives are not lowered during reversing or dropping the floor operations can cause damage if they are out of position. 
         [0005]    What is needed in the art is a system that manages the unplugging of hay or forage equipment in a cost effective and efficient manner. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]    The present invention provides an unplugging method and apparatus for use with hay and foraging equipment, and, more particularly, provides an apparatus for the unplugging of balers, hay conditioners, windrowers, mowers, flail chopping, and forage harvesting equipment. 
         [0007]    The invention in one form is directed to a method of unplugging hay and forage equipment, including the steps of identifying a plug, activating unplugging devices, unplugging the equipment, and returning the unplugging devices to position of normal operation. The identifying step includes identifying a plug in the equipment caused by the material entering the equipment. The activating step includes activating substantially simultaneously a plurality of unplugging devices. The returning step includes returning the plurality of unplugging devices to their normal operating positions. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0008]    The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a partial schematic illustration of a baler incorporating an embodiment of the unplugging apparatus and utilizing the unplugging method of the present invention and being towed by a tractor; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a schematic illustration of a profile of the baler of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a schematic illustration of elements used in the embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is schematic illustration of an embodiment of control system of the present invention; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is another schematic illustration of control system for the baler of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
       
    
    
       [0014]    Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]    Referring now to the drawings and, more particularly, to  FIGS. 1-3 , there is illustrated a hay or foraging system  10  that includes a tractor  12  towing a baler  14 . While baler  14  is being illustrated herein, it is understood that baler  14  is a hay or foraging device  14  that could include square or round balers for either dry or silage material, forage harvesters, mowers, flail chopping devices, hay conditioners, and windrowers, each of which encounter and process bulk crop material and have a crop inlet which can be plugged. A plug  16  is illustrated where the flow of material has clumped or some foreign matter is substantially blocking the operation of the feeding mechanisms of baler  14 . The handling of plug  16  is a focus of the present invention. 
         [0016]    Tractor  12  has a PTO  18  that provides power to at least some of the mechanisms of baler  14 . Tractor  12  additionally includes an actuator  20 , a display  22 , and an activation button  24 . PTO  18  may be disengaged by action of actuator  20  that may be incorporated into elements of tractor  12 , and which may be under the control of a controller associated with tractor  12 . The controller associated with tractor  12  may receive a signal from baler  14  causing actuator  20  to disengage and even brake power takeoff unit  18 . A display  22  alerts the operator that a plug  16  has been encountered or display  22  may additionally indicate that a plug  16  has been cleared. Additionally, display  22  can display the operating positions of various aspects of baler  14 . Activation button  24  allows the operator to initiate an unplugging sequence to remove plug  16  from baler  14 . The phrase “removing plug  16  from baler  14 ” also incorporates the processing of plug  16  so that the crop material is processed within baler  14  or removed from baler  14  or a combination thereof. Activation button  24  may also include a function commanding baler  14  to reposition mechanisms therein into a normal operating position. 
         [0017]    Baler  14  includes a frame or chassis  26 , a tongue  28 , a baffle  30 , knives  32 , a drop floor  34 , belts  36 , a rotor drive  38 , and a pickup header  40 . Side sheet  42  is schematically shown in  FIG. 3  and would exist on another embodiment of a baler to control the pressure encountered by a plunger of a square baler as it presses hay into a square bale. Actuators  44 - 56  are respectively associated with these operational elements of baler  14 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Crop material enters baler  14  along material flow path  58  and is picked up by pickup header  40  and travels between baffle  30  and progresses on to knives  32  and drop floor  34  on its way to a bale forming chamber. 
         [0018]    A controller  60  interacts with actuators when a plug is detected to substantially simultaneously actuate several of the elements of baler  14  including some combination at least of baffle  30 , knives  32 , drop floor  34 , belts  36  (or side sheet  42 ), rotor drive  38 , pickup header  40  and power takeoff  18 . Advantageously, the simultaneous moving of these elements and the removal of power supplied by way of power takeoff  18  all work to clear plug  16  from interfering with the operation of tractor  12  and baler  14 . Controller  60  may be an electronic control system that interacts with selective control valves (SCV) or it may be some other combination of control that interacts with actuators  20  and  44 - 56 . 
         [0019]    Now, additionally referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , there is illustrated some hydraulic schematics to operate functions of baler  14  including the bale tension cylinders and gate release cylinders shown in  FIG. 4  as well as a hydraulic circuit to engage knives  32 , drop floor  34 , and pickup  40  when substantially simultaneously activated. It should be understood that this substantially simultaneous operation causes a quick response to the presence of plug  16 . The nearly simultaneous or simultaneous movement of these elements can include the activation of a sequential movement of some portions in the event that one element is better moved before another and that such a sequential operation is initiated by the substantially simultaneous movement initiated by controller  60 . Controller  60  is interfaced with the SCV valves of  FIGS. 4 and 5  and the hydraulic cylinders illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5  correspond to corresponding actuators of  FIG. 3 . 
         [0020]    During normal operation, tractor  12  pulls baler  14 , which encounters the crop material that enters along material flow path  58  making its way to the bale forming chamber. When plug  16  is encountered, controller  60  substantially simultaneously activates a plurality of actuators  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50 ,  52 , and  52 . This action causes the following elements to respond: baffle  30  is moved away from material flow  58 ; knives  32  drop away from material flow  58 ; drop floor  34  moves away from material flow path  58 ; tension on belt  36  is reduced; rotor drive  38  may be stopped or reversed; and pickup header  40  may be moved with its intake mechanism slowed, stopped, or reversed, thereby affecting the amount of flow along material flow path  58 . Additionally, power takeoff  18  may be disengaged from powering baler  14  to thereby prevent the overloading of tractor  12 . Power takeoff  18  may be re-engaged to move plug  16  while the previous elements are in their previously described position to reduce the influence of plug  16  on the normal operation of baler  14 . 
         [0021]    Once plug  16  has been removed or otherwise dissipated in the system, controller  60  then utilizes actuators  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50 ,  52 , and  54  to respectively move baffle  30 , knives  32 , drop floor  34  back into their operating position and to increase the tension of operating level of belt  36  and to engage rotor drive  38  and pickup head  40  so that they are respectively placed in a normal operating mode for the reception of crop material. Actuator  20  is activated to engage power takeoff  18  so that mechanical power again is restored to baler  14  so that the operations of baler  14  can resume. The movement of these elements can be substantially simultaneous so that baler  14  can quickly resume normal operating functions. 
         [0022]    Controller  60  activates any combination of the mechanisms that also serve as unplugging devices, previously mentioned, simultaneously and additionally include either instructions to back up baler  14  conveyed to the operator by way of display  22  or an automatic function in which baler  14  is automatically reversed. When unplugging is completed, the device is returned to normal operating positions. Another example includes a precutter type feeding system with an electro-hydraulic control. First, a plug occurs at the entrance of the material to baler  14  or along the path of material flow  58 . The operator pushes activation device  24  causing controller  60  to disengage PTO  18  by utilizing actuator  20 . Substantially simultaneously, a solenoid is energized to divert hydraulic pressure to the low pressure circuit of belt tensioner  50  in the form of actuator  50  and additionally energizes solenoids in parallel SCV circuits for moving pickup  40 , knives  32 , and drop floor  34 . In this operation, the operator only actuates a single control such as activation device  24  or it may be in the form of a single SCV lever to thereby position all of the devices to relieve restrictions along material flow path  58 . At this point, actuator  20  is activated causing power takeoff  18  to be engaged to feed the plug through or away from baler  14 . The operator or controller  60  then activates an SCV to return all of the unplugging devices to their normal operating position and continue to bale. With the use of electrical or electronic sensors and actuators, electronic SCV hydraulics, and/or electronic PTO controls, several of these steps are done without operator activation. 
         [0023]    The present invention includes certain advantages including there are fewer steps for the operator that are needed for the removal of plug  16 . This allows a less skilled operator to be productive with baler  14 . There is less wasted time in the moving the devices to an unplugging position and can also include positions that are additionally used to service the elements, such as for the replacement or sharpening of knives  32 . Another advantage is that elements of baler  14  are not inadvertently positioned during a plug clearing operation, such as the positioning of knives  32  during the unplugging operation. The unplugging operation that results from the present invention includes a more positive unplugging of baler  14  by relieving crop restrictions in several areas of the feeding system simultaneously. This not only relieves areas of plugging but it also diverts available PTO drive power to areas where it is most needed. For example, tractor  12  may be limited to 150 PTO horsepower with 50 horsepower being used to form a round bale and 100 horsepower being used to feed through a crop slug. When a crop slug forms a plug and is stuck in the feeding mechanism, it may exceed the 100 horsepower that is available causing the baler or tractor clutch to disengage or to kill the tractor engine. If the tension of belt  36  is reduced, then only 20 horsepower is needed to rotate the bale, rather than 50, thereby allowing a total of 130 horsepower to be available to feed the slug through the feeder. 
         [0024]    Specific to a round baler  14 , bale forming belts are tensioned during bale growth with the belt tension being proportional to bale density but it is also proportional to the power consumption to form and rotate the bale in the bale forming chamber. As such, reducing belt tension reduces belt power consumption, thereby enhancing the ability of baler  14  to deal with plug  16 . 
         [0025]    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.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0