Bale forming apparatus and method with a free-wheel clutch
AssigneeForage Company B.V.
InventorPeter Rodewald
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bale forming apparatus including a bale forming device providing a bale forming chamber, a rotatable driving member, a shaft, and a free-wheel clutch provided between the shaft and the rotatable driving member. The shaft drives at least temporarily the rotatable driving member. The free-wheel clutch transfers a rotation of the shaft onto the driving member. The rotated driving member drives at least one part of the bale forming device. The bale forming device forms a bale in the provided bale forming chamber. At least one time the rotatable driving member is rotated with respect to the shaft. The free-wheel clutch enables this rotation of the rotatable driving member.
Claims21
A bale forming apparatus comprising:
- an input shaft
- a bale forming device providing a bale forming chamber;
- a feeding device, arranged to feed received loose material towards and to inject the loose material into the bale forming chamber to form a bale from the injected loose material;
- a feeding-side output shaft which is at least temporarily in drive connection with the feeding device;
- and
- a forming-side output shaft which is at least temporarily in drive connection with a chain wheel, wherein the chain wheel is in chain drive connection with at least one rotatable part of the bale forming device,
- wherein the input shaft is arranged to rotate the feeding-side output shaft and the forming-side output shaft being in drive connection with the chain wheel, a free-wheel clutch is provided between the forming-side output shaft and the chain wheel, wherein the free-wheel clutch transfers rotation of the forming-side output shaft in a driving direction onto the chain wheel to cause the chain wheel to rotate in a bale forming rotating direction about a shaft rotating axis, and wherein the free-wheel clutch enables a further rotation of the chain wheel in the bale forming rotating direction with respect to the forming-side output shaft.
A method for forming a bale from loose material by using a bale forming apparatus comprising a bale forming device providing a bale forming chamber, a chain wheel which is in drive connection with at least one rotatable part of the bale forming device and a shaft, wherein the method comprises the steps that:
- the bale forming apparatus receives loose material and injects the received loose material into the provided bale forming chamber;
- the shaft is rotated in a driving direction about a shaft rotating axis and rotates at least temporarily the chain wheel in a bale forming direction about the shaft rotating axis;
- the chain wheel drives the bale forming device or at least one rotatable part of the bale forming device;
- and
- the bale forming device forms in the provided bale forming chamber a bale from injected loose material, whereby the bale forming device further comprises a free-wheel clutch which is provided between the shaft and the chain wheel, wherein the method comprises the steps that:
- the free-wheel clutch transfers rotation of the shaft in a driving direction onto the chain wheel such that the chain wheel is rotated in the bale forming rotating direction;
- and
- at least one time the chain wheel is rotated in the bale forming rotating direction with respect to the shaft, wherein the free-wheel clutch enables this rotation of the chain wheel with respect to the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.