Patent ID: 8200399

Claim:
A method of controlling a baler that picks up a crop while the baler moves in a forward direction in a field, the crop being in the form of a crop string having a profile, the baler comprising a pick-up device that picks up the crop string and passes the crop string to a compression device that compresses the crop string in a compression direction to form at least one bale, the compression device having a width in a direction transverse to the forward direction and comprising means for measuring a distribution of a degree of charging the baler with the crop transversely to the compression direction, said method comprising: forming a 3D image of the profile of the crop string ahead of the pick-up device in the forward direction; analyzing the profile to determine height distributions of the crop string in the direction transverse to the forward direction; controlling the baler so that the pick-up device is positioned in the transverse direction relative to the height distribution; and adjusting the position of the pick-up device in dependence on the measured distribution of the charging degree.