US-12622362-B2 - Agricultural system having an accumulator

Abstract

An agricultural system includes a baling system configured to form a bale of crop material and an accumulator positioned laterally outward from the baling system. The accumulator is adjustable between an open position and a closed position, and the baling system is configured to receive the crop material from the accumulator.

Inventors

• Martin J. Roberge
• Jonathan E. Ricketts
• Jason D.M. Cousins

Assignees

• CNH INDUSTRIAL AMERICA LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20210210

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An agricultural system, comprising: a baling system configured to form a bale of crop material within a baling chamber of the baling system; and an accumulator positioned laterally outward from the baling chamber, wherein the accumulator overlaps the baling chamber with respect to a longitudinal axis of the agricultural system, the accumulator is adjustable between an open position and a closed position, and the baling system is configured to receive the crop material from the accumulator.
2. 2 . The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the accumulator comprises a stationary wall and a mobile wall, and the mobile wall is movable relative to the stationary wall.
3. 3 . The agricultural system of claim 2 , wherein the mobile wall is rotatably coupled to the stationary wall via a hinge, and the mobile wall is configured to rotate about the hinge to adjust the accumulator between the open position and the closed position.
4. 4 . The agricultural system of claim 2 , wherein the accumulator comprises a side wall extending between and coupled to the stationary wall and to the mobile wall, the side wall is configured to be in an extended position while the accumulator is in the open position, and the side wall is configured to be in a retracted position while the accumulator is in the closed position.
5. 5 . The agricultural system of claim 4 , wherein the accumulator comprises a cover extending between the stationary wall, the mobile wall, and the side wall, the cover is configured to be in an expanded position while the accumulator is in the open position, and the cover is configured to be in a retracted position while the accumulator is in the closed position.
6. 6 . The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the agricultural system comprises a first width when the accumulator is in the open position, the agricultural system comprises a second width when the accumulator is in the closed position, and the first width is greater than the second width.
7. 7 . The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein an entirety of the accumulator is positioned laterally outward from the baling system.
8. 8 . An agricultural system, comprising: a baling system configured to form a bale of crop material within a baling chamber of the baling system; and an accumulating system comprising an accumulator and a transporting system, wherein the accumulator is positioned laterally outward from the baling chamber, the accumulator overlaps the baling chamber with respect to a longitudinal axis of the agricultural system, the accumulator is adjustable between an open position and a closed position, and the transporting system is configured to direct the crop material from the accumulator to the baling system while the accumulator is in the open position.
9. 9 . The agricultural system of claim 8 , wherein the accumulating system is configured to operate in a pass-through mode or a storage mode while the accumulator is in the open position, the transporting system is configured to direct the crop material from the accumulator to the baling system during the pass-through mode, and the transporting system is configured to not direct the crop material from the accumulator to the baling system during the storage mode.
10. 10 . The agricultural system of claim 8 , wherein the transporting system comprises a first feeder and a second feeder, and the first feeder is disposed in the accumulator and is configured to direct the crop material within the accumulator toward the second feeder.
11. 11 . The agricultural system of claim 10 , wherein the transporting system comprises a third feeder, the second feeder is configured to direct the crop material toward the third feeder, and the third feeder is configured to direct the crop material toward the baling system.
12. 12 . The agricultural system of claim 11 , wherein the first feeder comprises an auger, the second feeder comprises an auger, and the third feeder comprises a conveyor belt.
13. 13 . The agricultural system of claim 11 , wherein the baling system comprises a flexible belt system configured to receive the crop material from the third feeder, and the flexible belt system is configured to rotate to form the bale of the crop material.
14. 14 . The agricultural system of claim 10 , comprising a control system, wherein the control system is configured to output a signal to cause the first feeder to operate while the baling system is operating in a baling mode, and the control system is configured to not output the signal while the baling system is operating in a depositing mode.
15. 15 . The agricultural system of claim 10 , comprising a conveying system configured to direct the crop material from a crop collector of the agricultural system to the accumulating system.
16. 16 . The agricultural system of claim 8 , wherein an entirety of the accumulator is positioned laterally outward from the baling system.
17. 17 . An agricultural system, comprising: a baling system configured to form a bale of crop material within a baling chamber of the baling system; a first accumulator positioned laterally outward from the baling chamber, wherein the first accumulator overlaps the baling chamber with respect to a longitudinal axis of the agricultural system, and the baling system is configured to receive the crop material from the first accumulator; and a control system communicatively coupled to the first accumulator, wherein the control system is configured to output a first signal to cause the first accumulator to move between a first open position and a first closed position.
18. 18 . The agricultural system of claim 17 , comprising a second accumulator positioned laterally outward from the baling chamber, wherein the control system is communicatively coupled to the second accumulator, and the control system is configured to output a second signal independently of the first signal to cause the second accumulator to move between a second open position and a second closed position.
19. 19 . The agricultural system of claim 17 , wherein the first accumulator comprises a stationary wall and a mobile wall pivotally coupled to one another, the agricultural system comprises a rotary actuator communicatively coupled to the control system, and the first signal is output to the rotary actuator and is indicative of instructions to rotate the mobile wall relative to the stationary wall to adjust the first accumulator between the first open position and the first closed position.
20. 20 . The agricultural system of claim 17 , wherein an entirety of the first accumulator is positioned laterally outward from the baling system.

Description

BACKGROUND The disclosure relates generally to a crop harvesting and baling agricultural system. This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure and are described below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. An agricultural system may harvest crops (e.g., cotton) from an agricultural field. For example, the agricultural system may include features that remove the crops from the agricultural field and transport the crops into a baling system within the agricultural system. The baling system compacts the received crop into a desirable shape (e.g., to form a bale or module). The agricultural system may then deposit the compacted crop onto the agricultural field for later collection, thereby enabling the crops to be collected. Unfortunately, it may be difficult for certain agricultural systems to perform the processes of removing the crops from the agricultural field while depositing the crops onto the agricultural field. For example, the agricultural system may stop movement and suspend operation of removing additional crops while preparing to deposit the already removed crops, thereby delaying the harvesting operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION Certain embodiments commensurate in scope with the disclosed subject matter are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, but rather these embodiments are intended only to provide a brief summary of certain disclosed embodiments. Indeed, the present disclosure may encompass a variety of forms that may be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below. In certain embodiments, an agricultural system includes a baling system configured to form a bale of crop material and an accumulator positioned laterally outward from the baling system. The accumulator is adjustable between an open position and a closed position, and the baling system is configured to receive the crop material from the accumulator. DRAWINGS These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of an agricultural system configured to harvest crop material, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an agricultural system having an accumulating system configured to receive collected crop material, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an agricultural baling system and an accumulating system that may each be employed within the agricultural system of FIG. 2, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a front view of the agricultural system of FIG. 2, in which accumulators of the accumulating system are in an open position, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 is a front view of the agricultural system of FIGS. 2 and 4, in which the accumulators are in a closed position, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of the agricultural system of FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of an agricultural system that includes an accumulating system and an agricultural baling system, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the agricultural system of FIG. 7 having a partially formed bale within the agricultural baling system, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the agricultural system of FIGS. 7 and 8 in the process of depositing a fully formed bale onto an agricultural field, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; and FIG. 10 is a top view of an embodiment of an agricultural system having an accumulating system and an agricultural baling system, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and busin