Agricultural Baler Feeder Tine Path Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In traditional rectangular agricultural balers, the path of movement of the tine bars' ends can lead to crop material being deposited in the knotter mechanism, causing operational issues due to the design of the feeder means, where the stuffer tines pass through slots in the plunger, resulting in material engagement by needles and improper knotter function.
Innovation Solution
An adjustment system with a mechanical linkage that adjusts the angular position of the sun gear relative to the offset axis, allowing for transformation of the tine bar's angular motion into angular motion of the sun gear, enabling the path of the tine bar ends to be adjusted to avoid the plunger slots and optimize the path of movement, ensuring the tine bar ends move underneath the bale chamber's bottom wall, thus preventing material entry into the knotter mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the stuffer tines pass through slots in the plunger to stuff crop material into the bale chamber, then the stuffing function is achieved, but crop material is deposited in the slots and engaged by needles causing improper knotter function
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful interaction between crop material and the knotter mechanism by modifying the path of movement of the tine bar ends. The adjustment system redirects the tines to deposit material away from the plunger slots and needle path, eliminating the source of contamination that causes knotter malfunction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a dynamic adjustment system that can modify the angular position of the sun gear and consequently the path of movement of the tine bar ends. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt the stuffing trajectory to avoid fixed obstacles (slots and needles) while maintaining continuous stuffing operation.
2Device complexity
If the path of movement of tine bar ends is fixed, then the mechanism is simple, but crop material enters the knotter mechanism causing operational issues
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transforms the static, fixed path of movement into a dynamic, adjustable path by introducing the sun gear adjustment system. This allows the mechanism to maintain relative simplicity while gaining the flexibility to redirect material flow away from the knotter mechanism, resolving the reliability issue without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameter of the tine bar path of movement by adjusting the angular position of the sun gear. This parameter change redirects the trajectory of the tine bar ends to deposit material in a safe zone away from the plunger slots and needle path, preventing contamination of the knotter mechanism.
3Productivity
If multiple sets of tines are used for packing and stuffing, then the functions are optimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes a single set of tines universal by enabling it to perform both packing and stuffing functions through dynamic path adjustment. By modifying the angular position of the sun gear, the same tine bar can deposit material in different locations: in the feeder duct for packing and away from slots for stuffing, eliminating the need for separate tine sets.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces dynamic adjustability to a single set of tines, allowing it to change its functional role during operation. The adjustment system enables the tine bar ends to follow different trajectories for packing versus stuffing operations, providing multi-functionality without requiring multiple physical tine sets, thus reducing device complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to agricultural balers, and more specifically to balers of the traditional rectangular type, i.e. balers which produce bales of crop material which are rectangular in side view. The baler according to the invention comprises a feeder duct (23); and feeder means (25) operable within the feeder duct (23). The feeder means comprise a tine bar holding member (37) having rotatable mounted thereon at least one tine bar (39, 41) having mounted thereon a set of tines (43, 45). Said tine bar is rotatable about its own axis (47, 49) relative to the tine bar holding member and is rotatable together with the tine holding member about an offset axis (53). The feeder means further comprise a sun gear (65; 95) co-axial with and rotatable about the offset axis (53) relative to the tine bar holding member; means (67, 69; 97, 99) drivingly coupling the tine bar to the sun gear; and an adjustment system (71, 101; 121, 123, 125; 127, 129, 131) configured for active adjustment of the angular position of the sun gear (65; 95) about the offset axis (53) as said tine bar is rotated about the offset axis.