Baler system and a method of operating the baler system
A combination of a tractor and a baler includes a tractor control unit and a baler control unit. A driving speed of the tractor can be set and/or adjusted with the tractor control unit. The baler includes a bale sensor in order to sense the size of a bale in a baling chamber. The baler control unit is connected to the bale sensor and to the tractor control unit to send a stop signal to the tractor control unit when the bale signal of the bale sensor indicates that a bale has reached a size which is greater than or equal to a first predetermined size. The tractor control unit controls the tractor to initiate a braking operation for stopping the tractor and to adapt a driving rotational speed of the drive shaft of the baler when the tractor control unit receives the stop signal from the baler control unit.
1 . A baler system comprising:
a combination of a tractor and a baler connected to the tractor;
wherein the tractor includes a drive motor which is connected to a drive shaft of the baler, and a tractor controller, wherein a driving speed of the tractor is controllable with the tractor controller;
wherein the baler includes a pick-up for picking up crop, a baling chamber for compressing the picked-up crop to form a bale, a bale sensor operable to sense the size of the bale in the baling chamber, and a baler controller connected to the bale sensor and to the tractor controller;
wherein the baler controller is operable to send a stop signal to the tractor controller when the bale signal of the bale sensor indicates that a bale has reached a size which is greater than or equal to a first predetermined size; and
wherein the tractor controller is operable to initiate a braking operation for stopping the tractor and to adapt a driving rotational speed of the drive shaft of the baler when the tractor controller receives the stop signal from the baler controller.
2 . The baler system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the tractor controller is operable to initiate an increase or reduction in the driving rotational speed of the drive shaft of the baler when the tractor controller receives the stop signal from the baler controller.
3 . The baler system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the tractor is steerable with the tractor controller.
4 . The baler system set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a swath sensor operable to generate a swath signal indicating limits of a swath of crop, and wherein the tractor controller is operable to steer the tractor along the swath on the basis of the swath signal from the swath sensor.
5 . The baler system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the baler controller is operable to send a deceleration signal to the tractor controller when the baler controller receives a bale signal from the bale sensor that a bale has reached a size which is greater than or equal to a second predetermined size which is smaller than the first predetermined size, and the tractor controller is operable to slow down the tractor when the tractor controller receives the deceleration signal from the baler controller.
6 . The baler system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the baler comprises a wrapping device for wrapping the finished bale with wrapping material in the baling chamber.
7 . The baler system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the tractor controller is operable to drive the combination at a speed which produces a predetermined throughput of crop material through the pick-up of the baler.
8 . The baler system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the combination includes a GPS device operable to send and receive position data.
9 . The baler system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the baler controller includes a processor and a memory having a baler control algorithm stored thereon, wherein the processor of the baler controller is operable to execute the baler control algorithm to generate the stop signal in response to the bale signal from the bale sensor indicating the size of the bale is greater than the first predetermined size.
10 . The baler system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the tractor controller includes a processor and a memory having a tractor control algorithm stored thereon, wherein the processor of the tractor controller is operable to execute the tractor control algorithm to control the speed of the tractor and the rotational speed of the drive shaft of the baler in response to the stop signal from the baler controller.
11 . A method of operating a combination of a tractor and a baler connected to the tractor, wherein the tractor includes a drive motor connected to a drive shaft of the baler, and a tractor controller operable to control a driving speed of the tractor and a rotational speed of the drive shaft of the baler, wherein the baler includes a pick-up for picking up crop, a baling chamber in which the picked-up crop is compressed to form a bale, a bale sensor with which the size of a bale in the baling chamber is sensed, and a baler controller connected to the bale sensor and to the tractor controller, the method comprising:
sensing a diametric size of the bale in the baling chamber with the bale sensor and sending a bale signal to the baler controller indicative thereof;
sending a stop signal from the baler controller to the tractor controller when the bale signal of the bale sensor indicates that the size of the bale is greater than a first predetermined size; and
initiating a braking operation with the tractor controller for stopping the tractor and adapting a driving rotational speed of the drive shaft of the baler when the tractor controller receives the stop signal from the baler controller.