Development of a History Information Management System for Broader-based Distribution of Round Bales

2. Development of a mass measurement system for round bales of whole crop rice for a self-propelled bale wrapper

Abstract

In this study, a mass measurement system for round bales of whole crop rice for a self-propelled bale wrapper was developed. This system consisted of a hydraulic pressure sensor, an oil temperature sensor, and mass analysis equipment. The measurement process involved mounting a round bale on a turntable and then measuring its mass using the maximum hydraulic pressure that could be applied by raising and lowering the turntable. This equipment can be used to measure the mass of round bales during the bale-wrapping operation. The measurement process for a round bale with an average mass of 243 kg requires 30 s. Under indoor examination of the error in measurement, the average error was 10 kg, however, under outdoor examination the average error was much larger, being 23.6 kg. When a correlation for the oil temperature was applied, the average error reduced to 12.7kg. Nonetheless, it is necessary to improve the measurement accuracy of this system.