QUADERBALLENPRESSE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a rectangular baler according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Square balers are used in agriculture to collect, for example, windrowed, stalk-like crops such as straw, hay, grass, or similar materials, further shred them, and compact or press them into rectangular bales. For this purpose, square balers have various working units that serve the necessary conveying and / or further processing of the crop. These working units include, for example, a cutting rotor for shredding the collected crop, a feeder for pre-compacting and feeding the shredded crop into a press channel of the square baler, a press piston that is movable within the press channel and compresses the pre-compacted crop into a rectangular bale, and a knotter that ties the pressed bale.These working units are typically connected to a central drive train of the square baler, which, during operation of the square baler, is connected to a power take-off (PTO) shaft of an agricultural machine, particularly a tractor. A gearbox is provided to drive the working units of the square baler, such as the press piston, which drives the press piston (movably arranged between end positions) in the baler's press channel, as well as at least one other working unit of the square baler.

[0003] Conventional square balers of this type include a flywheel, which acts as a damper and energy storage device between the drive unit of the agricultural machine (which provides the drive power for the baler) and the working components of the baler itself. Currently, there is a focus on developing increasingly powerful and larger square balers that compress pre-compacted crop material into a square bale using very high pressure. This development necessitates the delivery of ever-increasing drive power to the baler's piston via the drive train. Consequently, larger and heavier flywheels are required to provide the necessary drive power and reduce potential stress on the baler's drive train during operation.

[0004] However, the use of larger and heavier flywheels increases the weight of the square baler and requires significantly more drive power just to accelerate the flywheel from a standstill. Currently, such flywheels are mounted on a drive shaft of the square baler, often a cardan shaft, connected to a torque input port where the drive power of the agricultural implement is supplied via a power take-off (PTO) shaft. The drive shaft supporting the flywheel is mechanically connected to the working components of the square baler. Therefore, when starting the square baler, the flywheel must always be accelerated from a standstill along with most of the drivetrain components and the working components connected to the drivetrain.With some agricultural machines, this can lead to an undesirable stalling of the machine's drive unit when the square baler is started, due to the high inertia. Starting the square baler may then be impossible or extremely difficult. Furthermore, the engagement clutch may be damaged.

[0005] In light of this problem, European patent application EP 3 508 052 A1 discloses a square baler according to the preamble of claim 1. In particular, the segments of a two-part flywheel are engaged one after the other by means of a switchable clutch device.

[0006] The square baler described in WO 2014 / 170318 A1 comprises a transmission device arranged on a cardan shaft between a torque input connection and a flywheel, which can be switched between a start state and an operating state. In the operating state, the transmission device fully transmits the rotary motion of a power take-off (PTO) shaft of an agricultural machine to a flywheel, so that the transmission is comparable to a conventional axle. In the start state, however, the transmission device only partially transmits the rotary motion of the PTO shaft to the flywheel. This allows the PTO shaft to have a higher rotational speed than the flywheel. The transmission device is designed as a planetary gear set or as a friction clutch.Due to the transmission device, a flywheel can be used in the square baler that is otherwise too heavy and / or too large to be operated via a direct connection.

[0007] An increase in the drive power of the press piston means that the dimensioning of the drive train, especially the gearbox components, must be adjusted, or an agricultural machine with a higher drive power must be used.

[0008] Based on the aforementioned prior art, the object of the present invention is therefore to further develop a square baler of the type mentioned at the outset, which reliably provides the drive power required at the working units of the square baler, in particular the drive power of the press piston, and is characterized by a lower requirement of the drive power to be provided by the working machine.

[0009] This problem is solved according to the invention by the features of independent claim 1, wherein advantageous further developments of the rectangular baler according to the invention are the subject of the corresponding dependent claims 2 to 13.

[0010] According to claim 1, a square baler is proposed comprising at least one press piston movably arranged in a press channel between end positions and a drive train configured to drive at least the press piston, wherein the drive train has a torque input connection by means of which a torque can be supplied to the drive train, and wherein the drive train comprises a transmission device downstream of the torque input connection with at least one flywheel.According to the invention, the transmission device comprises a first power branch connected to the torque input port and two reduction gears associated with the press piston, which are connected to the first power branch in parallel to each other, wherein at least one flywheel is connected upstream of each reduction gear, wherein a switchable clutch device is connected between the first power branch and at least one of the flywheels, wherein the clutch device is configured to engage the at least one flywheel during commissioning or a start-up process of the square baler.

[0011] The square baler according to the invention allows the use of at least two flywheels that are smaller than the single flywheel known from the prior art. Due to the at least one switchable clutch device, during commissioning and / or start-up of the square baler, initially only one of the at least two flywheels is driven, thus reducing the power required by the machine. The other flywheel is engaged later by actuating the switchable clutch device. Commissioning and / or start-up of the square baler is carried out in stages.A further advantage is that the staged process during commissioning and / or the start-up procedure reduces the stress on the torque input connection and the drive shaft of the agricultural machinery. The risk of damage due to incorrect operation during commissioning can also be reduced.

[0012] In particular, at least one side gearbox can be interposed between the first power branch and the reduction gearboxes associated with the press piston. The combination of the side gearbox and this downstream flywheel allows the at least two flywheels to be dimensioned smaller than in conventional drive trains known from the prior art. The tasks to be performed by the flywheel, such as shielding torque surges from the press piston or the working components and reducing speed fluctuations of the drive train, are fulfilled equally effectively by the at least two smaller flywheels.Furthermore, the decoupling of the first power split and the reduction gears achieved by means of the two side gearboxes ensures a modular design of the drive train, so that it can be easily adapted to different performance classes and sizes of square balers by exchanging individual drive train components, without having to fundamentally change the drive train concept or layout.

[0013] In this process, one of the flywheels can be interposed between the reduction gears and the associated side gearbox assigned to the press piston. This allows the spatial distance between the power branch and the press piston to be bridged particularly easily, without the need for drive train components located in the center of the square baler between the first power branch and the press piston, which would create space constraints that would hinder the design of the square baler.

[0014] According to an advantageous further development, it is provided that the at least one switchable clutch device is integrated into at least one of the side gearboxes.

[0015] In particular, the side drives can be designed as traction drives, preferably V-belt drives or chain drives. Designing the two side drives as traction drives makes it possible to compensate for any twisting (torsion) caused by the load generated by the press piston during operation of the square baler in the two reduction gears associated with the press piston, and to prevent such twisting from being transmitted to other components of the drive train, as this could lead to damage or destruction of the components.

[0016] The use of a V-belt drive is particularly advantageous in this context, as it keeps the costs of the drivetrain low. However, chain drives are equally suitable for this purpose. It is also conceivable to design the side gearboxes as bevel gear stages, in which a bevel gear of the stage, operatively connected to an output shaft of the first power branch, is linked via a driveshaft to a second bevel gear, which in turn drives at least one flywheel of the respective side gearbox.

[0017] Alternatively, the side gears can be designed as spur gears or crown gears.

[0018] Furthermore, at least one switchable clutch device can be designed as a sliding drive wheel of the side gearbox designed as a traction transmission.

[0019] Another alternative is the design of the at least one switchable clutch device as a belt clutch, which is integrated into one of the side gearboxes designed as a traction transmission.

[0020] Preferably, the at least one switchable clutch device can be arranged on an output shaft connecting the first power branch and one of the side gearboxes.

[0021] In particular, the output shaft, which connects the first power split and the two side gearboxes, can be designed as a continuous shaft or as a two-part shaft.

[0022] According to an advantageous embodiment, the at least one switchable clutch device is designed as a dry clutch, wet multi-plate clutch or hydrodynamic clutch.

[0023] An embodiment of the at least one switchable clutch device as a dry clutch, wet multi-plate clutch, or hydrodynamic clutch allows for the engagement or disengagement, as needed, of the drivetrain components downstream in the direction of power flow, in this case, the flywheel of the square baler. In particular, an embodiment of the at least one switchable clutch device as a hydrodynamic clutch can at least reduce the occurrence of additional load peaks in the drivetrain.

[0024] According to an advantageous further development, it is provided that exactly one switchable clutch device is interposed between the first power branch and the at least two flywheels, and that these clutch devices can be switched independently of each other.

[0025] This allows for the simulation of various operating situations during commissioning and / or the start-up process.

[0026] The square baler, or rather its drive train, can initially be operated without driving the at least two flywheels. Depending on the arrangement of the intermediate coupling devices, at least the first power branch of the drive train can be driven. In addition to the first power branch, one or both side gearboxes can also be driven without driving the at least two flywheels of the respective side gearbox. With a time delay, one of the flywheels and then the other at least one flywheel can be engaged by controlling the respective coupling device. It is also conceivable to engage the at least two flywheels simultaneously by controlling the respective coupling device.

[0027] Alternatively, the square baler or the drive train can initially be operated with only one of the at least two flywheels. The other flywheel is then engaged at a later time.

[0028] In particular, the drive train can drive a cutting rotor as an additional working unit of the square baler, with one of the reduction gears assigned to the press piston and the cutting rotor being connected to the first power branch in parallel to each other.

[0029] According to a preferred embodiment, a control device can be assigned to the drivetrain, which is configured for the, in particular automatic, control of the at least one switchable clutch device. The control device assigned to the drivetrain can preferably perform the switching of the at least one switchable clutch device automatically, thus ensuring that incorrect operation or premature engagement of the at least two flywheels of a respective side transmission is prevented.

[0030] The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment illustrated in the drawings. Fig. 1 schematically and by way of example a side view of a square baler; Fig. 2 schematically and by way of example a gear arrangement of the square baler according to Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 schematically and exemplarily shows a further embodiment of the gear arrangement according to Fig. 2 .

[0031] Fig. 1 Figure 1 schematically and exemplarily shows a side view of a square baler 1. The square baler 1 can be coupled to an agricultural machine, in particular a tractor (not shown in the figures), so that the square baler 1 and the agricultural machine together form a so-called agricultural train. The square baler 1 comprises a Fig. 1 Housing (not shown) that encloses the components of the square baler 1 attached to a chassis 2 of the square baler 1. The square baler 1 further comprises a Fig. 2The drive train 3, shown in more detail below, drives various working units of the square baler 1. These working units include, for example, a pickup device 4 for collecting crops laid in swaths on agricultural land, a cutting rotor 5 for shredding the collected crop, a rake 6 for pre-compacting the shredded crop and feeding it into a compression chamber of the square baler 1, a compression piston 7, movably arranged between end positions in the compression chamber of the square baler 1 for compressing the pre-compacted crop into a square bale, and a knotter 8 for tying the compressed square bale. A further working unit consists of a needle and its needle drive, which interact with the knotter 8.

[0032] The drive train 3 of the square baler 1 is supplied with drive power by the agricultural machine. For this purpose, the agricultural machine has a power take-off (PTO) at the rear. The drive train 3 of the square baler 1 comprises a drive shaft 9, which in turn includes a torque input connection of the drive train 3, by means of which the drive train 3 of the square baler 1 can be connected to the PTO of the agricultural machine.

[0033] A first power branch 10, designed as a bevel gear stage, is connected to the drive shaft 9 of the drive train 3. One bevel gear of the first power branch 10, designed as a bevel gear stage, comprises a continuous output shaft 11 that extends transversely to the drive shaft 9, i.e., transversely to the main direction of extension of the square baler 1, to which the other bevel gear of the bevel gear stage is connected. It is also conceivable that the output shaft 11 is designed in two parts, as shown in Fig. 3 The diagram shows that a first and a second output shaft 11a, 11b are connected from a bevel gear 10a, 10b arranged on them to the power split 10, which is designed as a bevel gear stage. For illustrative purposes, the additional bevel gear 10a is shown with dashed lines.

[0034] The square baler 1, or the drive train 3 of the square baler 1, comprises, in addition to the aforementioned drive train components, a transmission device 12 designed as a gearbox arrangement. As in the Fig. 2 and 3 As shown, the transmission device 12 comprises two side gearboxes 13, which can be driven indirectly by a power take-off shaft 5 of the agricultural machine. Indirectly, in this context, means that the two side gearboxes 13 can be connected to the power distribution unit 10. The two side gearboxes 13 are arranged opposite each other.

[0035] As particularly in Fig. 2 As shown, a respective drive of the side gears 13 can be on the through output shaft 11 or the first or second output shafts 11, 11a of the power split 10, as shown in Fig. 3The drive power supplied to the two side gearboxes 13 by means of the power split 10 can be converted by means of the two side gearboxes 13; however, it can also be transmitted without conversion.

[0036] The two side drives 13 are preferably designed as traction drives, particularly preferably as V-belt drives, which is advantageous with regard to the design of the transmission device 12, which is implemented as a transmission arrangement. However, the two side drives 13 can also be designed as a different type of traction drive, for example, a chain drive, or as a bevel gear stage. The use of a traction drive as a side drive 13 makes it particularly easy to bridge the spatial distance between the power distribution unit 10 and the press piston 7.

[0037] Each of the two side gearboxes 13 is connected to at least one reduction gearbox 14a, 14b, which is designed to convert the drive power provided by the respective side gearbox 13 into a drive power required for the operation of the press piston 7. The reduction gearbox 14a, 14b connected to the respective side gearbox 13 is connectable on the output side to a crankshaft 15, on which the press piston 7 is mounted.

[0038] At least one flywheel 16 is interposed between the at least one reduction gear 14a, 14b and the respective side gear 13. Preferably, at least one switchable clutch device 17 can be interposed between the at least one flywheel 16 and the at least one reduction gear 14a, 14b. Preferably, the at least one switchable clutch device 17 is arranged directly between the at least one flywheel 16 and a gear input 18 of the at least one reduction gear 14a, 14b.

[0039] The actuation of the at least two switchable clutch devices 17 can be controlled by means of a control device 19 assigned to the transmission device 12. The control device 19 can be assigned to the square baler 1 itself or to the agricultural machine. In particular, the control device 19 can control the actuation of the at least two switchable clutch devices 17 such that, when the square baler 1 is started up, both clutch devices 17 are in an open state. An open state of the clutch devices 17 is a state in which the respective flywheel 16 is decoupled from the reduction gear 14a, 14b downstream of it, and thus no drive power is transmitted from the at least one flywheel 16 or 14b.The component supporting at least one flywheel 16, preferably the at least one side gearbox 13, can be connected to the gearbox input 18 of the respective reduction gearbox 14a, 14b. In this switching state of the at least two switchable clutch devices 17, the at least two flywheels 16 are accelerated from standstill by means of the drive power provided by the two side gearboxes 13. As soon as the flywheels 16 have reached their rated speed or a speed below the rated speed, preferably a speed up to 70% below the rated speed (the value 70% below the rated speed is included in this range), the control device 19 controls the actuation of the switchable clutch devices 17 such that the switchable clutch devices 17 are brought into a closed state.A closed state is a state in which the respective flywheel 16 is coupled to the reduction gear 14a, 14b downstream of it and thus a drive power can be transmitted from the flywheel 16 or the component supporting the flywheel 16, preferably the respective side gear 13, to the gear input 18 of the at least one reduction gear 14a, 14b.

[0040] According to one embodiment of the transmission device 12, the at least one switchable clutch device 17 is designed as a hydraulically actuated or switchable clutch device 17, in particular as a hydraulically actuated or switchable multi-plate clutch. In this context, it is conceivable that the control device 19 generates switching signals for the components of a hydraulic circuit connected to the at least one hydraulically actuated or switchable clutch device 17, for example, a hydraulic pump, a switching valve, etc., so that a flow rate for actuating the hydraulically actuated or switchable clutch devices 17 can be variably adjusted by means of the control signals to the components.

[0041] In principle, it is also conceivable that the operation of the at least two switchable clutch devices 17 can also be carried out manually by an operator, for example by operating a foot pedal in a passenger compartment of the agricultural machinery.

[0042] According to one embodiment of the transmission device 12, which is designed as a transmission arrangement, the at least one flywheel 16 can be designed as a component of an output 20 of the associated side transmission 13. In one embodiment, the at least one flywheel 16 can be integrally formed with the output 20 of the associated side transmission 13, so that the output 20 and the flywheel 16 form a coherent component. Alternatively, the at least one flywheel 16 can be connected to the output 20 of the associated side transmission 13 by force-fit, form-fit, and / or material-fit connection, to which the at least one flywheel 16 is downstream.

[0043] The transmission device 12 can further comprise a further power branch 21, which is assigned to the at least one reduction gear 14a, 14b. The further power branch 21 preferably comprises a multi-stage spur gear. This makes it possible to drive further working units, such as the gatherer 6 and / or the knotter 8, in parallel with the press piston 7. If the at least one reduction gear 14a, 14b is designed as a two-stage planetary gear, the power branch 21, in particular a gear of the power branch 21 designed as a spur gear, is operatively connected to a first web of a first gear stage of the reduction gear 14a.

[0044] The drive train 3 of the square baler 1 can furthermore be configured, starting from the power branch 10 or the output shaft 11, 11a of the power branch 10, to drive at least one further working unit, for example a receiving device 4 and / or a cutting rotor 5. For this purpose, at least one further side gearbox 22 or at least one bevel gearbox can be connected downstream of the power branch 10 or the output shaft 11, 11a of the power branch 10, which transmits the drive power directly or indirectly, for example via one or more gearboxes, to the further working units 4, 5 of the square baler 1.

[0045] In order to reliably provide the drive power required at the working units of the square baler 1, in particular the drive power of the press piston 7, a switchable clutch device 23 is provided between the first power branch 10 and at least one of the flywheels 16. In the Fig. 2 and 3 A further switchable coupling device 23 is shown in dashed lines, which forms an optional embodiment of the cuboid baler 1 according to the invention.

[0046] In the Fig. 2 and 3In the illustrated embodiments, the at least one switchable clutch device 23 can be arranged on a section of the through output shaft 11 between the power branch 10 and the side gearbox 13 or the first output shaft 11a. The further switchable clutch device 23, shown in dashed lines, can be arranged on an opposite section of the through output shaft 11 between the power branch 10 and the side gearbox 13 or the second output shaft 11b.

[0047] For this purpose, at least one switchable clutch device 23 can be designed as a dry clutch, wet multi-plate clutch or hydrodynamic clutch.

[0048] An alternative embodiment provides that at least one switchable clutch device 23 is integrated into at least one of the side gearboxes 13.

[0049] Thus, at least one switchable clutch device 23 can be designed as a sliding drive wheel of the side gearbox 13 designed as a traction gearbox.

[0050] Another alternative is the design of the at least one switchable clutch device 23 as a belt clutch, which is integrated into one of the side gearboxes 13 designed as traction gears.

[0051] The at least one switchable clutch device 23 is configured to engage the at least one flywheel 16 or at least one of the reduction gears 14a, 14b during commissioning or a start-up process of the square baler 1. In an embodiment with exactly one switchable clutch device 23, during commissioning or a start-up process of the square baler 1, only one of the flywheels 16 is connected to the power split 10 by means of the exactly one switchable clutch device 23 being in the open position. The engagement of the other flywheel 16 by means of the switchable clutch device 23 occurs with a time delay by closing the switchable clutch device 23.

[0052] Providing at least one switchable clutch 23 in the section of the drive train 3 upstream of the flywheels 16 makes it possible to engage the flywheels 16 sequentially when starting up the square baler 1, thereby allowing the mass to be driven by the power take-off (PTO) of the working machine to be gradually increased when starting up the square baler 1. The square baler 1 according to the invention is thus characterized by a lower power requirement from the working machine. Consequently, the square baler 1 can also be operated by less powerful working machines or tractors.

[0053] The drive train 3 is assigned the control device 19, which is designed for the, in particular automatic, control of the at least one switchable clutch device 23.

[0054] According to the advantageous further development in which exactly one switchable clutch device 23 is interposed between the first power branch 10 and the at least two flywheels 16, which can be switched independently of each other, different operating situations can be represented during the commissioning and / or the start-up process of the square baler 1.

[0055] The square baler 1 and the drive train 3 can thus be started up without driving the at least two flywheels 16, by having both clutch devices 23 in the open position. Depending on the arrangement of the intermediate clutch devices 23 in the drive train 3, at least the first power branch 10 can be driven. Furthermore, the side gearboxes 13 can be driven without driving the at least two flywheels 16. With a time delay after driving at least the first power branch 10, one of the flywheels 16 of one of the two side gearboxes 13 can then be engaged, followed by at least one other flywheel 16 of the other side gearbox 13. It is also conceivable to engage the at least two flywheels 16 of the two side gearboxes 13 simultaneously.

[0056] Alternatively, the square baler 1 or the drive train 3 can initially be operated with only one of the at least two flywheels 16. The at least one further flywheel 16 is engaged at a later time.

[0057] In particular, the drive train 3 can drive the cutting rotor 5 as a further working unit of the square baler 1, wherein one of the reduction gears 14a, 14b assigned to the press piston 7 and the cutting rotor 5 are connected in parallel to each other to the first power branch 10. Reference symbol list

[0058] 1 Square baler 2 Chassis 3 Drive train 4 Mounting device 5 Cutting rotor 6 Raffer 7 Press piston 8 Knotter 9 Drive shaft 10 Power split 10a Bevel gear 10b Bevel gear 11 Output shaft 11a Output shaft 11b Output shaft 12 Transmission device 13 Side gearbox 14a Reduction gearbox 14b Reduction gearbox 15 Crankshaft 16 Flywheel 17 Switchable clutch 18 Gearbox input 19 Control device 20 Output 21 Power split 22 Side gearbox 23 Switchable clutch

Claims

1. A square baler (1), which comprises at least one baler piston (7) movably disposed between end positions in a baling channel, as well as a drive train (3) which is constructed to drive at least the baler piston (7), wherein the drive train (3) has a torque input connection, by means of which a torque can be supplied to the drive train (3), wherein the drive train (3) comprises a transmission device (12) with at least one flywheel (16) positioned downstream of the torque input connection, characterized in that the transmission device (12) comprises a first power split (10), which is connected to the torque input connection, and two reduction gears (14a, 14b) associated with the baler piston (7), which are connected to the first power split (10) in parallel to one another, wherein at least one flywheel (16) is connected upstream of each reduction gear (14a, 14b), wherein a shiftable clutch device (23) is interposed between the first power split (10) and at least one of the flywheels (16), the clutch device being configured to engage the at least one flywheel (16) during an initial operation or a startup procedure of the square baler (1).

2. The square baler (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a respective at least one side gear (13) is interposed between the first power split (10) and the reduction gears (14a, 14b) associated with the baler piston (7).

3. The square baler (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that a respective one of the flywheels (16) is interposed between the reduction gears (14a, 14b) associated with the baler piston (7) and the associated side gear (13).

4. The square baler (1) according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the at least one shiftable clutch device (23) is integrated into at least one of the side gears (13).

5. The square baler (1) according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the side gears (13) are configured as traction gears, preferably V-belt gears or chain gears.

6. The square baler (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the at least one shiftable clutch device (23) is constructed as a displaceable drive wheel of the side gear (13) constructed as a traction gear.

7. The square baler (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the at least one shiftable clutch device (23) is constructed as a belt clutch which is integrated into one of the side gears (13) constructed as a traction gear.

8. The square baler (1) according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the at least one shiftable clutch device (23) is disposed on an output shaft (11, 11a, 11b) connecting the first power split (10) and one of the side gears (13).

9. The square baler (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the output shaft (11, 11a, 11b) is constructed as a continuous shaft or as a two-part shaft.

10. The square baler (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one shiftable clutch device (23) is constructed as a dry clutch, a wet multi-plate clutch or a hydrodynamic clutch.

11. The square baler (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that respectively, exactly one shiftable clutch device (23) is interposed between the first power split (10) and the at least two flywheels (16), the clutch devices being shiftable independently of one another.

12. The square baler (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive train (3) drives a cutting rotor (5) as a further working assembly of the square baler (1), wherein one of the reduction gears (14a, 14b) associated with the baler piston (7) and the cutting rotor (5) are connected to the first power split (10) in parallel to one another.

13. The square baler (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a control device (19) is associated with the drive train (3) which is configured to control the at least one shiftable clutch device (23), in particular automatically.