JP2011193829A - Seed feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress damage to coatings on seeds by rolling thereof in a seed feeder for feeding the coated seeds to a planter designed to carry out sowing of an upland field.SOLUTION: A slide plate 20 is made to abut against an obliquely supported shutter plate 11, and reciprocated in the tilt direction of the shutter plate 11 to slide with a driving mechanism 40. Feed holes 11b are formed in the shutter plate 11, and holding holes 21 are formed in the slide plate 20, respectively. The lower side in the tilt direction of the inner wall of the holding holes 21 is recessed into a concave spherical form. The seeds charged into a hopper 30 are fitted into the concave spherical form part of the holding holes 21 with a plate surface of the shutter plate 11 as a lower lid. When the slide plate 20 is moved to make the holding holes 21 of the slide plate coincide with the feed holes 11b of the shutter plate 11, the seeds are dropped and fed to the planter. The shutter plate 11 is tilted to reduce dynamic frictional force for the seeds, and friction with the holding holes 21 is increased with the concave spherical surface. Thereby, the rolling of the seeds is suppressed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a seed feeder for supplying coated seeds to a planter that sows a field.

Attempts to automate the sowing work in the field have been made for a long time. In general, seeds are irregular in shape or too small in size, and are not suitable for handling by mechanical devices as they are.
For this reason, the seed is coated with a resin so that the whole is made spherical and the size is increased to facilitate handling by a mechanical device.

By the way, if such a coating is too firm, seed germination is inhibited. For this reason, it is designed to be very brittle so that it can be easily cracked when it contains water by watering the field after sowing, or when the straw is pressed with a roller.
However, if the seed coating is fragile, it may be damaged even if the seed rolls during the sowing operation.

On the other hand, as a mechanical device used at the time of sowing, there is a seed feeder that supplies a predetermined amount of seeds to the planter in addition to a planter that sows a field.
As a conventional seed feeder, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a hopper for introducing seeds and a rotating shutter drum are provided, and an opening formed on the lower surface of the hopper disposed above is provided with a shutter disposed below. What is blocked by a drum is known.

A large number of recesses are provided on the entire circumference of the shutter drum, and seeds fit into the recesses in the upper half of the drum facing the opening of the hopper. When the concave portion in which the seed is trapped moves to the lower half of the drum by the rotation of the shutter drum, the seed comes out of the concave portion due to its own weight and falls. The fallen seed is supplied to a planter disposed below.
The recess that has become empty due to the drop of the seed moves to the upper half again by the rotation of the shutter drum, and when it reaches the opening of the hopper, the seed in the hopper is filled again. When the shutter drum is further rotated, the seed falls from the recess. By repeating this, seeds are sequentially supplied to the planter.

When such a configuration is adopted for the seed feeder, the seed rolls with the rotation of the shutter drum, which causes a problem that the fragile coating is damaged.
If the coating breaks, the broken pieces may be caught by the seed feeder or the planter mechanism, or the seed may become distorted and may not be smoothly discharged from the planter toward the field.

JP-A-2005-333979

  Thus, an object of the present invention is to prevent coated seeds from rolling in a seed feeder.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a seed feeder for supplying seeds to a planter for seeding seeds coated in a spherical shape has the following configuration.

That is, the seed feeder includes a shutter plate that is supported in an inclined state with respect to the horizontal direction and has a supply hole through which seeds can pass.
The seed feeder includes a slide plate having a holding hole that abuts the upper surface of the shutter plate and allows seeds to pass therethrough.
Furthermore, the seed feeder includes a hopper that guides the introduced seed to the holding hole of the slide plate.
Finally, the seed feeder includes a drive mechanism that reciprocates the slide plate along the tilt direction of the shutter plate.

Then, at a position where the holding hole of the slide plate and the supply hole of the shutter plate do not coincide with each other, the seeds put into the hopper are inserted into the holding hole of the slide plate with the plate surface of the shutter plate as the lower lid.
Further, it is assumed that the seed caught in the holding hole of the slide plate falls through the supply hole of the shutter plate at a position where the holding hole of the slide plate matches the supply hole of the shutter plate.

  By the reciprocating motion of the slide plate, the seed is stuck in the holding hole and dropped through the supply hole. Therefore, if the planter is disposed below the seed feeder or the supply hole and the planter are connected with a pipe or the like, the seeds that have fallen from the supply hole are sequentially supplied to the planter.

Here, the seed caught in the holding hole of the slide plate moves together with the slide plate while being in contact with the plate surface of the shutter plate as a lower lid. Therefore, a dynamic frictional force is constantly received from the shutter plate, and a rotational torque is generated in the seed by this dynamic frictional force. Here, this dynamic friction force is proportional to the vertical drag received from the shutter plate.
In this seed feeder, since the shutter plate is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, the vertical drag is reduced compared to the case where the shutter plate is horizontal. For this reason, the dynamic friction force applied to the seed and the rotational torque generated thereby are reduced, and the rolling of the seed is suppressed.

The inclination angle of the shutter plate with respect to the horizontal is preferably 30 to 60 degrees, more preferably 40 to 50 degrees.
The closer the tilt angle of the shutter plate is to 90 degrees, the lower the vertical drag force applied to the seeds. On the other hand, if the tilt angle is too steep, the seeds are supplied when the slide plate holding holes and the shutter plate supply holes match. It is because it becomes difficult to fall from the hole.

The holding hole of the slide plate preferably has a friction surface that increases the friction with the seed on the inner wall on the lower side in the tilt direction of the slide plate.
When the seed stuck in the holding hole comes into contact with the inner wall of the holding hole on the lower side in the tilt direction of the slide plate by gravity, if the friction at this contact point is large, it is caused by contact of the seed with the shutter plate. It is because it becomes resistance to rotational torque and seed rolling is further suppressed.

  Such a friction surface is preferably a concave spherical surface having substantially the same diameter as that of the seed so that the contact area with the seed coated in a spherical shape is large.

  Since the seed feeder is configured as described above, rolling of the coated seed is prevented.

The perspective view of the seed feeder of embodiment Longitudinal sectional view of the seed feeder of the embodiment Front view of the seed feeder of the embodiment Main part longitudinal cross-sectional view of the seed feeder of embodiment

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The seed feeder 1 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is used for sequentially supplying the seed S coated in a spherical shape to a planter that seeds a field.
As illustrated, the seed feeder 1 includes a pedestal 10, a slide plate 20, a hopper 30, and a drive mechanism 40.

Here, the pedestal 10 includes a shutter plate 11 and leg portions 12 that support the shutter plate 11 from below.
As illustrated, the rectangular shutter plate 11 is supported by a pair of left and right triangular legs 12 so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal.
The inclination angle R (see FIG. 2) of the shutter plate 11 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 30 degrees to 60 degrees, and more preferably 40 degrees to 50 degrees.

A pair of left and right guide frames 11 a extending in the tilt direction of the shutter plate 11 are fixed to the upper surface of the shutter plate 11.
Between the guide frames 11a, a plurality of circular supply holes 11b are formed in parallel in the left-right direction. Further, pipes 11c communicating with the supply holes 11b are connected to the lower surface of the shutter plate 11. Here, the diameter of the supply hole 11b and the inner diameter of the pipe 11c are larger than the diameter of the seed S.

A rectangular slide plate 20 is disposed between the guide frames 11 a of the shutter plate 11. The left and right ends of the slide plate 20 are respectively fitted in the guide frame 11 a and can slide along the inclination direction of the shutter plate 11.
The slide plate 20 is formed with a plurality of circular holding holes 21 arranged in parallel in the left-right direction. The diameter of the holding hole 21 is larger than the diameter of the seed S.

Here, the arrangement pattern of the holding holes 21 and the supply holes 11b is substantially the same as shown in the figure. Therefore, when the slide plate 20 is at a specific height position in the inclination direction of the shutter plate 11, the holding holes 21 and the supply holes 11 b are matched with each other.
As shown in FIG. 4, the inner wall of the holding hole 21 on the lower side in the inclination direction of the slide plate 20 has a concave spherical surface portion 21 a in which the upper half of the inner wall is recessed to substantially the same spherical diameter as the seed S.

  Further, a rectangular tube type hopper 30 surrounding all of the plurality of holding holes 21 is fixed to the upper surface of the slide plate 20. A plurality of guide grooves 31 recessed in a triangular prism shape are formed on the inner wall of the hopper 30 on the lower side in the inclination direction of the slide plate 20. The positions of the groove bottoms of the guide grooves 31 and the positions of the holding holes 21 are formed. And correspond.

As illustrated, the drive mechanism 40 includes a motor 41, a crank 42, and a connecting rod 43. The motor 41 is fixed to the lower surface of the shutter plate 11, the crank 42 is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 41 and rotates integrally, and the connecting rod 43 pins the crank 42 and the slide plate 20. .
Therefore, when the motor 41 rotates, the slide plate 20 slides back and forth along the inclination direction of the shutter plate 11 through the crank 42 and the connecting rod 43.

  The configuration of the seed feeder 1 of the embodiment is as described above, and the operation thereof will be described next.

Now, when a large number of seeds S are put into the hopper 30 as shown in FIG. 4A, the seeds S are smoothly guided to the holding holes 21 of the slide plate 20 by being guided by the guide grooves 31.
As shown, when the holding hole 21 of the slide plate 20 and the position of the supply hole 11b of the shutter plate 11 do not match, the plate surface of the shutter plate 11 serves as the lower lid, and the seed S fits into the holding hole 21. Include. Since the slide plate is inclined, the seed S that has entered the holding hole 21 comes into contact with the concave spherical surface portion 21a of the holding hole 21 by its own weight.

  From this state, when the motor 41 is driven and the slide plate 20 is slid along the tilt direction of the shutter plate 11, the seed S caught in the holding hole 21 is brought together while the lower part thereof is in contact with the shutter plate 11. Slide.

At this time, the seed S receives a dynamic friction force from the shutter plate 11 and generates a rotational torque. However, since the shutter plate 11 is inclined, the magnitude of the dynamic friction force proportional to the magnitude of the vertical drag force on the seed is The plate 11 is smaller than when it is horizontal.
Further, since the seed S is caught in the concave spherical surface portion 21 a of the holding hole 21, the contact area with the slide plate 20 is large, and the frictional force with the slide plate 20 is large.

  The rotational torque generated by the contact of the seed S with the slide plate 20 is reduced by the frictional force acting between the seed S and the shutter plate 11. Therefore, the seed S slides along the slide direction of the slide plate 20 without rolling. Since the seed S does not roll in this way, the brittle coating is prevented from being damaged.

  When the slide plate 20 slides and the holding hole 21 matches the supply hole 11b of the shutter plate 11 as shown in FIG. 4B, the seed S that has been caught in the holding hole 21 falls downward through the supply hole 11b. To do. Then, it is supplied to a planter (not shown) through the pipe 11c.

The subsequent seed S put in the hopper 30 is guided through the guide groove 31 and fits into the holding hole 21 where the seed S has fallen and become empty.
The newly trapped seed S moves together with the slide plate 20 in the same manner as described above, and drops from the supply hole 11b when the holding hole 21 and the supply hole 11b of the shutter plate 11 match.
By repeating this, a fixed amount of seed S is intermittently supplied to the planter.

  Thus, in the seed feeder 1 of embodiment, the rolling of the seed S is prevented. Therefore, the coating of the seed S may be damaged, and the mechanism of the seed feeder 1 may bite the debris and cause a failure, or the seed S may become distorted and cannot be supplied smoothly to the planter. Is prevented.

Here, the friction surface portion formed on the inner wall of the holding hole 21 to increase the friction with the seed is not limited to the concave spherical surface portion 21a of the embodiment, and may be a rough surface portion, for example.
In the embodiment, the concave spherical surface portion 21a is provided only in the upper half portion of the inner wall, but it may be provided in a hemispherical shape from the upper half portion to the lower half portion of the inner wall.

  In the embodiment, the holding hole 21 and the supply hole 11b have the same shape and the same diameter. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the holding hole 21 has a small diameter and a large number, and the supply hole 11b has a large diameter and a small number. A plurality of holding holes 21 may coincide with 11b, or may be oval or rectangular.

Furthermore, the drive mechanism for reciprocating the slide plate 20 is not limited to the reciprocating slider crank mechanism of the embodiment, and may be a mechanism using a cam, for example. The structure for guiding the slide plate 20 along the inclination direction of the shutter plate 11 is not limited to the guide frame 11a. For example, a long hole is provided in the slide plate 20, the pin is fixed to the shutter plate 11, and the pin is a long hole. A structure for guiding by fitting may be adopted.
Further, the mechanism for supporting the shutter plate 11 obliquely is not limited to the leg portion 12 of the embodiment. For example, the shutter plate 11 may be suspended in a cantilever state and tilted. The inclination angle of the shutter plate 11 may not be constant, and may be changed by attaching an angle adjustment mechanism.
The structure of the hopper 30 is not limited to that in the embodiment. In short, it may be configured so that the introduced seed S is guided to the holding hole 21 of the slide plate 20.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seed feeder 10 of embodiment Base 11 Shutter plate 11a Guide frame 11b Supply hole 11c Pipe 12 Leg part 20 Slide plate 21 Holding hole 21a Concave spherical surface part (friction surface part)
30 Hopper 31 Guide groove 40 Drive mechanism 41 Motor 42 Crank 43 Connecting rod S Seed R coated spherically Inclination angle of shutter plate

Claims (4)

A seed feeder 1 for supplying the seed S to a planter that seeds the seed S coated in a spherical shape,
A shutter plate 11 supported in a state inclined with respect to the horizontal direction and having a supply hole 11b through which the seed S can pass;
A slide plate 20 having a holding hole 21 that abuts the upper surface of the shutter plate 11 and allows the seed S to pass through;
A hopper 30 for guiding the introduced seed S to the holding hole 21 of the slide plate 20;
A drive mechanism 40 that reciprocates the slide plate 20 along the inclination direction of the shutter plate 11;
At a position where the holding hole 21 of the slide plate 20 and the supply hole 11b of the shutter plate 11 do not match, the seed S introduced into the hopper 30 has the plate surface of the shutter plate 11 as a lower lid, and the slide plate 20 into the holding hole 21,
The seed S trapped in the holding hole 21 of the slide plate 20 at a position where the holding hole 21 of the slide plate 20 and the supply hole 11b of the shutter plate 11 match each other is dropped through the supply hole 11b of the shutter plate 11. feeder.   2. The seed feeder according to claim 1, wherein the holding hole has a friction surface portion that increases friction with the seed S that is trapped in an inner wall on a lower side in an inclination direction of the slide plate 20.   The seed feeder according to claim 2, wherein the friction surface is a concave spherical surface portion 21 a having substantially the same spherical diameter as the seed S.   The seed feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an inclination angle of the shutter plate 11 with respect to a horizontal direction is 30 degrees to 60 degrees.

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