Agricultural system with a baler and tow tractor and a steering arrangement by which the baler is steered autonomously
AssigneeCLAAS Omaha Inc.
InventorsKevin Wilkening, Seth Zentner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An agricultural system includes a baler for picking up and compressing crop from a crop swath in a field and a tow tractor. The baler is towed by the tow tractor via a draft hitch arrangement, which draft hitch arrangement allows a baler pickup track to be laterally offset from the tractor driving track with respect to the tractor driving direction. During baling, the baler pickup track is aligned to the crop swath for picking up crop and the tractor driving track is laterally spaced from the crop swath with respect to the tractor driving direction. A steering system autonomously aligns the baler pickup track onto the crop swath.
Claims14
Agricultural system, comprising
- a baler for picking up and compressing crop from a crop swath in a field;
- and
- a tow tractor;
- wherein the baler comprises a pickup device for picking up crop from the field along a baler pickup track and a baler steering system for autonomously aligning the baler pickup track onto the crop swath;
- wherein the baler is towed by the tow tractor via a draft hitch arrangement that is constructed such that the baler pickup track is laterally offset from the tractor driving track with respect to a tractor driving direction;
- wherein during baling, the baler pickup track is aligned onto the crop swath for picking up crop and the tractor driving track is laterally spaced from the crop swath with respect to the tractor driving direction;
- wherein the baler steering system comprises a sensor arrangement for detecting cross profile information of the crop swath with respect to a longitudinal extension of the crop swath at a location in front of the baler, a baler steering control and a baler steering drive;
- and
- wherein the baler steering control, during baling, continuously aligns, autonomously from the tractor, the baler pickup track onto the crop swath via the baler steering drive based on a predefined steering strategy and based on the cross profile information detected by the sensor arrangement of the baler steering system.
A baler for picking up and compressing crop from a crop swath in a field, comprising:
- a pickup device picking up crop from the field along a baler pickup track;
- and
- a baler steering system for autonomously aligning the baler pickup track onto the crop swath;
- wherein during baling, the baler is towed by a tow tractor via a draft hitch arrangement that allows the baler pickup track to be laterally offset from the tractor driving track with respect to a tractor driving direction;
- wherein during baling, the baler pickup track is aligned onto the crop swath for picking up crop and the tractor driving track is laterally spaced from the crop swath with respect to the tractor driving direction;
- wherein the baler steering system comprises a sensor arrangement for detecting cross profile information of the crop swath at a location in front of the baler;
- and
- wherein the baler steering system comprises a baler steering control and a baler steering drive that during baling, continuously aligns, autonomously from the tractor, the baler pickup track onto the crop swath via the baler steering drive based on a predefined steering strategy and based on the cross profile information detected by the sensor arrangement of the baler steering system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.