Patent attributes
A device for determining and controlling a bale length on a pick-up baler for agricultural harvested material has a pick-up device, a feed channel connected to the pick-up device, and a pressing channel with pressing piston connected to the feed channel. A conveying device conveys the harvested material through the feed channel into the pressing channel. The pressing piston compacts the harvested material. A sensor detects a bale growth resulting upon compression of the harvested material during the feed stroke from the feed channel into the pressing channel. An electronic evaluation device is connected to the sensor that supplies a bale growth value to the electronic evaluation device where it is converted into an averaged operand or a statistical operand for determining a required number of feed strokes for reaching the nominal bale length. After the computed number of feed strokes is reached, the binding device is triggered for tying the finished bale.