US 2026/0033434 A1Published application

Methods and systems for applying twine to a round bale

AssigneeDeere & Company

InventorsHrishikesh Y. RASTE, Bart A. COFFMAN, Ajit Kumar BHUNYA

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Abstract

A baler has a dispensing arm movably mounted to a frame and configured to dispense twine to wrap a bale of crops. The bale has a first end, a second end, a center, and a rotation axis extending along a longitudinal axis of the bale. The twine arm is moveable between a stowed position, a first position near the first end of the bale, and a second position near the second end of the bale. A controller is operatively coupled to the dispensing arm to control movement of the dispensing arm between the first end, a first and second catch position, and the second end. The controller is programmed to move the dispensing arm with a fast stroke at portions of the bale and a slower apply stroke a different portions of the bale to wrap the bale with twine having consistent spacing along the longitudinal axis of the bale.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A baler comprising:

a dispensing arm with a mounting end movably mounted to a frame of the baler and a dispensing end opposite the mounting end, the dispensing end configured to dispense binding material to wrap a bale of crops having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a center between the first end and the second end, and a rotation axis extending along a longitudinal axis of the bale, wherein the dispensing arm is moveable between a stowed position, a first position near the first end of the bale, and a second position near the second end of the bale;
and
a controller operatively connected with the dispensing arm, the controller being adapted to control movement of the dispensing arm to:
move to the first position,
move to a first catch position near the center of the bale with a fast stroke and wrap the binding material onto the bale between the first end and the first catch position, resulting in the binding material having a wide spacing on the bale,
move to the second end with an apply stroke and wrap the binding material onto the bale between the first catch position and the second end, resulting in the binding material having a narrow spacing on the bale,
wrap the binding material onto the second end with the dispensing arm in the second position,
move to a second catch position near the center of the bale with another fast stroke and wrap the binding material onto the bale between the second end and the second catch position, resulting in the binding material having the wide spacing,
move to the first end with another apply stroke and wrap the binding material onto the bale between the second catch position and the first end, resulting in the binding material having the narrow spacing on the bale, and
wrap the binding material onto the first end with the dispensing arm in the first position.

7 more elements

A baler comprising:

a dispensing arm with a mounting end movably mounted to a frame of the baler and a dispensing end opposite the mounting end, the dispensing end configured to dispense binding material to wrap a bale of crops having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a center between the first end and the second end, and a rotation axis extending along a longitudinal axis of the bale, wherein the dispensing arm is moveable between a stowed position, a first position near the first end of the bale, and a second position near the second end of the bale;
and
a controller comprising a non-transient memory device storing control logic and a processor operatively coupled with the non-transient memory device, the processor being operable to execute the control logic to:
determine a first calculated speed, the first calculated speed being a speed of the dispensing arm,
determine a second calculated speed, the second calculated speed being a rotational speed of the bale,
move the dispensing arm to the first position,
dispense binding material around the first end with the dispensing arm in the first position,
move the dispensing arm at the first calculated speed from the first position to the second position while increasing the rotational speed of the bale to the second calculated speed,
dispense binding material around the second end with the dispensing arm in the second position.

6 more elements

A baler comprising:

a dispensing arm with a mounting end movably mounted to a frame of the baler and a dispensing end opposite the mounting end, the dispensing end configured to dispense twine to wrap a bale of crops having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a center between the first end and the second end, and a rotation axis extending along a longitudinal axis of the bale;
an actuator having a movable rod coupled to the mounting end of the dispensing arm and configured to move the dispensing arm between a stowed position, a first position near the first end of the bale, and a second position near the second end of the bale;
a rotation conversion device having an input coupled to the rod and an output coupled to the mounting end of the dispensing arm, the rotation conversion device configured to convert linear motion of the actuator to rotational movement of the dispensing arm;
and
a controller operatively coupled with the actuator and adapted to:
command the actuator to move the dispensing arm to the first position,
command the actuator to move the dispensing arm to a first catch position near the center of the bale with a fast stroke and wrap twine onto the bale between the first end and the first catch position, resulting in the twine having a wide spacing on the bale,
command the actuator to move the dispensing arm to the second end with an apply stroke and wrap twine onto the bale between the first catch position and the second end, resulting in the twine having a narrow spacing on the bale,
wrap twine onto the second end with the dispensing arm in the second position,
command the actuator to move the dispensing arm to a second catch position near the center of the bale with another fast stroke and wrap twine onto the bale between the second end and the second catch position, resulting in the twine having the wide spacing on the bale,
command the actuator to move the dispensing arm to the first end with another apply stroke and wrap twine onto the bale between the second catch position and the first end, resulting in the twine having the narrow spacing on the bale, and
wrap twine onto the first end with the dispensing arm in the first position.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.