Patent Grant
11032965
This application is a United States National Phase Application of International Application PCT/EP2017/001203, filed Oct. 11, 2017, and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of German Application 10 2016 012 254.4, filed Oct. 14, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a method for controlling and/or regulating a metering element of a pneumatic spreading machine, comprising
wherein at least one calibration test is performed by virtue of the metering element, charged with a particular type of material for spreading, being actuated over a predetermined test duration with a predetermined operating parameter and the mass of material for spreading metered during the calibration test being gravimetrically detected, following which, from the mass of material for spreading thus obtained in relation to the test duration and the operating parameters of the metering element, a functional relationship between the operating parameter of the metering element and the actual mass flow of material for spreading metered by means of said metering element is calculated, and the metering element is then controlled and/or regulated to a setpoint mass flow of material for spreading in a manner dependent on this functional relationship. The invention also relates to a pneumatic spreading machine designed in particular for carrying out a method of said type, comprising
Pneumatic spreading machines of the above-mentioned type are widely used in the agricultural sector for dispensing predominantly pulverulent and/or particulate material for spreading, such as in particular seeds and/or fertilizer. Here, the material for spreading, which is generally stored in a container, is metered by means of one or more metering elements, which are commonly arranged below an outlet opening of the container, and the metered mass flow of material for spreading is transferred to a multiplicity of spreading elements arranged downstream of the metering element. For the transfer of the material for spreading to the spreading elements, a blower is used which feeds the generated conveying air into a conveying line, in the interior of which—and generally in a line portion thereof below the metering element—there is situated a transfer chamber in order for the flow of material for spreading metered by means of the metering element to be dispersed into the conveying air stream flowing in the conveying line and to be fluidized. For the latter purpose, the conveying line is, in the region of the transfer chamber, commonly although not imperatively equipped with a so-called injector which comprises a nozzle arranged upstream of the transfer chamber in the conveying line and a diffuser, in the form of an expansion nozzle, arranged downstream of the transfer chamber in the conveying line. This transfer chamber is in this case consequently formed between the nozzle and the diffuser. In particular in the case of so-called drill ploughs, the conveying line finally opens out, downstream of the transfer chamber, into a distributor unit, which is designed for example in the form of a distributor head and which has a multiplicity of outlets. The latter are generally arranged so as to be distributed around the circumference of the distributor unit and are adjoined by in each case one spreader line which serves for feeding the flow of material for spreading in partial flows, corresponding to the number of spreader lines, to in each case one spreading element, which spreading elements are arranged with different lateral spacings to the spreading machine. Furthermore, other types of distributor units are also customary, for example in the form of cyclones which separate the particles of material for spreading out of the conveying air stream and which are used predominantly in spreading machines in the form of precision seeding machines.
If the pneumatic spreading machine is for example a fertilizer spreader, such as is known for example from DE 10 2004 030 240 B4, then the spreading elements may be formed for example by impact plates situated at the end of the spreader lines. By contrast, if the pneumatic spreading machine is for example a sowing machine, then the spreading elements may for example comprise sowing coulters for introducing the seeds into the ground. Such spreading machines are known inter alia from DE 44 34 963 A1, DE 197 47 029 A1 or DE 10 2010 053 883 A1.
The container, which is heavy in particular when filled with the material for spreading, is commonly arranged, in the case of known pneumatic spreading machines, on a support structure which extends below the container and which supports the latter. Here, the support structure may be held either by a three-point hitch of a prime mover, such as a tractor, or the spreading machine is in the form of a towed machine which is itself supported on the ground during operation. The housing of the transfer chamber, in particular if it is equipped with an injector with the nozzle and diffuser which each open into said transfer chamber and are commonly arranged coaxially, is for space reasons often arranged transversely with respect to the direction of travel (that is to say the central axis of nozzle and diffuser extends perpendicular to the direction of travel). Furthermore, in particular for large working widths, so-called twin configurations are known which comprise in each case one container, which serves for accommodating the material for spreading, and in each case one pneumatic transport system of the type described above. In this case, the transfer chamber is generally arranged parallel to the direction of travel.
The one or more metering elements of pneumatic spreading machines generally have, depending on the material for spreading that is to be dispensed, cellular wheels or cam wheels which can be controlled and/or regulated with regard to their operating parameters, such as in particular the rotational speed, wherein it is furthermore known for the cellular wheels or cam wheels to be exchangeable for one another in order to adapt the spreading machine to different materials for spreading (cf. for example EP 2 786 649 A2). However, it is basically also possible for use to be made of metering elements equipped with metering slides activatable by activator means, which metering elements interact with a metering opening, wherein, as an operating parameter of such metering elements, the relative position of the metering slide in relation to the metering opening can be controlled and/or regulated.
In order to regulate the one or more metering elements of generic pneumatic spreading machines to a desired set point mass flow of material for spreading, DE 10 2014 115 020 A1 for example describes a regulation method in which the actual mass flow of the particles of material for spreading dispersed into the conveying air stream is detected in the conveying line by means of a sensor, such as a piezo sensor, and is transmitted to a regulating device of the spreading machine, which determines a manipulated variable in a manner dependent on the set point mass flow, and correspondingly regulates the metering elements to the set point mass flow. In this regard, it is the intention to continuously determine a corrective factor as a ratio of the actual mass flow in relation to the actual rotational speed or frequency of the metering element, such that the set point mass flow can, with the aid of the corrective factor, be converted into a setpoint rotational speed or frequency of the metering element. The regulating device determines the manipulated variable acting on the metering element—in this case the rotational speed or frequency—in a manner dependent on a control error which is determined as a difference between the setpoint rotational speed and the actual rotational speed. However, such methods have hitherto not been able to become established on the market because the detection of the actual mass flow of fluidized particles of material for spreading using sensor means is error-prone and also susceptible to faults, wherein even local deposits and/or fouling can lead to failure of the mass flow regulation.
This also applies to DE 100 37 713 A1 which describes a spreading machine in the form of a drill plough, which comprises a metering element in the form of a sowing wheel which meters the metered seeds into a transfer chamber arranged below the metering element, which metering chamber is adjoined by a conveying line charged with an air stream. Downstream of the metering element, there is provided a counter device which is in the form of a light barrier, a sensor device or an impact device and which counts a partial quantity of the seeds to be dispensed, in order to regulate the sowing quantity in a manner dependent on this and on the working speed. Aside from the above-mentioned disadvantages generally associated with a corresponding sensor arrangement, there is also the problem here that only a partial quantity of the total mass flow of material for spreading that is to be metered can be fed to the counter device, in order that the particles of material for spreading can form a countable layer. Owing to the commonly non-linear dependency of the metered mass flow in relation to the rotational speed of the metering element, there are consequently scattering errors in the dispensing of the (total) setpoint mass flow of material for spreading.
In practice, calibration tests are therefore performed, as before, by virtue of the metering element, charged with a particular type of material for spreading, being actuated over a predetermined test duration with a predetermined operating parameter—commonly the rotational speed of the metering element designed as a cellular wheel or cam wheel—and the mass of material for spreading metered during the calibration test being gravimetrically detected. From the mass of material for spreading thus obtained in relation to the test duration and the operating parameters of the metering element, it is then possible to calculate a functional relationship between the operating parameter of the metering element and the mass flow of material for spreading metered by means of said metering element, and the metering element can then be controlled and/or regulated in a manner dependent on this functional relationship to a setpoint mass flow of material for spreading. Here, for the calibration test, it is essential that all of the material for spreading metered during the execution of said test can be collected, and no fractions thereof remain for example in components of the spreading machine, in order to ensure high accuracy of the adjustment of the metering element during the later working step of fertilizing/sowing and in order, both for economic reasons and for environmental protection reasons, to avoid incorrect metering, also referred to as “calibration errors”, in particular over-metering, owing to material for spreading being only partially collected during a calibration test.
Whereas, in many cases, such calibration tests are performed manually before the commencement of spreading work by virtue of the metering element being actuated in the above manner and material for spreading metered during the operation test being collected in a test container to be placed below the metering element, following which the test container with the collected mass of material for spreading is manually weighed, and a characteristic value that identifies the desired spread quantity of material for spreading per unit of metering time is input into a control device of the spreading machine (cf. for example EP 0 635 195 A1, DE 44 31 288 A1, EP 2 022 308 A1, DE 10 2007 044 178 A1 or DE 20 2014 009 404 U1), such an approach is firstly relatively cumbersome for the farmer, and secondly, the metering accuracy achieved in this way leaves something to be desired, because the actual mass flow of the same material for spreading may change in the case of a constant rotational speed of the metering element during the ongoing spreading work, in particular owing to moisture. Moreover, manual inputting of values into the control device basically also exhibits high susceptibility to errors.
Therefore, generic pneumatic spreading machines are also known in which the calibration tests can be performed firstly in automated fashion and secondly at various points in time during the spreading work, for example as the spreading machine is turning at the headland etc., in order to keep the functional relationship between the rotational speed of the metering element and the actual mass flow of material for spreading metered by means of said metering element up-to-date at all times and to consequently ensure continuously high metering accuracy.
For example, DE 101 34 991 A1 describes a pneumatic drill plough with a seed container, with a metering element designed in the form of a cellular wheel, and with a counting device for counting the particles of material for spreading that have been metered during automated calibration tests. The counting device is designed as a pneumatic counting device and comprises a cellular wheel with bores arranged spaced apart from one another in the outer region thereof, a suction device that sucks the particles of material for spreading into the bores, and a particle separating device which separates the sucked-in particles out of the bores. Two sensors which are arranged in each case in front of and behind the particle separating device in a direction of rotation of the cellular wheel serve for counting the particles of material for spreading metered during the calibration test, wherein the result of this count is transmitted to a regulating device which regulates the metering element in accordance with the desired spreading. The counting device is arranged in the interior of the seed container, wherein, in a portion of the conveying line arranged between the metering element and the distributor head, there is provided a switch which, during the execution of a calibration test, diverts the metered particles of material for spreading to the counting device, whereas, during the spreading work, said switch conducts said particles to the distributor unit designed in the form of a distributor head. Aside from the cumbersome design of the particle counting device from a structural aspect, a disadvantage consists in particular in that the particles of material for spreading that are conducted in a circuit to the counting device during a calibration test can accumulate or remain at numerous locations in the spreading machine, for example in the injector or in the conveying line itself, such that there is the risk of metering errors if not all of the particles of material for spreading can be counted. Moreover, the calibration test is relatively time-consuming.
EP 2 420 121 B1 describes a pneumatic spreading machine designed in particular in the form of a sowing machine, having a storage container for accommodating the material for spreading, having a metering element and having transfer chamber, arranged below said metering element, with an injector, which opens into a conveying line for the fluidized flow of material for spreading. Furthermore, the spreading machine comprises a weighing container arranged below the injector, which weighing container serves for the selective weighing of a metered fraction of material for spreading from the storage container during a calibration test and can be connected to or separated from said storage container by means of a calibration valve. In order to carry out a calibration test, the calibration valve has consequently opened, such that the material for spreading metered by means of a predefined number of rotations of the metering element falls into the weighing container, where the mass of said material for spreading is gravimetrically detected by means of a weighing cell. By contrast, during the spreading work, the calibration valve is closed, such that the metered material for spreading is released from the metering element directly to the injector. It has proven to be disadvantageous in particular that the material for spreading collected in the weighing container must, after every calibration test, be recirculated into the storage container by means of an additional recirculation line, which is equipped with an additional blower. Furthermore, the housing of the transfer chamber of pneumatic spreading machines, whether or not equipped with an injector, should basically, in order to achieve as low as possible a center of gravity of the machine and in order to satisfy the demands for realizing as large as possible a capacity of the storage container, be arranged at a very low height below the metering element, which is possible only to a limited extent with the weighing container, including its recirculation line, provided below the injector. In order to be able to combine the working processes of fertilizing and/or sowing with working processes of cultivation in a space-saving manner, generic pneumatic spreading machines, in particular in the form of so-called drill ploughs, are furthermore commonly equipped with active or passive cultivation units such as for example packer rollers, rotary harrows and the like, which additionally restricts the structural space required for the weighing container.
The invention is therefore based on an object of further developing a pneumatic spreading machine and a method for controlling and/or regulating the metering element thereof of the type mentioned in the introduction while at least substantially avoiding the above-stated disadvantages, such that automated execution of calibration tests with high accuracy is ensured.
With regard to a method, said object is achieved, in the case of a method for controlling and/or regulating a metering element of a pneumatic spreading machine of the type mentioned in the introduction, in that the mass of material for spreading metered during the calibration test is gravimetrically detected downstream of the metering element and upstream of the transfer chamber or in the transfer chamber, following which said material for spreading is transferred to the conveying line and dispensed.
With regard to a device, to achieve said object in the case of a pneumatic spreading machine of the type mentioned in the introduction, the invention furthermore provides that the weighing device is arranged downstream of the metering element and upstream of the transfer chamber, in or at the transfer chamber, such that the mass of material for spreading metered during the calibration test can be transferred to the conveying line and dispensed.
Owing to the fact that the gravimetric detection of the material for spreading metered during a calibration test performed in automated fashion is weighed downstream of the metering element and upstream of the transfer chamber or in the latter, wherein the weighing device is consequently likewise arranged downstream of the metering element and upstream of the transfer chamber or in or at the transfer chamber itself, the embodiment according to the invention firstly eliminates the need for additional recirculation lines for the material for spreading into the storage container thereof, such that there is also no risk of contamination of the material for spreading that is stored therein. In particular, however, the risk of metering errors is minimized since the gravimetric detection of the material for spreading is performed directly downstream of the metering element, such that it is ensured that all of the material for spreading metered during a calibration test is also actually weighed and does not, on the path to a weighing device provided spaced apart from the metering element, for example a weighing device in the interior of the container, remain partially disregarded owing to deposits in various components of the pneumatic spreading machine. This is also associated with a time-saving, such that the calibration test can be performed relatively quickly and consequently even during short interruptions in the spreading work. The gravimetric detection of the material for spreading may in this case be performed when the blower is deactivated, because said blower is not necessarily required for transporting the material for spreading from the metering element to the weighing device. A particular advantage of the embodiment according to the invention furthermore consists in that material for spreading that is metered and weighed during a calibration test can subsequently be dispensed in controlled fashion via the transfer chamber and via the spreader lines adjoining said transfer chamber via the conveying line, for example by activation of the blower, such that the dead times that basically exist during the commencement of operation of generic spreading machines—be it at the start of the spreading work or after interruptions thereof, for example when traveling from the headland into the field interior—(the material for spreading metered by the metering element must be fed by means of the activated blower to the transfer chamber and pass from there via the conveying and spreader lines and, after having possibly passed a distributor unit, to the spreading elements) can be bridged.
If the spreading machines has multiple metering elements with in each case one transfer chamber arranged downstream thereof, then it is self-evidently possible for a weighing device designed in the manner according to the invention to be arranged downstream of each metering element, in order to operate the metering elements in each case correspondingly to the functional relationship, obtained by means of the calibration tests, between the operating parameter of the respective metering element and the actual mass flow metered by means of said metering element. However, on the other hand, it is also conceivable for only one weighing device to be provided for carrying out the calibration tests by means of the mass of material for spreading metered by means of one of the metering elements, and for the other metering elements that are not equipped with a weighing device to be operated correspondingly to the functional relationship, obtained from this, between the operating parameter of the one metering element and the actual mass flow metered by means of said metering element, by virtue of the functional relationship consequently being “transferred” to the other metering elements.
In order that, after each calibration test, the spreading machine can automatically control and/or regulate the desired mass flow of material for spreading, without the mass of material for spreading detected during the calibration test, or a value representative of this, having to be manually input, the spreading machine may preferably have a control and/or regulating device which is operatively connected both to the weighing device and to the metering element and which is designed to, from the mass of material for spreading detected by means of the weighing device in relation to the test duration and the operating parameter of the metering element, such as for example the rotational speed, the number of rotations, the number of emptied cells or cam troughs of the metering wheel or the like, during the calibration test, calculate a functional relationship between the operating parameter of the metering element and the actual mass flow of material for spreading metered by means of said metering element, and to subsequently control and/or regulates the metering element to a setpoint mass flow of material for spreading in a manner dependent on this functional relationship. The functional relationship may furthermore, in a manner known per se, involve a factor, a characteristic line or curve, a characteristic map or the like.
As already indicated, the invention provides in particular that the material for spreading metered during the calibration test
With regard to a device, for this purpose, various design embodiments may be provided, wherein the weighing device should always be closed on all sides or “encapsulated” and/or accommodated entirely in the interior of the conveying components situated between the metering element and the transfer chamber, so as to protect the material for conveying against external action and so as not to falsify the measurement result. Accordingly, according to a first advantageous embodiment, it may be provided for example that the weighing device is arranged downstream of the metering element and upstream of the transfer chamber, wherein the material for spreading can be fed selectively either to the weighing device or, past the latter, to the transfer chamber. The weighing device is consequently arranged in particular parallel to a line connecting the metering element to the transfer chamber, from which line it can be transferred selectively directly to the transfer chamber (during spreading work) or firstly to the weighing device (during a calibration test) and from there to the transfer chamber (after the calibration test at the start of the spreading work).
In this context, according to one design variant, provision may be made for the weighing device to comprise a weighing container which, by means of a switch arranged in a line connecting the metering element to the transfer chamber, is selectively connectable to the metering element or separable therefrom, wherein the weighing container in particular
As already mentioned, the switch, which is designed for example in the form of a guide flap, is consequently set, during a calibration test, such that it conducts the metered particles of material for spreading directly to the weighing container, wherein the particles of material for spreading are, after the weighing that is performed there at the start of the spreading work, transferred from the weighing container into the injector for example by means of a flap that can be set into an open position and into a closed position, whereas, during the spreading work, the switch transfers the particles of material for spreading past the weighing container directly to the transfer chamber, such that the particles of material for spreading do not have to pass through the weighing container. In the case of a weighing container connected to an external container balance, the mechanical decoupling thereof on the one hand from the line which connects the metering element to the transfer chamber and which is equipped with the switch, and on the other hand from the connection, which is to be opened and closed, of the weighing container to the transfer chamber, may be realized for example in a manner known per se by means of flexible line pieces, composed for example of elastically flexible materials, such as silicone, rubber etc., composed of flexibly pliable materials, such as (filter) fabrics and the like, by means of bellows etc.
According to a further design variant, provision may be made in this context for the weighing device to have a weighing container with at least one weighing cell arranged in the interior thereof and to be mounted so as to be pivotable, in relation to a line connecting the metering element to the transfer chamber, between at least one weighing position, in which said line opens into the weighing container, and at least one transfer position, in which the weighing container opens into the transfer chamber, wherein the transfer chamber in particular
In the former case, the transfer chamber can consequently, by means of the rotary slide, be rotated out of its operating position, in which it is connected via the line to the metering element, into the weighing position, in which it is arranged outside the line connecting it to the metering element in the operating position. In the operating position, in turn, the weighing container, which is for example pivotable articulated on the circumference of the line, can be connected to the line which connects the metering element to the transfer chamber in the operating position, by virtue of said weighing container being pivoted into the cross section of said line, such that the calibration test can be performed. Subsequently, the weighing container is pivoted out of its weighing position again, and the transfer chamber is rotated by means of the rotary slide into the transfer position, which corresponds in particular to its operating position, in which firstly the material for spreading metered by means of the metering element can pass into the transfer chamber, and in which secondly the material for spreading received in the weighing container can be transferred into the transfer chamber. The latter may in turn be performed for example by means of a closure flap, in the open state of which the material for spreading falls from the weighing container into the transfer chamber at the start of spreading work after the calibration test.
In the latter case, both the weighing container and the transfer chamber are, for example at substantially oppositely situated pivot bearings on the circumference of the line which connects the metering element to the transfer chamber in the operating position, articulated pivotably on said line, such that they can each be connected to the line by pivoting in order to perform a calibration test or in order to dispense the material for spreading during the spreading work. After the calibration test has ended, the transfer chamber is consequently pivoted into its transfer position, which corresponds in particular to the operating position, in which the material for spreading received in the weighing container can be transferred into the transfer chamber. This may in turn be performed for example by means of a closure flap, in the open state of which the material for spreading falls from the weighing container into the transfer chamber at the start of the spreading work after the calibration test.
According to a further design variant, provision may be made for the weighing device to have a weighing container with at least one weighing cell arranged in the interior thereof, and both the transfer chamber and the weighing container are arranged on a linear slide which acts in particular substantially perpendicularly with respect to a line connecting the metering element to the transfer chamber, wherein the transfer chamber and the weighing container are displaceable between at least one weighing position, in which the line connecting the metering element to the transfer chamber opens into the weighing container and the transfer chamber is arranged outside the cross section of said line, and at least one operating position, in which the line connecting the metering element to the transfer chamber opens into the transfer chamber and the weighing container is arranged outside the cross section of said line, and wherein furthermore, the weighing container is, in particular by means of a flap, selectively connectable to the transfer chamber and separable therefrom. In this case, the transfer chamber and the weighing container can consequently be displaced, in particular jointly, by means of the linear slide, in order to either connect the weighing container to the metering element in order to carry out a calibration test or connect the transfer chamber to the metering element during spreading work. The transfer of the material for spreading received in the weighing container after a calibration test into the transfer chamber may in turn be performed by means of a closure flap, in the open state of which the material for spreading falls from the weighing container into the transfer chamber at the start of spreading work.
In all of the above mentioned design variants, the transfer of the material for spreading metered during a calibration test from the weighing container into the transfer chamber may be performed preferably under the action of gravitational force, by virtue of the weighing container, at least in its transfer position, being arranged at a corresponding height at least partially above the transfer chamber. Alternatively or in addition, it is for example also conceivable for the transfer of the material for spreading metered during a calibration test from the weighing container into the transfer chamber to be performed by means of the air stream generated by the blower, by virtue of the material for spreading being for example suctioned from the weighing container into the transfer chamber.
In an alternative design variant, which does not require a separate weighing container, provision may for example also be made whereby the weighing device
The material for spreading metered during a calibration test is consequently, with the flap closed or with the slide closed, collected directly in the line connecting the metering element to the transfer chamber, in order for the mass of said material for spreading to be gravimetrically detected, following which the flap is opened, or the slide is pulled out of the line, in order for the collected material for spreading to be transferred to the transfer chamber and dispensed at the start of the “normal” spreading work. The displacement direction of the slide in this case expediently extends approximately perpendicular to the line connecting the metering element to the transfer chamber. Said line may preferably be equipped with suitable sealing lips which, when the flap or the slide is in the closed position, bear against the flap or against the slide, such that weighing errors can be avoided even if the transfer chamber below the flap or the slide is impinged on with the conveying air stream by the blower whilst the calibration test is being performed.
In a second advantageous embodiment, which likewise does not require a separate weighing container and in the case of which the material for spreading metered during a calibration test is collected directly in the transfer chamber with the blower decoupled from said transfer chamber and/or deactivated, in order for the mass of said material for spreading to be gravimetrically detected, following which the transfer chamber is coupled to the blower and/or said blower is activated in order to dispense the material for spreading, one design variant may provide for the weighing device to comprise a weighing cell which is arranged in the interior of the transfer chamber, in particular at the base thereof, wherein the weighing cell can in particular be exposed and covered by means of a slide situated at the inside. The weighing cell is consequently positioned in the interior of the transfer chamber such that the material for spreading metered by means of the metering element falls directly onto said weighing cell, without the possibility of losses occurring which are not gravimetrically detected. In order to protect the weighing cell during spreading work, said weighing cell may preferably be covered by means of the slide, and exposed only for the purposes of performing a calibration test.
In a further design variant, it may be provided in this context that at least one lower portion of the transfer chamber is connected
To ensure that, during the execution of calibration tests, the blower does not introduce any air stream into the transfer chamber in the manner mentioned above, the control and/or regulating device may expediently deactivate the blower or separate said blower from the transfer chamber, for example by means of a shut-off flap or the like, wherein it is alternatively or additionally for example also possible for a warning message to be generated if, for example in the event of a fault, in the case of the blower being active during a calibration test, the weighing device detects the mass of material for spreading hereby metered.
In order to be able to access the functional relationships, determined by means of a multiplicity of calibration tests, between the operating parameter of the metering element and the actual mass flow, metered by means of said metering element, of particular materials for spreading at a later point in time, and in order to preferably keep the functional relationship up-to-date at all times during spreading work, in order to thereby take into consideration in particular physical changes of the material for spreading, such as may arise for example owing to an ingress of moisture, provision may be made, in an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention, whereby the functional relationship, obtained from the mass of a particular type of material for spreading gravimetrically detected during a calibration test in relation to the test duration and the operating parameter of the metering element, between the operating parameter of the metering element and the actual mass flow of material for spreading is stored, in particular in the form of a metering factor, in order for said functional relationship to be retrievable when required, wherein it is updated in particular when a further calibration test is carried out.
In the case of a correspondingly designed spreading machine, provision may accordingly be made, in an advantageous refinement, whereby the control and/or regulating device is designed to store the functional relationship, obtained from the mass of a particular type of material for spreading gravimetrically detected during a calibration test in relation to the test duration and the operating parameter of the metering element, between the operating parameter of the metering element and the actual mass flow of material for spreading, in particular in the form of a metering factor, or is connected to a memory device suitable for this purpose, in order for said functional relationship to be retrievable when required, wherein the control and/or regulating device is in particular designed to update the functional relationship when a further calibration test is carried out.
With regard to the bridging, mentioned in the introduction, of the dead times upon the commencement of operation of generic spreading machines—be it at the start of spreading work or be it for example after traveling through the headland—it may prove to be expedient in particular if the mass of material for spreading metered during the calibration test is transferred to the conveying line and dispensed as or immediately before the metering element is, after the end of the calibration test, returned to its normal operating state, in which it is controlled and/or regulated in accordance with the desired setpoint mass flow. In this way, the mass of material for spreading metered during the calibration test can consequently be dispensed at a point in time before the material for spreading newly metered by the metering element upon the commencement (resumption) of the spreading work can pass to the transfer chamber and from there via the conveying or spreader line(s) to the spreading elements, such that a spontaneous start of operation is ensured and local deficiencies in the supply of material for spreading to the ground to be covered are avoided.
In the case of a spreading machine configured for this purpose, provision may consequently preferably be made whereby the control and/or regulating device is designed to set the metering element into its normal operating state, in which it controls and/or regulates the metering element in accordance with the desired setpoint mass flow, as or immediately after the mass of material for spreading metered during the calibration test is, after the end of the calibration test, transferred to the conveying line and dispensed. The latter may for example be realized in a simple manner by virtue of the quantity of material for spreading metered during the calibration test, which either is already situated in the transfer chamber or has for example been transferred from a weighing container to said transfer chamber, being fluidized, and introduced into the conveying line, in order to feed the material for spreading via the spreader lines to the respective spreading elements, by activation of the blower or opening of a shut-off flap in a blowing air line which connects the blower to the transfer chamber.
Furthermore, it may self-evidently be advantageous if, in the control and/or regulation of the metering element, in a manner dependent on the functional relationship between the operating parameter of the metering element and the mass of material for spreading metered during the preceding calibration test, to the desired setpoint mass flow of material for spreading, at least one spreading parameter from the group comprising
In the case of a spreading machine configured for carrying out such a method, provision may accordingly preferably be made whereby, in the control and/or regulation of the metering element, in a manner dependent on the functional relationship between the operating parameter of the metering element and the mass of material for spreading metered by means of said metering elements during the preceding calibration test, to the desired setpoint mass flow of material for spreading, also takes into consideration at least one spreading parameter from the group comprising
Finally, in particular with regard to the first execution of a calibration test after the storage container of the spreading machine has been filled with fresh material for spreading and spreading work is to be commenced, it may be expedient if, for the calibration test, a predetermined test duration is taken into consideration, at the start of which the metering element was already actuated, wherein, for the detection of the mass of material for spreading metered during the calibration test, the difference between the mass at the end of the test duration and at the start of the test duration is determined. In this way, it is ensured that the cells or the cam troughs of a metering wheel of the metering element are fully filled with the relevant material for spreading in the predetermined test duration, and it is not for example the case that cells or cam troughs of the metering wheel which are initially still (partially) empty or are (partially) filled with “old” material for spreading with a different density falsify the calibration test. Here, the metering wheel may for example be rotated with the operating parameter predetermined for the calibration test, for example at least one half of one rotation, such that it is fully filled with the “present” material for spreading, following which the calibration test itself begins for the first time. The residual material for spreading that is possibly metered here however remains disregarded for the calibration test owing to the fact that, for the detection of the mass of material for spreading metered during the calibration test, only the difference between the mass at the end of the test duration and at the start of the test duration is determined. This may be realized in a manner known per se by means of known so-called “tare functions” of the weighing cells used, or else by means of electronic calculation of the difference between the measured value of the mass of material for spreading at the end of the test duration and at the start of the test duration.
Further features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.
In the drawings:
Referring to the drawings,
As can also be seen from
The spreading machine shown in
Here, the control and/or regulating device may expediently be designed to store the functional relationship, obtained from the mass of a particular type of material for spreading gravimetrically detected during the calibration test, between the operating parameter of the metering element 17 and the actual mass flow of material for spreading, or is connected to a memory device (likewise not shown) suitable for this purpose, in order for said functional relationship to be retrievable when required. Furthermore, said functional relationship may in particular also be updated during the execution of one or more further calibration tests, such that physical changes to the material for spreading during ongoing spreading work, such as may arise in particular owing to an ingress of moisture, do not lead to metering errors. Furthermore, provision may be made whereby, in the control and/or regulation of the metering element 17, in a manner dependent on the functional relationship between the operating parameter of the metering element 17 and the mass of material for spreading metered by means of said metering element during the preceding calibration test, to the desired setpoint mass flow of material for spreading, the control and/or regulating device also takes into consideration further spreading parameters, in particular the working width—for example input by means of an input device, for example in the form of an operating terminal (not shown), assigned to the control and/or regulating device—including possibly provided partial width switching configurations, the traveling speed—likewise for example input or detected by sensor means or using GPS—and/or the actual position of the spreading machine—likewise detected in particular by means of GPS.
The metering element 17 may furthermore be designed in any known manner, wherein, in the present case, it has in each case a metering wheel which can be set in rotation in a controlled and/or regulated manner and which, depending on the type of material for spreading to be dispensed, may be designed for example in the manner of cellular or cam wheels. The operating parameter of the metering element 17 which is taken into consideration during the calibration tests and which serves for the determination of the functional relationship that is definitive for the control and/or regulation of said metering element to the desired setpoint mass flow of material for spreading, such as a metering factor, may consequently be for example the rotational speed, the rotational frequency, the number of rotations, the number of emptied cells or cam troughs of the metering wheel of the metering element 17 or the like. It is likewise for example conceivable for the number of cells or cam troughs of the metering wheel of the metering element 17 emptied during a calibration test to be counted by means of a suitable sensor.
As is also evident from the following description of various embodiments of weighing devices 100 which serve for the gravimetric detection of the material for spreading metered during automated calibration tests, with reference to
The exemplary embodiments of a weighing device 100, which serves for the automated execution of calibration tests, shown in
In the case of the embodiment as per
The embodiment of a weighing device 100 illustrated in
In the case of the embodiment as per
The embodiment of a weighing device shown in
In the case of the embodiments of a weighing device 100 shown in
The weighing device 100—which is again arranged in each case directly downstream of the metering element 17 and upstream of the metering chamber 14—both the embodiment as per
In the case of the embodiment illustrated in
The embodiments of weighing devices 100 schematically illustrated in
Accordingly, in the embodiment of the weighing device 100 shown in
Finally, the weighing device 100 as per the embodiment shown in
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2016 012 254.4 | Oct 2016 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2017/001203 | 10/11/2017 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2018/068896 | 4/19/2018 | WO | A |
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