APPARATUS IN DISPENSING MACHINES FOR AGRICULTURE
The present invention relates to an apparatus in dispensing machines for agriculture, such as a machine for feeding out seed, fertiliser in solid or liquid form or such material, without previously cultivating by ploughing, harrowing or the like, this machine including a frame and support wheels which are downwardly and up¬ wardly swingable in relation to the frame by the action of a power means, and with dispensing tynes provided with dispensing nozzles, the tynes being dependent from the lower ends of tyne arms, the upper ends of which are connected to the frame with the aid of an attatchment means. The machine is disposed for towing after a hy- draulically equipped towing vehicle.
Apparatus are known where the setting of the working depth, e.g. in dispensing devices for dispensing seed to sowing depth, takes place by using support and transport wheels mounted on either side of the appliance as refe¬ rence points, or at support wheels arranged at the rear part of a sowing machine respectively. It is obvious that for setting the working or sowing depth with reference to only two wheels, no consideration can be taken to irregularities in the ground between these two wheels. The working depth will therefore vary heavily due to irregularities in the ground. The accura- cy of the depth setting is improved if several support or carrying wheels are used as reference points, but this depth may have large variations even so. In sowing, for example, where a sowing depth of 20-40 mm is usual, it is necessary to place the seed to within a few millimetres of the correct sowing depth to obtain a good result. The machines are provided with marker devices at the sides, which make a shallow groove in the ground, the distance of this groove to the machine being suitably adjusted so that at the next sowing pass in the opposite direction the towing vehicle is steered directly above this marking
line or with a front wheel in it. In known machines, two transport wheels are usually arranged outside the width covered by the sowing tynes, which results in high wheel pressure and also increases the width of the sowing machine - further to the necessary sowing width.
The sowing machine markers are also implemented such that when the marker on one side is retracted into an up¬ ward rest position the marker on the other side is activa¬ ted. This is a disadvantage when an obstruction in the form of a post, a guy-rope or the like is met when sowing in a sowing pass, and the marker must be retracted, the same marker being then used to continue the same pass. In automatic marker changeovers different operations must be executed for activating once again the marker which was previously used.
Tynes in known dispensing machines are rigidly at¬ tached to a frame by stiff arms, the frame extending the entire width of the machine, resulting in that if any tyne knocks against an obstruction in the ground, e.g. a stone, this tyne will be subjected to very large forces if it is fixed. The tynes have therefore been arranged vertically pivotable on a horizontal journaling pin and have been made deflectable with such as helical steel springs. Such a structure is subjected to large wear due to dust. Even if the moving parts are lubricated, the wear will be large and play occur so that the tynes do not move in their intended paths.
In the inventive apparatus, a plurality of disad¬ vantages is surmounted and a machine with very accurate dispensing at a given working depth and uniform trans¬ verse dispensing is obtained. This is achieved by the distinguishing features disclosed in the claims.
The invention will now be described in detail in con¬ junction with the application of the invention to a sowing machine and with reference to the accompanying drawings, where
Fig. 1 is a view of a sowing machine seen at an angle
from the rear.
Fig. 2 schematically illustrates the sowing machine from one side with one of the support wheels and two disc tynes connected to the wheel, Fig. 3 shows another apparatus in accordance with the invention.
Fig. 4 schematically illustrates some of the machine support wheels on a section of ground which is irregular transverse the machine, Fig. 5 illustrates support wheels and furrows in the ground.
Fig. 6 illustrates the wheels of figure 5 in another position relative the sowing furrows.
Fig. 7 illustrates a rotable disc tyne, partly in section, and a dispensing tube.
Fig. 8 schematically illustrates a hydraulic system for a lateral position setting means.
Fig. 9 illustrates a changeover mechanism for a changeover valve in Fig. 8, Fig. 10 illustrates a working tyne with a support tyne seen from the front.
Fig. 11 illustrates the tynes of figure 10 from one side, and
Fig. 12 and 13 illustrate two further embodiments of the invention.
In Fig. 1 a sowing machine is denoted by the numeral 1 in its entirety, with its chassis or frame 2, support wheels 3 and a forward sowing tyne 4 in the shape of a rotating disc and a rear sowing tyne 5, these tynes being connected to the support wheel 3 as described below.
At least one hydraulic cylinder 6 is arranged on the chassis 2 of the sowing machine T, this cylinder turning a shaft extending transverse the entire machine, and pro¬ vided with an arm 7 for each support wheel 3, the outer end of the arm having a joint 24 for links 8, arranged on either side of the support wheels 3. The lower ends of the links 8 are pivotably connected to the carrying shafts 9 of the support wheels 3.
The side markers 50, 51 will also be seen from Fig. 1 , these being arranged on either side of the machine. These markers can be retracted upward to a rest position, as is illustrated by the right-hand marker 51 , and to a working position as illustrated by the left-hand marker 50. The markers may be swung between their different po¬ sitions with the aid of hydraulic cylinders 52, 53 under the action of a control means which will be described in detail below. Each marker 50, 51 is provided with a pin 66 which is adjustable laterally along the marker to make a groove at a desired distance from the central plane of the machine. The furrow can be situated such that one front wheel of the towing vehicle or the central plane thereof is advanced along the groove when the sowing machine has turned round and makes furrows in the other direction adjacent the previously made furrows.
In Fig. 2 the denotations for a given part are the same as in Fig. 1. A balancing shaft 10 runs through the centre of the -support wheel 3 and this shaft may possibly be the support wheel shaft, the balancing shaft then having balancing arms 11 and 12 on either side outside the links 8. At the outer ends of the balancing arms 11 and 12 there are rods 13 and 14 articulately attached to the outer ends of the balancing arms 11 and 12, the other ends of these rods being articulately connected to the disc shafts 15 and 16 for the disc tynes 4 and 5.
From Fig. 2 will further be seen the tyne arms 17 and 18 for the disc shafts 15 and 16, the attachement ends of the arms being connected to the chassis 2 of the sowing machine 1 with the aid of elastic rubber deflection at¬ tachment means 19 and 20. For a given setting of the arm 7 with the aid of the hydraulic cylinder 6, the outer pi¬ voting point 24 of the shank, and thereby the upper pivot¬ ing point 24 of the link 8, is fixed relative the chassis 2. When the machine advances, the disc tynes will make furrows in the ground, these furrows having a depth deno¬ ted by 21 and seed is fed into the bottom of them via the nozzles 22.
The function of the machine is illustrated in Fig. 2, when the machine is operating on level homogeneous ground and the machine is travelling in the direction of the arrow 23. Also seen from the figure is the function of the apparatus when the forward sowing tyne 4 meets a hard region 30 or a stone in the ground, the arm .17. of the tyne 4 then swinging anticlockwise in a backwards-upwards direction according to the arrow 32. This results in that the rod 13 is moved backwards and actuates the balancing arm 11 such, that the support wheel 3 is also swung some¬ what anticlockwise backwards and upwards in the direction of the arrow 31 about the joint 24 at the upper end of the link 8. At this movement the balancing arm 11 also swings somewhat anticlockwise and via the rod 14 the arm 18 of the disc tyne 5 is swung somewhat clockwise forwards-down- wards in the direction of the arrow 33. The movements exe¬ cuted by the balancing arms 11, 12 and the rods 13, 14 re¬ sult in that the depth 21 of the furrow made bγ__ :he disc tyne 5 will remain unaltered when the other sowing tyή_T 4 is caused to change its position in height for some reason. This is achieved by co-action between the mutually, con¬ nected arms for the shafts 15, 9 and 16, connection being effected via the balancing system 13, 11, 10, 12, 14. Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the appara¬ tus, in which the balancing system made up from the ba¬ lancing arms and rods between wheels and disc tynes is arranged differently. The*denotations given in the figure refer to the same details as before. In addition, there is an attachment plate 36 on the link 8, this plate having a row of holes 37 in which one end of a link 38 may be pivotably mounted. In turn, the link 38 is connected to a mounting point 39 on a balancing link 40, one end of which is pivotably mounted on the shaft 16 of the disc 5. The other end of the link 40 has a pivoting point 41 for a rod 42, which is connected to the shaft 15 of the for¬ ward disc 4.
When the forward disc 4 in this embodiment of the
invention knocks against a harder region 30, the arm 17 swings somewhat anticlockwise according to the arrow 32 in this case as well, the rod 42 moving backwards accord¬ ing to the arrow 43 and the upper end of the link 40 moving backwards so that the lower part of the balancing arm 40 with the shaft 16 of the disc 5 swinging somewhat forward about the pivoting point 39, the link 8 also being given a small anticlockwise turn via the rod 38, in the direction of the arrow 31. The shafts 9, 15 and 16, connected together by the balancing system, will thus be given movements in the same way as previously described in conjunction with Fig. 2, so that the working depth of the disc tyne 5 will remain substantially unaltered. If the disc 5 meets extra resistance the movements will be the opposite.
Such large deviations as described above are not nor¬ mally present, and the system with the balancing arms and rods will operate about an average position with small variations. It will also be seen from Fig. 3 that when the support wheel 3 moves upwards to a higher level, the tynes 4 and 5 will also move to a corresponding higher level, but still such that the working depth 21 will be unaltered in rela¬ tion to the support wheel 3. It is also clear from Fig. 3 that if the weight of the machine increases, by filling with material or by loading with ballast weights, the pressure of the disc tynes against the ground and their ability to penetrate it will also increase. In this case the arms 17, 18, 8, commonly directed at an angle downwards-backwards, swing somewhat anticlockwise thus biasing the elastic rubber deflection atachment means 19 and 20.
Fig. 4 illustrates laterally adjacent support wheels, the two furrows 26, 25 caused by the pair of disc tynes associated with each support wheel also being illustrated. In the figure, the illustrated support wheels are rolling at different heights in relation to the sowing machine in
its entirety. From what has been said in the paragraph above it will be seen that the different support wheels 3 control the tynes 4 and 5 co-acting with them such that the depth 21 , of the furrows 26 and 25 will be unaltered in relation to the wheels, i.e. the bottom of the furrows is retained at an unaltered depth below the ground level on which the support wheels 3 roll.
In Fig. 5 the support wheels 34 are illustrated with two circumferential flanges 28 and 29, having the same mutual spacing as the furrows 26 and 25. In the figure, the displacement between the flanges 28 and 29 in rela- .tion to the sowing furrows 26 and 25 has been denoted by 27. It is obvious that the flanges 28 and 29 will press the sowing furrows 26 and 25 together by pressure against the ground and that the smaller the displacement 27 is the heavier the compression will be.
The situation is shown in Fig. 6 where the displace¬ ment 27 is equal to zero, i.e. when the flanges 28 and 29 roll right over the sowing furrows 26 and 25 for pressing them together.
In the illustrated examples, appliances have been shown which have three shafts mutually connected and ad¬ justable in height, and which are provided with rotatable support wheels and disc tynes connected to a balancing system. It is clear, however, that more than three units can be connected in a correspondning manner, to even out working depth, with control from a carrying or support wheel. Accordingly, a sowing machine may be provided with three disc tynes with different spacings in the travelling direction, with two of the shafts having balancing arms with which rods to the two remaining shafts are connected. For example, a rod may be articulately connected to the mounting of the support wheel while two disc tyne shafts situated at different distances therefrom have balancing arms, the rod connected to the support wheel being connec¬ ted to one end of the nearest disc tyne balancing arm, the other end of this balancing arm being connected to one end
of the next disc tyne balancing arm, which has its other end connected to the last disc tyne shaft with the aid of a rod.
In this latest described embodiment of the balancing system it is suitable to adjust the distance between the articulation points of the balancing arms, or in other words the lever ratio of the balancing arms, so that the vertical movements are distributed equally on the different shafts in approximately the same way as in a wheel system with several bogies where the movements are distributed with the aid of frames connecting the bogies.
The balancing arms may also have the form of triangu¬ lar plates. Accordingly, the balancing arm 40 illustrated in Fig. 3 may be implemented such that the articulation points 16 and 41 are in the same position as illustrated in the figure, while the articulation point 39 may be displaced a distance to the right and situated at the apex of a triangular plate.
The support means 3 may also consist of an elongate ribbed roller, arranged transverse the travelling direc¬ tion. In such a case this roll may form the support means for several units connected by rods and balancing arms, and of...the kind which is illustrated in Fig. 3, for example.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the support wheels 3 also constitute transport wheels for the appli¬ ance. The wheels are taken to the transporting position by the hydraulic cylinder 6 swinging the arm 7 downwards, the wheel 3 being displaced downwards via the pivot 24, link 8 and shaft 9 until the appliance is lifted up from the ground.
In a still further embodiment of the invention a single tyne may be pivotably deflectably connected to the frame, and connected by a link to the arm of the support wheel. This is illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13, where the denotations refer to similar parts as in the previous figures. The deflection joint 20 of the tyne arm 18 is attached to the frame. The link 8 of the support wheel
3 is connected by the rod 38 to the tyne arm 18, whereby the deflection joint 20 takes up the entire load from wheel and disc tyne 5. In the figure there is also a hose 62 for conveying liquid material which is to be dispensed.
Fig. 13 illustrates substantially the same apparatus as in Fig. 12. The tyne 5 has been taken away, however, and the dispensing nozzle 22 has been made so heavily that it can serve as a tyne for working the soil.
Fig. 7 illustrates, partly in section, a disc tyne 4 and dispensing nozzle 22. The arm 17 rotatably carries the disc tyne 4 with the aid of a bearing 60. This bearing 60 is mounted on the outer end of a pin 46, the inner part 47 of which constitutes:an attachment portion, which is attached to the outer end of the arm 17. The centre line of the attachment portion 47 of the pin 46 forms an angle 49 to the centreline of the outer part 48 of the pin 46, carrying the bearing and thereby the disc tyne 4.
The central, projecting portion 44 of the disc tyne 4 is connected to the bearing 60. The outer annular portion of the disc tyne has the form a a truncated cone with an outer cutting edge. The tyne 11 is disposed with its open side at an angle 49 somewhat outwards so that it makes a furrow of desired width. By the shaft parts 47 and 48 the pin 46 having an angle 49 between them, it is possible, by turning the journalling pin 46 in its mounting in the arm 17 to alter the setting*angle 49 in the horizontal plane of the disc tyne 4 to a suitable angular position. Behind the projecting bearing portion 44 of the tyne 4 there is a dispensing tube 45 for the material, which is deposited via a dispensing nozzle 46, immediately ad¬ jacent the outer side of the tyne 4. By this location of the dispensing tube 45 and nozzle 22 they are protected from damage by the surrounding areas of ground. Fig. 8 schematically illustrates a circuit and func¬ tion diagram for the hydraulic components for lifting and height adjustment of the machine, as well as its side
markers with their control means.
There are connection lines 54 and 55 to the hydraulic system on the towing vehicle towing the machine. The lines have two branch points 56 and 57, from which downwardly directed lines in the figure are connected to both lift¬ ing cylinders 6 and 6'. A line goes via a constriction 58 from the branch point 56 to the piston head side of the cylinder 6, the piston rod 61 of which is connected to the arm 7 of the support wheel 3. A line 59 goes from the piston rod end of the cylin¬ der 6 to the piston head end of the cylinder 6', the ar¬ rangement being such that the motions of the two piston rods 61 , 62 are mutually synchronised. Pressurised fluid goes from the piston rod end of the cylinder 6' via the branch point 57 back again to the towing vehicle via the - line 55.
A line 63 goes from the branch point 57 to a commu¬ nication line 64 between the piston rod ends of both oper¬ ating cylinders 52 and 53 for the lateral markers-50—and 51. A line 65 goes from the branch point 56 via a change¬ over valve 70, described in more detail below, to the piston head sides of the cylinders 52 and 53.
The changeover valve 70 has two outlets 72, 73 con¬ nected to the piston head sides of respective cylinders 52 and 53. A branch point 66 is arranged in the line from the branch point 56. Pressurised fluid goes via a non¬ return valve 71 to the piston head side of the cylinder 52, and through a further non-return valve 75 the pres¬ surised fluid is also taken to the piston head side of the cylinder 53. The pressurised fluid also goes from the branch point 66 through a duct 77 in the rotary valve 76 of the changeover valve 70 to unite with the pressurised fluid which has passed through the non-return valve 75. In the position illustrated in Fig. 8 of the rotary valve 76 the lateral marker 50 can never be lowered to the working position, since pressurised fluid will always be enclosed in the piston head side of the cylinder 52. The
non-return valve 74, as does the rotary valve 76, closes the line 72 to the marker 50. With regard to the cylinder 53, pressurised fluid can flow to the piston head side of the cylinder 53 along two different paths, i.e. 66-75-73 or 66-77-73, as described above. Flow from the piston head side of the cylinder can only take place via the duct 77 of the rotary valve 76, however. To retract the lateral marker 51 from its working position to its rest position a pressure is required through the changeover valve 70 aπrounting to the value p. When this pressure is offloaded, the force of gravity will cause the marker arm 51 to move outwards and press the piston into the cylinder 53, pres¬ surised fluid departing via the line 73, the rotary valve duct 77 of the changeover valve 70, the branch point 66, line 65 and branch point 56, line 54 and back again to the towing vehicle.
As described above, the pressurised fluid supplied to the line 54 and branch point 56 will also act on the lift¬ ing cylinders 6 and 6'. In order for the pistons 61 and 62 of the lifting cylinders to be thrust outwards to lift the machine by lowering the wheels 3 further, a pressure P is required, which is greater than the pressure p re¬ quired for operating the markers 50, 51. At the supply of a pressure p in the situation illustrated in the figure only the right-hand marker 51 will thus be affected. By supplying and removing the pressure p to the illustrated hydraulic system the marker 51 can be repeatedly retracted upward or lowered by the cylinder 53 as long as the rotary valve 76 is in the illustrated position. This is a great advantage when making a sowing pass where there is the need of lifting up the marker 51 to pass a pole, strut or other obstacle, and then lowering it again into its work¬ ing position.
When a sowing pass has been completed and the next pass is to be travelled at the side of it, the carrying wheels 3 are let down by having the higher pressure P applied to the hydraulic system. The pistons 61 and 62 are
then thrust outwards to lift the machine with the aid of the support wheels so that the disc tynes 4 are lifted above ground level, enabling the entire sowing machine to be turned completely round to enable a new sowing pass with the aid of the furrow drawn by the marker.
Simultaneously as the cylinders 6 and 6' lower the wheels 3, the pressurised fluid also goes to the marker 51 in the way already described, the cylinder 53 of this marker retracting it upward so that both markers 50 and 51 are in their retracted upright position.
Fig. 9 illustrates a mechanism for actuating the rotary valve 76, the function of the mechanism being as follows. Simultaneously as the support wheels 3 are let down, an arm extension 81 connected to the support arm 7 moves a distance denoted by 82 in the figure, during the lowering movement of the wheels, and a link 84 connected to the end of the extension moves the distance 83, this link having at its right-hand end in the figure a pin 85 for engagement with a stepping wheel 86 provided with four radial projections or stops spaced at 90°. When the support wheels 3 are in their working position, the pin 85 is to the right of the stop 87 of the stepping wheel 86, and when it moves to the left the pin 85 will engage with the stop 87 and turn the stepping wheel 86 a distance provid- ing a turn of 90°. The distance 83 is sufficient for the pin 85 to come past the stop on the return movement of the pin when the wheels are raised. The stepping wheel 86 is connected to the rotary valve 76, and when the stepp¬ ing wheel is turned 90° the duct 77 is also turned an angle of 90°. When the duct 77 of the rotary valve 76 is in a vertical position in Fig. 8, the markers 50 and 51 will function in the opposite way to what has been de¬ scribed. This changeover of the markers will thus take place each time the sowing machine lowers the support wheels to the transporting position on turning and at the junction to a new sowing pass.
The forward row of disc tynes 4 and the rear row of disc tynes 5 as well as their carrying arms 17, 18 are
illustrated in Fig. 3. The carrying arms are mounted on the sowing machine chassis with the aid of forward and rear elastic rubber deflection attachement means 19 and 20, which comprise an outer square tube tube 69, turned 45° in relation to a smaller square tube 68, which is part of the frame or chassis. The outer tubes are fixed to the arms 17 and 18. Elongate rubber elements 67 are inserted into the corners of the outer tube, and press against the sides of the inner tube. In this way the arms 17, 18 are attached to the chassis so that the arms deflect depending on the vertical load on the disc tynes. The friction in the mounting in the longitudinal direction of the tube is so great that it easily takes up the transverse forces in this direction coming from the skewed die tynes. Since the arrangement does not require any lubrication and does - not have any wear, its life is very long and without any altered function.
The Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate a means for more se¬ curely and exactly placing the dispensed material at a given depth below the ground surface. In spite of the different embodiments which have been described above for enabling the machine to follow the irregularities of the ground very exactly, the working depth may vary even so. Since such as oil plants must have a sowing depth of about 20 mm it is obvious that variations in this small depth have a large effect on the growing conditions of the seed. It may be generally said that the shallower the sowing depth the greater the sensitivity of it to variations.
In making a furrow with the aid of a disc tyne, some lose earth may fall down into the bottom of the furrow be¬ hind the outer portion of the disc tyne. This means that the seed will come to be at different depths. To prevent this there is in the apparatus in the figures 10 and 11 a flat, round and rotatable tyne 63, carried by an un- illustrated pin which can be common to the one for the disc tyne 4. The lower part of the support tyne 63 rolls in the bottom of the furrow immediately adjacent the edge
of the disc tyne. The support tyne is inclined away from the tyne with its bottom edge adjacent the left hand edge 64 of the furrow in the figure. Loose earth 65 is thus prevented from falling down into the furrow before the seed reaches the bottom of it.
The apparatus is seen from one side in Fig. 11. The support tyne 63 is here placed somewhat behind the disc tyne 4, seen in the direction of travel denoted by the arrow. The lower edges of the disc tyne 4 and the support tyne 63 are at the same depth. By displacing the support tyne 63 somewhat backwards, there is created behind" the central portion 44 of the disc tyne a space which is large enough to take down the dispensing tube 45 below the centre of the disc tyne 4. In this way material such as seed can be allowed to fall freely downwards without dis¬ turbance right to the bottom of the furrow.