EVEN BALE BLOCK FOR MONITORING BALE SHAPE IN A ROUND BALER

摘要

A bale size sensing mechanism for an agricultural round baler having bale chamber partially defined by continuous side-by-side belts disposed between a pair of spaced-apart side walls and trained around a plurality of rolls. Bale size sensing mechanisms disposed in each side wall detects the density of the transverse ends of a bale forming within the chamber and provides the measure to a controller which determines the transverse uniformity of the bale. Each sensing mechanism includes a generally planar element having a wedge-shaped periphery with a vertex, the planar element being pivotally coupled to the baler adjacent to the vertex and a portion of the wedge-shaped periphery projecting into the bale-forming chamber to interact with the bale forming therein. The wedge-shaped periphery minimizes open areas within the bale chamber into which turbulent crop could enter and jam the sensing mechanism.

主权项

1. A bale compaction sensing mechanism for an agricultural round baler having a bale forming chamber defined in a space between opposing frame-supported side walls and configured to form incoming crop material into a generally spirally wound, cylindrically shaped bale of increasing diameter, the sensing mechanism comprising:
an elongate, slot-like aperture having an upstream end and a downstream end separated by a pair of spaced-apart side ends, the aperture being disposed in one of the side walls; and a measuring member pivotally connected to the side wall adjacent to said upstream end and moveable between generally opposing extended and retracted positions, said measuring member having a contact edge extending distally away from said pivotal connection and partially projecting inwardly through said aperture into the bale forming chamber for contact with the bale when in said extended position, and a blocking edge extending outwardly from the distal end of said contact edge and at least partially extending into said aperture to prevent entrapment of crop material between said contact edge and the side wall.