GB2028220A - Baling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed for keeping a knotting chamber on a baling press clean from short straw and dust which may pass into the knotting chamber during the pressing process and disturb the binding process, namely by a continuous cleaning of the knotting chamber during each binding process. A closed press channel ceiling (6) ends in the region of the inner dead centre position of a press piston and extends further in the pressing direction through straw guide rails (13) defining ceiling openings (24) and needle slots (4). The straw guide rails (13) are supported by a cross-beam (26) through bridges (29). Press pressure setting rails (28) are articulated on bearing shackles (27) on the cross-beam (26) and arranged opposite shackles (30) for the reception of knotting devices (10). Threads pressers (14), are pivotably mounted at (15) below the knotter (11) and thread holder (12) of the knotting devices (10) and move across the slots (4) and openings (24) to press the binding thread into the operating range of the knotters (11) and to push any straw or dust which has penetrated into the knotting chamber into the openings (24) and under the cross- beam (36). An additional clearing means (34) moves at the same time as the thread pressers (14). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Baling apparatus The present invention relates to a baling apparatus.

During the pressing process of a baling operation short straw and dust particles disturbing the binding of the bales pass through slot-shaped openings necessary in a press channel ceiling for the passage of binding needles. Such a large accumulation of short straw and dust particles arises after only a short operating time that this space is soon completely filled.

This problem occurs most frequently in presses with a high press density and high piston stroke rate and above all with dry harvest stock, because appreciable quantities of short straw and dust are blown into the knotting chamber by air escaping on each piston stroke. These accumulations are particularly intensive and increase the fault-susceptability when the knotting chamber for reasons of accident preventions is completely surrounded by a hood and thread pressers, in the form of a segment of a disc fortheassuranceofa high binding reliability, are disposed on the press channel ceiling in the region of the slots below the knotter. The accumulation of such short straw and dust obstructs an unobjectionable thread position and thread mounting, whereby the binding reliability is reduced.The baling apparatus must therefore be frequently stopped in order to remove the straw and dust from the knotting chamber.

Apparatuses are known which between knotting chambers have pivotting clearers which are guided by a shaft associated in the knotting space and clear out accumulations of short straw and dust particles through an opening in the rear wall ofthe knotting space. These apparatuses have the disadvantage that short straw and stray particles likewise penetrate into the additional openings in the rear wall, which lead to the feed space, and the clearers cannot engage the entire region of the binding and thread guiding parts, whereby these sources of trouble are not completely eliminated. These apparatuses are also only usable for oscillating piston presses and binding devices without thread pressers because of the curved path described by the clearers and adapted to the concave ceiling shape of an oscillating piston press.The required clearing effect is not attained, particularly in conjunction with a protective knotter hood, even with blower devices in the knotting chamber, which are expensive because of their drive and susceptible to faults under the unfavourable operating conditions.

The known covers at the ceiling slots below the thread presser for functional reasons can be mounted at only a partial region of the slots and lead only to a scaly of the accumulation process.

Covers of flexible material wear out after a relatively short time due to the needle and binding thread movement.

According to the present invention there is provided a baling apparatus comprising a bale knotting chamber, knotting means within the chamber, a cover for the chamber, wall means defining a bale pressing channel provided with a ceiling, a piston reciprocatingly displaceable within the channel to press a bale therein, a bale binding device, bale pressing means disposed upstream of the bale binding device and articulated to the channel ceiling, straw guide means extending from the channel ceiling in the region of the inner dead centre of the piston to a beam member bridging the press channel, the straw guide means being connected to the beam member and defining openings in the channel ceiling, thread pressing means disposed under the knotting means, control means to pivot the thread pressing means across the in the channel ceiling openings, and clearer means connected to the control means, the pressing means and the knotting means each being disposed at a respective opposite side of the beam member and connected thereto by shackles, and the thread presser means being provided with a presser edge and clearing edges.

When the thread pressing means extends across the opening the presser edge may act as a clearing edge and the clearing edge may be disposed adjacent the axis of pivotation of the thread pressing means and a region at which the thread pressing means is connected to the control means.

The openings may be elongate, the clearer means extending at an acute to the axis of the openings.

The beam member may be mounted to a frame surrounding the bale pressing channel.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a knotting chamber without a hood and knotting device with thread pressers disposed in rest position, Figure 2 shows a partial view with thread pressers disposed in their operative position, and Figure 3 shows a section of Figure 1.

Stock to be pressed is compacted into bales 3 by a press piston 2 in a press channel 1 of a collecting press. During the pressing operation, short straw and dust particles pass into the knotting chamber through needle slots 4 during the return of binding needles (not shown). The knotting chamber is enclosed by a press channel ceiling 6, a rear wall 7 and a pivotable hood 8.

Knotting devices 10 journailed on a knotting shaft 9 are disposed in the knotting chamber. Since both knotting devices 10 comprise like components, only one knotting device is described below.

Athread presser 14 is received in a pivot axle 15 on the press chanel ceiling 6, which ends in the region of the inner dead centre position of the press piston and extends further in the pressing direction through straw guide rails 13, underneath a knotter 11 and a thread holder 12 of the knotting device 10. The thread presser 14 is controlled through a control lever 17, which is connected to an articulation point 16 and articulatedly connected with a control arm 18 of a control rod 19. The guidance of the control rod 19 takes place by way of a cam lever 20, a roller 21 and a cam 22 firmly connected with the knotter shaft 9 and co-operating with a tension spring 23 arranged between the control arm 18 and the knotting device 10.

Ceiling openings 24, which are formed in the region of the inner dead centre position of the press piston 2 at the end of the press channel ceiling between the straw guide rails 13 conducted further, are continuously upwardly open up to a mounting frame 25 arranged around the press channel 1. A cross-beam 26 bridging over the press channel ceiling 6 at a spacing is fastened between the mounting frame 25 at a spacing above the press channel ceiling 6 at both side of the press channel 1.

Bearing shackles 27 at which press pressure setting rails 28 are articulated, are fastened in the pressing direction to the crossbeam 26 set high. The entire region of the press channel 1 underneath the ceiling openings 24 is filled by press stock to be compacted and shaped into bales 3 and is held down by the straw guide rails 13 stabilising the press channel ceiling 6. The straw guide rails 13 also bound the needle slots 4 for the passage of the binding needles (not shown) and end underneath the crossbeam 26, with which they are firmly connected through supporting bridges 29. The knotting devices 10 journalied on the knotting shaft 9 are connected with the cross-beam 26 through shackles 30 at a spacing from the press channel ceiling 6.The forward edge 31 of the thread presser 14 which is pivotable adjacent to and above the press channel ceiling 6 serves for pressing the binding thread (not shown) into the operating range of the knotter 11 and in the pivoted-in position extends over the free space, disposed thereunder, of the ceiling opening 24. The rearward edge of the thread presser 14 is obliquely set back compared with the known thread presser as a clearing edge 32 and is immediately in front of the pivot axle 15 and the articulation point 16. Between the forward edge 31 pressing against the binding thread and the rearward clearing edge 32, the thread presser 14 has a recess with lateral clearing edges 33. In addition, a clearer 34, extending at an acute angle to the ceiling opening 24, is associated with the control lever 17 operating in the outer region of the press channel 1.The thread presser 14, which is disposed directly on the press channel ceiling 6 and provided with a forward edge 31 and clearing edges 32 and 33, executes a pivotal motion through about 90 during each binding process, whilst it clears the short straw and dust parts 5, which have penetrated into the knotting chamber through the needle slots 4, out of the range of the knotter 11 and the thread holder 12 and pushes them into the ceiling opening 24. In the outer region, the clearing effect is enhanced by the clearer 34 connected to the control lever 16.The short straw and dust parts 5, which have been cleared into the ceiling openings 24 as well as those which have deposited there, pass onto the harvest stock pressed into bales 3 in the press channel 1 underneath the ceiling openings 24 and pass away unhindered out of the knotting chamber with the further movement of the bales 3 below the cross-beam 26 set high above the press channel 1.

The above described embodiment has the advantage that a thorough clearance of the short straw and dust particles out of the knotting chamber covered over at all sides into the ceiling openings takes place during each binding process through the thread pressers constructed with clearing edges. The cleared straw and dust particles pass through the shortened press channel ceiling into the ceiling openings extending forward and formed by the straw guide rails conducted further to the harvest stock pressed into bales in the press channel and pass away unhindered and continuously out of the enclosed knotting chamber with the bale moving further below the cross beam set high over the press channel. Binding faults, which were hitherto caused by straw, stray and hay particles, can no longer arise.

Claims (5)

1. A baling apparatus comprising a bale knotting chamber, knotting means within the chamber, a cover for the chamber, wall means defining a bale pressing channel provided with a ceiling, a piston reciprocatingly displaceable within the channel to press a bale therein, a bale binding device, bale pressing means disposed upstream of the bale binding device and articulated to the channel ceiling, straw guide means extending from the channel ceiling in the region of the inner dead centre of the piston to a beam member bridging the press channel, the straw guide means being connected to the beam member and defining openings in the channel ceiling, thread pressing means disposed under the knotting means, control means to pivot the thread pressing means across the in the channel ceiling openings, and clearer means connected to the control means, the pressing means and the knotting means each being disposed at a respective opposite side of the beam member and connected thereto by shackles, and the thread presser means being provided with a presser edge and clearing edges.

2. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein when the thread pressing means extends across the opening - the presser edge acts as a clearing edge and the clearing edge is disposed ajacent the axis of pivotation of the thread pressing means and a region at which the thread pressing means is connected to the control means.

3. An apparatus as claimed in either Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the openings are elongate, the clearer means extending at an acute to the axis of the openings.

4. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the prededing Claims, wherein the beam member is mounted to a framesurrounding the bale pressing channel.

5. A baling apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.