US 5,689,934 AGranted

Method and system for wrapping a bale

AssigneeMima Incorporated

InventorsPhilip G. Scherer, Werner K. Diehl, Gale W. Huson

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Abstract

A novel method and system for wrapping a bale supported on a platform in a wrapping position with a bale wrapping apparatus including a rotating arm positioned above the bale, a downright member extending downwardly from an outward end portion of the rotating arm, and a wrap carriage movable up and down the downright, wherein the downright and the wrap carriage orbit the bale in the wrapping position as the rotating arm rotates to apply a film or wrap material about the bale. A bale stabilizer, positioned above the bale in the wrapping position, with a plate extendable into contact the bale stabilizes the bale during application of the wrap about the bale. An upender with laterally movable arms and pivoting paddles is positionable to engage and disengage the bale. The upender is movable to raise and lower the clamped bale from and back to the platform, and the paddles are pivotable to rotate the raised bale. The upender includes a carriage movable up and down relative to a base. Each arm is pivotally coupled to the carriage by a second pivot assembly to laterally move the paddles toward and away from each other, and each arm is pivotally coupled to the carriage by a third pivot assembly to pivot the arms between a raised position and a lowered position. The platform for supporting the bale in the wrapping position is mounted on a dolly translatable between a bale press station wherein a bale is loadable onto the platform, the wrapping position, and a conveyor station wherein the bale is unloaded from the platform.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A system for wrapping a bale, comprising:

bale wrapping means for applying wrapping material about a bale disposed at a wrapping station while said bale is disposed in a predetermined orientation;
a platform for supporting said bale disposed at said wrapping station;
an upender carriage disposed adjacent to said wrapping station;
a pair of arms mounted at first portions thereof to said upender carriage, wherein each arm has a bale clamping member mounted upon a second portion thereof;
means for moving said pair of arms, with respect to said upender carriage, between lowered and raised positions, and for moving said pair of arms, with respect to said upender carriage, toward and away from each other;
means for vertically moving said upender carriage between lowered and raised positions;
and
means for pivotally mounting said bale clamping members between first and second positions with respect to said pair of arms such that when said upender carriage is disposed at said lowered position and said pair of arms are disposed at their lowered positions and moved toward each other while said bale clamping members are disposed at said first positions, said bale clamping members can engage side portions of a bale disposed in a first orientation upon said platform;
while when said upender carriage is moved to said raised position so as to remove said bale from said platform, as a result of said bale being secured between said bale clamping members, and thereby permit said bale clamping members to be pivoted to said second positions so as to dispose said bale in a second orientation upon said platform, after which said upender carriage is moved to said lowered position so as to replace said bale upon said platform in said second orientation, and said pair of arms are moved away from each other so as to disengage said bale clamping members from said side portions of said bale, and said pair of arms are moved to said raised positions, further wrapping of said bale while disposed in said second orientation, and with respect to portions of said bale not wrapped while said bale was disposed in said first orientation, can be achieved.

6 more elements

A method for wrapping a bale with wrapping material, comprising the steps of:

supporting a bale on a support platform in a first orientation and positioning said bale disposed upon said support platform at a wrapping station;
providing bale wrapping means for applying wrapping material about a bale disposed at said wrapping station and while said bale is disposed in a predetermined orientation;
providing an upender carriage adjacent to said wrapping station wherein said upender carriage is movable between lowered and raised positions;
mounting a pair of arms upon said upender carriage wherein said arms are movable with respect to said upender carriage between lowered and raised positions, and wherein said pair of arms are also movable with respect to said upender carriage toward and away from each other;
mounting a pair of bale clamping members upon said pair of arms wherein said bale clamping members are pivotally movable with respect to said pair of arms between first and second positions;
activating said bale wrapping means so as to wrap side portions of said bale with wrapping material supplied by said bale wrapping means in a first wrap application and while said bale is disposed in said first orientation;
disposing said upender carriage at its lowered position;
disposing said pair of arms at their lowered positions and moving said pair of arms toward each other such that said pair of bale clamping members disposed at said first position can engage said bale disposed upon said support platform at said wrapping station and in said first orientation;
moving said upender carriage to its raised position so as to lift said clampingly engaged bale from said support platform;
rotating said pair of bale clamping members from said first position to said second position such that said bale is rotated from said first orientation to a second orientation;
moving said upender carriage from its raised position to its lowered position so as to place said rotated bale upon said support platform in said second orientation;
moving said pair of arms away from each other so as to disengage said pair of bale clamping members from said bale, and moving said pair of arms to said raised positions so as to remove said pair of arms from the vicinity of said bale;
wrapping side portions of said rotated bale not wrapped during said first wrap application, with wrapping material supplied by said bale wrapping means in a second wrap application;
and
removing said wrapped bale from said wrapping station.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.