Baling Press Tying Device with Segmented Strand Spacing

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing large baling presses face challenges in producing highly compressed, shape-stable square bales due to limitations in tying methods, particularly with twine, which fail to ensure permanent cohesion under increased pressing forces and for short-piece materials.

Innovation Solution

The addition of at least one more tying medium strand to the conventional twine tying device, with knotters arranged on a common drive shaft, reduces the load on individual twine strands and knots, and ensures a minimum spacing of outer tying strands relative to the bale edges to prevent sliding, using modified knotting apparatus to achieve improved bale stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the number of tying medium strands is increased to ensure permanent cohesion under increased pressing forces, then the reliability of bale cohesion is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebale cohesionVSAvoidtying device complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The tying function is segmented into multiple independent strands (at least 5 strands including outer and intermediate strands), with each strand handled by separate knotters arranged in sequence. This segmentation distributes the cohesion load across multiple points, ensuring reliable bale binding without requiring a single complex tying mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple knotters are combined on a single common drive shaft, allowing simultaneous operation of multiple tying strands. This merging approach achieves reliable multi-strand cohesion while avoiding the device complexity that would result from using separate drive shafts for each knottor

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Productivity

If the spacing of outer tying strands is reduced to increase the number of strands, then the productivity and crop density are improved, but the reliability of strand holding decreases due to sliding risk

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecrop densityVSAvoidstrand holding

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The outer tying strands are positioned at specific locations with spacing equal to or greater than the average spacing between strands. This local quality specification ensures that outer strands maintain adequate holding capacity and resistance to sliding, while intermediate strands can be more closely spaced to maximize crop density and productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Strength

If the pressing forces are increased to achieve higher compression and stability, then the strength and stability of bales are improved, but the reliability of twine tying decreases under the increased loads

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebale stabilityVSAvoidtwine tying

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The tying function is segmented into multiple independent strands (at least 5 strands including outer and intermediate strands), with each strand handled by separate knotters arranged in sequence. This segmentation distributes the cohesion load across multiple points, ensuring reliable bale binding without requiring a single complex tying mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple knotters are combined on a single common drive shaft, allowing simultaneous operation of multiple tying strands. This merging approach achieves reliable multi-strand cohesion while avoiding the device complexity that would result from using separate drive shafts for each knottor

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS8225713B2Baling press for large bales

Publication Date: 2012.07.24 KRONE AGRI SE

AI summary

A baling press for producing large square high-density bales has a pick-up device picking up crop, a cutting device downstream of the pick-up device, a conveying device downstream of the cutting device, and a pressing channel disposed downstream of the conveying device and receiving the crop from the conveying device. The crop is shaped to high-density bales in the pressing channel. A tying device is provided that, for ensuring a permanent cohesion of the bales and completing the bales, ties tying medium strands, connected in endless loops, in longitudinal direction of the bales about the bales. A spacing of outermost tying medium strands, disposed next to outer parallel longitudinal bale edges, relative to the outer parallel longitudinal bale edges, respectively, is at least as large as or greater than an average spacing between neighboring tying medium strands in a transverse direction transverse to the longitudinal bale edges.