Baler and method for continuously rolling plant stems in parallel with twine feed under the plant stems

Abstract

De huidige uitvinding heeft betrekking op een oprolpers, omvattende een oprolkamer (2), een afbindpost (3), een eerste en tweede groep touwgeleiding voor het aanvoeren van bindtouw (24) naar en mee oprollen in de oprolkamer (2), een opraapeenheid omvattende een transportoppervlak (5), en een eerste en tweede groep van minstens een rotor (35) die tussen een eerste en tweede positie roteerbaar zijn, waarbij de touwgeleiding van de eerste en tweede groep geconfigureerd zijn voor aanvoer van bindtouw (24) van onder het transportoppervlak (5), waarbij de rotoren van de eerste en tweede groep (35) een doorgang voor bindtouw (24) uit een touwgeleiding van respectievelijk de eerste en tweede groep omvatten, waarbij in de eerste positie de doorgang naar en in de tweede positie onder een aanvoeropening in de oprolkamer (2) gericht is en waarbij de eerste en tweede groep rotoren (35) met een onderlinge vertraging tussen de eerste en tweede positie roteren. De uitvinding heeft eveneens betrekking op een werkwijze en een gebruik.

Description

[0001] BALER AND METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY ROLLING PLANT STEMS IN PARALLEL WITH TWINE FEED UNDER THE PLANT STEMS

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The invention relates to a baler for substantially parallel rolling of plant stems. In a second aspect, the invention also relates to a method for the substantially parallel rolling up of plant stems. In a third aspect, the invention also relates to a use for rolling bast fiber plants into cylindrical bales.

[0004] PRIOR ART

[0005] Balers for the substantial parallel rolling of plant stems have been known for many years. These balers are mainly used for bast fiber plants. These plants, such as flax and hemp, but also jute, manila hemp, sisal, ramie, nettle, raffia or ficus, are used, for example, in textile or insulation applications. To free the fibers, the mown plant stems are retted and / or dried in a field. Especially for textile applications, it is important that long fibers are obtained and that these fibers are substantially oriented in the same direction. That's why the mown plant stems lie in swaths on the field, wherein the plant stems are oriented substantially transverse to the swath direction and thus substantially parallel to each other.

[0006] After retting and / or drying, a baler is driven over the swaths in the swath direction. With a pickup unit of the baler, the plant stems are picked up, wherein the parallel orientation is maintained, and rolled into a cylindrical bale in a baling chamber. To be able to unroll the bale again for processing, without disturbing the mutual substantially parallel orientation of the plant stems, one or more binding twines are rolled up together with the plant stems. This does not happen with straw and hay balers, so these are not suitable for substantially rolling plant stems in parallel. After the bale is complete, this binding twine is wrapped around the cylindrical bale a few more times to prevent the bale from falling apart. This is called the tying off the bale.

[0007] This is also the main disadvantage of known balers. While tying off the bale it is not possible to pick up and roll further plant stems. The machine comes to a standstill until the bale is tied off, after which the bale is ejected. Only after this can picking up and rolling of plant stems be restarted. Although only a few wraps of the bale are necessary, this can account for 10% to 30% of the total time for forming one cylindrical bale, during which the machine is stationary and work cannot continue. So there is a lot of time savings possible.

[0008] BE1030278 and US20090249746 describe devices and methods for tying off and wrapping bales, but they are not suitable for starting to roll up a new one simultaneously while tying off and / or wrapping a bale. The devices in the aforementioned documents fail to start a second bale during the tying off of a first bale, wherein twines are already co-rolled from the beginning of the bale's formation. Furthermore, the described balers are not capable of carrying along the same binding twine and running it from the baling chamber to the tying station.

[0009] Furthermore, US10820523 describes a device and method for recompressing a cylindrical bale into a rectangular bale. However, this document starts from a cylindrical bale and does not offer a solution for rolling up plant stems.

[0010] The present invention aims to at least find a solution to some of the above-mentioned problems or disadvantages.

[0011] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a baler according to claim 1.

[0013] This baler is advantageous because by using two independent groups of at least one twine guide, it is possible to tie off a complete cylindrical bale with binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group at the tying station, while simultaneously rolling plant stems with binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the second group in the baling chamber into a new cylindrical bale. A particular advantage here is that the rotors are rotatable between a first position and a second position, so that binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group can be moved from a first path into the baling chamber to a second path below the baling chamber, so that the binding twine, which is still being pulled from the at least one twine guide of the first group, does not yet need to be cut when moving the bale to the tying position to free the baling chamber for forming a next bale, but can simply continue to be used to tie off the complete bale at the tying position.

[0014] Preferred embodiments of the baler are shown in claims 2 to 9.

[0015] In a second aspect, the present invention concerns a method according to claim 10. This method has the advantage, among other things, that the substantially parallel rolling of plant stems can proceed with much less time loss. The binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group can be used to tie off a complete bale at the tying station, while simultaneously plant stems are being wound together with binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the second group in the baling chamber. This means the rolling up does not need to stop during the tying off.

[0016] Preferred embodiments of the method are described in dependent claims 11-14.

[0017] In a third aspect, the present invention relates to a use according to claim 15.

[0018] This use results in an accelerated substantially parallel rolling up of plant stems of bast fiber plants into a cylindrical bale, because a complete bale can be tied off with binding twine from the first group of at least one twine guide, while at the same time plant stems together with binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the second group can be rolled up into a new bale in the baling chamber. A particular advantage is that, by co-rolling a binding twine, the cylindrical bale can later be unrolled without disturbing the substantially parallel orientation of the plant stems. This is very advantageous for bast fiber plants such as flax, hemp, jute, manila hemp, sisal, ramie, nettle, raffia, or ficus, especially when used for textile applications.

[0019] DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0020] Figure 1A and Figure IB show a cross-sectional view and a top view, respectively, of a baler according to the prior art.

[0021] Figure 1C shows a cross-sectional view of a baler, wherein the binding twine is rolled up together from the initial start of the bale, according to the prior art.

[0022] Figure 2 shows a detailed view of a baler according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figures 3A-3E show different steps of a method for the substantially parallel rolling up of plant stems according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 shows a top plan view of a baler according to an embodiment of the present invention during the substantially [parallel] rolling up of plant stems. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in the description of the invention, including technical and scientific terms, have the meaning as commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. For a better understanding of the description of the invention, the following terms are explained explicitly.

[0026] In this document, "a" and "the" refer to both the singular and the plural, unless the context presupposes otherwise. For example, "a segment" means one or more segments.

[0027] [The terms "comprise," "comprising," "consist] of," "consisting of," "provided with," "include," "including," "contain," "containing," are synonyms and are inclusive or open terms that indicate the presence of what follows, and which do not exclude or prevent the presence of other components, characteristics, elements, members, steps, as known from or disclosed in the prior art.

[0028] Quoting numeric intervals by the endpoints includes all integers, fractions, and / or real numbers between the endpoints, including those endpoints.

[0029] In the context of this document, a bast fiber plant refers to a plant species whose fibers in the bast or bark are used for various industrial applications. These plants have fiber-rich outer layers in their stems that, after processing, can be used for the production of materials such as textiles, paper, rope, and composite materials. Examples of bast fiber plants are flax, hemp, jute, manila hemp, sisal, ramie, nettle, raffia, kenaf, or ficus.

[0030] In the context of this document, the term "substantially parallel" refers to a situation in which plant stems display a considerable degree of similar orientation with one another, where they extend in a similar direction.

[0031] In a first aspect, the invention concerns a baler for the substantially parallel rolling up of plant stems.

[0032] The baler is a trailed baler or a self-propelled baler. The baler is movable according to a driving direction. The baler comprises a baling chamber for rolling the plant stems into a cylindrical bale using rollers, belts, bands, or a combination thereof. The rollers, belts, bands, or the combination thereof, at least partially form the roll-up chamber. This means that the rollers, belts, bands, or the combination thereof, viewed in a plane perpendicular to the baling chamber and parallel to the direction of travel, form at least part of a circumference of the baling chamber. Preferably, the rollers, belts, bands or the combination thereof form at least 50% of the circumference of the baling chamber, more preferably at least 60%, still more preferably at least 70%, even more preferably at least 80%, and most preferably at least 90%. If belts or bands are used, the belts or bands form one or more loops around several guide rollers. The guide rollers comprise a shaft. The shaft is perpendicular to the direction of travel. The guide rollers are rotatable around the shaft. Preferably at least one guide roller is a drive roller. The drive roller is drivable by a motor. The motor is an electric motor, a hydraulic motor, a pneumatic motor, a combustion engine, or another suitable motor. The drive roller is suitable for moving the belts or bands in a loop around the multiple guide rollers. Preferably, each loop includes a belt tensioner for keeping the loop under tension. The baling chamber may optionally include stationary plates or other stationary guide elements that also form part of the circumference of the baling chamber. The baling chamber includes an infeed opening through which plant stems are fed substantially parallel into the baling chamber. The rollers, belts, bands, or the combination thereof are suited for conveying the plant stems from the infeed opening along the circumference of the baling chamber, thereby placing previously collected plant stems onto newly fed plant stems and spirally rolling the plant stems into a cylindrical bale. The substantially parallel orientation of the plant stems is hardly or not disturbed by the rolling up.

[0033] The baler comprises a pickup unit for picking up the plant stems from a field and feeding the plant stems to the baling chamber.

[0034] The pickup unit comprises at least one transport surface for feeding the plant stems to the baling chamber. The transport surface preferably extends in the direction of travel. The transport surface extends to near the infeed opening of the baling chamber.

[0035] The transport surface is, for example, formed by one or more plates or guides that extend toward the infeed opening. A belt, chain, or band is preferably placed above or between one or more plates or guides, extending along the transport surface. The belt, chain, or band preferably includes tines for carrying along the plant stems. The tines are additionally advantageous because they will not or hardly disturb a substantial parallel orientation of the plant stems in a swath during picking up. The belt, chain, or band is placed in a loop around two rollers or wheels. The belt, chain, or band is preferably drivable by at least one of the rollers or wheels. By moving the belt, chain, or band along the transport surface, the plant stems are taken to the infeed opening.

[0036] The transport surface is, for example, formed by an upper surface of one or more bands placed in a loop around two rollers. The one or more bands are preferably drivable by at least one of the rollers. Preferably, the one or more bands include tines for carrying along the plant stems. As the band moves, the plant stems are carried to the infeed opening. The belt with tines is additionally advantageous because it will not or hardly disturb a substantial parallel orientation of the plant stems in a swath when picking up.

[0037] The pickup unit preferably comprises one or more wheels at one end of the transport surface near the infeed opening. In the case that the transport surface is formed by the upper surface of one or more bands, the one or more wheels are preferably mounted on the same shaft as the roller near the infeed opening. The one or more wheels have a diameter greater than a diameter of the roller, increased by twice a height of the tines. The height of the tines is measured in a direction perpendicular to the belt. The one or more wheels are suitable for removing the plant stems from the belt, after which the plant stems enter the baling chamber through the infeed opening.

[0038] The baler comprises a first group of at least one twine guide for supplying binding twine to the baling chamber and for co-rolling it with the plant stems in the baling chamber. Preferably, the first group comprises two twine guides.

[0039] The at least one twine guide includes, for example, one or more eyes. In operation, the binding twine is positioned from a ball of binding twine through one or more eyes to a point near the end of the pickup unit near the infeed opening of the baling chamber.

[0040] The at least one twine guide comprises, for example, a twine tube. The twine tube is a hollow tube with a first end and a second end. In operation, binding twine is fed from a ball of binding twine via the first end. The second end of the at least one twine tube is positioned near the end of the pickup unit near the infeed opening of the baling chamber. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that besides eyes and twine tubes other means are suitable as twine guide and that these may or may not be combined.

[0041] In operation, the binding twine is carried along by the plant stems into the baling chamber and pulled by the plant stems at the second end from the at least one twine guide. As the binding twine is carried along by the plant stems in the baling chamber, the binding twine will also be rolled up spirally into the cylindrical bale. This allows the cylindrical bale to subsequently be unwound into a long layer of substantially parallel plant stems, which is particularly advantageous for processing the plant stems for, for example, textile applications.

[0042] In an alternative variant of the invention according to the first aspect, this involves a baler for the substantially parallel rolling up of plant stems, comprising a baling chamber for rolling up the plant stems into a cylindrical bale with the aid of rollers, belts, bands, or a combination thereof, wherein the rollers, belts, bands, or their combination at least partially form the baling chamber, a pickup unit for picking up the plant stems from a field and feeding the plant stems to the baling chamber, wherein the pickup unit comprises at least one transport surface for feeding the plant stems to the baling chamber, wherein the at least one transport surface extends to near an infeed opening of the baling chamber, and a first group of at least one twine guide for feeding binding twine to the baling chamber and co-rolling it with the plant stems in the baling chamber, wherein the baler additionally comprises a second group of at least one twine guide and a tying station, wherein the tying station is located outside the baling chamber, wherein the tying station includes rotation means for rotating the bale for tying off the bale with the binding twine, wherein the at least one twine guide of the first group and the at least one twine guide of the second group are configured to feed the binding twine from under the at least one transport surface of the pickup unit, wherein the first group of at least one twine guide near the infeed opening includes a first group of at least one rotor and the second group of at least one twine guide near the infeed opening includes a second group of at least one rotor, wherein the at least one rotor of the first group comprises a passage for binding twine from a twine guide of the first group of at least one twine guide, and the at least one rotor of the second group comprises a passage for binding twine from a twine guide of the second group of at least one twine guide, wherein the first group of at least one rotor and the second group of at least one rotor are rotatable between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the passage is directed toward the infeed opening, wherein in the second position the passage under the infeed opening is directed towards the tying station.

[0043] In a further embodiment of the variant, wherein the first group of at least one rotor and the second group of at least one rotor are configured to rotate with a mutual delay between the first position and the second position.

[0044] According to a preferred embodiment, the baler additionally comprises a second group of at least one twine guide and a tying station. The second group of at least one twine guide is similar to the first group of at least one twine guide. Characteristics of the first group of at least one twine guide are mutatis mutandis applicable to the second group of at least one twine guide.

[0045] The tying station is preferably located behind the baling chamber as seen from the pickup unit to the baling chamber. The tying station is located outside the baling chamber and is thus separated from the baling chamber. Preferably, the baling chamber includes a door for separating the tying station and the baling chamber. By opening the door, the bale can be moved from the baling chamber to the tying station. The door also closes off the baling chamber. The door is hinged, sliding, or openable and closable in another suitable manner. The door is preferably formed by rollers, belts, bands or a combination thereof of the baling chamber. The tying station comprises rotation means for rotating the bale for tying off the bale with the binding twine. The rotation means are, for example, rotatable rollers, rotatable wheels, or at least one belt or band placed in a loop around rollers or wheels. At least one of the rotation means is drivable by a motor. The motor is an electric motor, a hydraulic motor, a pneumatic motor, a combustion engine, or another suitable motor.

[0046] The at least one twine guide of the first group and the at least one twine guide of the second group are configured for feeding the binding twine from under the at least one transport surface of the pickup unit. This makes it possible to take the binding twine along under the plant stems in a working state of the baler.

[0047] The first group of at least one twine guide comprises a first group of at least one rotor near the infeed opening. The second group of at least one twine guide comprises near the infeed opening a second group of at least one rotor. The at least one rotor of the first group includes a passage for binding twine from a twine guide of the first group of at least one twine guide. The at least one rotor of the second group comprises a passage for binding twine from a twine guide of the second group of at least one twine guide. The passages are preferably substantially straight. The first group of at least one rotor and the second group of at least one rotor are rotatable between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the passage is oriented toward the infeed opening. This means that in the first position, an end of the passage closest to the infeed opening is positioned opposite the infeed opening. This allows the binding twine in the first position to be directed directly from the passage into the baling chamber. In the second position, the passage is directed under the infeed opening to the tying station. This means that in the second position the end of the passage closest to the infeed opening is positioned outside and below the infeed opening. The first group of at least one rotor and the second group of at least one rotor are configured to rotate with a mutual delay between the first position and the second position. For example, the mutual delay is a fixed mutual delay. This causes the rotors of the second group to rotate in an operational state with a fixed time difference relative to the rotors of the first group from the first position to the second position. Preferably, the mutual delay is a variable delay, wherein the variable delay in a working state of the baler is determined at least by an advancement of rolling up plant stems into a bale and / or tying off the bale. For example, the variable delay in a working state of the baler is at least determined by a time needed for the rolling of a bale in the baling chamber. For example, the variable delay is at least determined by a time needed for tying off a bale at the tying station. For example, the variable delay in a working state of the baler is at least determined by a time needed for the rolling of a bale in the baling chamber and by a time required for rolling a bale in the baling chamber. It will be [apparent] to one skilled in the art that the rotors of the first group and the second group rotate back to the first position at a certain time in working condition. For example, there is also a fixed time difference between a moment when the rotors of the first group rotate to the first position and a moment when the rotors of the second group rotate to the first position. Preferably, the mutual delay is again a variable delay.

[0048] The rotor, for example, includes a hollow channel that is rotatable about a shaft transverse to a longitudinal direction of the tube. In this case, the hollow channel forms the passage. The rotor includes, for example, a disk, whereby the disk is rotatable around a shaft perpendicular to the disk. The passage is, in this case, for example, a groove and / or a perforation parallel with the plane of the disk. In the event that the rotor comprises a disk and that the transport surface is formed by the upper surface of one or more bands, the one or more wheels are preferably mounted on the same shaft as the roller near the infeed opening. The disk preferably has a diameter greater than a diameter of the roller, increased by twice a height of the tines. The height of the tines is measured in a direction perpendicular to the belt. This is advantageous for removing the plant stems from the belt, after which the plant stems enter the baling chamber through the infeed opening.

[0049] This embodiment is advantageous because by using the first group and the second group of at least one twine guide it is possible to tie off a complete cylindrical bale with binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group at the tying station, while simultaneously plant stems with binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the second group are wound into a new cylindrical bale in the baling chamber. A particular advantage here is that the rotors are rotatable between a first position and a second position, so that binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group can be moved from a first path into the baling chamber to a second path below the baling chamber, so that the binding twine, which is still being pulled from the at least one twine guide of the first group, does not yet need to be cut when moving the bale to the tying position to free the baling chamber for forming a next bale, but can simply continue to be used to tie off the complete bale at the tying position.

[0050] According to a preferred embodiment, the rotors comprise a first guide wheel at a first end of the passage for guiding the binding twine through the passage. The first end is the end near a twine guide. The rotors refer to the at least one rotor of the first group and / or the at least one rotor of the second group. It is clear that in the case of a rotor of the first group of at least one rotor, a twine guide of the first group of at least one twine guide is meant. The guide wheel is preferably rotatable. The guide wheel preferably includes a groove around its circumference for receiving the binding twine. The guide wheel is positioned at a lower side of the passage. The guide wheel is positioned such that an upper side of the guide wheel is higher than an edge of the passage at the first end. This embodiment is advantageous to avoid that the binding twine is cut at the edge of the passage at the first end. This embodiment is additionally advantageous to avoid the passage at the first end from wearing out due to friction with the binding twine.

[0051] According to an alternative embodiment, the rotors at a first end of the passage include a wear block. The wear block is positioned at a lower side of the passage. The wear block is preferably detachable. This makes the wear block easy to replace. The wear block is advantageous to prevent the passage at the first end from wearing out due to friction with the binding twine. According to a preferred embodiment, the rotors comprise a second guide wheel at a second end of the passage for guiding the binding twine through the passage. The second end is the end near the infeed opening of the baling chamber. The rotors refer to the at least one rotor of the first group and / or the at least one rotor of the second group. The guide wheel is preferably rotatable. The guide wheel preferably includes a groove around its circumference for receiving the binding twine. The guide wheel is positioned at a lower side of the passage. The guide wheel is positioned such that an upper side of the guide wheel is higher than an edge of the passage at the second end. This embodiment is advantageous to avoid that the binding twine is cut at the edge of the passage at the second end. This embodiment is additionally advantageous to avoid the passage at the second end from wearing out due to friction with the binding twine.

[0052] According to an alternative embodiment, the rotors at a second end of the passage include a wear block. The wear block is positioned at a lower side of the passage. The wear block is preferably detachable. This makes the wear block easy to replace. The wear block is advantageous to prevent the passage at the second end from wearing out due to friction with the binding twine.

[0053] According to a preferred embodiment, the rotors between two ends of the passage include a third guide wheel for guiding the binding twine through the passage. The rotors refer to the at least one rotor of the first group and / or the at least one rotor of the second group. The guide wheel is preferably rotatable. The guide wheel preferably includes a groove around its circumference for receiving the binding twine. The guide wheel is positioned at an upper side of the passage. The guide wheel is positioned so that one bottom of the guide wheel is lower than an upper wall of the passage. This embodiment is advantageous for reducing friction between the binding twine and an upper wall of the passage. Optionally, the passage includes no upper wall. In that case, the third guide wheel ensures that the binding twine cannot exit the passage at the top. An additional advantage of the absence of an upper wall in the passage is that the binding twine can be more easily guided through the passage of a rotor. The binding twine only needs to be placed under the third guide wheel.

[0054] According to a preferred embodiment, the baler includes a movable partition for closing off the infeed opening. The movable partition is, for example, a plate, a grid, a surface formed by belts, bands, rollers, or another suitable design. The baler includes an actuator for moving the movable partition. The actuator is, for example, a linear motor, a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, a cam or rod linkage, etc. When the infeed opening is closed, plant stems cannot be conveyed into the baling chamber, but will collide with the movable partition. The movable partition is advantageous for closing off the baling chamber when the cylindrical bale is complete and the cylindrical bale has not yet been moved from the baling chamber to the tying station. This prevents the cylindrical bale from continuing to grow.

[0055] The first group of at least one rotor has, in addition to the first position and the second position, a third position. The at least one rotor of the first group is rotatable between the first position, the second position, and the third position. The second group of at least one rotor has, in addition to the first position and the second position, a third position. The at least one rotor of the second group can be rotated between the first position, the second position, and the third position. The at least one rotor of the first group and the at least one rotor of the second group are rotatable to the third position in an operative condition of the baler when the movable partition closes the infeed opening. In the third position of a rotor, the passage of the said rotor faces a point in front of the movable partition.

[0056] After a cylindrical bale is tied off and the binding twine is cut and after the movable partition closes the infeed opening, the cut binding twine can be brought to the point in front of the movable partition by rotating the corresponding rotor to the third position. When feeding in plant stems, the plant stems will hit the movable partition and also come into contact with the cut binding twine. After the baling chamber is available again for rolling up plant stems and the infeed opening is no longer closed off by the movable partition, the plant stems will carry along the cut binding twine to the baling chamber. The third position is thus advantageous to bring the binding twine from under the baling chamber back to the first path into the baling chamber.

[0057] According to a further embodiment, the movable partition comprises rollers, belts, bands, or a combination thereof. The rotors comprise a pressure wheel. The rotors refer to the at least one rotor of the first group and / or the at least one rotor of the second group. In the third position, the pressure wheel presses against a roller, belt or band of the movable partition. The pressure wheel is positioned at a lower side of the passage. The roller, belt or band of the movable partition is preferably directly or indirectly drivable. During the rotation of a rotor to the third position, a cut binding twine will be clamped between the pressure wheel and the said roller, belt or band. This is advantageous for pushing the cut binding twine upward by rotating the aforementioned roller, belt or band along the movable partition to above the pickup unit, making it easier for the binding twine to be carried along again in the baling chamber.

[0058] According to an embodiment, the baler comprises a pre-baling chamber. The prebaling chamber is positioned between the pickup unit and the baling chamber. The pre-baling chamber includes an infeed opening for delivering plant stems to the prebaling chamber. The infeed opening to the baling chamber forms a passage from the pre-baling chamber to the baling chamber. The pre-baling chamber is formed by at least rollers, belts, bands, or a combination thereof. This means that the rollers, belts, bands, or the combination thereof, viewed in a plane perpendicular to the pre-baling chamber and parallel to the direction of travel, form at least part of a circumference of the pre-baling chamber. If belts or bands are used, the belts or bands form one or more loops around several guide rollers. The guide rollers comprise a shaft. The shaft is perpendicular to the direction of travel. The guide rollers are rotatable around the shaft. Preferably at least one guide roller is a drive roller. The drive roller is drivable by a motor. The motor is an electric motor, a hydraulic motor, a pneumatic motor, a combustion engine, or another suitable motor. The drive roller is suitable for moving the belts or bands in a loop around the multiple guide rollers. The pre-baling chamber is advantageous for rolling plant stems into a core of a new cylindrical bale while the baling chamber is not yet available, for example, because a complete bale has not yet been moved to the tying position. This embodiment is particularly advantageous in combination with an embodiment with a movable partition. By rolling up the plant stems into a core and with a rotor in the third position, cut binding twine will already be spirally rolled up with the plant stems in the pre-baling chamber, causing the cut binding twine to be automatically carried along to the first path into the baling chamber after opening the movable partition.

[0059] According to a preferred embodiment, the passage of the rotors at the first end of the passage comprises a funnel-shaped widening. The rotors refer to the at least one rotor of the first group and / or the at least one rotor of the second group. When rotating a rotor, a mutual position between the first end of the passage and the nearby twine guide changes. The funnel-shaped widening is advantageous to avoid as much as possible that the binding twine cuts against an edge at the first end of the passage. According to an embodiment, the baler comprises a means for holding down the binding twine. The means is, for example, a hook, a wheel, a roller, or another suitable means. The means pulls or pushes against the binding twine. The means is preferably movable. The means is suitable for holding down the twine under the baling chamber. This is advantageous to prevent the binding twine, after it is moved from the first path to the second path under the baling chamber, from coming into contact with rollers, belts or bands at a lower side of the baling chamber, which could cause the binding twine to be pulled back into the baling chamber.

[0060] According to a further embodiment, the baling chamber comprises a combined bottom and rear wall that can be folded open upwards. The upward-opening bottom and rear wall forms the previously discussed door of the baling chamber. The means for holding down the binding twine is attached to the bottom wall near the infeed opening. This is advantageous because when the combined bottom and rear wall is folded upward, the means is also moved upward and does not hinder the transfer of the binding twine from the first path to the second path, while when the combined bottom and rear wall is folded back down, the means will automatically press against the binding twine and hold it down.

[0061] According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one twine guide of the first group and the at least one twine guide of the second group comprises a twine tube. In the first position, the twine tube and the passage of a corresponding rotor are substantially aligned. This is advantageous for minimal friction between the binding twine and the rotor. This is particularly important in the first position because the rotor is most often in this position. Additionally advantageous is that initially threading the binding twine through the passage of the corresponding rotor can thus be done easily in a straight line.

[0062] According to an embodiment, the baler comprises a motor for rotating the at least one rotor of the first group and a motor for rotating the at least one rotor of the second group. In the case a group includes multiple rotors, preferably all rotors are rotatable by the same motor.

[0063] According to an embodiment, the baler comprises an actuator for rotating the at least one rotor of the first group and an actuator for rotating the at least one rotor of the second group. The actuator is eccentrically coupled with the at least one rotor. The actuator is connected, whether via a lever or not, to the at least one rotor. The actuator is a mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic actuator. In the case a group includes multiple rotors, preferably all rotors are rotatable by the same actuator.

[0064] In a second aspect, the invention relates to a method for substantially rolling up plant stems.

[0065] The method comprises the steps of: picking up substantially parallel plant stems with a pickup unit of a baler, conveying the plant stems to a baling chamber of the baler, parallel rolling of the plant stems into a cylindrical bale in the baling chamber,

[0066] - tying off the cylindrical bale with the binding twine from the first group of at least one twine guide; cutting the binding twine from the first group of at least one binding twine.

[0067] The baler is driven across a field. Alternatively, the baler is a self-propelled baler. The baler is driven over a swath of plant stems in a direction of travel. The plant stems lie substantially parallel in the swath. The plant stems lie substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel. The substantial parallel orientation of the plant stems is hardly or not disturbed during picking up.

[0068] The plant stems are fed to an infeed opening of the baling chamber. During feeding, binding twine from a first group of at least one twine guide is carried along by the plant stems into the baling chamber. The substantially parallel orientation of the plant stems is maintained during feeding.

[0069] During the rolling up of the plant stems, the binding twine from the first group of at least one twine guide is rolled up along with them. The binding twine is therefore spirally rolled up in the cylindrical bale. This is advantageous for afterwards unrolling the cylindrical bale again into a continuous layer of substantially parallel plant stems.

[0070] Tying off the cylindrical bale is advantageous to prevent the cylindrical bale from unrolling after unloading from the baler and allows it to be transported later.

[0071] According to a preferred embodiment, during the feeding of the plant stems, the binding twine is carried along from the at least one twine guide of the first group through a passage in a rotor of a first group of at least one rotor under the plant stems. The at least one rotor of the first group is positioned near an infeed opening of the baling chamber. The at least one rotor of the first group is in a first position. The passage is directed towards the infeed opening in the first position.

[0072] Before the cylindrical bale is tied off with the binding twine from the first group of at least one twine guide, it is transferred from the baling chamber to a tying station of the baler. This clears the baling chamber for rolling plant stems into a new cylindrical bale. During the movement of the cylindrical bale, at least one rotor of the first group is rotated from the first position to a second position. The passage is directed in the second position under the feed opening to the tying station.

[0073] The complete cylindrical bale is tied off at the tying station with the twine from the first group of at least one twine guide by wrapping the binding twine around the bale. The complete bale is rotated around its axis at the tying station for this purpose. During the tying off of the cylindrical bale at the tying station, plant stems for forming a new cylindrical bale are fed to the baling chamber.

[0074] During the supply of the plant stems for the new cylindrical bale, binding twine is carried from at least one twine guide of a second group of at least one twine guide through a passage in at least one rotor from a second group of at least one rotor under the plant stems. The at least one rotor of the second group is positioned near an infeed opening of the baling chamber. The at least one rotor of the second group is in the first position. It is clear that the at least one rotor from the second group is rotatable between the first position and the second position, as previously defined for the at least one rotor of the first group.

[0075] This method has the advantage, among other things, that the substantially parallel rolling of plant stems can proceed with much less time loss. The binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group can be used to tie off a complete bale at the tying station, while simultaneously plant stems are being wound together with binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the second group in the baling chamber. This means the rolling up does not need to stop during the tying off.

[0076] It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that alternately the binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group and the binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the second group will be co-rolled with each new bale in the baling chamber. The same applies to tying off of the bale. According to a preferred embodiment, after cutting the binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group, the infeed opening in the baling chamber is closed with a movable partition, after which the at least one rotor of the first group is moved to a third position. The passage in the third position is aimed at a point in front of the movable partition. Preferably, the infeed opening in the baling chamber is only closed with the movable partition after a bale in the baling chamber is complete. Complete in this context means that the bale in the baling chamber has a desired diameter.

[0077] After a cylindrical bale is tied off and the binding twine is cut, the cut binding twine can be brought to the point in front of the movable partition by rotating the corresponding rotor to the third position. When feeding in plant stems, the plant stems will hit the movable partition and also come into contact with the cut binding twine. After the baling chamber is available again for rolling up plant stems and the infeed opening is no longer closed off by the movable partition, the plant stems will carry along the cut binding twine to the baling chamber. The third position is thus advantageous to bring the binding twine from under the baling chamber back to the first path into the baling chamber.

[0078] It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that this embodiment is applicable, mutatis mutandis, for the at least one twine guide of the second group.

[0079] According to a further embodiment, the movable partition comprises rollers, belts, bands, or a combination thereof. The binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group is pressed against a roller, belt or band of the movable partition with the help of a pressure wheel. The binding twine is pushed upwards by the rotation of the aforementioned roller, belt or band along the movable partition to above the pickup unit. This is advantageous because the binding twine can be more easily entrained into the baling chamber again.

[0080] According to a preferred embodiment, the binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group is held down below the baling chamber after moving the cylindrical bale to the tying station. The binding twine is held down with the help of a hook, roller, wheel, or other suitable means. This is advantageous to prevent the binding twine, after it is moved from the first path to the second path under the baling chamber, from coming into contact with rollers, belts or bands at a lower side of the baling chamber, which could cause the binding twine to be pulled back into the baling chamber.

[0081] It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that this embodiment is applicable, mutatis mutandis, for the at least one twine guide of the second group.

[0082] According to a preferred embodiment, during the tying off of the cylindrical bale at the tying station, the tying twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group is spread over a jacket surface of the cylindrical bale using a twine spreader. The twine spreader is preferably placed below the baling chamber. The twine spreader preferably moves the binding twine from a middle of the cylindrical bale to an edge of the cylindrical bale. Distributing the binding twine over the jacket surface is advantageous for a sturdy tying off of a complete cylindrical bale.

[0083] It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that this embodiment is applicable, mutatis mutandis, for the at least one twine guide of the second group.

[0084] According to an embodiment, after tying off the cylindrical bale at the tying station, the tying twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group, is cut with the help of cutting system. The cutting system is preferably positioned under the baling chamber. The cutting system includes a blade for cutting the binding twine. The blade is preferably movable for cutting the binding twine. In combination with a previously described embodiment in which the binding twine is spread over the jacket surface of the cylindrical bale by a twine spreader, the twine is preferably cut by moving the binding twine by the twine spreader against the blade. It is clear that this embodiment can be combined with a movable blade.

[0085] One skilled in the art will appreciate that a method according to the second aspect is preferably carried out with a baler according to the first aspect and that a baler according to the first aspect is preferably configured for implementing a method according to the second aspect. Each feature described in this document, both above and below, can therefore relate to any of the three aspects of the present invention.

[0086] In a third aspect, the invention relates to a use of a baler according to the first aspect and / or a method according to the second aspect for substantially parallel rolling of bast fiber plants into cylindrical bales. This use results in an accelerated substantially parallel rolling up of plant stems of bast fiber plants into a cylindrical bale, because a complete bale can be tied off with binding twine from the first group of at least one twine guide, while at the same time plant stems together with binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the second group can be rolled up into a new bale in the baling chamber. A particular advantage is that, by co-rolling a binding twine, the cylindrical bale can later be unrolled without disturbing the substantially parallel orientation of the plant stems. This is very advantageous for bast fiber plants such as flax, hemp, jute, manila hemp, sisal, ramie, nettle, raffia, or ficus, especially when used for textile applications. This is not possible with prior art straw and hay balers.

[0087] In what follows, the invention is described by way of non-limiting figures illustrating the invention, and which are not intended to and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention.

[0088] DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0089] Figure 1A and Figure IB show a cross-sectional view and a top view, respectively, of a baler according to the prior art.

[0090] Figure 1C shows a cross-sectional view of a baler, wherein the binding twine is rolled up together from the initial start of the bale, according to the prior art.

[0091] The baler comprises a pickup unit for picking up and feeding plant stems to a baling chamber (2). The pickup unit comprises a feed belt (5) with tines that runs in a loop around two feed rollers (4). In Figure 1A and Figure 1C, only the feed roller (4) closest to the baling chamber (2) is shown. The feed belt (5) conveys a layer of substantially parallel plant stems (6) to the baling chamber (2). On the same shaft as the feed roller (4) closest to the baling chamber (2), a wheel with a larger diameter than the feed roller (4), increased by twice the height of the tines of the feed belt (5), is placed. This wheel is advantageous for loosening and removing the plant stems (6) from the feed belt (5). The baler includes belts (17). The belts (17) form a circumference of the baling chamber (2). The belts form a loop around rollers. In the baling chamber (2), a bale (13a) is being formed. The supplied plant stems (6) are wrapped around the bale (13a) being formed by the belts (17) and form an outer layer (14) of the bale (13a) being formed. Twine (24) is carried along through a twine tube and through an infeed opening in the baling chamber (2) between the supplied plant stems (6) and the bale (13) being formed. The binding twine (24) is thus positioned between the outer layer (14) of the bale (13a) being formed. After the bale (13a) is complete, it is necessary to wrap the binding twine (24) around the complete bale (13b) a few more times to tie off the complete bale (13b). During tying off, it is not possible to supply any more plant stems (6). The top view shows how the binding twine (24) is wrapped around the bale (13a) being formed during the rolling up of the plant stems (6) near the middle. During tying off, the twine tubes move the binding twine (24) outward, so the complete bale (13b) is also tied off at edges of the complete bale (13b). Figure 1C specifically shows the twine when the binding twine is wrapped along from the initial start of the bale.

[0092] Figure 2 shows a detailed view of a baler according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0093] The baler once again includes a pickup unit. The pickup unit is similar to the baler from Figure 1. The baler comprises a baling chamber (2). A circumference of the baling chamber (2) is largely formed by belts (17). Only a part of the circumference of the baling chamber (2) is visible in Figure 2. The belts (17) again run in a loop around rollers. One of the rollers is a drive roller. The drive roller is drivable by a motor and, in an operational state, causes the belts (17) to move in a loop. The baler includes a movable partition. In this embodiment, the belts (17) also form the movable partition. The movable partition is linearly movable because a separation roller (8) is linearly movable. The precise operation of the separation roller is more clearly visible in Figures 3A-3D. The baler further comprises a first group of at least one twine guide and a second group of at least one twine guide. Only one twine guide is visible in Figure 2 In this embodiment, the twine guide is a twine tube (34) through which a binding twine (24) runs. The baler also includes a first group of at least one rotor (35) and a second group of at least one rotor (35). In Figure 2 only one rotor (35) is visible. The rotor (35) is rotatable between a first position, a second position, and a third position around a central rotation shaft (36). In Figure 2, the rotor (35) is shown in the first position, where the passage is directed to an infeed opening of the baling chamber (2). The rotor (35) includes a passage (37). A first end of the passage (37) is located near the twine tube (34) and a second end of the passage

[0094] (37) is located near an infeed opening in the baling chamber (2). The passage (37) includes a funnel-shaped widening at the first end. The funnel-shaped widening and the passage (37) are shaded in Figure 2. The rotor (35) comprises a first guide wheel

[0095] (38) at the first end of the passage (37) and a second guide wheel (38) at the second end of the passage (37). The first and second guide wheel (38) are positioned on a lower side of the passage (37). Between the first and second guide wheel (38), a third guide wheel (38) is positioned at an upper side of the passage (37). The rotor (35) further comprises a pressure wheel (39) for clamping the binding twine (24) against the movable partition. The operation of the pressure wheel (39) is illustrated in Figures 3A-3D. The baler includes a chassis (33). An actuator (41) is attached to the chassis (33). The actuator (41) moves a lever (40) that is eccentrically attached to the rotor (35) for rotating the rotor around the rotation shaft (36). The baler also comprises a means (42) for holding down the binding twine (24). In Figure 2, the means (42) does not yet hold the binding twine (24) down because the binding twine (24) is still following a first path into the baling chamber (2). The means (42) is in this embodiment a wheel.

[0096] Figures 3A-3E show different steps of a method for the substantially parallel rolling up of plant stems according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0097] The baler shown in Figures 3A-3D is very similar to the baler in Figure 2. A number of important elements are additionally presented. The baler comprises both a baling chamber (2) and a pre-baling chamber (1). The belts (17) are shared by the prebaling chamber (1) and the baling chamber (2). This makes it necessary to add a recovery turn roller (12) around which the belts (17) turn to form the pre-baling chamber (1). The recovery turn roller (12) forms a highest point of the separation between the pre-baling chamber (1) and the baling chamber (2). The belts (17) pass in the pre-baling chamber (1) around a return roller (9) and a lower return roller (7). The lower return roller (7) is mounted on a hinged arm (7a), allowing the lower return roller (7) to be moved toward the baling chamber (2). The function of this will be explained later. Two of the rollers around which the belts (17) run, are press rollers (11). The press rollers (11) are mounted on a press arm. The press arm functions to press the press rollers (11) and thus the belts (17) against a bale (13a) being formed, so that the supplied plant stems (6) and the bale (13a) being formed are rotated in the baling chamber (2). This allows the continually changing dimension of the bale (13a) being formed to be compensated. A part of the belts (17) forms a door (21) through which a complete bale (13b) can exit the baling chamber (2). The door (21) in this embodiment is a combined bottom and rear wall of the baling chamber (2) that is hinged about a pivot point (22) to open upward. Under the baling chamber (2) is a guide surface (20) for guiding a complete bale (13b) from the baling chamber (2) to the tying station (3). The guide surface (20) can be a solid surface, formed by, for example, plates. The guide surface (20) may be a partially open surface, formed by, for example, plates, grids, rails, other suitable elements, or a combination of the foregoing. The guide surface (20) is preferably positioned at a downward angle in a direction towards the tying station (3). The tying station (3) comprises a support platform (25) for carrying and rotating a complete bale (13b). The support platform

[0098] (25) comprises support belts (27) that are placed in a loop around two support rollers

[0099] (26). The baler further comprises a twine spreader (31) for spreading the binding twine (24) over a jacket surface of a complete bale (13b) during the tying off and a twine cutting system (32) for cutting the binding twine (24) after the tying off.

[0100] The method will now be further explained with the aid of Figures 3A-3D. Each of Figures 3A-3D is divided into a left figure and a right figure. The left figure and the right figure each concern the same baler at the same time. Plant stems (6), bales being formed (13a), and complete bales (13b) will therefore be represented the same way in both the left figure and the right figure. The difference between the left figure and the right figure is that in the left figure the first group of at least one rotor (35), the first group of at least one twine tube (34), and the binding twine (24) from the at least one twine tube (34) of the first group are shown, while in the right figure the second group of at least one rotor (35), the second group of at least one twine tube (34), and the binding twine (24) from the at least one twine tube (34) of the second group are shown. From Figures 3A-3D, it becomes clear that simultaneously the same method is applied for the first group of at least one rotor (35) and the first group of at least one twine tube (34) and for the second group of at least one rotor (35) and the second group of at least one twine tube (34), but with a mutual delay.

[0101] Figure 3A shows how the plant stems (6) are delivered by the pickup unit through an infeed opening (43) to the baling chamber (2). The left Figure 3A shows how the binding twine (24) from the first group of at least one twine tube (34) is fed through the passage (37) of the rotor (35). The rotor (35) of the first group of at least one rotor is in the first position. The passage (37) is directed towards the infeed opening (43) of the baling chamber (2). The twine tube (34) of the first group of at least one twine tube and the passage (37) are substantially aligned. The binding twine (24) is carried along to the second end of the passage (37) under the layer of plant stems (36) and follows a first path into the baling chamber (2). The plant stems (6) are rolled up in the baling chamber (2) with the help of the belts (17) to form a bale (13a). At the same time, the binding twine (24) is wrapped around an outer layer (14) of the bale being formed (13a) and spirally rolled up with the plant stems (6). The separation roller (8) and thus the movable partition are in a position so that the passage from the pre-baling chamber (1) to the baling chamber (2) is partially open, allowing the plant stems (6) to still be fed into the baling chamber (2), but preventing the bale (13a) being formed from rolling back into the pre-baling chamber (1). The lower return roller (7) of the pre-baling chamber (1) is still in the position where a core of a bale (13a) being formed was being transferred from the pre-baling chamber

[0102] (1) to the baling chamber (2). This becomes clearer in Figure 3B. This makes the pre-baling chamber (1) in Figure 3A not clearly visible. The right-hand Figure 3A shows that the rotor (35) of the second group of at least one rotor is in the second position. The passage (37) is directed in the second position under the feed opening (43) to the tying station (3). The binding twine (24) from the second group of at least one twine tube (34) is cut. The cut binding twine (24a) is held down by the means (42) for holding down the binding twine (24) and hangs down over a shaft. The binding twine (24) from the second group of at least one twine tube (34) has no function at this moment.

[0103] Figure 3B shows the situation in which the complete bale (13b) is moved to the tying station (3). To this end, the door (21) has been opened and the complete bale (13b) has been rolled over the guide surface (20) to the tying station (3), after which the door (21) was closed again. In the left-hand Figure 3B, it is shown how the actuator (41) has moved the rotor (35) of the first group of at least one rotor to the second position. The passage (37) is directed towards a point below the infeed opening (43) of the baling chamber (2). The binding twine (24) from the twine tube (34) of the first group of at least one twine tube is thereby brought outside the baling chamber

[0104] (2) and follows a second path to the tying station (3). During the closing of the door (21), the means (42) pushes the binding twine (24) down from the twine tube (34) of the first group, and the means (42) keeps the binding twine (24) down, away from the baling chamber (2). The complete bale (13b) is rotated at the tying station (3) to wrap the binding twine (24) from the twine tube (34) of the first group around the complete bale (13b) and thus tie off the complete bale (13b). During the tying off, the twine spreader (31) spreads the binding twine (24) from the twine tube (34) of the first group over a jacket surface of the complete bale (13b). Meanwhile, the separation roller (8) has been moved to a position so that the infeed opening (43) to the baling chamber (2) is completely blocked by the movable partition. The hinged arm (7a) rotates so that the lower return roller (7) moves away from the baling chamber (2). The pre-baling chamber (1) is formed by the belts (17). The plant stems (6) can no longer be fed into the baling chamber (2) and are already rolling up in the pre-baling chamber (1) into a core of a bale (13a) being formed. The right-hand Figure 3B shows that at least one rotor (35) of the second group is moved to a third position by the actuator (41). The passage (37) of the at least one rotor (35) of the second group is now directed to a point in front of the movable partition. The pressure wheel (39) presses against the belts (17) and the cut binding twine (24a) from the second group of at least one twine tube (34) is clamped between the pressure wheel (39) and the belts (17). By rotating the belts (17) clockwise, the cut binding twine (24a) from the second group is pushed upwards along the movable partition and rolled up together with the plant stems (6).

[0105] Figure 3C shows the situation after the core of the bale (13a) being formed in Figure 3B has been moved to the baling chamber (2). The separation roller (8) has been moved to a position for this purpose, so that there was a completely free passage between the pre-baling chamber (1) and the baling chamber (2) and therefore the infeed opening (43) was completely opened. The hinged arm (7a) is rotated clockwise so that the lower return roller (7) is moved towards the baling chamber (2) and the core of the next bale (13a) being formed is pressed towards the baling chamber (2). In the right-hand Figure 3C, it can be seen that the rotor (35) of the second group has been moved by the actuator (41) to the first position. The passage (37) of the rotor (35) of the second group is directed to the infeed opening (43) of the baling chamber (2). The twine tube (34) of the second group and the passage (37) are substantially aligned. The core pulls the binding twine (24) from the twine tube (34) of the second group under the layer of plant stems (6) to the baling chamber (2) and follows a first path into the baling chamber (2). Meanwhile, the separation roller (8) is once again in a position so that the next bale (13a) being formed cannot return to the pre-baling chamber (1), but the plant stems (6) can be fed to the baling chamber (2). The passage from the pre-baling chamber (1) to the baling chamber (2) is partially opened. The left-hand Figure 3C shows that the rotor (35) of the first group is still in the second position. The binding twine (24) from the twine tube (34) of the first group still follows the second path outside the baling chamber (2) to the tying station (3). The complete bale (13b) is further tied off at the tying station (3).

[0106] Figure 3D shows the further process where the supplied plant stems (6) are rolled up in the baling chamber (1). The core has meanwhile grown into a bale (13a) being formed. In the right-hand Figure 3D, it can be seen that the rotor (35) of the second group is still in the first position. The binding twine (24) from the twine tube (34) of the second group follows the first path into the baling chamber (2) and is spirally wrapped around the outer layer (14) of the bale being formed (13a). The complete bale (13b) at the tying station (3) is now completely tied off. In the left-hand Figure 3D, it can be seen that the binding twine (24) from the at least one twine tube (34) of the first group has been cut by the cutting system (32). The cut binding twine (24a) is held down by the means (42) for holding down the binding twine (24) and hangs down over a shaft. The binding twine (24) from the first group of at least one twine tube (34) has no function at this moment. The at least one rotor (35) of the first group is still in the second position. Afterwards, the complete bale (13b) is removed from the tying station (3) and the baler, for example, laid down on a field. The method continues as in Figure 3A, with the difference that the first group of at least one twine tube (34) and the first group of at least one rotor (35) are now shown on the right and the second group of at least one twine tube (34) and the second group of at least one rotor (35) are now shown on the left.

[0107] Figure 4 shows a top plan view of a baler according to an embodiment of the present invention during the substantially [parallel] rolling up of plant stems.

[0108] Figure 4 shows a situation where in the baling chamber (2) a bale (13a) being formed is rolled up and at the tying station (3) a complete bale (13b) is tied off. Binding twine (24', 24") is fed through two twine tubes (34) of a first group of at least one twine guide and through a passage (37) of two rotors (35', 35") of a first group of at least one rotor (35) in a first path to the baling chamber (2) and rolled up with the bale (13a) being formed. The two rotors (35', 35") are in the first position. Binding twine (24'", 24"") is fed through two twine tubes (34) of a second group of at least one twine guide and through a passage (37) of two rotors (35'", 35"") of a second group of at least one rotor (35) in a second path under the baling chamber (2) and wrapped around the complete bale (13b). The two rotors (35'", 35"") are in the second position. Figure 4 corresponds mutatis mutandis to Figure 3C. The twine spreaders (31) have already brought the binding twines (24'", 24"") to an edge of the complete bale (13b), and the cutting systems (32) are about to cut the binding twines (24'", 24""). Figure 4 also shows support belts (27) that are placed in a loop around support rollers (26) and cause the complete bale (13b) to rotate at the tying station (3).

[0109] The numbered references in the figures are:

[0110] 1. Pre-baling chamber

[0111] 2. Baling chamber

[0112] 3. Tying station

[0113] 4. Feed roller 5. Feed belt

[0114] 6. Layer of substantially parallel plant stems

[0115] 7. Lower return roller pre-baling chamber a Hinge arm lower return roller

[0116] 8. Separation roller

[0117] 9. Return roller pre-baling chamber

[0118] 11. Press rollers

[0119] 12. Recovery turn roller

[0120] 13. a Bale being formed b Complete bale

[0121] 14. Outer layer of bale being formed

[0122] 17. Belts (main) baling chamber

[0123] 20. Guide surface

[0124] 21. Door

[0125] 22. Hinge point door

[0126] 24. Binding twine a Cut binding twine

[0127] 25. Support platform

[0128] 26. Support roller

[0129] 27. Support belt

[0130] 31. Twine spreader

[0131] 32. Cutting system

[0132] 33. Chassis

[0133] 34. Twine tube

[0134] 35. Rotor

[0135] 36. Rotor shaft

[0136] 37. Passage

[0137] 38. Guide wheel

[0138] 39. Pressure wheel

[0139] 40. Lever

[0140] 41. Actuator

[0141] 42. Means for holding down binding twine

[0142] 43. Infeed opening to baling chamber

Claims

CLAIMS1. Baler for the substantially parallel rolling up of plant stems, comprising a baling chamber for rolling up the plant stems into a cylindrical bale with the aid of rollers, belts, bands, or a combination thereof, wherein the rollers, belts, bands, or their combination at least partially form the baling chamber, a pickup unit for picking up the plant stems from a field and feeding the plant stems to the baling chamber, wherein the pickup unit comprises at least one transport surface for feeding the plant stems to the baling chamber, wherein the at least one transport surface extends to near an infeed opening of the baling chamber, and a first group of at least one twine guide for feeding binding twine to the baling chamber and corolling it with the plant stems in the baling chamber, characterized in that the baler additionally comprises a second group of at least one twine guide and a tying station, wherein the tying station is located outside the baling chamber, wherein the tying station includes rotation means for rotating the bale for tying off the bale with the binding twine, wherein the at least one twine guide of the first group and the at least one twine guide of the second group are configured to feed the binding twine from under the at least one transport surface of the pickup unit, wherein the first group of at least one twine guide near the infeed opening includes a first group of at least one rotor and the second group of at least one twine guide near the infeed opening includes a second group of at least one rotor, wherein the at least one rotor of the first group comprises a passage for binding twine from a twine guide of the first group of at least one twine guide, and the at least one rotor of the second group comprises a passage for binding twine from a twine guide of the second group of at least one twine guide, wherein the first group of at least one rotor and the second group of at least one rotor are rotatable between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the passage is directed toward the infeed opening, wherein in the second position the passage under the infeed opening is directed towards the tying station.

2. The baler according to the preceding claim 1, characterized in that the first group of at least one rotor and the second group of at least one rotor are configured for rotating with a mutual delay between the first position and the second position.

3. The baler according to any of the preceding claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the first group of at least one rotor and the second group of at least one rotor areconfigured to rotate with a mutual delay between the first position and the second position, wherein the first guide wheel is positioned at a lower side of the passage.

4. The baler according to any of the preceding claims 1-3, characterized in that the rotors at a second end of the passage near the infeed opening include a second guide wheel for guiding the binding twine through the passage, wherein the second guide wheel is positioned at a lower side of the passage.

5. The baler according to any of the preceding claims 1-4, characterized in that the rotors between two ends of the passage include a third guide wheel for guiding the binding twine through the passage, wherein the third guide wheel is positioned at an upper side of the passage.

6. The baler according to any of the preceding claims 1-5, characterized in that the baler comprises a movable partition for closing off the infeed opening, wherein the first group of at least one rotor and the second group of at least one rotor have, in addition to the first position and the second position, a third position, wherein the at least one rotor of the first group and the at least one rotor of the second group are rotatable to the third position in an operative state of the baler when the movable partition closes off the infeed opening, and wherein in the third position the passage is directed to a point in front of the movable partition.

7. The baler according to claim 6, characterized in that the movable partition comprises rollers, belts, bands, or a combination thereof, wherein the rotors include a pressure wheel, wherein in the third position the pressure wheel presses against a roller, belt or band of the movable partition and wherein the pressure wheel is positioned at a lower side of the passage.

8. The baler according to any of the preceding claims 1-7, characterized in that the passage of the rotors at a first end of the passage near a twine guide comprises a funnel-shaped widening.

9. The baler according to any of the preceding claims 1-8, characterized in that the baling chamber comprises a combined bottom and rear wall that can be folded open upwards, wherein there is a means attached at the bottom wall near the infeed opening for holding down the binding twine.

10. The baler according to any of the preceding claims 1-9, characterized in that the at least one twine guide of the first group and the at least one twine guide of the second group comprise a twine tube, wherein in the first position the twine tube and the passage of a corresponding rotor are substantially aligned.

11. Method for the substantially parallel rolling up of plant stems, comprising the steps of: picking up substantially parallel plant stems with a pickup unit of a baler, conveying the plant stems to a baling chamber of the baler, wherein binding twine from a first group of at least one twine guide is carried along by the plant stems into the baling chamber and wherein the substantially parallel orientation of the plant stems is maintained during the feeding; parallel rolling of the plant stems into a cylindrical bale in the baling chamber, wherein the binding twine from the first group of at least one twine guide is rolled up with it;- tying off the cylindrical bale with the binding twine from the first group of at least one twine guide; cutting the binding twine from the first group of at least one binding twine, characterized in that, during the delivery of the plant stems, the binding twine is carried along from the at least one twine guide of the first group through a passage in a rotor of a first group of at least one rotor under the plant stems, wherein the at least one rotor of the first group is positioned near an infeed opening of the baling chamber, wherein the at least one rotor of the first group is in a first position, wherein the passage is directed toward the infeed opening in the first position, wherein, before tying off with the binding twine from the first group of at least one twine guide, the cylindrical bale is transferred from the baling chamber to a tying station of the baler, wherein during the moving of the cylindrical bale the at least one rotor from the first group is rotated from the first position to a second position, wherein the passage in the second position is directed below the infeed opening towards the tying station, wherein, during the tying off of the cylindrical bale at the tying station, plant stems are fed to the baling chamber for forming a new cylindrical bale, wherein during the feeding of the plant stems for the new cylindrical bale, binding twine from at least one twine guide of a second group of at least one twine guide is carried along through a passage in at least one rotor from a second group of at least one rotor under the plant stems, wherein the at least one rotor of the second group is positioned near an infeed openingof the baling chamber, wherein the at least one rotor of the second group is in the first position.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that after cutting the binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group, the infeed opening in the baling chamber is closed with a movable partition, after which the at least one rotor of the first group is moved to a third position, wherein the passage in the third position is directed to a point in front of the movable partition.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the movable partition comprises rollers, belts, bands, or a combination thereof, wherein the binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group is pressed against a roller, belt or band of the movable partition using a pressure wheel, wherein the binding twine is pushed upward by the rotation of the said roller, belt or band along the movable partition and is wrapped around a core of a new cylindrical bale.

14. The method according to claim 11, 12, or 13, characterized in that the binding twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group is held down below the baling chamber after moving the cylindrical bale to the tying station.

15. The method according to any of the preceding claims 11-14, characterized in that during the tying off of the cylindrical bale at the tying station, the tying twine from the at least one twine guide of the first group is spread over a jacket surface of the cylindrical bale with the aid of a twine spreader.

16. Use of a baler according to any of claims 1-10 and / or a method according to any of claims 11-15 for rolling up bast fiber plants into cylindrical bales.

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