FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to agricultural vehicles and, more specifically, to agricultural balers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For many years harvesters, such as agricultural balers, have been used to consolidate and package crop material to facilitate the storage and handling of the crop material for later use. Usually, a mower-conditioner cuts and conditions the crop material for windrow drying in the sun. When the cut crop material is properly dried, a harvester, such as a round baler, travels along the windrows to pick up the crop material and form it into cylindrically-shaped round bales.

More specifically, pickups of the baler gather the cut and windrowed crop material from the ground, then convey the cut crop material into a bale-forming chamber within the baler. A drive mechanism operates to activate the pickups, augers, and a rotor of the feed mechanism. A conventional bale forming chamber may include a pair of opposing sidewalls with a series of belts that rotate and compress the crop material into a cylindrical shape.

When the bale has reached a desired size and density, a wrapping system may wrap the bale to ensure that the bale maintains its shape and density. For example, a net may be used to wrap the bale of crop material. A cutting or severing mechanism may be used to cut the net once the bale has been wrapped. The wrapped bale may be ejected from the baler and onto the ground by, for example, raising a tailgate of the baler. The tailgate is then closed and the cycle repeated as necessary and desired to manage the field of cut crop material. In certain instances, a bale may be ejected that is not fully formed.

What is needed in the art is a baler that can address at least some of the previously described issues with known balers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein provide a tailgate assembly that includes a controller configured to enter a lockout mode that prevents opening of a tailgate until the controller enters an ejection mode.

In some exemplary embodiments provided according to the present disclosure, a tailgate assembly for an agricultural baler includes: a tailgate that is movable between an open position and a closed position; a tailgate actuator coupled to the tailgate and configured to move the tailgate between the open position and the closed position; and a controller. The controller is configured to: determine that a bale formation cycle is beginning; enter a lockout mode responsively to determining the bale formation cycle has begun, the lockout mode preventing the tailgate actuator from moving the tailgate to the open position; determine that the bale formation cycle is complete; and enter an ejection mode from the lockout mode responsively to determining the bale formation cycle has completed, the ejection mode allowing the tailgate actuator to move the tailgate to the open position.

In some exemplary embodiments provided according to the present disclosure, an agricultural baler includes: a chassis; a bale forming chamber carried by the chassis; and a tailgate assembly associated with the bale forming chamber. The tailgate assembly includes: a tailgate that is movable between an open position and a closed position; a tailgate actuator coupled to the tailgate and configured to move the tailgate between the open position and the closed position; and a controller. The controller is configured to: determine that a bale formation cycle is beginning; enter a lockout mode responsively to determining the bale formation cycle has begun, the lockout mode preventing the tailgate actuator from moving the tailgate to the open position; determine that the bale formation cycle is complete; and enter an ejection mode from the lockout mode responsively to determining the bale formation cycle has completed, the ejection mode allowing the tailgate actuator to move the tailgate to the open position.

In some exemplary embodiments provided according to the present disclosure, a method of controlling a tailgate assembly of an agricultural baler is provided. The method is performed by a controller and includes: receiving a request to open a tailgate while a bale formation cycle is underway in a bale forming chamber of the baler; preventing opening of the tailgate while the bale formation cycle is underway; determining that the bale formation cycle has completed; and allowing opening of the tailgate after determining the bale formation cycle has completed.

One possible advantage that may be realized by exemplary embodiments disclosed herein is that preventing opening of the tailgate during the bale formation cycle prevents a bale from being ejected from the baler until it is fully formed and wrapped.

Another possible advantage that may be realized by exemplary embodiments disclosed herein is that the lockout made can be overridden by an operator after following a procedure that reduces the risk of accidental bale ejection.

