Patent Application
20240306528
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U. K. Patent Application 2110749.5, “Planter Implement,” filed Jul. 27, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to agricultural implements, and in particular, planter implements supported by one or more wheels.
Agricultural machines such as planters with a plurality of row units are used to plant seeds upon or in the ground. Planters may have a central portion pulled by a tractor, and may have wings extending from either side. The individual row units, mounted to the center section or to a wing, typically deliver seeds into separate rows. The row units may receive seed from a common central hopper, which may be used to limit the effect of excessive weight on the wings. That is, the center section may be supported by more wheels or larger wheels, and thus may be better able to support the weight of the filled central hopper without exerting excessive pressure on the ground. To increase the speed at which fields can be planted, planters are becoming wider and the seed hoppers that feed the row units are becoming larger.
The wing sections are typically also supported by one or more wheels. The location of the wing wheels can limit where row units can be placed. The location of the wing wheels may be selected to enable particular spacing between row units (which may be referred to in the art as “row spacing” or “row width”). When changing from one crop to another with a different row spacing, row units are physically moved along a toolbar of a planter implement.
In some embodiments, a planter implement includes a frame, at least one wheel support member coupled to the frame, at least one wheel carried by the at least one wheel support member, and a toolbar coupled to the at least one wheel support member at a pivot point.
The toolbar may be coupled to the at least one wheel support member by at least one toolbar support member. The at least one toolbar support member may exhibit a length greater than a radius of the at least one wheel. The at least one toolbar support member may be rigidly coupled to the toolbar and rotatably coupled to the at least one wheel support member. Alternatively, the at least one toolbar support member may be rotatably coupled to the toolbar and rotatably coupled to the at least one wheel support member. In some embodiments, the at least one toolbar support member may include a pair of parallel links.
At least one actuator may be configured to change an angle of the toolbar support member relative to the wheel support member.
The at least one wheel support member may exhibit a length greater than a radius of the at least one wheel. The at least one wheel support member may carry an axle of the at least one wheel. The at least one wheel support member may be rigidly coupled to the frame.
The frame may comprise a first section configured to be towed by a tractor; and a wing section hingedly coupled to the first section, wherein the at least one wheel support member is coupled to the wing section.
At least one actuator may be configured to change a position of the toolbar relative to the frame.
A plurality of planter row units may be carried by the toolbar. A hopper may be carried by the frame and configured to supply material to each of the planter row units.
In some embodiments, the at least one wheel support member is configured to carry the at least one wheel on either of two lateral sides of the at least one wheel support member.
In other embodiments, a planter implement includes a frame configured to be towed through an agricultural field, the frame comprising a first section and at least one wing section hingedly coupled to the first section. A wheel support member has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is rigidly coupled to the at least one wing section. A wheel is carried by the second end of the wheel support member and configured to support the at least one wing section in the field. A toolbar support member has a first end and a second end, and the first end is coupled to the second end of the wheel support member at a pivot point. A toolbar is coupled to the second end of the toolbar support member, and an actuator is configured to change a position of the toolbar relative to the frame.
A plurality of planter row units may be carried by the toolbar. The toolbar support member may comprise a set of parallel links. The toolbar support member may be rotatably coupled to the second end of the wheel support member at the pivot point.
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming what are regarded as embodiments of the present disclosure, various features and advantages may be more readily ascertained from the following description of example embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The illustrations presented herein are not actual views of any planter or portion thereof, but are merely idealized representations to describe example embodiments of the present disclosure. Additionally, elements common between figures may retain the same numerical designation.
The following description provides specific details of embodiments. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced without employing many such specific details. Indeed, the embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced in conjunction with conventional techniques employed in the industry. In addition, the description provided below does not include all elements to form a complete structure or assembly. Only those structures necessary to understand the embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail below. Additional conventional structures may be used. The drawings accompanying the application are for illustrative purposes only, and are thus not drawn to scale.
As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps, but also include the more restrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” and grammatical equivalents thereof.
As used herein, the term “may” with respect to a material, structure, feature, or method act indicates that such is contemplated for use in implementation of an embodiment of the disclosure, and such term is used in preference to the more restrictive term “is” so as to avoid any implication that other, compatible materials, structures, features, and methods usable in combination therewith should or must be excluded.
As used herein, the term “configured” refers to a size, shape, material composition, and arrangement of one or more of at least one structure and at least one apparatus facilitating operation of one or more of the structure and the apparatus in a predetermined way.
As used herein, the singular forms following “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
As used herein, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “bottom,” “above,” “upper,” “top,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” and the like, may be used for ease of description to describe one element's or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Unless otherwise specified, the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the materials in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.
The frame 103 may include a section 120 (e.g., a center section) configured to be towed by the tractor 100 and one or more wing sections 122 hingedly coupled to the section 120. For example, and as shown in
The wheel 118 may be configured to be secured to either side of the wheel support member 124.
The toolbar 104 may be rotatably coupled to the wheel support member 124 by one or more toolbar support members 132, each of which may be rigidly coupled to the toolbar 104 and rotatably coupled to the wheel support member 124 at pivot point 140. The toolbar support member 132 also has a length greater than the radius of the wheel 118 to enable the wheel to rotate freely without interfering with the toolbar 104. The toolbar support member 132 may have a cutout shape to match a shape of the toolbar 104 and to facilitate securing the toolbar support member 132 to the toolbar 104. A mounting bracket 134 may be used to rigidly couple the toolbar support member 132 to the toolbar 104, such as by surrounding a portion of the toolbar 104. The mounting bracket 134 may be secured by bolts or other selected devices.
An actuator 136 may be connected between the wheel support member 124 and the toolbar support member 132. Extension or contraction of the actuator 136 changes the position of the toolbar 104 relative to the frame 103. Thus, the actuator 136 can move the toolbar 104 from a planting position to a transport position. The actuator 136 may be, for example, a pneumatic or electric actuator, and may be connected to the implement controller 114 by appropriate means (e.g., electrical or pneumatic signals). The actuator 136 is depicted in
Conventional supports may include one member to carry the wheel 118 and a separate member to connect the toolbar 104 to the frame 103. Because the wheel support member 124 shown in
Furthermore, because the number of parts connected to the frame 103 is limited, there may be more options for positioning the wheel support member 124 along the frame 103. Thus, the wheel support member 124 may be placed to accommodate different row unit spacing, and the location of the wheel 118 may be selected such that the wheel 118 is not in the path of a row unit. The wheel 118 may be carried by either side of the wheel support member 124, which enables more flexibility with respect to mounting the wheel support member 124. In some embodiments, the wheel 118 of each of the wing sections 122 may be located outboard of the last row unit 106, such that the wheel 118 does not compact the ground to be planted on the current pass through the field.
All references cited herein are incorporated herein in their entireties. If there is a conflict between definitions herein and in an incorporated reference, the definition herein shall control.
While the present disclosure has been described herein with respect to certain illustrated embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize and appreciate that it is not so limited. Rather, many additions, deletions, and modifications to the illustrated embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure as hereinafter claimed, including legal equivalents thereof. In addition, features from one embodiment may be combined with features of another embodiment while still being encompassed within the scope as contemplated by the inventors. Further, embodiments of the disclosure have utility with different and various machine types and configurations.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2110749.5 | Jul 2021 | GB | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2022/056621 | 7/19/2022 | WO |
