Baler Steering System for Autonomous Swath Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing agricultural system for baling crops results in inefficiencies due to the tractor driving over the crop swath, causing compression and buildup, which decreases the baling process's efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The baler pickup track is laterally offset from the tractor driving track, allowing the baler to autonomously align itself using a sensor arrangement and steering system, ensuring the baler operates independently of external sensor information from the tow tractor, thus avoiding crop compression and optimizing baling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the tractor drives directly over the crop swath to bale it, then the baling process can proceed continuously, but the crop swath gets compressed and buildup occurs in front of the tractor
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the tractor's driving path from the baler's pickup path using a laterally offset draft hitch arrangement. This segmentation allows the tractor to follow one track while the baler follows a parallel track, eliminating the harmful effect of tractor wheels compressing the crop swath while maintaining continuous baling operation.
2Device complexity
If the baler pickup track is aligned with the tractor driving track, then the system is simpler to control, but the baler cannot autonomously align itself without external sensor information
Solution Approach 1:
The laterally offset draft hitch arrangement acts as a mechanical intermediary that provides the baler with a independent lateral position relative to the tractor. This mechanical offset creates the necessary spatial separation for the baler's sensor arrangement to detect the crop swath profile in front of the baler without interference from the tractor, enabling autonomous alignment capability.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention is directed to an agricultural system comprising a baler (3) for picking up and compressing crop (4) from a crop swath (5) in a field and a tow tractor (6), wherein the baler (3) is being towed by the tow tractor (6) via a draft hitch arrangement (8), which draft hitch arrangement (8) allows the baler pickup track (7) to be laterally offset from the tractor driving track (9) with respect to the tractor driving direction (10), wherein during baling the baler pickup track (7) is aligned to the crop swath (5) for picking up crop (4) and the tractor driving track (9) is laterally spaced from the crop swath (5) with respect to the tractor driving direction (10). It is proposed that the baler (3) comprises a steering system (13) for autonomously aligning the baler pickup track (7) onto the crop swath (5).