GB2218960A

GB2218960A - Control apparatus for a bale wrapper

Info

Publication number: GB2218960A
Application number: GB8812271A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael James Drew; Leslie Colin Phillips
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-05-24
Filing date: 1988-05-24
Publication date: 1989-11-29
Also published as: GB8812271D0

Abstract

A bale wrapper 10 comprises a table 11 having rotatable rollers 12 for receiving a big bale. Control apparatus 16 is provided and comprises a detector 17 for detecting the rotations of the table 11, a controller 18 and an electric actuator 19 having an actuating element 20, which controls the lever 15 of a control valve 14 of the hydraulic motor 13 which rotates the table 11. The controller 18 counts the number of rotations needed to wrap a bale, stores this count, and stops the table 11 in response to detector 17 detecting said number of rotations or multiples thereof. The value connection link 20 may be slotted to permit limited manual operation (e.g to position the table) and pivoted to a lever release position to permit manual overide in an emergency (Figs 2-4). <IMAGE>

Description

"Control Apparatus for a Bale Wrapper" This invention relates to control apparatus for a bale wrapper, for example a wrapper for big bale silage or straw bales.

For most silage bales it is necessary that they be double wrapped. If they are insufficiently wrapped then the silage may spoil and if they are overwrapped there is an expensive waste of material.

Thus in order to get correct wrapping of a bale an operator has to first count the number of rotations of a bale support that it takes to achieve a full first layer on the bale and then count for that number of rotations thereafter before stopping the machine. Not only does this rot the mind, it also leads to considerable inaccuracies. Further the operator is constantly tied to the machine.

The present invention consists in control apparatus for a bale wrapper having a means for carrying wrapping material, a bale support, and means for causing relative cylic movement of the support and carrying means one about the other, comprising means for detecting a cycle of movement and means for stopping the cylic movement when a predetermined number of cycles have been detected.

Preferably the support is rotatable and the support is stopped after a predetermined number of rotations.

In a preferred embodiment the apparatus includes means for storing a count of rotations to provide the predetermined number, or a fraction thereof. The storing means may store the count in response to an operator input. Thus the operator may give this input when the first bale of the day has a first layer wrapped on it and this may provide the datum for the rest of the operating period.

The apparatus may include selector means wherein the support rotations can be selected in accordance with a fraction or multiple of the predetermined number. Thus if the predetermined number represents a single layer of wrapping, the selector may allow single or double wrapping to be achieved.

In the type of bale wrapper which is operated by a lever-operated hydraulic valve, the control apparatus may comprise an actuating element for engaging the lever and an actuator for moving the element to initiate and stop rotation of the support.

In a preferred arrangement the element is slotted to allow manual movement of the shaft relative to the element and additionally or alternatively the element may be mounted for lateral or rotational movement to disengage the element and the shaft such that the shaft returns to its switched off position. It will be understood that this arrangement allows for an emergency switching off of the apparatus.

Although the apparatus has been defined above, it is to be understood that it includes any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description, and in particular it includes a bale wrapper incorporating control apparatus.

The invention may be performed in various ways and specific embodiments will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic view of a control apparatus in association with a bale wrapper; Figure 2 is a scrap view showing the engagement of an actuator element and a spool valve lever; Figure 3 is a more detailed side view showing an alternative system of engagement; and Figure 4 is a view from above of the arrangement shown in Figure 3.

Referring to Figure 1, a bale wrapper is schematically indicated at 10 and comprises a table 11 having rotatable rollers 12 for receiving a big bale. The table 11 is rotatable by an hydraulic motor 13, about a vertical axis, in accordance with the operation of a spool valve 14 which has a control lever 15.

As has been outlined above, the wrapper operates in use by placing a bale, with its axis horizontal, on the table 11 and rotating it relatively quickly about the axis of the table and more slowly about its own axis so that wrapping material is pulled off a roll of material, not shown, and wrapped end to end round the bale.

Control apparatus for such a wrapper is generally indicated at 16 and comprises a detector 17 for detecting the rotations of the table 11, a controller 18 and an electric actuator 19 having an actuating element 20, which engages the lever 15. The controller has an on" button 21, a "stop" button 22, and a selector 23.

As has been previously stated the operator begins the day by placing a bale on the table 11 and watches until a full single wrap has occurred.

He then immediately pushes the "stop" button 22, which causes the controller 18 to store the number of pulses supplied by the detector 17 and hence the number of rotations required to wrap a bale produced from a particular baler from a particular field and in particular weather conditions. Thereafter the controller uses this number as representing a single wrap of any bale, and it will either stop the table when the detector subsequently detects that number of rotations, or allow twice the number of rotations depending on whether single or double wrapping has been selected on the selector 23. Obviously other multiples or fractions of the number could be used and the predetermined number could represent a double wrap, but this is harder for the operator to detector correctly.

The controller 18 achives its control over the bale wrapper 10 via the electric actuator 11, which moves its actuating element 20 inwardly and outwardly pushing or pulling the lever 15 of the valve 14. As can be seen in Figures 2 and 4, the element 20 is ideally slotted at 24 to allow limited manual operation of the lever 14, so that the table can be moved into a particular desired starting position. As can be seen in Figure 3, the movement of the lever 15, is achieved by a lateral extension on the lever 15, e.g.

split pin 25, engaging an abutment 26 on the element. It will also be noted that the actuator 19 is pivotally mounted at 27. This allows for upward displacement of the element 20 releasing the pin 25 from the abutment 26 and the lever 15 immediately returns to its "off" position. Thus in an emergency the automatic operation of the system can be instantly overriden.

It will be appreciated that it would be possible to have the controller operating an electronic spool valve, but it should be of the type that slowly opens and closes in order to prevent damage to the bale wrapper.

The detector 17 may be of any suitable type such as a magnetic proximity detector, but it is thought that the use of an infra-red detector, detecting reflections on a mirror mounted on the table 11, would be particularly suitable.

Claims

1. Control apparatus for a bale wrapper having a rotatable bale support, comprising means for detecting a rotation of the support and means for stopping the table when a predetermined number of cycles have been detected.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, further comprising means for storing a count of rotations to provide the predetermined number of a fraction thereof.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the storing means stores a count in response to an operator input.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising selector means wherein the support rotations can be selected in accordance with a fraction or multiple of the predetermined number.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bale wrapper has a lever operated hydraulic valve, and wherein the control apparatus comprises an actuating element for engaging the lever and an actuator for moving the element to initiate and stop rotation of the support.

6. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the element has a slotted portion for surrounding and engaging the shaft so that the longitudinal movement of the portion causes operative movement of the shaft, whilst allowing manual overide.

7. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 6, wherein the element, or the element and actuator, is mounted for lateral or rotational movement for disengaging the portion and the shaft to allow for emergency switching off of the bale wrapper.

8. Control apparatus for a bale wrapper having a rotatable bale support substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. A bale wrapper including control apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

10. A bale wrapped by the apparatus of Claim 9.