GB2283894A - Seed or fertilizer ditributing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

In conventional agriculture machines for spreading seed or fertilizer, it is often a problem to empty completely the bin or hopper of the machine. To solve this problem it is proposed according to the invention that a perforated partition bottom wall or plate (15) be mounted slightly above the bottom (6) of the hopper (2). Air from the pneumatic conveyor system of the machine or from a separate fan is supplied to the space (17) formed below said plate to create upwardly directed air jets through the perforations of the plate aerating the mass of grains, to thereby facilitate their travel towards the bottom outlet (27) of the hopper. Preferably the plate (15) is slightly tilted towards said outlet, and even more preferably the perforations are made by lugs or buckles being cut out and raised from the plate to direct together the up-flowing air laterally towards the outlet, to thereby further facilitating travel of the grains. <IMAGE>

Description

AN ARRANGEMENT IN GRAIN DISTRIBUTING MACHINES, SUCH AS SEED DRILLS The present invention relates to an arrangement in grain distributing machines, such as seed drills of the kind including a substructure on supporting wheels and having discharge means for placing the grains on the ground, or burying them by means of grain or seed coulters, and a bin or hopper carried by the substructure. The grains are received in said hopper and stored therein until they are discharged from the hopper through an out let opening when the machine is operating cn a field. From the outlet opening the grains are conveyed to a discharge and distribution device and therefrom to output members which place the grains on the ground or cover them with earth. As in modern seed drills the discharge and distribution device can operate on pressurized air delivered by a fan located on the machine, the fan being driven by e.g. a power take-off on the tractor which pulls the machine.

In known machines the grain hopper is elongated and extends transversely to the operation direction. It Is made substantidlly of sheet metal and has front, back and side walls, which are sub stantially vertical in order for the hopper to gain such a large volume as possible.

In doing so there is the disadvantage that the grain material will not discharge completely from the hopper because the outlet opening is flush with the bottom. Thus remaining grains will form a layer successively thicker from the outlet opening towards the side walls, the maximum thicknes depending on the angle of repose of the mass of grains. The smaller this angle, the smaller the undelivered quantity of grains. In known machines this volume of non-discharged grains can often be considerable, meaning of course that the machine is not efficiently utilized. In order that the remaining grains should not stick to the bottom and walls of the hopper and form a deposite, possibly also rot, the remains must be removed manually, causing waste and non-productive labor.

According to the invention an efficient grain or seed drill is provided, wherein the non-discharged volume of grain is neglectible, thus avoiding or removing the said inconveniences. This is attained by means of an arrangement exhibiting the features defined in the characterizing clause of claim 1.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein: Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically a seed drill towed by a trac tor having a power take-off; Fig. 2 shows, likewise diagrammatically, a machine for dis tributing artificial manure or fertilizer; Fig. 3 shows a part of the seed hopper of the machine of Fig. 1, in cross section; Fig. 3a shows a part, indicated by II in Fig. 2, of the bot tom, on a larger scale; Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of the invention including a per forated bottom of the same kind as that shown in fig.

3, but sloping; Fig. 5 shows an another design of the perforated bottom; and Fig. 5a shows a part, indicated by IV in Fig. 5, of the bot torn, on a larger scale.

In Fig. 1 the seed drill is designated 1 and its seed hopper is designated 2. The hopper has side walls 3 substantially verti cal, and front and back walls 4 and S, respectively, and a bottom 6. 7 designates a fan driven from the power take-off of the tractor involved by way cf a shaft 8. Fro the fan 7 a heavy air hose 9 leads from the fan to an ejector means 10. Seed from the interior of the hopper 2 is conveyed to the ejector means 10 by way of a dosing device, such as a rotating wing feeder 11 delivering the seed in a volume/quantity proportional to the distance run of the drill, but adjustable as desired.

From the ejector 10 the air flow entraining the seed is conveyed upwards to a low distribution head 12 of large diameter, where the seed is uniformly distributed along the periphery of the head and lead to narrow hoses 13, to be finally conveyed, in this case, to seed coulters 14 of. the drill to be buried and covered by earth. However, again it is emphasized that steps could as well be taken to merely put the grains on the surface.

Fig. 2 shows another design where designations 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, and 18 relate to the same components as before. The difference is that the device illustrated in this figure is intended to discharge grainy fertilizer which, as pointed out above is normally distributed on top of the soil.

This means that the discharge is carried out in a different way.

Thus the hoses 13 from the distribution head 12 are secured to a beam (not shown) of the framework of the machine to form discharge channels 31 directed outwardly, transversely to the operating direction of the machine. As shown in the figure the channels have different lengths, and at their ends there are provided, optionally, adjustable nozzles through which air jets, designated 32, entraining grainy fertilizer are ejected. By forming the described devices in a suitable way a smooth and even distribution can be accomplished.

Fig. 2a shows a specific design where the discharge channels, instead of separate ones 31, comprise longitudinal cavities in an extruded section. By partially and successively cutting the section crosswise discharge channels of successively increasing/ decreasing length can be provided.

In the seed drill shown in Fig. 1 as well as in the fertilizer distributor shown in Fig. 2, the units component of the invention can be arranged in various ways. Modern tractors have power take-off means also at their front end. To such means a drive shaft can be connected and the fan located at the front of the tractor. In such a case the hopper 2 or the grainy material can be suspended on the rear of the tractor together with e.g.

the complete discharging device 30. Said units can then be connected with a hose and so on.

Fig. 3 illustrates a perforated plane panel or grating 15 which is secured above the bottom of the seed hopper, sightly spaced therefrom and provided with a plurality of apertures 16.

Below the panel there is a space 17 to which air can be conducted from a fan. This fan is preferably identical with fan 7, and the air can be taken from the heavy air hose 9, for example, by branching off a further heavy hose 18 opening in the space 17.

The air flows upwards through the apertures 16 and the air jets 20 generated will cause the layer of seed closest to the perforated plate 15 to turbulate. The thinner the layer, the heavier the turbulence, that is, the more effectively the hopper will be emptied.

The turbulence described will result in the seed hopper be ing emptied more efficiently than in conventionel seed drills, as the turbulence strongly reduces the angular repose of the seed.

Thus there is obtained according to the invention a surface of repose 28 instead of the surface of repose 29 which would be obtained without the invention. In spite of the improvement, however, it will not be possible to empty the hopper completely, as the angle of repose is not reduced to zero, only by the angular difference between surfaces 28 and 29.

In developing further the invention the perforated active plate or grating 15 is mounted sloping to the horizontal in all directions downwards to the outlet opening 27, in doing which the emptying efficiency is further improved. If the grating is caused to slope so as to exceed the angle of repose, the hopper will be emptied completely. However, sloping the grating to such an extent means of course that part of the hopper volume will be lost A still more effective arrangement will be obtained if tile active grating 15 is designed such with respect to the perforated ope..ings, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and Sa; Fig. 5 showing a ver tidal cross section lengthwise of the seed hopper 2, and Fig. Sa showing on a larger scale a vertical ,ragmenXary cross section of the grating 15 with apertures 24. As can be seen the apertures 2 are formed as "gills", e.g. by raising lugs or tongues 23 of the grating material from the surface of the grating thus forming the apertures 24 as clearly shown in Fig. Sa. The lugs 23 can be more or less curved, partly spoon or bucket shaped. Together with adjacent parts of the plate they form air outlet openings 24 through which air jets 25 are directed, by the lugs 23, laterally towards the outlet opening 27 of the hopper 2.

In accordance with the size and curvature of said lugs 23 the air jets will be directed differently, always forming an acute angle to plate 15 in the direction towards the outlet opening of the seed hopper. Generally the hopper is completely emptied from all the seed when designed in this way. Should it be desired, for some reason or another, it is of course possible to feed, by means of the design just disclosed, the seed even upwards along a sloping grating.

It is obvious to the man of the art that the apertures in the active grating or plate can be formed and arranged in many various ways within the scope of the invention. It is also ob vious that, as pointed out in the aforegoing, an arrangement according to the invention can be used for other grainy material than seed and fertilizer grains, also for even more fine-grained materials.

As mentioned above, the design disclosed represents merely an example. It is very simple to apply the invention to a seed drill of the kind examplified, as the machine is already equipped with a fan. It is of course also possible to apply the invention to other seed drills which do not use pneumatic devices for seed transport and distribution. In such cases one has to provide the seed drill with a separate fan, preferably mounted on the seed drill in the same way as in the examples and driven in the same manner. The fan will then only have to develop power enough for feeding the active grating.

Claims (9)

Claims

1. An arrangement in an agricultural depositing machine (1) for distributing grainy material, such as seed and/or fertilizer, the machine having a container or hopper (2) carried by a tractor or a wheeled framework, such as a feed drill (1) having a grain hopper (2), the machine, when moving across a field or the like, feeding out by means of e.g. nozzles or seed coulters (14), the grainy material and applying it to the soil, said material being fed, by means of a dosing device (11) mounted in an outlet (29) in the bottom (6, 15) of the hopper (2), to a fan-driven (7) pneumatic conveyor (10), by means of which the grainy material (seed) is conveyed tc one or more distribution assemblies (12) to be delivered therefrom: still pneumatically, to spreading means, e.g. nozzles or seed coulters (4), to be spread out on the soil during the travel of the machine, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that, in order to ensure complete emptying of the hopper (2), a partition bottom wall (15) spaced from the bottom (6) of the hopper (2) is perforated by a large nuinber of apertures !15, 24i, and that air from the fan (7) is conducted to a space (17) between the bottom (6) of the hopper (2) ar.d said perforated partition bottom (15) and utilized for forming air jets from said space (17) up through the perforations (16) to facilitate by aerating the grains, e.g. the seed grains, their transport towards the outlet 11, 29) for feeding out.

2. rm arrangement according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that, in order to further facilitate the emptying procedure, the partition bottom wall (15) is arranged somewhat sloping towards said outlet (11, 29).

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e a in that, in order to further facilitate the emptying procedure, the partition bottom wall (15) is made of metal or plastics sheet material, suitable for perforation such that the apertures (2) formed are created by lugs or buckles (23) being raised from the surface of the sheet in such a way that they will direct the up-flowing air laterally, the lugs or buckles (23) being so arranged and located that they direct to gether streams of air towards the outlet (11, 29) in order to facilitate the movement of the grains, e.g. seed grains, towards said outlet.

4. An arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the partition bottom wall (15) is formed as a separate plate inserted in the lower part of the hopper.

5. An arrangement according to Claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the partition bottom wall (15) is arranged separable and adjustable to assume various sloping positions.

6. An arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the associated feeding out device (30) consists of delivery channels (31) with nozzles through which air streams expel the grainy material, the channels extending transversely to the working direction of the depositing machine, preferably with their nozzles equally spaced.

7. An arrangement according to Claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the nozzles are individually adjustable as to the output direction of their air streams.

8. An arrangement according to Claim 6 or 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e din that the hopper (2) for the grainy material ia suspended on the rear part of the tractor together with the feeding-out device (30), the fan (7) with its drive shaft (8) being mounted (preferably) on the front part of the tractor, in addition to which an air hose from the fan (7) is connected to the components mounted rearwards on the tractor.

9. An arrangement in an agricultural depositing machine (1) for distributing grainy material, such as seed and/or fertilizer, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.