Harvested cotton, hay or other crops, or crop by-products such as straw, may be collected and processed through a module-forming apparatus, such as a baler, to produce modules (e.g., round or square bales) of the harvested crop or crop by-products. The module-forming apparatus may be equipped with a wrapping system to bind the module together with wrap material (e.g., twine, net, sheet wrap, etc.). For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,650 discloses a cotton harvesting machine having a round module-forming and wrapping apparatus. The wrapped module may then be transferred from the module-forming apparatus such that the formation of a new module may begin. The wrapped module may be temporarily retained on the harvesting machine before being ejected at a given location, such as at the end of a row in a field of crops, for later transport.
The module-forming and wrapping apparatus may utilize individual, properly sized wraps. The apparatus may also have the capability of separating a predetermined length of wrapping material from a supply roll for applying a desired number of layers of wrap to the module. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,209 discloses separating pre-partitioned lengths of wrapping material from the supply roll. Other systems may measure the length of continuous wrapping material (e.g., via timers, position sensors, rotation counters, and the like), and thereby determine where to cut the wrapping material from the supply roll.
One challenge arising in module wrapping relates to mis-feeding of the wrapping material. For example, the wrapping material may be improperly guided into the module-forming chamber, or the wrapping material may become incorrectly oriented, folded, or otherwise positioned out of alignment. As a consequence, a module may improperly wrapped or not at all. These mis-wrap events may also result in equipment down time, wasted wrapping material, and exposure of the modules to dirt, moisture, and the like when ejected from the harvesting machine.