Patent Application
20210282313
The invention relates generally to an agricultural product delivery system for applying particulate material such as seed, fertilizer, herbicide, or insecticide to a field, and more particularly an agricultural product delivery applicator with a pneumatic conveying system having a distributor assembly.
Agricultural product delivery applicators (or systems) are known to utilize various mechanisms, including mechanical and pneumatic systems, to assist in the movement and delivery of particulate material or product. Example product that can be delivered include fertilizer, seed, insecticide, or herbicide. The product can move from a product bin through an interior passage provided by a series of elongate tubes, which extend from the product supply chamber to a product applicator. The applicator places the product on or in growing medium, such as soil. Such agricultural product delivery systems are commonly employed in planters, air drills, fertilizer and pesticide applicators, and a variety of other agricultural implements.
Agricultural application implements that employ an agricultural product delivery applicator are known to have the product supply bin associated with a metering system. The product is metered from the bin into a set of distribution channels for application to the soil. A pneumatic source, such as a fan or blower, provides air to convey and distribute product through the distribution channels. Once the metering of product is done and the mix of air and particulates is in the distribution channels, the product should remain nearly constant and in a diluted phase.
One of the challenges with pneumatic delivery of product is the volume of product that can be spread. When increasing the pressure to move more product, and to move it further, product tends to cling to tube walls. Prior systems, such as disclosed in US Patent Application Publication No. 201810343792 A1, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference, disclose a pneumatic conveying system having a horizontal rotary product distributor. The rotary distributor includes a motor and a rotating shaft to divert the particulate material relatively evenly between the delivery nozzles. However, an even further improved apparatus for lifting product off the tube wall and churning the product in order to distribute the product among multiple tubes is desired. Also, an improved means for mounting the motor that moves the agitation arm is desired. Further, an improved means for distributing the product from one tube to multiple tubes is desired.
In one aspect, the invention provides an agricultural product delivery applicator for delivering particulate product to a field. The applicator includes a supply compartment to hold the product, a pneumatic conveying system, and a metering system operably connected between the supply compartment and the pneumatic conveying system, the metering system to meter product with the airflow to result in a mixed flow of airflow and product. The pneumatic conveying system includes an airflow source to provide an airflow, first and second delivery lines operably connected to the airflow source and to the supply compartment. Each delivery line includes a respective supply line and a respective plurality of distribution lines. The pneumatic conveying system further includes first and second distributors coupling the respective supply line with the respective plurality of distribution lines, a first mounting plate coupled to the first distributor and having a first identifier, a second mounting plate coupled to the second distributor and having a second identifier different from the first identifier, a first motor having a relation with the first identifier, and a second motor having a relation to the second identifier. The first motor is disposed on the first delivery lines side of the first distributor, and is fastened to the first mounting plate. The second motor is disposed on the second delivery lines side of the second distributor, and is fastened to the second mounting plate. A first motor shaft assembly is rotatable by the first motor in a first direction, and a second motor shaft assembly rotatable by the second motor in a second direction different from the first direction.
Numerous additional objects, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description taken together with the drawing figures.
Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout. In the drawings:
An agricultural application implement 10 (or simply implement 10) incorporating aspects of the invention is shown in
The applicator 15 includes left and right laterally extending booms 30 and 35, respectively, extending at a mid-implement location 40. Left and right are referred to herein as viewed by the operator housed in the operator cab 45. The mid-implement location 40 refers to a mounting of the booms 30 and 35 between the front and rear axles 50 and 55, respectively, of the transport unit 20. The laterally extending booms 30 and 35 include a support structure (not shown for simplicity) and can be pivoted to a stowed position close to the implement 10 for storage or transport. Each boom 30 and 35 includes a plurality of boom conduits or tubes (discussed further below) terminating at respective outboard ends in in the applicator 15. The outboard ends of the booms 30 and 35 include a spreading outlet or nozzle. In the exemplary embodiment shown, boom 35 includes twelve outlets 60.
The pneumatic conveying system 25 also includes a laterally extending offset boom 80. The offset boom 80, which may also be referred to as a secondary boom, is mounted at a rearward location 85. The rearward location 85 refers to a mount of the offset boom 80 behind the rear axis 55. The offset boom includes six rear outlets 90. The offset boom 80 in combination with the booms 30 and 35 provide complete coverage across the width of applicator 15.
The shown transport unit 20 is self-propelled by an engine in an engine compartment 100 and includes the operator cab 45. For the shown construction, an uncovered tank 105 includes compartments 110 and 115 for carrying particulate material to be distributed to and disbursed by the outlets 60 and 90. One of the compartments, e.g., compartment 115, can be provided to supply micro-nutrients or other materials. The supply of particulate material in compartments 110 and 115 can be replenished periodically.
Before proceeding, some aspects of the applicator 15 can be a matter of design choice to someone skilled in the art. For example, the number, arrangement, and design of the compartments 110 and 115 and outlets 60 and 90 can vary. The applicator 15 is illustrative of the types of equipment on which the pneumatic conveying system 100 can be used; however, it should be understood that the pneumatic conveying system 100 may, of course, be employed in conjunction with other agricultural equipment such as tillage, seeding, or planting devices and is useful in distributing particulate material other than fertilizer.
The shown construction includes compartments 110 and 115 of the tank 105 being disposed above portions of the pneumatic conveying system 25.
To collect and drive the particulate material along the delivery lines 120, 125 and 127, are one or more pressurized air flow sources. For the shown construction, blowers 170 and 175 are operably connected to the plenums 130 and 135. The air flow from the blowers 160 and 165 is directed from the blowers 160 and 165 into the plenums 130 and 135, then the supply lines 150, 155, and 157, through the distributor assemblies 140, 145, and 147, into the distribution lines 160, 165, and 167, and out the outlets 60 and 90. As the airflow passes through the supply lines 150, 155, and 157, a metering system 180 (
Referring now to
The distributor assembly 140, as shown in
Opposite the supply line 150, the elongate portion 225 is connected to or integrally formed with a conical portion 235. The conical portion 235 expands radially outwardly from the elongate portion 225 to allow the particulate material entering the conical portion 235 from the elongate portion 225 to move radially outwardly from the center axis A-A of the housing 205. The conical portion 235 is connected to the distributor 240, such as by fasteners 280 engaged within aligned holes in aligned radial flange 250 formed by the distributor 240.
Referring now to
The housings 210 surround a space 260 outside the exterior of the distributor 240 in the rearward section 230. A motor 262 (
In the shown construction, each elongated portion 230 includes a respective motor attachment, which is shown as a mount, and more specifically a mounting flange 265. While each elongated portion 230 includes the mounting flange 265, not all of the mounting flanges 265 are necessary. Each mount also include one or more respective fins 270 (two are shown) for providing stability and support to the mounting flanges 265. The motor 262 can be mounted directly to the mounting flanges 265 such as by fasteners 280 (
The motor 262 can be an electric motor, hydraulic motor, or other suitable type of motor. The motor 262, as shown in
With reference to
For the shown construction, the distributor 240 includes the outer flange 250 (or rim), an inner hub 390 having the aperture 320 (
The agitator shaft 305 supports a number of agitators 405 thereon, where the agitators 405 are spaced along the agitator shaft 305 at different distances from the deflector 355 and at different angular positions on the agitator shaft 305. For the shown construction, the agitators are paddles 410 with staggered, helical rods 415 on a short-line version. However, other arrangements are possible, including arrangements as shown in US Patent Application Publication No. 20180343792 A1.
During use, product tends to cling to the inner wall of the housing 205 as pressure increases. The product should come off of the inner wall and into the air stream. As the product is pushed through the housing 205, the agitator shaft 305 helps to lift the product off the wall and back into the air stream. The agitator shaft 305 also churns or agitates the product for even disbursement into the distribution lines 160. Once into the air stream, the spinning agitator shaft 305 disperses the product. The agitator shaft 305 also helps assure that an even amount of product enters each channel 255.
A short line version 140 and long line version 145 of the distributor assembly is shown in
The inclusion of the agitator shaft 305, deflector 355, and wedges 400 allow for an increase in the volume of product that can flow through the pneumatic conveying system 25 (discussed above with
In various constructions, the shaft assemblies 295, and consequently the motors 262, are required to spin in opposing directions for the left laterally extending boom 30 from the right laterally extending boom 35. Due to pressure drops, specific ports are designated for specific deflector locations on the laterally extending booms 30 or 35. Spinning in the opposing directions assures proper product disbursement to the correct ports on the distributor 240. The system uses two different hydraulic motors 262 and 262A (
For
Further for the shown constructions, a “LH” motor 262A cannot be mounted to a “RH” plate 285, and a “RH” motor 262 cannot be mounted to a “LH” plate 285A because the aperture configuration inhibits mounting the wrong motor. This may reduce errors in assembly and reduce potential improper particulate material distribution from errors in the assembly. Extending the above, indicium and color coordination can be used on all of the distributor 240 and 240A, mounting plate 285 and 285A, and motor 262 and 262A. This allows assemblers to know which assembly goes on which side of the applicator 20; and it also provides “tells” for inspectors to readily detect an incorrect assembly of the components.
In operation, material is metered by the metering system 180 into the channel of the supply line 150, 155, and 157. A fluid or airflow is also provided to the supply line 150, 155, and 157 by the blowers 170 and 175. The pneumatic conveying system 25 controls both the metering system 180 and the airflow to result in a desired mixture. The mixture is directed into the housing 205 of the distributor assembly 140, 145, and 147. The motor 162 is operated to rotate the shaft assembly 295. The speed of the shaft 295 can be varied as desired by the system 25. The rotation of the shaft 295 causes the agitators 405 to rotate within the housing 205, with the agitators 405 contacting the incoming particulate material. The contact of the agitators 405 with the particulate material causes the particulate material to be deflected into the channels 255 of the distribution lines 160, 165, and 167. The deflector 355, including the conical portion 370 and the scallop portion 375, assist with deflecting the mixture into the channels 255. Upon entering the channels 250, the particulate materials are directed into the distribution lines 160, 165, and 167 for direction and dispensing by the outlets 60 and 90.
Although the best mode contemplated by the inventors of carrying out the present invention is disclosed above, practice of the above invention is not limited thereto. It will be manifest that various additions, modifications, and rearrangements of the features of the present invention may be made without deviating from the spirit and the scope of the underlying inventive concept.
