Round baler wrap usage indicator
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsDaniel E. Derscheid, Bart A. Coffman, Eric M. Thies
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of monitoring a status of a supply of wrap material of a baler implement includes receiving a supply roll length input when a new supply roll of wrap material is loaded into a wrap system of the baler implement. A respective length of the wrap material used to wrap each bale since receiving the supply roll length input is determined and summed together to define a total current used wrap value. The total current used wrap value is subtracted from the total longitudinal length to define a current remaining length of the wrap material. A notification signal is communicated to a communicator to indicate to an operator the current remaining length of the wrap material on the supply roll of the wrap material.
Claims14
A method of operating a baler implement operable to form a bale having a cylindrical shape and wrap the bale with a wrap material, the method comprising:
- receiving a supply roll length input with a baler controller, wherein the supply roll length input includes a total longitudinal length of the wrap material included on a full supply roll of the wrap material;
- sensing data related to the respective length of the wrap material used to wrap each bale, with a sensor positioned on the baler implement, wherein sensing data related to the respective length of the wrap material used to wrap each bale includes sensing a dispensing speed of the wrap material during a bale wrap process and sensing a time period during which the wrap material is dispensed during the bale wrap process;
- determining, with the baler controller, a respective length of the wrap material used to wrap each bale since receiving the supply roll length input, wherein determining the respective length of the wrap material used to wrap each bale includes multiplying the dispensing speed by the time period to calculate the respective length of the wrap material used to wrap each bale;
- summing, with the baler controller, all of the respective lengths of the wrap material used to wrap each bale since receiving the supply roll length input, to define a total current used wrap value;
- subtracting, with the baler controller, the total current used wrap value from the total longitudinal length to define a current remaining length of the wrap material;
- d
- communicating a notification signal to a communicator with the baler controller, wherein the notification signal indicates the current remaining length of the wrap material on the supply roll of the wrap material.
A baler implement comprising:
- a baling chamber operable to form a material into a bale having a cylindrical shape;
- a wrap system operable to supply a wrap material from a supply roll of the wrap material into the baling chamber to wrap the bale;
- a baler controller including a processor and a memory having a wrap monitoring algorithm stored thereon, wherein the processor is operable to execute the wrap monitoring algorithm to:
- receive a supply roll length input defining a total longitudinal length of the wrap material included on a full supply roll of the wrap material;
- sense data related to the respective length of the wrap material used to wrap each bale, with a sensor positioned on the baler implement, wherein the data related to the respective length of the wrap material used to wrap each bale includes a dispensing speed of the wrap material during a bale wrap process, and a time period during which the wrap material is dispensed during the bale wrap process;
- determine a respective length of the wrap material used to wrap each bale by multiplying the dispensing speed by the time period to calculate the respective length of the wrap material used to wrap each bale;
- sum all of the respective lengths of the wrap material used to wrap each bale since receiving the supply roll length input since receiving the supply roll length input, to define a total current used wrap value;
- subtract the total current used wrap value from the total longitudinal length to define a current remaining length of the wrap material;
- and
- communicate a notification signal to a communicator, wherein the notification signal indicates the current remaining length of the wrap material on the supply roll of the wrap material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.