Round Baler

Abstract

A round baler has a rear door pivotable relative to the frame. A circulating press element defines a press chamber inside the frame for forming crop bales. A tension rocker is pivotable relative to the frame and has a rotatable rocker guide roller guiding the press element. A first pressure element is arranged at frame and rear door and acts between frame and rear door. A second pressure element is arranged at rear door and tension rocker and acts between rear door and tension rocker. At least one of the pressure elements is a linear actor. By length expansion of the first pressure element, rear door and tension rocker are pivotable, wherein the rear door is pivotable upwardly to enable ejection of crop bales. The rear door is pivotable downwardly by length expansion of the second pressure element. A method for operating the round baler is provided.

Claims

1.-13. (canceled)

14. A round baler comprising: a frame; a rear door pivotable relative to the frame about a door axis; an endless circulatingly drivable press element configured to define at least partially a press chamber inside the frame for forming a crop bale; a tension rocker pivotable relative to the frame about a rocker axis, wherein the tension rocker comprises at least one rotatable rocker guide roller configured to guide the press element; a first pressure element arranged at the frame and at the rear door and acting between the frame and the rear door; a second pressure element arranged at the rear door and at the tension rocker and acting between the rear door and the tension rocker; wherein at least one of the first and second pressure elements is a linear actor; wherein the rear door and the tension rocker are configured to pivot by a length expansion of the first pressure element, and wherein the rear door is configured to pivot upwardly by the length expansion of the first pressure element to enable an ejection of the crop bale from the press chamber; wherein the rear door is configured to pivot downwardly by a length expansion of the second pressure element.

15. The round baler according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the first and second pressure elements is a single-action cylinder.

16. The round baler according to claim 14, wherein one of the first and second pressure elements is a pressure spring.

17. The round baler according to claim 14, wherein the first pressure element is a single-action cylinder.

18. The round baler according to claim 14, wherein the first pressure element is a single-action cylinder and wherein the second pressure element is a single-action cylinder.

19. The round baler according to claim 14, wherein the tension rocker comprises a rearward rocker section arranged behind the rocker axis in relation to a longitudinal axis of the round baler, wherein the second pressure element acts on the rear door and on the rearward rocker section, wherein the rear door and the rearward rocker section are pivotable upwardly by the length expansion of the first pressure element.

20. The round baler according to claim 19, wherein the rearward rocker section comprises a rotatable rearward rocker guide roller configured to guide the press element at an inner side thereof.

21. The round baler according to claim 14, wherein the rear door comprises at least one rotatable door guide roller configured to guide the press element at an inner side thereof.

22. The round baler according to claim 14, wherein the tension rocker comprises a forward rocker section arranged in front of the rocker axis in relation to a longitudinal axis of the round baler, wherein the forward rocker section comprises an ejector element configured to act at least indirectly on the crop bale to eject the crop bale from the press chamber upon pivoting of the tension rocker by the length expansion of the first pressure element.

23. The round baler according to claim 22, wherein the ejector element is configured to act on the press element for ejecting the crop bale.

24. The round baler according to claim 23, wherein the ejector element is a rotatable ejector roller.

25. The round baler according to claim 22, wherein the forward rocker section comprises at least one rotatable forward rocker guide roller configured to guide the press element at an exterior side thereof.

26. A method for operating a round baler comprising a frame; a rear door pivotable relative to the frame about a door axis; an endless circulatingly drivable press element configured to define at least partially a press chamber inside the frame for forming a crop bale; a tension rocker pivotable relative to the frame about a rocker axis, wherein the tension rocker comprises at least one rotatable rocker guide roller configured to guide the press element; a first pressure element arranged at the frame and at the rear door and acting between the frame and the rear door; a second pressure element arranged at the rear door and at tension rocker and acting between the rear door and the tension rocker; wherein at least one of the first and second pressure elements is a linear actor; wherein the rear door and the tension rocker are configured to pivot by a length expansion of the first pressure element, and wherein the rear door is configured to pivot upwardly by the length expansion of the first pressure element to enable an ejection of the crop bale from the press chamber; wherein the rear door is configured to pivot downwardly by a length expansion of the second pressure element; the method comprising: pivoting the rear door and the tension rocker by the length expansion of the first pressure element, wherein the rear door is pivoted upwardly; ejecting the crop bale; and downwardly pivoting the rear door by the length expansion of the second pressure element.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] In the following, the invention will be described with the aid of the Figures. The Figures are only examples and do not limit the general concept of the invention.

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a section illustration of a round baler according to the invention according to a first embodiment of the invention with empty press chamber.

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a section illustration of the round baler of FIG. 1 with filled press chamber.

[0038] FIG. 3 shows a section illustration of the round baler of FIG. 1 upon ejection of a crop baler.

[0039] FIG. 4 shows a section illustration corresponding to FIG. 1 of a round baler according to the invention according to a second embodiment.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a section illustration of a round baler 1, more precisely said: of parts thereof, according to a first embodiment. For reasons of simplification, various elements that are not subject matter of the invention have been omitted. These include in particular wheels on which the round baler 1 is supported, feed elements (such as a pick-up and a conveying rotor) or a hitch, by means of which the round baler 1 can be connected to a tractor. However, this could also concern a self-propelled round baler 1.

[0041] A frame 2 can be seen which provides for structural stability and has a housing, not illustrated here. Important parts of the frame 2 are sidewalls 3 of which each one extends in the direction of a longitudinal axis X as well as in the direction of a vertical axis Z of the round baler 1. The rearwardly pointing longitudinal axis X is antiparallel to the travel direction F. In the section illustrations of the Figures, only one of the sidewalls 3 that are spaced apart from each other along the transverse axis is visible.

[0042] At the frame 1, a plurality of rolls or rollers are rotatably supported. In a forward region, two press rolls 4, 5 can be seen as well as, farther down as well as to the rear thereof, a starter roll 6. In addition, a plurality of frame guide rollers 7 can be seen across which an endless press element 15 is guided. In this case, the latter is formed by a plurality of press belts which are drivable in circulation by one or a plurality of frame guide rollers 7 which act as drive elements. Alternatively, the press element can be formed e.g. by a single press belt. The press element 15 is also guided across two door guide rollers 11 of a rear door 10 as well as across two rocker guide rollers 23, 24 of a tension rocker 20.

[0043] The rear door 10 is pivotable relative to the frame about a door axis A. The door guide rollers 11 are positioned approximately the same distance to the door axis A. Both door guide rollers 11 are resting, like the frame guide rollers 7, against the press element 15 at its inner side. The tension rocker 20 in relation to the vertical axis Z is arranged primarily above the rear door 10 and pivotable about the rocker axis B in relation to the frame. The rearward rocker guide roller 23 is arranged at a rear rocker section 21 which in relation to the longitudinal axis X is arranged behind the rocker axis B. The door axis A as well as the rocker axis B extend parallel to the transverse axis of the round baler 1 and thus perpendicular to the drawing plane of the Figures. At a forward rocker section 22 arranged in front of the rocker axis B in relation to the longitudinal axis X, on the one hand, a forward rocker guide roller 24 that is resting against the press element 15 at its exterior side is arranged and, on the other hand, an ejector roller 25 which in FIG. 1 is held at a distance from the press element 15. A first single-action cylinder 30 functioning as a first pressure element is connected by a frame pivot bearing 8 to the side wall 3 and also by a first door pivot bearing 12 to the rear door 10. A second cylinder 31 functioning as a second pressure element and also with single action is connected by a second door pivot bearing 13 to the rear door 10 as well as by a rocker pivot bearing 26 to the rearward rocker section 21. Both cylinders 30, 31 are presently embodied as hydraulic cylinders and can only exert a pressure force between their respective pivot bearings 8, 12, 13, 26.

[0044] As a whole, the guide rollers 7, 11, 23, 24 hold the press element 15 under tension. The press rolls 4, 5, the starter roll 6 as well as the press element 15 define together a press chamber 16 of variable size in which successively a crop bale 50 is formed. In FIG. 1, the press chamber 16 is empty wherein the press element 15 is guided immediately across an upper press roll 4 as well as starter roll 6. Also, the rear door 10 is lowered and thus closed. The first cylinder 30 can be switched in this situation to a pressureless state and has its minimal length, i.e., it is completely contracted. The tension rocker 20 is in a position in which the rearward rocker section 21 extends approximately horizontally or slightly lifted. The second cylinder 31 is extended, possibly to its maximum length, i.e., it is (as needed, completely) expanded. It exerts, on the one hand, a force on the rear door 10 that pushes it in the direction of the lowered position and, on the other hand, a force on the rearward rocker section 21. From the latter force a torque results due to which the tension rocker 20 holds the press element 15 under tension by means of the rearward rocker guide roller 23 as well as the forward rocker guide roller 24. Insofar as the force of the second cylinder 31 is insufficient to hold the rear door 10 in the lowered position, the rear door 10 optionally can also be secured by a locking element, not illustrated here.

[0045] In operation of the round baler 1, crop is conveyed into the press chamber 16 and is successively formed there to a crop bale 50. The latter grows little by little until it has reached a maximum size illustrated in FIG. 2. In order to enclose the growing crop bale 50, an ever increasing proportion of the press element 15 is arranged about the press chamber 16. This is compensated little by little by a pivot movement of the tension rocker 20 upon which the rearward rocker section 21 with a rearward rocker guide roller 23 is moved downwardly and the forward rocker section 21 with the forward rocker guide roller 24 moves upwardly. Correspondingly, the second cylinder 31 contracts little by little which however is occurring passively insofar as the second cylinder 31 does not create tension forces. With completely filled press chamber 16, as illustrated in FIG. 2, both cylinders 30 and 31 are fully contracted and have thus assumed their minimal length.

[0046] The finish-formed crop bale 50 is subsequently ejected to the rear. For this purpose, the rear door 10 is pivoted upwardly in that, by means of the first cylinder 30, a pressure force is exerted wherein the first cylinder 30 is extended. Since the tension rocker 20 is coupled by the completely contracted second cylinder 31 to the rear door 10, it is forcibly also pivoted wherein the rearward rocker section 21 moves upwardly and the forward rocker section 22 downwardly. In this way, a collision between the rear door 10 and the tension rocker 20 is prevented and, in addition, the tension in the press element 15 maintained. The tension rocker 20 pivots so far that the rearward rocker section 21 moves past the position illustrated in FIG. 1 into the position illustrated in FIG. 3. Correspondingly, the forward rocker section 22 pivots downwardly and toward the front until the ejector roller 25 is pushed against a section of the press element 15 that is in contact with the crop bale 50. Thus, the ejector roller 25 by means of the press element 15 exerts a proportionate force directed toward the rear on the crop bale 50 so that its ejection is triggered or at least assisted.

[0047] From the open position illustrated in FIG. 3, the rear door 10 possibly cannot pivot downwardly again by its own weight alone, or only with a delay, because the tension in the press element 15 can counteract this pivot process. In order to close the rear door 10 in an effective manner, on the one hand, the pressure in the first cylinder 30 is reduced and, on the other hand, a pressure force is exerted by means of the second cylinder 31 by means of which the rear door 10 is pushed downwardly. During the further course of closing, the torque which is acting due to the tension in the press element 15 through the rocker guide rollers 23, 24 on the tension rocker 20 ensures that the tension rocker 20 pivots back again into the position illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0048] FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of a round baler according to the invention that coincides mostly with the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 and insofar is not explained again. However, in this case instead of the second cylinder 31 a pressure spring 32 is provided as a second pressure element. During growth of the crop bale 50, the tension rocker 20, as described above, pivots wherein the pressure spring 32 between tension rocker 20 and rear door 10 is compressed. When the rear door 10 in this embodiment is to be opened, a pressure force is exerted again via the first cylinder 30 and the first cylinder 30 expands, wherein the tension rocker 20 is also pivoted by force transmission via the rear door 10 and the pressure spring 32. This can cause a length change of the pressure spring 32; in the end, however, a similar position of the tension rocker 20 as in FIG. 3 is achieved. The pressure spring 32 is compressed relative to FIG. 4 so that a torque is exerted on the rear door 10. As soon as the pressure force is reduced on the part of the first cylinder 30, the pressure spring 32 expands, the cylinder 30 contracts, and the rear door 10 pivots downward.