Priority

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/718,707, filed August 14, 2018, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Background

[0002] Baling systems bale cotton (or other low-density fibrous material) to facilitate its handling and storage. In a typical baling process, the cotton is collected and cleaned to separate the cotton fibers and the seeds from debris. A gin then separates the cotton fibers from the seeds. The cotton fibers are then introduced into a bale press of the baling system. The bale press compresses the cotton fibers to form a high-density bale. In down-packer bale presses, a bale box is positioned so a lower compression plate is at the lower end of the bale box. The cotton fibers are introduced into the bale box, and a hydraulic press moves an upper compression plate downward toward the (stationary) lower compression plate to compress the cotton fibers between the upper and lower compression plates to form the bale. In up-packer bale presses, a bale box is positioned so an upper compression plate is at the upper end of the bale box. The cotton fibers are introduced into the bale box, and a hydraulic press moves a lower compression plate upward toward the (stationary) upper compression plate to compress the cotton fibers between the lower and upper compression plates to form the bale.

[0003] Certain baling systems then secure the bale via a bag and without straps. In these baling systems, after the bale box moves to expose the bale, a transfer device extracts the bale from the bale press and moves along a track toward a bagger of the baling system. The transfer device rotates the bale 180 degrees (while maintaining the bale’s shape) after extracting the bale and before delivering the bale to the bagger. After the bagger receives the bale, a press moves the bale through the bagger (as the bagger maintains the bale’s shape) and into a bag positioned on a mandrel.

[0004] In down-packer bale presses, after part of the transfer device moves into the bale press to engage the bale, the hydraulic press lifts the upper compression plate to release the downward pressure on the bale. This must occur before the transfer device can extract the bale from the bale press. The release of this downward pressure causes the bale to suddenly expand upward (since the lower compression plate is stationary) and impart an upward force on the transfer device. In certain instances this force is large enough to lift the transfer device so it disengages (or otherwise becomes misaligned on) its track or, in a worse-case scenario, damages the transfer device and/or the track to prevent the transfer device from being able to re-engage the track. This prevents the transfer device from moving back and forth between the bale press and the bagger, and a service technician must re-engage the transfer device with the track (and sometimes repair or replace the transfer device and/or the track). The cost of this downtime is significant, particularly during the time-constrained ginning season, because it effectively shuts the baling system down until the transfer device is re-engaged with the track.

[0005] Additionally, in certain known baling systems, the transfer device moves between the bale press and the bagger at its maximum speed, regardless of how quickly the bale press and the bagger are operating. For instance, after delivering a bale to the bagger, the transfer device moves back to the bale press at maximum speed, typically before the next bale is ready for extraction from the bale press. This means that the transfer device must wait at the bale press for it to form the next bale. This movement at maximum speed that does not result in an increase in throughput causes undue wear on certain components of the transfer device.

Summary

[0006] Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a fibrous material baling system that includes a pivotable bale-transporter guide that moves with the bale transporter during bale extraction and that includes a controller configured to control movement of the bale transporter using adaptive speed control functionality responsive to the statuses of the bale press and the bagger to prevent unnecessary movement of the bale transporter.

Brief Description of the Figures

[0007] Figure 1 A is a perspective view of one example embodiment of a baling system of the present disclosure.

[0008] Figure IB is a top plan view of the baling system of Figure 1.

[0009] Figures 2A and 2B are perspective views of the bale-transporter guide of the baling system of Figure 1 with the bale transporter of the baling system of Figure 1 slidably mounted thereto.

[0010] Figure 3A is a perspective view of one of the guide assemblies of the bale- transporter guide of Figure 2A with the bellows removed.

[0011] Figure 3B is a fragmentary perspective view of part of the guide assembly of Figure 3A with the bellows removed. [0012] Figures 4A and 4B are perspective views of the carriage assembly of the bale transporter of Figure 2 A.

[0013] Figure 4C is a fragmentary perspective view of part of the carriage assembly of Figures 4A and 4B.

[0014] Figures 5 A and 5B are perspective views of the support assembly of the bale transporter of Figure 2 A.

[0015] Figures 6A and 6B are perspective views of the bale-carrying assembly of the bale transporter of Figure 2A.

[0016] Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional side elevational view of part of the guide assembly of Figure 3A with the bale transporter of Figure 2A mounted thereto taken substantially along line 7—7 of Figure 2A.

[0017] Figures 8 and 9 are fragmentary perspective views of the bale transporter of Figure 2A showing how the support assembly is mounted to the carriage assembly.

[0018] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing certain components of the baling system of Figure 1A.

[0019] Figures 11 A— 11F are partially diagrammatic side elevational views of the baling system of Figure 1A showing the bale transporter extracting a bale from a bale press of the baling system, re-orienting the bale, and discharging the bale into a bagger of the baling system.

Detailed Description

[0020] While the systems, devices, and methods described herein may be embodied in various forms, the drawings show and the specification describes certain exemplary and non limiting embodiments. Not all of the components shown in the drawings and described in the specification may be required, and certain implementations may include additional, different, or fewer components. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components; the shapes, sizes, and materials of the components; and the manners of connections of the components may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims. Unless otherwise indicated, any directions referred to in the specification reflect the orientations of the components shown in the corresponding drawings and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Further, terms that refer to mounting methods, such as mounted, connected, etc., are not intended to be limited to direct mounting methods but should be interpreted broadly to include indirect and operably mounted, connected, and like mounting methods. This specification is intended to be taken as a whole and interpreted in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure and as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0021] Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a fibrous material baling system that includes a pivotable bale-transporter guide that moves with the bale transporter during bale extraction and that includes a controller configured to control movement of the bale transporter using adaptive speed control functionality responsive to the statuses of the bale press and the bagger to prevent unnecessary movement of the bale transporter.

[0022] Figures 1A and IB show one example embodiment of a baling system 1 of the present disclosure that is configured to form a bale of compressible material (such as cotton fibers) and to deposit the bale into a bag to facilitate handling and storage. The baling system 1 includes a bale press 10, a bale-transporter guide 100, a bale transporter 200, and a bale bagger 1000. Generally: (1) the bale press 10 is configured to receive compressible material and to compress the compressible material to form the bale; (2) the bale transporter 200 is configured to extract the bale from the bale press 10 and to move along the bale-transporter guide 100 and deliver the bale to the bagger 1000; and (3) the bagger 1000 is configured to introduce the bale into the bag.

[0023] The bale press 10 is configured to receive compressible material and to compress the compressible material to form a bale. The bale press 10 is a down-packer bale press in this example embodiment (though in other embodiments the bale press is an up-packer bale press or any other suitable type of bale press). As best shown in Figure 1A, the bale press 10 includes a frame 20, a lower compression plate 30, a bale box 40, a bale -box actuator (not shown), a compression-plate actuator 50, an upper compression plate 60, and a bale -press controller 70 (Figure 10).

[0024] The frame 20 is formed from multiple members and plates (not labeled) and configured to support the other components of the bale press 10. The frame 20 may take any suitable form.

[0025] The lower compression plate 30 is the component against which the compressible material is compressed to form the bale (as described below). The lower compression plate 30 includes a generally planar body that defines spaced- apart lower-tine receiving channels sized, shaped, positioned, and otherwise configured to receive the lower tines of the bale-carrying assembly 500 of the bale transporter 200 during bale extraction, as explained below.

[0026] The upper compression plate 60 is configured to compress the compressible material against the lower compression plate 30. The upper compression plate 60 includes a generally planar body that defines spaced-apart upper-tine-receiving channels sized, shaped, positioned, and otherwise configured to receive the upper tines of the bale-carrying assembly 500 of the bale transporter 200 during bale extraction, as explained below. [0027] The bale box 40 is configured to constrain the compressible material laterally as the upper compression plate 60 compresses the compressible material against the lower compression plate 30. The bale box 40 includes a generally tubular body having a rectangular cross-section. One example bale box is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0303815, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0028] The lower compression plate 30 is supported by the frame 20. The bale box 40 is also supported by the frame 20 and is vertically movable relative to the frame 20 and the lower compression plate 30 between a lower position (not shown) in which the bale box 40 encloses (and more specifically, circumscribes) the lower compression plate 30 and an upper position (Figure 1 A) in which the bale box 40 is vertically spaced-apart from the lower compression plate 30. The bale -box actuator is operably connected to the bale box 40 and configured to move the bale box 40 between its lower and upper positions. The bale -box actuator may include any suitable actuator, such as (but not limited to) an electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic motor assembly; a chain-drive assembly; or a lead-screw assembly.

[0029] The compression-plate actuator 50 is supported by the frame 20, and the upper compression plate 60 is mounted to one end of the compression-plate actuator 50. The compression-plate actuator 50 is configured to move the upper compression plate 60 relative to the lower compression plate 30 between a lower position (Figure 1 A) and an upper position (not shown). Put differendy, the compression-plate actuator 50 is operably connected to the upper compression plate 60 and configured to move the upper compression plate 60 between its upper and lower positions. In this embodiment, the compression-plate actuator 50 includes a hydraulic press, but may include any other suitable actuator in other embodiments. [0030] The bale -press controller 70 includes a processing device (or devices) communicatively connected to a memory device (or devices). The processing device may include any suitable processing device or devices such as, but not limited to, a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a digital- signal processor, one or more microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a digital- signal processor core, one or more application- specific integrated circuits, one or more field-programmable gate array circuits, one or more integrated circuits, and/or a state machine. The memory device may include any suitable memory device such as, but not limited to, read-only memory, random- access memory, one or more digital registers, cache memory, one or more semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as integrated hard disks and/or removable memory, magneto-optical media, and/or optical media. The memory device stores instructions executable by the processing device to control operation of the bale press 10.

[0031] The bale -press controller 70 is operably connected to the bale -box actuator and configured to control the bale-box actuator to move the bale box 40 between its lower and upper positions. The bale -press controller 70 is also operably connected to the compression- plate actuator 50 and configured to control the compression-plate actuator 50 to move the upper compression plate 60 between its upper and lower positions. The bale -press controller 70 is communicatively connected to the bale-transporter controller 700 and configured to send information related to the status of the bale press 10 to the bale-transporter controller 700 of the bale transporter 200 (as described below).

[0032] The bale-transporter guide 100 is best shown in Figures 2A— 3B and configured to support and guide the bale transporter 200 as the bale transporter 200 moves between the bale press 10 and the bagger 1000. The bale-transporter guide 100 includes identical first and second guide assemblies 100a and 100b. The first guide assembly 100a is described below, but the second guide assembly 100b is not described for brevity. Although not shown, components of the second guide assembly 100b are referred to using identical element numbers as those of the first guide assembly 100a with the“a” replaced with a“b.”

[0033] The first guide assembly 100a includes a base 110a, a rail 120a pivotably connected at one end to the base 110a, a first bellows 130a configured to circumscribe a first portion of the rail 120a, and a second bellows 140a configured to circumscribe a second portion of the rail 120a. The base 110a includes a base plate 112a and two opposing, spaced- apart mounting ears 114a and 116a that extend transversely from the base plate 112a and that define coaxial mounting bores therethrough. The rail 120a includes an elongated base 122a having a first end 124a and an opposing second end 126a and a toothed linear gear 128a (sometimes referred to as a“rack”) atop the base 122a and extending between its first and second ends 124a and 126a. As best shown in Figure 3B, the first end 124a of the base 122a of the rail 120a is pivotably connected to the base 110a via a pivot pin 118a extending between the mounting bores of the mounting ears 114a and 116a of the base 110a and a mounting opening (not shown) in an end effector (not labeled) at the first end 124a of the base 122a of the rail 120a. The rail 120a is therefore pivotable relative to the base 110a about a generally horizontal pivot axis PA (as is the rail 120b of the second guide assembly 100b). In certain embodiments, the rail 120a includes shock absorbers, such as bumpers, connected to its underside.

[0034] As best shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the first bellows 130a has a first end (not labeled) attached to the carriage assembly 300 and a second end (not labeled) attached to the second end 126a of the rail 120a. The first bellows 130a circumscribes the rail 120a between the first and second ends of the first bellows 130a and prevents (or limits) contaminants (such as loose cotton fibers) from building up on the teeth of the linear gear 128a of the rail 120a and interfering with the ability of the bale transporter 200 to move along the rail 120a. The second bellows 140a has a first end (not labeled) attached to the first end 124a of the rail 120a and a second end (not labeled) attached to the carriage assembly 300. The second bellows 140a circumscribes the rail 120a between the first and second ends of the second bellows 140a and prevents (or limits) contaminants (such as loose cotton fibers) from building up on the teeth of the linear gear 128b of the rail 120b and interfering with the ability of the bale transporter 200 to move along the rail 120b. The first and second bellows 130a and 140a are formed with accordion-like folds and are configured to expand and contract as the bale transporter 200 moves along the first and second rails 120a and 120b between the bale press 10 and the bagger 1000. This ability to expand and contract ensures the portions of the first and second rails 120a and 120b that are not beneath the carriage assembly 300 remain covered as the bale transporter 200 moves along the rails 120a and 120b.

[0035] The bale transporter 200 is best shown in Figures 2A, 2B, and 4A— 10 and is configured to extract the bale from the bale press 10 and deliver the bale to the bagger 1000 while moving along the bale-transporter guide 100. The bale transporter 200 includes a carriage assembly 300 (Figures 4A-4C), a support assembly 400 (Figures 5A and 5B), a bale-carrying assembly 500 (Figures 6A and 6B), and a bale-transporter controller 700 (Figure 10).

[0036] The carriage assembly 300, best shown in Figures 4.\— 1C, is configured to be slidably mounted to the bale-transporter guide 100, configured to move the bale transporter 200 along and relative to the bale-transporter guide 100, and configured to support the support assembly 400 and the bale-carrying assembly 500. The carriage assembly 300 includes a carriage- assembly frame 305; a first carriage-assembly mounting plate 310; a second carriage-assembly mounting plate 320; a first set of bale-guide-assembly attachers 332, 334, 336, and 338; a second set of bale -guide-assembly attachers 342, 344, 346, and 348; and a carriage-actuator assembly 350.

[0037] The carriage-assembly frame 305 is formed from multiple tubular members including tubular members 305a, 305b, 305c, and 305d. The tubular members 305a and 305b are generally parallel to and spaced-apart from one another. The tubular members 305c and 305d are connected to, extend between, and are transverse to the tubular members 305a and 305b. The tubular member 305c is approximately centered between the opposing ends of the tubular members 305a and 305b, and the tubular member 305d is approximately positioned between the front ends of the tubular members 305a and 305b. The first carriage-assembly mounting plate 310 is mounted to the tubular member 305a, and the second carriage-assembly mounting plate 320 is mounted to the tubular member 305b.

[0038] The first set of bale -guide-assembly attachers 332, 334, 336, and 338 are mounted to the underside of the first carriage-assembly mounting plate 310. Each bale -guide- assembly attacher 332, 334, 336, and 338 defines a channel (not labeled) sized, shaped, positioned, and otherwise configured to receive and be slidably mounted to the linear gear 128a of the rail 120a of the first guide assembly 100a, as described below. The bale -guide-assembly attachers 332, 334, 336, and 338 are oriented such that their channels are aligned with one another. As best shown in Figure 4C, the bale -guide-assembly attacher 336 rotatably supports a gear 336a (sometimes referred to as a“pinion”), the teeth of which extend into the channel of the bale -guide-assembly attacher 336 such that, when the bale -guide-assembly attacher 336 is slidably mounted to the linear gear 128a of the rail 120a of the first guide assembly 100a, the teeth of the gear 336a mesh with the teeth of the linear gear 128a. [0039] The second set of bale-guide-assembly attachers 342, 344, 346, and 348 are mounted to the underside of the second carriage-assembly mounting plate 320. Each bale -guide- assembly attacher 342, 344, 346, and 348 defines a channel (not labeled) sized, shaped, positioned, and otherwise configured to receive and be slidably mounted to the linear gear 128b of the rail 120b of the second guide assembly 100b, as described below. The bale -guide-assembly attachers 342, 344, 346, and 348 are oriented such that their channels are aligned with one another. The bale-guide-assembly attacher 346 rotatably supports a gear 346a (sometimes referred to as a“pinion”) (not shown but provided an element number for clarity), the teeth of which extend into the channel of the bale -guide-assembly attacher 346 such that, when the bale- guide-assembly attacher 346 is slidably mounted to the linear gear 128b of the rail 120b of the second guide assembly 100b, the teeth of the gear 346a mesh with the teeth of the linear gear 128b.

[0040] The carriage-actuator assembly 350 includes a carriage actuator 352, gearing 354, a first drive shaft 356, and a second drive shaft 358. The carriage actuator 352 includes an electric motor in this example embodiment, though the carriage actuator may include any suitable type of actuator in other embodiments. The gearing 354 includes a suitable gearbox.

The first and second drive shafts 356 and 358 are suitable solid (or tubular) members having a circular (or other suitably shaped) cross-section. The carriage-actuator assembly 350 is mounted to the carriage-assembly frame 305. Specifically, the gearing 354 is mounted to the tubular member 305 c.

[0041] The carriage actuator 352 is operably connected to the first and second drive shafts 356 and 358 via the gearing 354 and configured to rotate the first and second drive shafts 356 and 358 (via manipulation of the gearing 354). That is, the gearing 354 is configured to convert the output of the carriage actuator 352 (such as the rotation of an output shaft of the carriage actuator 352) into rotation of the first and second drive shafts 356 and 358, one end of each of which is received by the gearing 354. The first drive shaft 356 is fixedly attached to the gear 336a of the bale -guide-assembly attacher 336 (such as via a keyed or splined connection) to rotate with the first drive shaft 354. Similarly, the second drive shaft 358 is fixedly attached to the gear 346a of the bale -guide-assembly attacher 346 (such as via a keyed or splined

connection) to rotate with the second drive shaft 356. Thus, the carriage actuator 352 is operably connected to the gears 336a and 346a (via the gearing 354 and the first and second drives shafts 356 and 358, respectively) to rotate the gears 336a and 346a.

[0042] The support assembly 400, which is best shown in Figures 5A and 5B, is configured to be flexurally and pivotably mounted to the carriage assembly 300, configured to support the bale-carrying assembly 500, and configured to rotate the bale-carrying assembly 500 between its bale-extracting and bale-discharge positions. The support assembly 400 includes a base 410, first and second front mounting components 412 and 414, first and second rear mounting components 416 and 418, a first bale-carrying-assembly-mounting wall 420, a second bale-carrying-assembly-mounting wall 430, gearing 432, and a bale-carrying-assembly-actuating assembly 450.

[0043] The base 410 is generally rectangular. The first and second front mounting components 412 and 414 are connected to a front side of the base 410 and are configured to be pivotably connected to the carriage assembly 300, as explained below. The first and second rear mounting components 416 and 418 are connected to a rear side of the base 410 and are configured to be flexurally mounted to the carriage assembly 300, as explained below. [0044] The first and second bale-carrying-assembly-mounting walls 420 and 430 are spaced-apart from one another and are connected to and extend transversely from the base 410. The first bale-carrying-assembly-mounting wall 420 defines a first bale-carrying-assembly- mounting opening 420a sized, shaped, positioned, and otherwise configured to receive part of the bale-carrying assembly 500. Similarly, the second bale-carrying-assembly-mounting wall 430 defines a second bale-carrying-assembly-mounting opening 430a sized, shaped, positioned, and otherwise configured to receive part of the bale-carrying assembly 500. The gearing 432, which includes two gears in this example embodiment, is mounted to the second bale- carrying- assembly-mounting wall 430. The gearing 432 is configured to operatively connect the bale- carrying-assembly-actuating assembly 450 to the bale-carrying assembly 500, as described below.

[0045] The bale-carrying-assembly- actuating assembly 450 includes a bale-carrying- assembly actuator 452, gearing 454, a drive shaft 454a, and a drive gear 454b. The bale-carrying- assembly actuator 452 includes an electric motor in this example embodiment, though the actuator may include any suitable type of actuator in other embodiments. The gearing 454 includes a suitable gearbox. The drive shaft 454a is a suitable solid (or tubular) member having a circular (or other suitably shaped) cross-section. The bale-carrying-assembly- actuating assembly 450 is mounted to the underside of the base 410 (via the gearing 544).

[0046] The bale-carrying-assembly actuator 452 is operably connected to the drive shaft 454a via the gearing 454 and configured to rotate the drive shaft 454a (via manipulation of the gearing 454). That is, the gearing 454 is configured to convert the output of the bale carrying-assembly actuator 452 (such as the rotation of an output shaft of the bale-carrying- assembly actuator 452) into rotation of the drive shaft 454a, one end of which is received by the gearing 454. The drive shaft 454a is fixedly attached to the drive gear 454b (such as via a keyed or splined connection) to rotate with the drive shaft 454a. Thus, the bale-carrying-assembly actuator 452 is operably connected to the drive gear 454b (via the gearing 454 and the drive shaft 454a) to rotate the drive gear 454b.

[0047] The bale-carrying assembly 500 is configured to be rotatably mounted to the support assembly 400 such that the bale-carrying assembly 500 can be rotated between: (1) the bale-extracting position in which the bale-carrying assembly 500 can extract the bale from the bale press 10; and (2) the bale-discharge position in which the bale-carrying assembly 500 can discharge the bale into the bagger 1000. As best shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the bale-carrying assembly 500 includes a driven shaft 505, forks 510a— 510g, a driven gear 520, discharge-plate supporters 530a— 530g, a crossbar 540, a discharge plate 550, and first and second discharge-plate actuators 555 and 560.

[0048] The driven shaft 505 is a suitable solid (or tubular) member having shaft- mounting portions with a circular (or other suitably shaped) cross-section at its ends and a fork mounting portion with a rectangular (such as a square) cross section between the shaft- mounting portions. The driven gear 520 is a spur gear (or any other suitable gear).

[0049] The fork 510a is a planar member having a body 511a and spaced-apart upper and lower tines 512a and 513a extending from the body 511a. The body 511a defines a mounting opening (not labeled) therethrough sized and shaped to correspond to the cross- section of the fork-mounting portion of the driven shaft 505. The forks 510b— 510g are identical to the fork 510a and are not described for brevity. Although not shown, components of the forks 510b— 51 Og are referred to using identical element numbers as those of the fork 510a with the“a” replaced with a“b,”“c,”“d,”“e,”“f,” or“g” [0050] The forks 510a— 510g are mounted via their respective mounting openings on the fork-mounting portion of the driven shaft 505. The shape of the cross-section of the fork mounting portion of the driven shaft 505 and the corresponding shapes of the mounting openings of the forks 510a— 51 Og ensure that the forks 510a— 51 Og rotate with the driven shaft 505 about a rotational axis A505 of the driven shaft 505. The driven gear 520 is fixedly connected (such as via a keyed or splined connection) to the driven shaft 505 to rotate with the driven shaft 505 (and the forks 510a— 51 Og) about the rotational axis A505.

[0051] The discharge -plate supporters 530a— 530g are mounted to a rear surface of the discharge plate 550 (opposite a bale-contact surface 550a) and spaced apart in a manner that generally corresponds to the spacing of the forks 510a— 51 Og. Each discharge -plate supporter includes an upper roller and a lower roller (not labeled). The discharge -plate supporters 530a— 530g and the discharge plate 550 are mounted to the crossbar 540, which is a tubular member. The discharge plate 550 is slidably mounted to the forks 510a— 51 Og via the discharge -plate supporters 530a— 530g and movable relative to the forks 510a— 510g between a bale-extracting position and a bale-discharge position. Specifically, the discharge plate 550 is mounted to the forks 510a— 510g such that the upper tines 512a— 512g of the forks 510a— 510g contact the upper rollers of the discharge -plate supporters 530a— 530g and the lower tines 513a— 513g of the forks 510a— 510g contact the lower rollers of the discharge-plate supporters 530a— 530g.

[0052] The first and second discharge -plate actuators 555 and 560, which are piston- cylinder assemblies in this example embodiment, are operably connected to the discharge plate 550 and configured to move the discharge plate 550 from the bale-extracting position to the bale-discharge position. Although not shown here, a biasing element or elements (such as one or more springs) biases the discharge plate to the bale-extracting position. In other embodiments, the first and second discharge actuators are configured to also move the discharge plate from the bale-discharge position to the bale-extracting position.

[0053] To mount the bale-carrying assembly 500 to the support assembly 400, the shaft-mounting portions of the driven shaft 505 of the bale-carrying assembly 500 are positioned in the first and second bale-carrying-assembly-mounting openings 420a and 430a of the first and second bale-carrying-assembly-mounting walls 420 and 430 of the support assembly 400. As best shown in Figures 2A and 2B, suitable plates and bearing blocks are used to retain the driven shaft 505 in place such that the driven shaft 505 (and thus the entire bale-carrying assembly 500) is rotatable about the axis A505. Additionally, the drive gear 454b of the bale-carrying-assembly- actuating assembly 450 of the support assembly 400 is operably connected to the driven gear 520 of the bale-carrying assembly 500 via the gearing 432 of the support assembly 400 and one or more chains or endless belts (not shown).

[0054] To mount the support assembly 400 to the carriage assembly 300 to form the bale transporter 200, the first and second front mounting components 412 and 414 of the base 410 of the support assembly 400 are pivotably mounted to the first and second carriage- assembly mounting plates 310 and 320, respectively, via pivot pins 610, as shown in Figure 9. Additionally, the first and second rear mounting components 416 and 418 of the base 410 of the support assembly 400 are flexurally mounted to the first and second carriage-assembly mounting plates 310 and 320, respectively, via springs 600a and 600b and retaining washers 602a and 602b held in place via fasteners 604a and 604b, as shown in Figure 8. This combination of pivotal and flexural mounting enables the support assembly 400 to float relative to the carriage assembly 300 to reduce the wear on the components that connect these two assemblies. [0055] To mount the bale transporter 200 to the bale-transporter guide 100, the bale- guide-assembly attachers 332, 334, 336, and 338 are slidably mounted to the linear gear 128a of the rail 120a of the first guide assembly 100a, and the bale -guide-assembly attachers 342, 344, 346, and 348 are slidably mounted to the linear gear 128b of the rail 120b of the second guide assembly 100b. The teeth of the gear 336a of the bale-guide-assembly attacher 336 mesh with the teeth of the linear gear 128a, as best shown in Figure 7. Similarly, the teeth of the gear 346a of the bale-guide-assembly attacher 346 mesh with the teeth of the linear gear 128b. The first end of the first bellows 130a of the first guide assembly 100a is connected to the bale-guide- assembly attacher 332 of the carriage assembly 300, and the second end of the second bellows 140a of the first guide assembly 100a is connected to the bale-guide-assembly attacher 338 of the carriage assembly 300. Similarly, the first end of the first bellows 130b of the second guide assembly 100b is connected to the bale -guide-assembly attacher 342 of the carriage assembly 300, and the second end of the second bellows 140b of the second guide assembly 100b is connected to the bale-guide-assembly attacher 348 of the carriage assembly 300.

[0056] The bale-transporter controller 700 includes a processing device (or devices) communicatively connected to a memory device (or devices). The processing device may include any suitable processing device or devices such as, but not limited to, a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a digital- signal processor, one or more microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a digital- signal processor core, one or more application- specific integrated circuits, one or more field-programmable gate array circuits, one or more integrated circuits, and/or a state machine. The memory device may include any suitable memory device such as, but not limited to, read-only memory, random- access memory, one or more digital registers, cache memory, one or more semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as integrated hard disks and/or removable memory, magneto-optical media, and/or optical media. The memory device stores instructions executable by the processing device to control operation of the bale transporter 200.

[0057] The bale-transporter controller 700 is operably connected to the carriage actuator 352 and configured to control the carriage actuator 352 to move the bale transporter 200 along the bale-transporter guide 100 and between the bale press 10 and the bagger 1000. Specifically, the bale-transporter controller 700 is configured to control the output of the carriage actuator 352 to, in turn, control rotation of the gears 336a and 346a that are meshed to the linear gears 128a and 128b of the rails 120a and 120b of the first and second guide assemblies 100a and 100b. This rack-and-pinion configuration controls movement of the bale transporter 200 along the bale-transporter guide 100.

[0058] The bale-transporter controller 700 is also operably connected to the bale carrying-assembly actuator 452 and configured to control the bale-carrying-assembly actuator 452 to rotate the bale-carrying assembly 500 (via the drive gear 454b, the gearing 432, and the driven gear 520) between its bale-extracting and bale-discharge positions. The bale-transporter controller 700 is also operably connected to the first and second discharge -plate actuators 555 and 560 and configured to control the first and second discharge -plate actuators 555 and 560 to move the move the discharge plate 550 from the bale-extracting position to the bale-discharge position. The bale-transporter controller 700 is communicatively connected to the bale -press and bagger controllers 70 and 1700 and configured to receive information related to the status of the bale press 10 and the bagger 1000.

[0059] The bagger 1000 is configured to receive the bale from the bale transporter 200 and to introduce the bale into the bag. As best shown in Figures 1A and IB, the bagger 1000 includes a receiving station 1100, a discharge chute 1200, an ejection plate 1300, an ejection- plate actuator (not shown), and a bagger controller 1700 (Figure 10). The bagger 1000 is briefly described below, and is more specifically described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0303815.

[0060] The receiving station 1100 is generally tubular and defines an opening (not shown) sized, shaped, positioned, and otherwise configured to receive the bale from the bale transporter 200. The discharge chute 1200 is generally tubular and positioned at one end of the receiving station 1100. The discharge chute 1200 is sized, shaped, positioned, and otherwise configured such that a bag having a sealed end can be positioned around the discharge chute 1200 to receive the bale. The ejection plate 1300 is slidably disposed in the receiving station 1100 opposite the discharge chute 1200 and configured to move relative to the receiving station 1100 and the discharge chute 1200 between a bale-receiving position and a bale-bagging position. The ejection-plate actuator, which may be any suitable actuator, is operably connected to the ejection plate 1300 and configured to move the ejection plate 1300 between the bale receiving and bale -bagging positions.

[0061] The bagger controller 1700 includes a processing device (or devices) communicatively connected to a memory device (or devices). The processing device may include any suitable processing device or devices such as, but not limited to, a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a digital- signal processor, one or more microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a digital- signal processor core, one or more application- specific integrated circuits, one or more field-programmable gate array circuits, one or more integrated circuits, and/or a state machine. The memory device may include any suitable memory device such as, but not limited to, read-only memory, random- access memory, one or more digital registers, cache memory, one or more semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as integrated hard disks and/or removable memory, magneto-optical media, and/or optical media. The memory device stores instructions executable by the processing device to control operation of the bagger 1000.

[0062] The bagger controller 1700 is operably connected to the ejection-plate actuator to control the ejection-plate actuator to move the ejection plate 1300 between the bale-receiving and bale -bagging positions. The bagger controller 1700 is communicatively connected to the bale-transporter controller 700 and configured to send information related to the status of the bagger 1000 to the bale-transporter controller 700.

[0063] The bale-transporter guide 100 is installed relative to the bale press 10 and the bagger 1000 such that the first and second guide assemblies 100a and 100b extend between the bale press 10 and the bagger 1000. The bases 110a and 110b of the first and second guide assemblies 100a and 100b are secured to the ground (or another suitable substrate) in any suitable manner. In operation, compressible material is introduced into the bale box 40 of the bale press 10 while the bale box 40 is in its lower position and the upper compression plate 60 is in its upper position. Afterwards, the bale -press controller 70 controls the compression-plate actuator 50 to move the upper compression plate 60 to its lower position to compress the compressible material between the upper and lower compression plates 60 and 30 (while the bale box 40 laterally constrains the compressible material) to form the bale. The bale -box controller 70 then controls the bale -box actuator to move the bale box 40 to its upper position to expose the bale for extraction by the bale transporter 200.

[0064] With the bale-carrying assembly 500 in the bale-extracting position, the bale- transporter controller 700 controls the carriage actuator 352 to move the bale transporter 200 along the bale-transporter guide 100 toward the bale press 10 such that the upper tines 512a— 512g and the lower tines 513a— 513g of the forks 510a— 51 Og of the bale-carrying assembly 500 are received in the upper and lower tine-receiving channels of the upper and lower compression plates 60 and 30 and such that the bale-contact surface 550a of the discharge plate 550 contacts the bale, as shown in Figure 11 A. The bale-press controller 70 then controls the compression- plate actuator 50 to move the upper compression plate 60 to its upper position.

[0065] As the upper compression plate 60 releases its pressure on the bale, the bale expands vertically until it contacts and imposes a force on the upper tines 512a— 512g of the forks 510a— 510g of the bale-carrying assembly 500. In certain instances, this force is large enough to lift the bale transporter 200 and cause the rails 120a and 120b of the bale-transporter guide 100 to pivot upward relative to their corresponding bases 110a and 110b, as shown in exaggerated form in Figure 11B. This improves upon prior art devices because the bale transporter 200 remains slidably mounted to the bale-transporter guide 100 during this pivoting movement. The vertical expansion of the bale causes the bale to wedge itself between the upper and lower tines 512a— 512g and 513a— 513g of the forks 510a— 51 Og.

[0066] The bale-transporter controller 700 then controls the carriage actuator 352 to begin moving the bale transporter 200 along the bale-transporter guide 100 away from the bale press 10 and toward the bagger 1000. After the bale transporter 200 moves far enough to extract the bale from the bale press 10, the bale-transporter controller 700 controls the bale-carrying- assembly actuator 452 to rotate the bale-carrying assembly 500 (via the driven shaft 505) about 180 degrees to the bale-discharge position, as shown in Figures 11C and 11D. The bale- transporter controller 700 continues to control the carriage actuator 352 to continue to move the bale transporter 200 toward the bagger 1000 until the forks 510a— 51 Og are adjacent the opening in the receiving station 1100, as shown in Figure 11E. The bale-transporter controller 700 then controls the first and second discharge-plate actuators 555 and 560 to move the discharge plate 550 from the bale-extracting position to the bale-discharge position to discharge the bale from the forks 510a— 510g into the receiving station 1100, as shown in Figure 11F.

[0067] The bagger controller 1700 then controls the ejection-plate actuator to move the ejection plate 1300 from the bale-receiving position to the bale -bagging position to move the bale from the receiving station 1100 and into the discharge chute 1200 and from the discharge chute 1200 into the bag.

[0068] The bale-transporter controller 700 is configured to control movement of the bale transporter 200— and particularly the speed at which the bale transporter 200 moves— using adaptive speed control functionality responsive to the statuses of the bale press 10 and the bagger 1000 to prevent unnecessary movement of the bale transporter 200. Specifically, the bale- transporter controller 700 is configured to receive information regarding the status of the bale press 10 and the bagger 1000 from the bale -press controller 70 and the bagger controller 1700. This information may include, for instance, the position of the upper compression plate 60 of the bale press 10, whether a bale is ready for extraction from the bale press 10, an amount of time before a bale is ready for extraction from the bale press 10, the position of the ejection plate 1300 of the bagger 1000, whether the bagger 1000 is ready to receive a bale, and/or an amount of time before the bagger 1000 is ready to receive a bale.

[0069] Using this information, the bale-transporter controller 700 controls the output of the carriage actuator 352 to control the speed of the bale transporter 200 such that the bale transporter 200: (1) reaches the bale press 10 within a designated period of time (e.g., 1—5 seconds) before or after the bale box 40 moves upward to expose a newly formed bale that is ready for extraction; and/or (2) reaches the bagger 1000 within a designated period of time (e.g., 1—5 seconds) before or after the bag ejector 1300 returns to its rest position such that the bagger 1000 can receive another bale. This prevents the bale transporter 200 from moving too quickly between the bale press 10 and the bagger 1000 and therefore unduly wearing its components.