AGRICULTURAL ROUND BALER

Abstract

An agricultural round baler has an interior space enclosed by a housing, a feeding device, a plurality of guide rollers, a press belt and an adjusting device with at least one adjusting roller. At least one of the guide rollers is a drive roller that drives the press belt. The press belt defines a press chamber which interacts with the transfer cross section. The adjusting roller is positioned along the running track of the press belt so that at least one running track section at least partly delimits the press chamber. The adjusting roller is moveable within the interior space so that at least one part of the running track of the press belt is moveable. A second adjusting device is operationally combined with the first adjusting device to define the press chamber. The adjusting roller of the second adjusting device is moveable within the interior space.

Claims

1. An agricultural round baler for pressing stalk-like harvest material into round bales, comprising: an interior space enclosed by a housing, a feeding device, by means of which harvest material is feedable to the interior space through a transfer cross section, a plurality of guide rollers, which extend within the interior space in a transverse direction of the round baler, a press belt, which is designed in the form of an endless belt and placed about the guide rollers in such a manner that the press belt can circulate within the interior space along a running track, an adjusting device, which comprises at least one adjusting roller extending parallel to the guide rollers, and at least one second adjusting device, the adjusting roller of which operatively combined with the adjusting roller of the first adjusting device at least partly defines the press chamber, wherein at least one of the guide rollers is designed in the form of a drive roller that is configured for driving the press belt, wherein the press belt along its running track defines a press chamber, which interacts with the transfer cross section so that harvest material guided into the interior space by the feeding device enters the press chamber, wherein the adjusting roller is positioned along the running track of the press belt in such a manner that at least one running track section directly following the adjusting roller at least partly delimits the press chamber, wherein the adjusting roller of the adjusting device is designed moveable in such a manner that at least one part of the running track of the press belt is moveable, and wherein the adjusting roller of the second adjusting device is designed moveable so that at least one part of the running track of the press belt is moveable within the interior space.

2. The round baler according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the adjusting devices has a roller pair which comprises two adjusting rollers assigned to one another, and wherein both adjusting rollers are designed to be moveable.

3. The round baler according to claim 2, wherein the adjusting rollers of the respective adjusting device are fixed relative to one another so that a relative position of the adjusting rollers remains unchanged during a course of movement of the adjusting rollers within the interior space.

4. The round baler according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the adjusting devices is assigned at least one deflection roller which interacts with the adjusting rollers of the at least one adjusting device so that the press belt starting from the first adjusting roller extends to the deflection roller and from the deflection roller to the second adjusting roller.

5. The round baler according to claim 4, wherein the adjusting rollers are moveable along a connecting track between the adjusting rollers and the deflection roller assigned to the adjusting rollers, so that a distance between the adjusting rollers and the deflection roller changes.

6. The round baler according to claim 1, wherein the two adjusting devices are coupled to one another so that their adjusting rollers are moveable within the interior space in synchronization.

7. The round baler according to claim 1, wherein the transfer cross section extends between two guide rollers extending parallel to the transverse direction of the round baler, wherein the transfer cross section lies in a plane, which includes the center axes of the two guide rollers.

8. The round baler according to claim 7, wherein the two guide rollers delimiting the transfer cross section jointly with both adjusting devices define a quadrangular press chamber when viewed in a cross section of the round baler, and wherein the press belt starting from a first guide roller initially extends to the first adjusting device, thereafter to the second adjusting device and finally to the second guide roller.

9. The round baler according to claim 8, wherein the press chamber when viewed in cross section is delimited on three of sides by the press belt and at a fourth side comprises the transfer cross section.

10. The round baler according to claim 8, wherein the press chamber is in the shape of a trapezoid, and wherein the press chamber expands starting out from the transfer cross section.

11. The round baler according to claim 7, wherein the press chamber is designed symmetrically with respect to a center plane that is orientated perpendicularly to the transfer cross section and located in the middle at the transfer cross section.

12. The round baler according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the adjusting devices comprises at least one linear drive, so that the adjusting rollers are moveable within the interior space along a straight line, and wherein the straight line extends between the adjusting rollers and a fixed deflection roller assigned to the adjusting rollers.

13. The round baler according to claim 12, wherein the linear drive comprises a piston-cylinder unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In the following, the round baler according to the invention is explained in more detail by way of exemplary embodiments shown in the figures. It shows:

[0030] FIG. 1: a round baler according to the prior art,

[0031] FIG. 2: a schematic sketch of a guiding arrangement of a press belt of a round baler according to the invention,

[0032] FIG. 3: a schematic sketch of the guiding arrangement of the press belt according to FIG. 2, wherein a volume of a press chamber is changed relative to a state shown in FIG. 2, and

[0033] FIG. 4: a schematic sketch of a guiding arrangement of a press belt of a further round baler according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] A first exemplary embodiment, which is shown in FIG. 1, comprises a round baler 1 according to the prior art. This in turn comprises a housing 3, which has an interior space 4, and a press chamber 12 which within the interior space 4 is delimited by means of a press belt 8, within which press chamber 12 a round bale 2 just happens to be pressed in the state shown in FIG. 1. The press belt 8 is guided within the interior space 4 by means of a plurality of guide rollers 7, wherein one of the guide rollers 7 is embodied as drive roller. In this way, the press belt 8 which is endless and flat in itself is continuously moveable about the guide rollers 7. The latter extend parallel to a transverse direction of the round baler 1.

[0035] The known round baler 1 comprises a feeding device 5 which is designed in the form of a rotating shaft. The same is equipped with four conveying elements extending radially from an outer lateral surface of the shaft so that the feeding device 5 during the course of its rotation can convey harvest material in the direction of the interior space 4 of the round baler 1. In the process, the harvest material is guided through a feeding channel 25, wherein in the shown example the harvest material, prior to passing from the feeding channel 25 into the press chamber 12, is reduced in size by means of a cutting device 26. Finally, the harvest material passes through a transfer cross section 6 into the press chamber 12.

[0036] The latter is delimited downwards by the transfer cross section 6 and upwards and sideways by the press belt 8. In order to be able to suitably readjust the press belt 8 during the course of the growing of the round bale 2, the round baler 1 comprises an adjusting device 9. The same comprises a pivot arm 33, which is pivotably mounted about a pivot axis 32. At an end of the pivot arm 33 facing away from the pivot axis 32, the adjusting device 9 comprises two adjusting rollers 10, 11. These are moveable within the interior space 4 during the course of a pivoting of the pivot arm 33 about its pivot axis 32, so that a deflection of the press belt 8 brought about by means of the adjusting rollers 10, 11 is equally moveable. The adjusting device 9 in this case interacts with a deflection roller 17 associated with the adjusting rollers 10, 11, which is arranged spaced from the adjusting rollers 10, 11. Here, the press belt is embodied in such a manner that starting out from the first adjusting roller 10 it extends to the deflection roller 17 and then from the deflection roller 17 to the second adjusting roller 11. A movement of adjusting rollers 10, 11 during the course of the pivoting of the pivot arm 33 takes place at least approximately along a connecting track 19 formed straight, which connects the roller pair formed by the adjusting rollers 10, 11 with the deflection roller 17. Furthermore, the round baler 1 interacts with a tensioning device 24, which tensions the press belt 8 under the effect of a spring force.

[0037] As is particularly readily visible by means of the representation according to FIG. 1, the press chamber 12 of the round baler 1 is defined by means of the action of three deflection points. These are formed by the deflection rollers 7 arranged laterally next to the transfer cross section 6 and the roller pair formed by the adjusting rollers 10, 11. The deflection of the press belt 8 at these three deflection points causes a triangular-shaped press chamber 12 to be defined. This triangular cross section of the press chamber 12 is accompanied by the disadvantages presented at the outset. In particular, the shown round baler 1 according to the prior art is not suitable for creating lightly compacted round bales 2.

[0038] A further exemplary embodiment, which is shown in the FIGS. 2 and 3, by contrast, describes a round baler 1 according to the invention. In contrast with the known round baler 1, the same is equipped with two adjusting devices 9, 14, which are exemplarily equipped here with two adjusting rollers 10, 11, 15, 16 in each case. The additional adjusting device 14 creates a further deflection point for the press belt 8, so that by means of the two guide rollers 21, 22 arranged laterally of the transfer cross section 6 and the two adjusting devices 9, 14 a quadrangular press chamber 12 is defined. In the shown example, the transfer cross section 6 is situated on a plane 27 which includes the axes of rotation of the two guide rollers 21, 22, which delimit the transfer cross section 6 on both sides. Furthermore, the press chamber 12 is designed trapezoid-shaped in the shown example, while the press chamber 12 is formed symmetrically in a center plane 23. This center blade 23 is oriented perpendicularly to the transfer cross section 6 and parallel to the transverse direction of the round baler 1 and arranged in the center at the transfer cross section 6. The trapezium shape of the press chamber 12 is configured in such a manner that a cross section of the press chamber 12 measured perpendicularly to the center plane gradually expands starting out from the transfer cross section 6. This symmetrical configuration of the press chamber 12 with regard to the center plane 23 results in that an axis of rotation of the respective round bale 2 being created typically lies at least substantially in the center plane 23.

[0039] In the shown example, the adjusting devices 9, 14 each interact with a deflection roller 17, 18. These are arranged in such a manner that the press belt 8, starting out from a first adjusting roller 10, 15 of the respective adjusting device 9, 14 initially extends to the respective associated deflection roller 17, 18 and then, starting out from the deflection roller 17, 18, to the respective second adjusting roller 11, 18. The adjusting rollers 10, 11, 15, 16 of the two adjusting devices 9, 14 assigned to one another are each located at a distance 20 from their respective associated deflection roller 17, 18. The adjusting rollers 10, 11, 15, 16 are formed moveable within the interior space 4 of the round baler 1 in such a manner that they are moveable along a connecting section 19 relative to the associated deflection roller 17, 18. This has the consequence that running track sections 13 of the press belt 8 directly following the connecting rollers 10, 11, 12, 16 are equally moveable within the interior space 4. The result of a corresponding movement of the adjusting rollers 10, 11, 15, 16 including a movement of the mentioned running track sections 13 of the press belt 8 accompanied by this is particularly clearly evident in the comparison of the states of the round baler 1 according to the invention shown in the FIGS. 2 and 3. In particular it shows that a distance 20 is changed between a respective roller pair of the adjusting rollers 10, 11, 15, 16 and the respective associated deflection rollers 17, 18. This is attributable to the movement of the respective adjusting rollers 10, 11, 15, 16 along the connecting track 19.

[0040] In the shown example, the movement of the adjusting rollers 10, 11, 15, 16 or the adjustment of the two adjusting devices 9, 14 starting out from the state shown in FIG. 2 to the state shown in FIG. 3 has taken place synchronously so that the press chamber as a whole has retained its symmetrical and trapezium-shaped geometry. Thus, the axis of rotation of the round bale 2 being created continues to lie at least approximately in the center plane 23. In the state shown in FIG. 3, the round bale 2 is almost completed while a volume of the press chamber 12 can hardly be enlarged any longer since the adjusting rollers 10, 11, 15, 16 of the adjusting devices 9, 14 are already located at an almost minimal distance 20 to the associated deflection rollers 17, 18.

[0041] In a further exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4 the manner in which the adjusting devices 9, 14 can be designed as illustrated in order to be able to create an in particular synchronous movement of the adjusting rollers 10, 11, 15, 16 assigned to them. Initially, the adjusting devices 9, 14 are each equipped in the shown example with a linear drive 28 comprising a piston-cylinder unit. The adjusting rollers 10, 11, 15, 16 of the adjusting devices 9, 14 are each arranged on an associated guide carriage, which is moveable within a guide channel 36 by means of the linear drive 28. Furthermore, the respective deflection rollers 17, 18 assigned to the adjusting devices 9, 14 are equally located on a support carriage 35, which is arranged fixed in place within the guide channel 36. By means of an actuation of the linear drive 28 a piston of the same, on which the guide carriage 37 of the respective adjusting device 9, 14 is arranged, is moved within the guide channel as a result of which the distance 20 of the roller pair formed by the respective adjusting rollers 10, 11, 15, 16 from the associated deflection roller 17, 18 is changed.

[0042] The guide carriage 37 of a respective adjusting device 9, 14 is coupled at both its ends to a traction chain 29 within the guide channel 36. Said traction chain 29 is guided in a circulation by means of deflection rollers 31 and a gearing 30 so that a movement of the guide carriage 37 within the guide channel 36 is accompanied by a corresponding movement of the traction chain 29 about the deflection rollers 31 and in particular about the gearing 30. For this purpose, the traction chain 29 comprises an engagement region 34 which is suitable for interacting with a complementary toothing of the gearing 30. This results in that a movement of the traction chain 29 is directly translated into a rotation of the gearing 30.

[0043] As is particularly clearly evident from the representation according to FIG. 4, the adjusting devices 9, 14 and the described associated traction chain mechanism are exemplarily formed symmetrically here, wherein both adjusting devices 9, 14 are each connected with a gearing 30 via a respective associated traction chain 29. The gearings 30 each have an outer tooth rim by means of which the same intermesh so that a rotation of the one gearing 30 invariably leads to a corresponding rotation of the respective other gearing 30. It is to be understood that the rotation of a respective gearing 30 in turn is accompanied by a movement of the traction chain 29 and consequently by a corresponding movement of the guide carriage 37 and the adjusting rollers 10, 11, 15, 16 arranged thereon. Accordingly, it is ensured by means of the shown embodiment that the guide carriages 37 of the two adjusting devices 9, 14 synchronously move towards one another in every case. This in turn results in that a change of the cross section and of the volume of the press chamber 12 takes place symmetrically, so that the press chamber 12 is continuously formed symmetrically relative to the center plane 23.

REFERENCE LIST

[0044] 1 Round baler [0045] 2 Round bale [0046] 3 Housing [0047] 4 Interior space [0048] 5 Feeding device [0049] 6 Transfer cross section [0050] 7 Guide roller [0051] 8 Press belt [0052] 9 Adjusting device [0053] 10 Adjusting roller [0054] 11 Adjusting roller [0055] 12 Press chamber [0056] 13 Running track section [0057] 14 Adjusting device [0058] 15 Adjusting roller [0059] 16 Adjusting roller [0060] 17 Deflection roller [0061] 18 Deflection roller [0062] 19 Connecting section [0063] 20 Distance [0064] 21 Guide roller [0065] 22 Guide roller [0066] 23 Center plane [0067] 24 Tensioning device [0068] 25 Feeding channel [0069] 26 Cutting device [0070] 27 Plane [0071] 28 Linear drive [0072] 29 Traction chain [0073] 30 Gearing [0074] 31 Deflection roller [0075] 32 Pivot axis [0076] 33 Pivot arm [0077] 34 Engagement region [0078] 35 Support carriage [0079] 36 Guide channel [0080] 37 Guide carriage