Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BALE WRAPPING DEVICE, HARVESTING APPLIANCE AND METHOD
The present invention relates to a bale wrapping device
for enveloping a bale with an enveloping material, having
a receiving apparatus for receiving a bale during the
enveloping operation, and having at least one wrapping
arm, to a harvesting appliance, preferably of the baler,
combination baler or bale wrapping appliance type, having
a bale wrapping device, and to a method for adapting such
a bale wrapping device.
Bale wrapping devices are used to package bales,
preferably= bales formed by balers from harvested
material, for example from grass. These bales are encased
completely in an airtight material, for example in a
film, in order to obtain relatively small silage
quantities.
Conventional bale wrapping devices can be part of
harvesting appliances, for example of the autonomous bale
wrapping appliance type, which are attached to a baler or
some other appliance that delivers bales, and receive a
bale from the baler after the conclusion of a baling
operation. Alternatively, they can represent a
constituent of a bale wrapping appliance that is
independent of a harvesting appliance or a baler, for
example in such a way that an already pre-baled bale is
placed onto the bale wrapping device of the bale wrapping
appliance in order to envelop said bale independently of
the actual baling operation. However, a bale wrapping
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device can also be a fixed or releasable, or rigid or
movable, for example pivotable, constituent of a
harvesting appliance, for example of a baler or of a
baling/wrapping combination also known as a combination
baler, wherein the wrapping device is arranged
functionally downstream of the actual baling device.
Bale wrapping devices usually have a receiving device of
the wrapping table type, which receives a bale formed or
delivered by a harvesting appliance configured for
example as a baler. Depending on the baler and/or the
particular requirements placed on the baler, the bales to
be received can have different diameters. In known bale
wrapping devices, in order to adapt to different bale
diameters, complicated conversion of the bale wrapping
appliance is frequently necessary in that components that
carry enveloping material, for example wrapping arms,
have to be adjusted in terms of height.
It is known to configure the wrapping table such that it
contains support rollers which are spaced apart
horizontally from one another and support the bales
circumferentially at at least two different
circumferential points. Depending on the embodiment,
these support rollers can also be girded by a belt such
that the bale is supported not just at points by the
support rollers but extensively over a circumferential
region by the belt. The distance between the support
rollers in this case determines the centre height of the
bale, such that with equally spaced-apart support rollers
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and bales to be wound that have different diameters, the
centre height (height of the centre point) of the bale
varies and the bale is no longer positioned centrally
with respect to the enveloping material on the wrapping
arm. Thus, wrapping tables are as a rule oriented
optimally only with respect to a bale diameter and have
to be adjusted in terms of height in the case of varying
bale diameters. This requires complicated adjusting
devices and/or time-consuming conversion measures.
Furthermore, it is known to also remedy this problem by
changing the support rollers to ones with larger or
smaller diameters or to increase or reduce the horizontal
spacing apart of the support rollers provided. Both of
these measures are likewise complicated in terms of
assembly and time consuming. In other solutions, in the
case of wrapping tables which use a belt, provision is
made to vary the belt tension and as a result to raise or
lower the bale. However, by tightening the belt for bales
with a smaller diameter, the bearing surface of the bale
on the belt is reduced, with the result that further
disadvantages can occur in bale entrainment (rotation of
the bale during wrapping).
The problem underlying the invention is considered that
of specifying a bale wrapping device of the type
mentioned at the beginning, with which the abovementioned
disadvantages are overcome.
According to the invention, the object is achieved by the
teaching of Claims 1, 7 and 8, respectively. Further
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advantageous configurations and developments of the
invention can be gathered from the dependent claims.
According to the invention, a bale wrapping device of the
type mentioned at the beginning is configured such that
the receiving apparatus has a receiving table with
horizontally spaced-apart support rollers for supporting
a bale, wherein a bale is supportable by a first support
roller at a first circumferential point and optionally by
at least one second or third support roller at a second
circumferential point that is spaced apart from the first
circumferential point around the bale circumference,
wherein a pivotable support-roller holder, on which the
at least second and third support rollers are mounted, is
contained, wherein the support-roller holder is pivotable
out of a first position, in which the at least second
support roller takes up a supporting position for
supporting a bale, and into at least one second position,
in which the at least third support roller takes up a
supporting position for supporting a bale. By pivoting
the support-roller holder out of the first position and
into a second position, and vice versa, the spacing
between the first support roller and the second or third
support roller that is in a supporting position is
variable. As a result, it is possible to modify the
receiving table such that the form thereof is adapted to
the diameter of a bale to be wrapped without expensive
and complicated design measures having to be taken. The
receiving apparatus is adjustable by simply pivoting the
support-roller holder in such a way that the bale centre
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point of the bale to be wrapped takes up an at least
substantially identical position with respect to the at
least one wrapping arm for different bale diameters. This
simplifies the adaptation of a bale wrapping device to
bales with different diameters. If the bale as such, or
the bale centre point of the bale for each bale diameter
or for each bale diameter for which the bale wrapping
device is configured to be suitable, takes up an
identical or at least substantially identical position,
it is possible to dispense with adjusting other
components of the bale wrapping device, in particular a
wrapping arm or several wrapping arms and/or a frame of
the bale wrapping device. The pivotable support-roller
holder can in this case be mounted at the front or rear
of the receiving table with respect to the direction of
travel of a baler. The second position of the support-
roller holder is in this case settable in a variable
manner such that overall a plurality of positions that
are different from a first position are settable and thus
adapted setting for a multiplicity of bales with
different bale diameters is possible. It is conceivable
to also configure the support-roller holder with more
than two support rollers in order in this way to further
increase the variability in the form of the receiving
table.
The support rollers can be looped around by a belt, with
the result that, in addition to the support created at
the abovementioned circumferential points, extensive
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support is created by the belt between the support
rollers on a top side of the loop.
The support roller that is not in a supporting position
can take up a position acting on the belt on an underside
of the loop. As a result, the support roller in question
can be used at the same time as a belt tensioner, with
the result that the form of the bearing surface formed by
the belt can be influenced such that the belt sags to a
greater or lesser extent on the top side of the loop. It
is furthermore ensured that a desired belt tension can be
maintained even with different receiving-table forms
(sagging of the top side of the belt).
The .second and at least third support roller mounted on
the support-roller holder can have different diameters.
When a belt looping around the support rollers is used,
the tension of the belt is decisively influenced thereby,
and so the form of the receiving table and thus the
bearing surface for a bale is variable.
The support-roller holder can be pivoted manually or by a
motor, in the latter case for example by a hydraulic
cylinder or by an electric servomotor which acts on the
support-roller holder, the support rollers or a pivot
axle of the support-roller holder and varies the pivoted
position. The motorized control of the pivoted position
can take place by way of a corresponding control unit
(hydraulic or electric), such that, for different bale
diameters, the suitable pivoted position of the support-
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roller holder is settable automatically or in a
programmable manner, or can take place by manual setting
at the control unit or at an input device provided for
this purpose.
The pivot axle of the support-roller holder can be
arranged centrally or eccentrically between rotary axles
of the support rollers, wherein the pivot axle and the
rotary axles are preferably arranged in a manner aligned
with one another along a connecting line. However, it is
also possible here, if required, to select an arrangement
of the rotary axles and pivot axle with respect to one
another which does not provide for an aligned orientation
along a connecting line.
Such a bale wrapping device can be provided on a
harvesting appliance, preferably on a harvesting
appliance of the baler, combination baler or bale
wrapping appliance type. The bale wrapping device can be
an integral part of such a harvesting appliance or also
be provided as an option.
A method for setting a bale wrapping device according to
the invention, preferably in conjunction with an above-
described harvesting appliance, teaches that the bale
wrapping device is adjusted for adaptation to bales with
different diameters in such a way that the centre point
of the bale takes up at least substantially an identical
position for different bale diameters.
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The invention and further advantages and advantageous
developments of the invention and configurations of the
invention are explained and described in more detail in
the following text with reference to the drawing, which
shows an exemplary embodiment of the invention, and in
which:
Figure 1 shows a baler having a downstream bale wrapping
device with a receiving device comprising a
receiving table,
Figure 2 shows a schematic illustration of the receiving
table from Figure 1 with a pivotable support-
roller holder having two support rollers in a
first position, and
Figure 3 shows a schematic illustration of the receiving
table from Figures 1 and 2 with the pivotable
support-roller holder having two support
rollers in a second position.
Figure 1 shows a harvesting appliance 10 in the form of a
baler configured as a round baler with a downstream bale
wrapping device 12. In the exemplary embodiment shown,
the harvesting appliance 10 has a frame 14, a chassis 16,
a baling chamber 18 and a feeding apparatus 20. Also
provided is a drawbar 22 by means of which the harvesting
appliance 10 is attachable to a towing vehicle (not
shown), for example an agricultural working machine or
tractor. In principle, the harvesting appliance 10 can be
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of any conventional structural type. According to the
figures, the harvesting appliance 10 is a round baler.
Such an appliance can have for example a fixed or
variable baling chamber and be used both in agriculture
and in an industrial context. Preferably, the baler 10 is
of the structural type according to German patent
application 101 53 540.6, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein.
The frame 12 is formed by a welded and/or screwed
assembly and is supported on the underlying surface 21 by
means of the chassis 16. The chassis 16 is illustrated in
the drawing in a tandem axle design with two axles, each
of which is provided on each side with a wheel. A
configuration with only one axle or with support by means
of crawlers or other suitable means is also conceivable.
The bale wrapping device 12 has a frame 24, a receiving
apparatus 26 for receiving a bale 28 to be enveloped, and
wrapping arms 30 which can be set in motion by means of a
suitable drive (not shown) in order to envelop the bale
28 having a diameter D with an enveloping material, for
example a film. In their end regions, the wrapping arms
30 have enveloping-means carriers 32 for receiving an
enveloping-means supply 34, for example of the roll type.
The receiving apparatus 26 has a receiving table 36
having a first, a second and a third support roller 38,
40, 42. The second and the third support rollers 40, 42
are mounted on a pivotable support-roller holder 44. The
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support rollers 38, 40, 42 are looped around by a
flexible belt 46. The receiving table 36 is fastened to
the frame 24 of the bale wrapping device 12 via a frame
48 of the receiving apparatus 26 and damping means 50
connected thereto (see Figures 2 and 3).
The first support roller 38 is configured to be drivable
via a drive device 52. The support-roller holder 44 is
arranged in a pivotable manner via a pendulum axle 54. An
actuator 56, in the form of a hydraulic cylinder, acts on
the pendulum axle 54 and sets the latter in rotation, if
required, wherein a first position according to Figure 2
with a retracted hydraulic cylinder 56 and a second
position according to Figure 3 with an extended hydraulic
cylinder 56 are illustrated. The support rollers 40 and
42 are mounted on rotary axles 58 mounted on the support-
roller holder 44.
Generally, in operation, a bale 28 is delivered by the
harvesting appliance 10 after the end of the baling
operation and is transferred to the bale wrapping device
12 by means of known means that are not illustrated in
more detail. The bale 28 is received by the receiving
apparatus 26 such that the bale 28 is supported on its
circumference by the first and second support rollers 38
and 40 (Figure 2) or by the first and third support
rollers 38, 42 (Figure 3). In this case, the belt 46 is
provided in a supporting manner and additionally forms a
bearing surface. After the bale 28 has been received by
the receiving device 26, the bale is enveloped with
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enveloping-means supply 34 by means of the wrapping arms
30 and the enveloping-means carriers 32 that are carried
thereon.
The first and second support rollers 38, 40 are
configured here with an identical diameter, wherein the
third support roller 42 has a smaller diameter. According
to Figure 2, in addition to the first support roller 38,
the second support roller 40 takes up a supporting
position for supporting a bale 28, wherein the second
support roller 40 is located in an upper pivoted position
and the third support roller 42 is located in a lower
pivoted position. The hydraulic cylinder 56 is in a
retracted position. The first position of the support-
roller holder 44 that is shown in Figure 2 thus brings
about a first spacing Al between the first and the second
support rollers 38, 40. By pivoting the support-roller
holder 44 into a second position, this taking place by
activation or extension of the hydraulic cylinder 56, the
third support roller 42 is moved into an upper pivoted
position and the second support roller 40 is moved into a
lower pivoted position, as illustrated in Figure 3. The
position of the support-roller holder 44 that is shown in
Figure 3 thus brings about a second spacing A2 between
the first and the third support rollers 38, 42, wherein
the first spacing Al according to Figure 2 is configured
to be greater than the second spacing A2 according to
Figure 3. At the same time, the position of the support-
roller holder 44 that is shown in Figure 3, or the lower
pivoted position of the second support roller 40, has the
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effect that the belt 46 is engaged with the second
support roller 40 on its underside, which is defined in
Figure 3 by a part of the belt 46 that extends in the
clockwise direction between the first and third support
rollers 38, 42, and is tensioned, and is shortened on its
top side, which is defined in Figure 3 by a part of the
belt 46 that extends in the clockwise direction between
the first and third support rollers 38, 42, and thus a
bearing surface formed by the top side of the belt is
raised. As a result of the shorter distance A2 and the
raised bearing surface, the receiving table 36 is adapted
to a smaller diameter of a smaller bale 28.
Starting from the second position of the support-roller
holder 44 that is shown in Figure 3, by pivoting the
support-roller holder in the opposite direction into its
first position, this taking place by retraction of the
hydraulic cylinder 56, according to Figure 2 the third
support roller 42 is moved back into a lower pivoted
position and the second support roller 40 is moved back
into an upper supporting position and thus the greater
spacing Al formed between the support rollers 38, 40
located in the supporting position is set again. At the
same time, the position of the support-roller holder 44
that is shown in Figure 2, or the lower pivoted position
of the third support roller 42, has the effect that the
belt 46 is engaged with the third support roller 42 on
its underside, which is defined in Figure 2 by a part of
the belt 46 that extends in the clockwise direction
between the third and first support rollers 42, 38, and,
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compared with the position of the support-roller holder
in Figure 3, is slackened overall and extended on its top
side, which is defined in Figure 2 by a part of the belt
46 that extends in the clockwise direction between the
first and second support rollers 38, 40, and thus a
bearing surface formed by the top side of the belt is
lowered. As a result of the smaller spacing A2 and the
lowered bearing surface, the receiving table 36 is
adapted to a larger diameter of a larger bale 28. The
embodiment of the receiving apparatus 26 that is
illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 ultimately has the effect
that the centre point of a small bale 28 remains at
approximately the same height compared with the centre
point of a large bale 28 and a bale can be wrapped with
enveloping material substantially centrally with respect
to the bale 28, independently of the size of the bale 28.
In addition to the described positions of the support-
roller holder 44 according to Figures 2 and 3, it is of
course also possible to set intermediate positions, these
being settable by corresponding actuation of the
hydraulic cylinder 56. Thus, in addition to the
abovementioned extremes, specifically a setting for a
large bale 28 according to Figure 2 and a setting for a
small bale 28 according to Figure 3, settings which are
suitable for bale sizes that represent a corresponding
intermediate dimension are also possible.
In addition to the shown embodiment, it is also possible
to pivot the support-roller holder manually, for example
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by way of a lever (not shown) attached to the pendulum
axle 54, said lever having a catch that is configured for
correspondingly desired pivoted positions of the support-
roller holder 44. The diameters of the support rollers
38, 40, 42 can likewise vary, in particular also that of
the driven first support roller 38.
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