Bale wrapping device for a round baler, round baler and method for operating a round baler

Abstract

A bale wrapping device for a round baler includes a wrapping material roller having a wrapping material. The wrapping material roller is able to be brought into engagement with a brake roller, and a cutting apparatus for cutting off the wrapping material from the wrapping material roller. A brake apparatus cooperates with the brake roller, and is actuatable by the cutting apparatus such that a rotational movement of the brake roller is able to be braked by the brake apparatus.

Claims

1. A bale wrapping device for a round baler, the bale wrapping device comprising: a brake roller; a wrapping material roller for supporting a wrapping material, wherein the wrapping material roller is selectively engageable with the brake roller; a cutting apparatus configured for cutting off the wrapping material from the wrapping material roller; a brake apparatus coupled to the brake roller and the cutting apparatus, wherein movement of the cutting apparatus actuates the brake apparatus such that rotational movement of the brake roller is braked by the brake apparatus in response to movement of the cutting apparatus.

2. The bale wrapping device set forth in claim 1, wherein the cutting apparatus is movable between at least an active cutting position and an inactive cutting position, with the brake apparatus operable to brake rotational movement of the brake roller when the cutting apparatus is disposed in the active cutting position.

3. The bale wrapping device set forth in claim 2, wherein the bale wrapping device includes an actuator operable to actuate the brake apparatus.

4. The bale wrapping device set forth in claim 3, wherein the actuator is operable to move the cutting apparatus between the active cutting position and the inactive cutting position.

5. The bale wrapping device set forth in claim 1, wherein the bale wrapping device includes a drive roller operable to feed the wrapping material into a baling chamber.

6. The bale wrapping device set forth in claim 5, wherein the drive roller is connected to a drive apparatus.

7. The bale wrapping device set forth in claim 1, wherein the brake apparatus includes a brake coupling fixedly connected in terms of rotation to the brake roller, and a brake lever coupled to the cutting apparatus, wherein the brake lever is actuatable in response to movement of the cutting apparatus to engage the brake coupling to brake the brake roller.

8. The bale wrapping device set forth in claim 1, wherein the brake coupling includes at least one actuating element and the brake lever includes a first end having a brake element, wherein the actuating element is configured for gripping engagement with the brake element such that the brake element bears against the actuating element in response to movement of the brake lever.

9. The bale wrapping device set forth in claim 1, the drive apparatus includes a combined drive and brake drum fixedly connected in terms of rotation to the drive roller.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a round baler having a bale wrapping device.

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic fragmentary side view of the bale wrapping device of FIG. 1 showing a cutting apparatus in an active cutting position.

(3) FIG. 3 is a schematic fragmentary side view of the bale wrapping device of FIG. 1 showing the cutting apparatus in an inactive cutting position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that terms such as “above,” “below,” “upward,” “downward,” “top,” “bottom,” etc., are used descriptively for the figures, and do not represent limitations on the scope of the disclosure, as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the teachings may be described herein in terms of functional and/or logical block components and/or various processing steps. It should be realized that such block components may be comprised of any number of hardware, software, and/or firmware components configured to perform the specified functions.

(5) Terms of degree, such as “substantially” or “approximately” are understood by those of ordinary skill to refer to reasonable ranges outside of the given value, for example, general tolerances associated with manufacturing, assembly, and use of the described embodiments.

(6) Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, a round baler is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1. The round baler 10 includes a bale wrapping device 30 according to the disclosure. The round baler 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a first housing part 12 which is supported on the ground 15 by means of wheels 14 and which is able to be attached by means of a tow-bar 16 to a tractive vehicle, not shown, for example an agricultural tractor or tractor. In the known manner, a pick-up and conveying apparatus (not shown) for harvested crops is located on a front lower side of the first housing part 12, in the forward direction 17, wherein the first housing part 12 surrounds a front part of a pressing chamber 20. A bearing (not shown) for a pivotable second housing part 24 which surrounds a rear part of the pressing chamber 20 is located on the first housing part 12, in particular on the upper region of the first housing part 12. The second housing part 24 in the open state (not shown) opens up an outlet (not shown) through which a bale (not shown) pressed by the round baler 10 may be deposited and/or unloaded or ejected. The pivotable second housing part 24 may be actuated (opened and closed) by means of actuating motors (not shown) and thus represents an outlet flap for a bale pressed in the pressing chamber 20.

(7) The round baler 10 which is configured with a fixed-size pressing chamber 20 contains a plurality of pressing elements, running parallel to one another, for pressing harvested crops, in the form of pressing rollers 26 (by way of example here only a few of the pressing rollers 26 have been provided with the reference numeral “26”), the rotational axes thereof, when the second housing part 24 is closed, being positioned on a circular arc and at least some thereof being driven. Alternatively, also in the known manner, the round baler 10 per se may be configured with a variable-size pressing chamber 20 and/or as a round baler 10 with a variable pressing chamber 20, wherein also in the known manner the pressing elements may be configured as belts, straps or chain arrangements (not shown).

(8) Moreover, the round baler 10 includes a bale wrapping device 30 which is provided with a wrapping material roller 32. Preferably a film may be used as wrapping material 33. The bale wrapping device 30 may additionally include a further wrapping material roller 34 with a further wrapping material 35. Preferably a different type of film or a netting may be used as further wrapping material 35. The wrapping material roller 32 may be arranged in a first compartment 36 and the further wrapping material roller 34 may be arranged in a second compartment 38 of the round baler 10, in particular the bale wrapping device 30. The first and second compartments 36, 38 may be spaced apart from one another or adjacent to one another. The bale wrapping device 30 further includes a supply apparatus (not shown) for the wrapping material, by means of which the wrapping material 33 may be guided from the wrapping material roller 32 and/or the further wrapping material 35 may be guided from the further wrapping material roller 34 into the pressing chamber 20. Preferably, the supply apparatus may guide either the wrapping material 33 from the wrapping material roller 32 or the further wrapping material 35 from the further wrapping material roller 34 into the pressing chamber 20.

(9) After the actual pressing process is completed, i.e. the pick-up of harvested crops and the formation of a round bale by the pressing rollers 26, the bale wrapping device 30 is activated and a wrapping process is initiated following the pressing process. When initiating a wrapping process, in an introduction phase, by a mechanically triggered supply movement, wrapping material and/or further wrapping material 33, 35 is guided in the direction of the pressing chamber 20 so that a free wrapping material end may come into contact with the round bale rotating in the pressing chamber 20 and the wrapping material and/or further wrapping material 33, 35 is entrained and received. By rotating the round bale, the wrapping material 33 and/or the further wrapping material 35 is wrapped in one or more layers around the periphery of the round bale in a wrapping phase. The wrapping process is completed with a cutting phase in which the wrapping material 33 which is wrapped around the round bale is cut from the wrapping material roller 32 and/or the further wrapping material 35 is cut from the further wrapping material roller 34 by a cutting apparatus 60.

(10) The schematic side views of the bale wrapping device 30 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 correspond to the bale wrapping device 30 shown in FIG. 1, so that hereinafter only the details and/or differences thereof are described. The bale wrapping device 30 includes a drive apparatus 42 which is connected to a drive roller 44. The drive roller 44 may be in engagement with the further wrapping material roller 34 and/or may be in a frictional connection therewith. The drive apparatus 42 further comprises a combined drive and brake drum 46 which is connected both to a variably tensionable drive belt (not shown) and to a variably tensionable brake belt (not shown). The drive and brake drum 46 is connected fixedly in terms of rotation to the drive roller 44 and is also connected to the drive belt and to the brake belt.

(11) The wrapping material roller 32 may be in engagement with the brake roller 50 and/or in a frictional connection therewith. Moreover, a brake apparatus 70 which cooperates with the brake roller 50 is provided, wherein the brake apparatus 70 is able to be actuated by means of the cutting apparatus 60, such that a rotational movement of the brake roller 50 is able to be braked, in particular stopped and/or blocked, by the brake apparatus 70. The cutting apparatus 60 comprises an actuator 62 which is movable between at least one active cutting position (FIG. 2) and an inactive cutting position (FIG. 3) and a blade arrangement 66 (see FIG. 3). The brake apparatus 70 in this case is actuatable by means of the cutting apparatus 60, in particular pivotable about a pivot point 74, such that a rotational movement of the brake roller 50 is able to be braked by the brake apparatus 70, in particular when the cutting apparatus 60 is in the active cutting position and/or is moved into the active cutting position. So that it is actuatable by means of the cutting apparatus 60, the brake apparatus 70 may thus be mounted pivotably on a pivot point 74 on the round baler 10 and/or the bale wrapping device 30. In particular, the brake apparatus 70 comprises an actuatable brake lever 72 which is pivotably mounted about the pivot point 74 on the round baler 10 and/or the bale wrapping device 30. The brake lever 72 comprises at a first end a brake element 76 which is configured as a stop and is releasably fastened to the brake lever 72. At a second end the brake lever 72 is connected to the cutting apparatus 60. In particular, the actuator 62 may also be connected via a connecting element 64 to the brake lever 72. The brake apparatus may also comprise a restoring element 78. A second end of the brake lever is connected to the actuator.

(12) The brake roller 50 includes a brake coupling 52 which is configured as a disc and which is connected fixedly in terms of rotation to the brake roller 50. The brake coupling 52 also comprises three actuating elements 54 which are configured as drive elements.

(13) The actuating elements 54 are able to be gripped by the brake element 76. In this case, the brake lever 72 is able to be actuated by means of the cutting apparatus 60, in particular the actuator 62, such that the brake element 76 bears against the actuating element 54.

(14) The detailed description and the drawings or figures are supportive and descriptive of the disclosure, but the scope of the disclosure is defined solely by the claims. While some of the best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the claimed teachings have been described in detail, various alternative designs and embodiments exist for practicing the disclosure defined in the appended claims.