HUE024543T2 - Szemenkénti vetõmag-elkülönítõ - Google Patents

Description

(19)

(11) EP 1 928 223 B1

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION (45) Date of publication and mention (51) Int Cl.: of the grant of the patent: A01C 7104 <200e 0i> 08.10.2014 Bulletin 2014/41 (86) International application number: (21) Application number: 06801808.4 PCT/US2006/032256 (22) Date of filing: 17.08.2006 (87) International publication number: WO 2007/024646 (01.03.2007 Gazette 2007/09)

(54) SEED SINGULATOR

VEREINZELUNGSVORRICHTUNG FÜR SAMEN SÉPARATEUR DE GRAINES (84) Designated Contracting States: · SAU DER, Derek, A. AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES Fl FR GB GR Tremont, IL 61568 (US) HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC NL PL PT RO SE SI · KOCH, Justin, L. SK TR Deer Creek, IL 61733 (US) • PLATTNER, Chad, E. (30) Priority: 19.08.2005 US 710014 P Tremont, IL 61568 (US) (43) Date of publication of application: (74) Representative: Wightman, David Alexander

11.06.2008 Bulletin 2008/24 Barker Bretteil LLP 100 Hagley Road (60) Divisional application: Edgbaston 13193735.1 / 2 724 599 Birmingham

West Midlands B16 8QQ (GB)

(73) Proprietor: Precision Planting LLC

Tremont, IL 61568 (US) (56) References cited: EP-A1-0 106 299 US-A- 3 990 606 (72) Inventors: US-A-4 469 244 US-A-5 842 428 • SAUDER, Gregg, A. US-A-6 109 193 US-A1-2005 150 442

Tremont, IL 61568 (US) Û o

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O j) Note: Within nine months of the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent in the European Patent _ Bulletin, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to that patent, in accordance with the

Implementing Regulations. Notice of opposition shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been y paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] It is well recognized that proper and uniform spacing of seed in the furrow is essential to maximizing crop yield. The first step in achieving uniform spacing is to accurately dispense one seed and one seed only at the proper timing. This "singulation" accuracy is a performance benchmark that is well known for many types of seed meters, whether mechanical or pneumatic, and is often tested on a seed meter test stand prior to the beginning of the planting season.

[0002] There are many different manufacturers of pneumatic seed meters which fall into the more specific categories of air meters and vacuum meters. An example of one type of commercially successful air meter is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,888,387 to Deckler. An example of one type of commercially successful vacuum meter is disclosed in U.S. Patent NO. 5,170,909toLundie et al. Other commercially successful vacuum meters include those disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,842,428 to Stufflebeam et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050204972 to Eben et al., and U.S. Patent No. 3,990,606 to Gugenhan. Many of these meters have historically operated at performance levels of 93% to 97% accuracy. Recent improvements to vacuum meters have allowed them to operate at a typical accuracy of 98 to 99%. The vacuum meter is capable of 99% singulation on some seed types but has been plagued with the need for adjustment in order to attain that performance. Secondly, the particular design of many of these meters has made them susceptible to reduced performance levels as a result of manufacturing tolerances.

[0003] A problem affecting singulation accuracy with vacuum meters that utilize "celled-disks" (i.e., disks with indentations or "cells" around each aperture in the disk, such as the disks disclosed in US Patent No. 5,170,909 to Lundie et al.), is that such meters have a higher tendency to plant "skips" and "doubles" in near succession when planting flat shaped seeds. Despite this tendency, however, celled-disk vacuum meters offerthe unique advantage of permitting the meter to generally operate at lower vacuum levels than meters that use flat or non-celled disks (i.e., vacuum disks with apertures only) because the indentations or cells assist in holding the seeds in place, thus requiring less vacuum pressure to entrain the seeds.

[0004] In an attempt to improve singulation accuracy, farmers have tried to use non-celled disks with meters originally designed for celled-disk meters. For example, with the John Deere MaxEmerge vacuum meters, farmers started using one of the specialty disks designed by John Deere for planting irregular seeds such as sweet corn (thus, this disk is often referred to as the "sweet corn disk"). The sweet corn disk is flat on the planting surface and does not have any indentations or cells to hold the seed. Similarto the sweet corn disk, an update kit, known as the Accu-Vac Update Kit, available from S.l. Distributing, Inc. St. Marys, Ohio, utilizes aflat, non-celled disk. The Accu-Vacdisk has largerapertures in orderto ensure the seeds are adequately entrained so they do not prematurely slough-off as the disk rotates.. While the sweet corn disk and the Accu-Vac disk have markedly increased singulation performance when used in place of celled-disk, both have resulted in a system that requires very tedious adjustments by the planter operator in order to achieve optimum performance. Furthermore, the design of this meter and the nature of disks to warp over time has resulted in difficulty in keeping the double eliminator in proper alignment with the disk.

[0005] Other vacuum seed meters such as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,990,606 to Gugenhan have relied upon the flat disk with apertures and a seed stripping "singulator." These designs have provided for more repeatable and operator-friendly adjustments but the need still remains for adjustment. The meter disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,842,428 to Stufflebeam et al. utilizes a flat disk and three spring loaded singulating spools that compensate for tolerances in one direction, but the spools do not compensate for radial translation of the disk.

[0006] Accordingly, there remains a need for a seed singulator that can be used with different types of meters and different types of seed disks, but which can deliver very high singulation accuracy while requiring minimal adjustments for seed type or manufacturing tolerances and wherein the singulation accuracy is not adversely affected by axial and radial translations of the disk.

SUMMARY

[0007] In one aspect the present invention is directed to a seed singulator and a vacuum disk as defined in claim 1. Preferred features are the subject of dependent claims 2 to 6.

[0008] In an embodiment the vacuum disc has a seed face and a shoulder. The seed singulator has a first member and a second member supported by biasing members. The first member has upper lobes disposed at a radius of curvature slightly less than the outside radius of a row of apertures on a seed plane of the vacuum disk. The second member has lower lobes disposed at a radius of curvature slightly greater than the inside radius of the row of apertures. The biasing members permit the lobes to move with the seed plane and the shoulder as the vacuum disk rotates thereby maintaining their position with respect to the apertures.

[0009] In another aspect the present invention provides a seed singulator as defined in claim 7. Preferred features are the subject of dependent claims 8 and 9.

[0010] In another aspect the present invention provides a seed singulator as defined in claim 10. A preferred feature is the subject of dependent claim 11.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of the conventional vacuum meter utilizing a flat non-celled disk. FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of an offset disk type vacuum seed meter. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional flat disk as viewed along lines 3-3 of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an offset disk as viewed along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the seed singulator of the present invention shown being mountable to the back cover of a conventional vacuum meter housing. FIG. 6 is a detailed perspective view showing the singulator assembly of FIG. 5 in use on an offset disk. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a base for the seed singulator of FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the rail for the seed singulator of FIG. 5. FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of the rail for the seed singulator of FIG. 5. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the seed singulator of FIG. 5 illustrating the various degrees of freedom that can be achieved by the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a conventional vacuum meter 100, such as the John Deere MaxEmerge® vacuum meter, which is disclosed in US Patent No. 5,170,909 to Lundieetal..The John Deere MaxEmerge vacuum meter 100 is generally designed for use with a celled disk, but in FIG. 1, the celled disk has been replaced with a flat non-celled disk 200 such as the sweet corn disk or Accu-Vac disk previously described. The disk 200 is rotatably mounted within a housing 102. The housing 102 includes a back cover 104 and a front cover 106.

[0013] FIG. 2 shows a partially exploded view of vacuum meter 400 that is substantially the same as the vacuum meter 100 as illustrated in FIG. 1 except that the flat disk 200, is replaced by an offset disk 500. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the flat disk 200 as viewed along lines 3-3 of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the offset disk 500 as viewed along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2.

[0014] As best illustrated in FIG. 3 the seed-side face 204 of the flat disk 200 defines a seed plane 222. A plurality of apertures 208 are disposed around the seed plane 222 for entraining the seeds onto the face of the seed-side face 204 of the disk as it rotates through the seed pool within the vacuum meter housing 102. Depending on the type of seed to be planted, the apertures 208 may be equally radially spaced or the apertures 208 may comprise radially spaced groupings, or the apertures 208 may be disposed in multiple rows offset or radially aligned. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the apertures are shown equally spaced around a radius R1, the outside radius of the apertures is referenced as R2, the inside radius of the apertures is referenced as R3. The disk 200 further includes a shoulder 230 disposed at a radius R4from the centerline of the disk. The shoulder 230 may be the outer circumferential periphery of the disk 200 as illustrated in FIG. 3, or the should 230 may be radially inward from the circumferential outer periphery of the disk, similar to the offset disk 500 but with a flat face and a less pronounced offset.

[0015] As best illustrated in FIG. 4 the seed-side face 504 of the offset disk 500 preferably comprises two primary planes offset from each other, the base plane 520, and the seed plane 522. The seed plane 522 is a raised planar surface extending from the base plane 520 by inner conical side wall 526 and an outer cylindrical side-wall 528 defining a cylindrical shoulder 530. As with the flat disk 200, the offset disk 500 includes a plurality of apertures 508 for entraining the seeds onto the face of the disk as it rotates through the seed pool within the vacuum meter housing. Depending on the type of seed to be planted, the apertures 508 may be equally radially spaced or the apertures 508 may comprise radially spaced groupings, or the apertures 508 may be disposed in multiple rows offset or radially aligned. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the apertures are shown equally spaced around a radius R1, the outside radius of the apertures is referenced as R2, the inside radius of the apertures is referenced as R3 and the radius of the cylindrical shoulder 530 is referenced as R4.

[0016] A preferred embodiment of a seed singulator assembly 900 is shown in FIG. 5 as being mountable to a back cover 104 of a conventional vacuum meter housing 102. FIG. 6 illustrates the seed singulator assembly 900 disposed on an offset disk 500. The singulator assembly 900 includes a singulator base 902 which is preferably mountable in a conventional manner to the back cover 104 of the vacuum meter housing 102 through two mounting ears 904. The base 902 provides a secure platform from which the other components comprising the singulator assembly 900 are supported.

[0017] It is known that singulation performance improves with an increasing number of times that the seeds are contacted by the singulating lobes. It has been determined that superior singulation accuracy is achieved by bumping or agitating the seeds from both the top side (i.e., the outside radius R2 of the apertures) and the bottom side (i.e., the inside radius R3 of the apertures). For example, ifasingulatoris used that only bumps the seeds from the top side, then some seeds multiples may be able to "hang" on the very bottom of the aperture and would not be stripped or removed by the top singulator. Furthermore, it has been found that singulation can be best achieved when the seed is contacted three times from the top side of the apertures 208, 508 relative to the path of travel and two times from the bottom side of the apertures 208, 508.

[0018] Accordingly, in the preferred embodiment, a rail 906 supports three lobes 908, 910, 912. As illustrated in FIG. 6, these three lobes 908, 910, 912 are disposed on the top side of the apertures 508. The rail 906 has an inner face 913 having a radius of curvature that is preferably substantially the same or slightly larger than the radius R4 of the shoulder 230, 530. Continuing to refer to FIG. 6, two bottom lobes 914, 916 are preferably supported by two divergent arms 918, 920 preferably extending from an L-shaped bracket 922 connected to the rail 906. The bottom lobes 914,916 are also preferably made of a wear resistant and durable material such as metal or brass using the investment casting or metal injection molding process. Each of the lobes 908, 910,912, 914, 916 has a surface 924 that is co-planar with the other lobes. As shown in FIG. 6 each of these co-planar surfaces 924 is disposed adjacent the seed plane 522 of the offset disk 500. For the flat disk 200, each of these co-planarsurfaces 924 would be disposed adjacent the seed plane 222 of the flat disk 200.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 7, in the preferred embodiment, a first wire 926 is supported at each end by tabs or slots 928 in the base 902. As illustrated in FIG. 7, this first wire 926 is preferably received within hooks 930 disposed on the L-shaped bracket 922. This first wire 926 serves as an axial spring which biases the co-planar surfaces 924 of the lobes 908, 910, 912, 914, 916 against or in contact with the seed plane 222, 522 of the disk 200, 500.

[0020] Continuing to refer to FIG. 7, a second wire 932 is secured at or near its ends to the base 902. Disposed on the back side of the rail 906 is a tongue 934 which is receivable by and is slidable within a groove 936 formed in the top wall 938 of the base 902. The tongue 934 within the groove 936 also receives the second wire 932 as best illustrated in FIG. 9. Thus, the second wire 932 serves as a radial spring which biases the inner face 913 of the rail 906 against the top or outside diameter of the shoulder 230, 530.

[0021] It should be appreciated that the preferred embodiment permits the lobes 908, 910, 912, 914, 916 to "float" with the seed plane 222, 522 and the shoulder 230,530 of the disk200,500. This ability to float provides inherent advantages. For example, during rotation, the disk 200, 500 may translate about the central axis due to warping, or as a result of the bearing or hub being out of alignment, or possibly due to bending or flexing of the disk 200, 500 caused by the pressure differential between the seed-side face and the vacuum side face of the disk. Additionally, the disk 200, 500 may be subject to radial translation caused by improper hub alignment, mounting tolerances or disk eccentricities associated with the manufacturing process or manufacturing tolerances. FIG. 10 [0022] illustrates the various degrees of freedom that is provided by the foregoing spring biased suspension system of the seed singulator assembly 900.

[0023] Thus, by providing a singulator with lobes that float and remain in contact with the seed plane 222, 522 and/or in contact with the top of the shoulder 230, 530, the singulator assembly 900 is able to compensate for both radial translation and axial translation and radial rotation of the disk, while the amount of coverage of the apertures 208, 508 by the passing lobes 908, 910, 912, 914, 916 remains constant regardless of the movement of the disk 200, 500. Additionally, the spring biased suspension of the lobes permits the lobes to flex away from the apertures 208, 508 in the case a seed or fragment becomes stuck in the aperture. This flexure prevents adverse wear to the surfaces 924 and edges of the lobes and also improves performance by preventing sudden jerking of the disk due to seeds wedging between an inflexible or immovable singulator and the aperture.

[0024] A further advantage of the preferred embodiment of the spring suspension system of the singulator 900 is that the singulator assembly 900 need not be removed when switching from the offsetdisk 500 to a celled (with which a singulator is not generally used). Instead, in the preferred embodiment, the rail 906 is capable of being locked into a depressed position whereby the lobes 908, 910, 912, 914, 916 will not contact the seed-side face 204, 504 of the disk 200, 500. Referring to FIGs. 7, 8 and 9, a groove 940 is formed in the top side edge of the rail 906. A tab 942 also projects from the top side edge of the rail 906. By depressing the rail 906 downwardly and rearwardly relative to the base 902, the tab 942 can be forced behind the second wire 932 such that the second wire 932 locks the rail in place in the downward or depressed position with the second wire 932 disposed on the top edge of the rail 906 and resting groove 940.

[0025] The foregoing description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Thus, the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments of the apparatus and methods described above and illustrated in the drawing figures, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the appended claims.

Claims 1. In combination, a seed singulator (900) and a vacu- um disk (200,500), the vacuum disk (200, 500) having a seed plane (222, 522) and a row of apertures (208, 508) at a radius R1 from the center of the vacuum disk (200, 500), a radius R2 to the outside of the apertures (208, 508) a radius R3 to the inside of the apertures (208, 508), and a radius R4 to an annular shoulder (230, 530) of the vacuum disk (200, 500), said singulator comprising: a first member (906) having upper lobes (908 and/or 910 and/or 912) disposed at a radius of curvature slightly less than the radius R2; asecond member(922) having lower lobes (914 and/or 916) disposed at a radius of curvature slightly greater than the radius R3; said upper lobes (908, 910, 912) and said lower lobes (914, 916) having substantially co-planar surfaces (924) biased axially against the seed plane (222, 522) of the vacuum disk (200, 500); characterized by said first member (906) further having a surface (913) biased radially toward the annularshoulder(230, 530) of the vacuum disk (200, 500). 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said singulator (900) includes three upper lobes (908,910,912) and two lower lobes (914, 916). 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said surface (913) of said first member (906) of said singulator (900) has a radius of curvature substantially the same as the radius R4. 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said first member (906) and said second member (922) of said singulator (900) comprise a single unitary element. 5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said first member and said second member (922) move with the seed plane (222, 522) and with the shoulder (230, 530) while maintaining the position of the lobes with the radius R2 and the radius R3. 6. The combination of claim 4 wherein said singulator (900) further includes an axial spring (926) and a radial spring (932) whereby said axial spring (926) biases said single unitary element in an axial direction and said radial spring (932) biases said single unitary element in a radial direction. 7. A seed singulator (900) adapted to be mounted adjacent a vacuum disk, characterized by: a base (902) having a first axis intersecting the vacuum disk (200, 500) and a second axis intersecting the vacuum disk (200, 500); at least one biasing member (926 or 932) con nected to said base (902); a first member (906) supported by said at least one biasing member (926 and/or 932) and said first member (906) having at least two lobes (908 and/or 910 and/or 912), said at least one biasing member (926 and/or 932) biasing said first member (906) in a direction toward the vacuum disk (200, 500) along said first and second axis, and further wherein said first member (906) is pivotable about said first axis and said second axis; a second member (922) supported by said at least one biasing member (926 and/or 932) and said second member (922) having at least one lobe (914 and/or 916), said at least one biasing member (926 and/or 932) biasing said second member (922) in a direction toward said vacuum disk (200, 500) along said first and second axis, and further wherein said second member (922) is pivotable about said first axis and said second axis. 8. The seed singulator (900) of claim 7 wherein said first member (906) includes three lobes (908, 910, 912) and said second member (922) includes two lobes (914, 916). 9. The seed singulator (900) of claim 8 wherein said first member (906) and said second member (922) comprise a single unitary element. 10. A seed singulator (900) configured to be mounted adjacent a vacuum disk (200, 500), characterized by: a base (902), said base (902) having a first axis intersecting the vacuum disk (200, 500) and a second axis intersecting the vacuum disk (200, 500); at least three upper lobes (908, 910, 912) depending from a first member (906) supported by said base (902) and biased in a direction toward the vacuum disk (200, 500) along said first axis; and at least two lower lobes (914, 916) depending from a second member (922) supported by said base (902) and biased in a direction toward the vacuum disk (200, 500) along said second axis. 11. The seed singulator (900) of claim 10 further comprising: at least one biasing member (926 and/or 932) connected to said base (902); wherein said at least one biasing member (926 and/or 932) supports said first member (906) and biases said first member (906) in said direction toward said vacuum disk (200, 500) along said first axis and said second axis, and further wherein said first member (906) is pivotable about said first axis and said second axis; wherein said at least one biasing member (926, 932) supports said second member (922) and biases said second member (922) in said direction toward said vacuum disk (200, 500) along said first axis and said second axis, and further wherein said second member (922) is pivotable about said first axis and said second axis.

Patentansprüche 1. Kombination aus einer Vereinzelungsvorrichtung für Samen bzw. Saatgut, (900), und einer Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500), wobei die Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500) eine Saatgutebene (222, 522) und eine Reihe von Öffnungen (208, 508) auf einem Radius R1 vom Mittelpunkt der Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500), einen Radius R2 zur Außenseite der Öffnungen (208, 508), einen Radius R3 zur Innenseite der Öffnungen (208, 508) und einen Radius R4 bis zu einem ringförmigen Absatz (230, 530) der Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500) aufweist, wobei die Vereinzelungsvorrichtung umfasst: ein erstes Element (906) mit oberen Vorsprünge (908 und/oder 910 und/oder912), die auf einem Krümmungsradius angeordnet sind, der etwas kleiner ist als der Radius R2, ein zweites Element (922) mit unteren Vorsprünge (914 und/oder 916), die auf einem Krümmungsradius angeordnet sind, der etwas größer ist als der Radius R3; wobei die oberen Vorsprünge (908, 910, 912) und die unteren Vorsprünge (914, 916) im Wesentlichen koplanare Oberflächen (924) aufweisen, die axial gegen die Saatgutebene 222,522 der Unterdruckscheibe 200, 500 vorbelastet sind, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das erste Element (906) ferner eine Oberfläche (913) aufweist, die radial in Richtung auf den ringförmigen Absatz 230, 530) der Unterdruckscheibe 200, 500) vorbelastet ist. 2. Kombination nach Anspruch 1, wobei die Vereinzelungsvorrichtung (900) drei obere Vorsprünge (908, 910, 912) und zwei untere Vorsprünge (914, 916) aufweist. 3. Kombination nach Anspruch 1, wobei die Oberfläche (913) des ersten Elements (906) der Vereinzelungsvorrichtung (900) einen Krümmungsradius aufweist, der dem Radius R4 im Wesentlichen gleich ist. 4. Kombination nach Anspruch 3, wobei das erste Element (906) und das zweite Element (922) der Ver einzelungsvorrichtung (900) ein einziges, eine Einheit bildendes Element umfassen. 5. Kombination nach Anspruch 1, wobei sich das erste Element und das zweite Element (922) mit der Saatgutebene (222, 522) und mit dem Absatz (230, 530) bewegen, während die Position der Vorsprünge mit dem Radius R2 und dem Radius R3 beibehalten wird. 6. Kombination nach Anspruch 4, wobei die Vereinzelungsvorrichtung (900) ferner eine axiale Feder (926) und eine radiale Feder (932) aufweist, wodurch die axiale Feder (926) das einzelne, eine Einheit bildende Element in einer axialen Richtung vorbelastet und die radiale Feder (932) das einzelne, eine Einheit bildende Element in einer radialen Richtung vorbelastet. 7. Vereinzelungsvorrichtung für Samen (900), das zum Anbau an einer angrenzenden Unterdruckscheibe ausgelegt ist, gekennzeichnet durch: eine Basis (902) mit einer ersten Achse, welche die Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500) schneidet, und einer zweiten Achse, welche die Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500) schneidet; mindestens ein Vorbelastungselement (926 oder 923), das mit der Basis (902) verbunden ist; ein erstes Element (906), das auf dem mindestens einen Vorbelastungselement (926 und/oder 932) aufliegt, und wobei das erste Element (906) mindestens zwei Vorsprünge (908 und/oder 910 und/oder 912) aufweist, wobei das mindestens eine Vorbelastungselement (926 und/oder 932) das erste Element (906) in Richtung auf eine Unterdruckscheibe (200,500) entlang der ersten und zweiten Achse vorbelastet, und wobei das erste Element (906) ferner um die erste Achse und die zweite Achse schwenkbar ist; ein zweites Element (922), das auf dem mindestens einen Vorbelastungselement (926 und/oder 932) aufliegt, und wobei das zweite Element (922) mindestens einen Vorsprung (914 und/oder 916) aufweist, wobei das mindestens eine Vorbelastungselement (926 und/oder 932) das zweite Element (922) in Richtung auf die Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500) entlang der ersten und zweiten Achse vorbelastet, und wobei das zweite Element (922) ferner um die erste Achse und die zweite Achse schwenkbar ist. 8. Vereinzelungsvorrichtung für Samen, (900), nach Anspruch 7, wobei das erste Element (906) drei Vorsprünge (908, 910, 912) aufweist und wobei das zweite Element (922) zwei Vorsprünge (914, 916) aufweist. 9. Vereinzelungsvorrichtung für Samen (900) nach Anspruch 8, wobei das erste Element (906) und das zweite Element (922) ein einzelnes, als Einheit ausgebildetes Element umfassen. 10. Vereinzelungsvorrichtung für Samen, (900), die so gestaltet ist, dass sie angrenzend an eine Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500) angeordnet ist, gekennzeichnet durch: eine Basis (902), wobei die Basis (902) eine erste Achse, welche die Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500) schneidet, und eine zweite Achse aufweist, welche die Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500) schneidet; mindestens drei obere Vorsprünge (908, 910, 912), die von einem ersten Element (906), das auf der Basis (902) aufliegt und in Richtung auf die Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500) entlang der ersten Achse vorbelastet wird, nach unten vorstehen; und mindestens zwei untere Vorsprünge (914, 916), die von einem zweiten Element (922), das auf der Basis (902) aufliegt und in Richtung auf die Unterdruckscheibe (200,500) entlang der zweiten Achse vorgespannt wird, nach unten vorsteht. 11. Vereinzelungsvorrichtung für Samen, (900), nach Anspruch 10, ferner umfassend: mindestens ein Vorbelastungselement (926 und/oder 932), das mit der Basis (902) verbunden ist; wobei das mindestens eine Vorbelastungselement (926 und/oder 932) das erste Element (906) trägt und das erste Element (906) in Richtung auf die Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500) entlang der ersten Achse und der zweiten Achse vorbelastet, und wobei das erste Element (906) ferner um die erste Achse und die zweite Achse schwenkbar ist; wobei das mindestens eine vorbelastende Element (926, 932) das zweite Element (922) trägt und das zweite Element (922) in Richtung auf die Unterdruckscheibe (200, 500) entlang der ersten Achse und der zweiten Achse vorbelastet, und wobei ferner das zweite Element (922) um die erste Achse und die zweite Achse schwenkbar ist.

Revendications 1. En combinaison, un séparateur de graines (900) et un disque à vide (200, 500), le disque à vide (200, 500) possédant un plan à graines (222, 522) et une rangée d’ouvertures (208, 508) à un rayon R1 du centre du disque à vide (200, 500), un rayon R2 vers l’extérieur des ouvertures (208, 508), un rayon R3 vers l’intérieurdes ouvertures (208, 508) et un rayon R4 vers un épaulement annulaire (230, 530) du disque à vide (200, 500), ledit séparateur comprenant : un premier élément (906) possédant des lobes supérieurs (908 et/ou 910 et/ou 912) disposés à un rayon de courbure légèrement inférieur au rayon R2, un deuxième élément (922) possédant des lobes inférieurs (914 et/ou 916) disposés à un rayon de courbure légèrement supérieur au rayon R3, lesdits lobes supérieurs (908, 910, 912) et les-dits lobes inférieurs (914, 916) possédant des surfaces sensiblement coplanaires (924) axia-lement sollicitées contre le plan à graines (222, 252) du disque à vide (200, 500), caractérisé en ce que ledit premier élément (906) possède en outre une surface (913) sollicitée radialement vers l’épaulement annulaire (230, 530) du disque à vide (200, 500). 2. La combinaison selon la Revendication 1 où ledit séparateur (900) comprend trois lobes supérieurs (908, 910, 912) et deux lobes inférieurs (914, 916). 3. La combinaison selon la Revendication 1 où ladite surface (913) dudit premier élément (906) dudit séparateur (900) possède un rayon de courbure sensiblement égal au rayon R4. 4. La combinaison selon la Revendication 3 où ledit premier élément (906) et ledit deuxième élément (922) dudit séparateur (900) comprennent un élément unitaire unique. 5. La combinaison selon la Revendication 1 où ledit premier élément et ledit deuxième élément (922) se déplacent avec le plan à graines (222, 252) et avec l’épaulement (230, 530) tout en conservant la position des lobes avec le rayon R2 et le rayon R3. 6. La combinaison selon la Revendication 4 où ledit séparateur (900) comprend en outre un ressort axial (926) et un ressort radial (932), grâce auxquels ledit ressort axial (926) sollicite ledit élément unitaire unique dans une direction axiale et ledit ressort radial (932) sollicite ledit élément unitaire unique dans une direction radiale. 7. Un séparateur de graines (900) adapté de façon à être monté adjacent un disque à vide (200, 500), caractérisé par : une base (902) possédant un premier axe inter- sectant le disque à vide (200, 500) et un deuxième axe intersectant le disque à vide (200, 500), au moins un élément de sollicitation (926 ou 932) raccordé à ladite base (902), un premier élément (906) soutenu par ledit au moins un élément de sollicitation (926 et/ou 932) et ledit premier élément (906) possédant au moins deux lobes (908 et/ou 910 et/ou 912), ledit au moins un élément de sollicitation (926 et/ou 932) sollicitant ledit premier élément (906) dans une direction vers le disque à vide (200, 500) le long desdits premier et deuxième axes, et en outre où ledit premier élément (906) est pivotable autour dudit premier axe et dudit deuxième axe, un deuxième élément (922) soutenu par ledit au moins un élément de sollicitation (926 et/ou 932) et ledit deuxième élément (922) possédant au moins un lobe (914 et/ou 916), ledit au moins un élément de sollicitation (926 et/ou 932) sollicitant ledit deuxième élément (922) dans une direction vers ledit disque à vide (200, 500) le long desdits premier et deuxième axes, et en outre où ledit deuxième élément (922) est pivotable autourdudit premier axe et duditdeuxième axe. 8. Le séparateur de graines (900) selon la Revendication 7 où ledit premier élément (906) comprend trois lobes (908, 910, 912) et ledit deuxième élément (922) comprend deux lobes (914,916). 9. Le séparateur de graines (900) selon la Revendication 8 où ledit premier élément (906) et ledit deuxième élément (922) comprennent un élément unitaire unique. 10. Le séparateur de graines (900) configuré de façon à être monté adjacent à un disque à vide (200, 500), caractérisé par : une base (902), ladite base (902) possédant un premier axe intersectant le disque à vide (200, 500) et un deuxième axe intersectant le disque à vide (200, 500), au moins trois lobes supérieurs (908, 910, 912) dépendant d’un premier élément (906) soutenu par ladite base (902) et sollicité dans une direction vers le disque à vide (200, 500) le long dudit premier axe, et au moins deux lobes inférieurs (914, 916) dépendant d’un deuxième élément (922) soutenu par ladite base (902) et sollicité dans une direction vers le disque à vide (200, 500) le long dudit deuxième axe. 11. Le séparateur de graines (900) selon la Revendication 10 comprenant en outre : au moins un élément de sollicitation (926 et/ou 932) raccordé à ladite base (902), où ledit au moins un élément de sollicitation (926 et/ou 932) soutient ledit premier élément (906) et sollicite ledit premier élément (906) dans ladite direction vers ledit disque à vide (200, 500) le long dudit premier axe et dudit deuxième axe, et en outre où ledit premier élément (906) est pivotable autour dudit premier axe et dudit deuxième axe, où ledit au moins un élément de sollicitation (926, 932) soutient ledit deuxième élément (922) et sollicite ledit deuxième élément (922) dans ladite direction vers ledit disque à vide (200, 500) le long dudit premier axe et dudit deuxième axe, et en outre où ledit deuxième élément (922) est pivotable autour dudit premier axe et dudit deuxième axe.

FIG. 1

FIG. 2

REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader’s convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.

Patent documents cited in the description • US 3888387 A, Deckler [0002] · US 20050204972 A, Eben [0002] • US 5170909 A, Lundie [0002] [0003] [0012] · US 3990606 A, Gugenhan [0002] [0005] • US 5842428 A, Stufflebeam [0002] [0005]

Claims (5)

1. SP 1 928 223 SZEMENKÉNT! VETŐMAG-ELKÜLÖNÍTŐ Szabadalmí igénypontok

   1, Szemenként! vetőmag~eű.különífő (9C5Ö) és vákuumos tárcsái (200, 500) kombinációja, amelynél a vákuumos tárcsa {200, 500) magsikkal (222, 522) és egy sor nyílással (208, S08): rendelkezik a vákuumos tárcsa (20.0# 8001 középpontjától kiinduló El sugáron, valamint R2 sugara van a nyilasok (208, 508) külső oldalához, R3 sugara a nyílások (208, 508) belső oldalához, és RÍ sugara a vákuumos tárcsa (200, 500) gyűrű alakú vállához (230, 530), továbbá a szemenkénfci elkülönítő tartalmaz:; egy első tagot (906), amelynek felső nyúlványai {908 és/vagy 910 és/vagy 912) vannak olyan, görbületi sugáron elhelyezve, amely valamivel kisebb# mint at E2 sugár; egy második tagot (522) amelynek alsó nyúlványai (914 és/vagy 916} vannak olyan görbületi sugáron elhelyezve, amely valamivel nagyobb, mint az E3 sugár? a felső nyúlványoknak (908, 910, 312) és az alsó nyúlványoknak (914, 316} lényegében fcoplanáris felülete (924;· van, amely tengelyirányban a vákuumos tárcsa (200, 500} magsikjához (222, 522}: van feszítve; a*«al bogy az első tagnak (906) olyan felüle te {313) is van, amely sugárirányban a vákuumos tárcsa {20Ό, 500) gyűrű alakú vállához (230, 530) van feszítve.
2. 2. Az L igénypont szerinti kombináció, amelynél a szemenként i elkülönítő (900} három felső nyúlványt (908, 910, 912} és két alsó nyúl ványt (914,: 916} tartalmaz.
3. 3. Az 1, Igénypont szerinti kombináció, amelynél a szemen ként i elkülönítő (900} első: tagjánál (906): az említett felület (913) görbületi sugara lényegében megegyezik az .94 sugárral. 4. &amp; 3. igénypont szerinti kombináció, amelynél a szemenként! elkülönítő (900} első tagja (906i és második tagja (922) egyetlen egységes elemet alkot.
4. 5. Az 1. igénypont szerinti kombináció, amelynél az első tag és a második tag (922} a magsakkal (222, 522) és a vállal (230, 530} mozog, miközben megtartja a nyúlványok helyzetét az R2 sugárral és az 93 sugárral. 6. A 4. igénypont szerinti kombináció, amelynél a szemenként! él különítő (900} tartalmaz továbbá egy axiáüs rugót (926} és egy radiális rugót (932}, ahol az axlális rugó (92 6} axiálís Irányban feszíti, az egyetlen egységes elemet, és a radiális rugó (9325 sugárirányban feszíti az egyetlen egységes elemet.

   1. Szemenkénti vetőmag-elkülönitö (900), amely vákuumos tárcsa mellé szerelhető, és a következők jellemeik: egy alap (902}, amelynek van egy első tengelye, amely metszi a vákuumos tárcsát ;20ö, 5Q0) és egy második tengelye, amely mets ti. a vákuumos tárcsát {200, 500) ; legalább egy feszitotag (926 vagy 932), amely az alaphoz {902 ) van kapcsolva? egy első tag (306), amelyet a legalább egy feszítőtag (926 és/vagy 932) tart, és az első tagnak {906} legalább két nyúlványa {908 és/vagy 910 és/vagy 912) van, a legalább egy feszitőtag {220 és/vagy 932) az első tagot (906) a vakunmos tárcsa (200, SOö) felé feszíti az első és a második tengely mentén, továbbá az első tag (90S) elfordítható az első tengely és a második, tengely körül? egy második tag (922!, amelyet a legalább egy feszítőtag (926 és/vagy 932) tart, és a második tagnak (922) legalább egy nyálványa (914 és/vagy 916) van, a legalább egy feszítőtag (926 és/vagy 932) a második tagot (922) a vákuumos tárcsa (200, 500) felé feszíti az első és a második tengely mentén, továbbá a. második tag (:92:2) elfordítható az első tengely és a második tengely körül. 8. ä 7, igénypont szerinti szemenként! vetőmag-elkülön!tő (900) , amelynél az első: tag (906) három nyál vényt (908, 910, 912), és a második tag (922) két nyúlványt (914, 916) tartalmaz, 9. ,1 8. igénypont szerinti szemenkénti vetőmag-elkülönitő (900), amelynél az első: tag (906) és a második tag (922) egyetlen egységes elemet: alkot.
5. 10. Szemenként! vetőmag-eikülönítő (900), amely vákuumos tárcsa (200, 500) mellé szerelhető, és a következők jel““ isméik: egy alap 0902), az alapnak 002) van egy első tengelye, amely metszi a vákuumos tárcsát (200:, 500) , és egy második tengelye, amely siet szí a vákuumos tárcsát (200, 500) ; legalább károm felső nyúlvány (:908, 210, 212), amelyek egy első taghoz (000) kapcsolódnak, amely az alappal (S02 í van összekötve, és a vákuumos tárcsa {200, 500) felé van feszítve az említett első tengely mentén? és legalább két alsó nyúlvány (914, 216), amelyek egy második taghoz (222) kapcsolódnak, amely az alappal (902) van összekötve, és a vákuumos tárcsa (200, 500) felé van feszítve az említett második tengely mentén, 11, 1 10. igénypont szerinti szemenként1 vetőmag^ elkülenitő (900), amely tartalmaz továbbá? legalább egy feszitőtagot (926: és/vagy 932), amely az alaphoz 0902) van kapcsolva; ahol a legalább egy feszítőtag (926 és/vagy 932) tartja az első tagot (BÚB), és feszíti az első tagot (906) az említett irányban a vákuumos tárcsa (200, 500) felé az első tengely és a második tengely mentén, továbbá az első tag (906) elfordítható az első tengely és a második tengely körül; a legalább egy feszitőtag (926, 932) tartja a második tagot (922) és feszíti a második tagot (922) az említett irányban a vákuumos tárcsa (2:00, 500) felé az első tengely és a második tengely mentén,, továbbá a második tag (922) elfordítható at elad tengely és a második tengely körül.