WO2022075910A1

WO2022075910A1 - Hand-held material conveyor and method of emptying a meter device

Info

Publication number: WO2022075910A1
Application number: PCT/SE2021/050978
Authority: WO
Inventors: Crister Stark; Mikael MARTINSSON
Original assignee: Väderstad Holding Ab
Priority date: 2020-10-08
Filing date: 2021-10-06
Publication date: 2022-04-14
Also published as: SE2051176A1

Abstract

A hand-held material conveyor comprises a casing (10), having an inlet (102) and an outlet (104), an auger conveyor (11 ), which is received in the casing and extends between the inlet (102) and the outlet (103), and a coupling device (13), which is connected to the auger conveyor (11) and is adapted for being connected to a chuck of a hand-held power drill or screwdriver. The material conveyor can be used in a method of emptying an agricultural implement for distribution of granular material to the ground on which the agricultural implement is travelling.

Description

HAND-HELD MATERIAL CONVEYOR AND METHOD OF EMPTYING A METER DEVICE

Technical Field

This document relates to a hand-held material conveyor, which is usable for emptying a metering device of an agricultural implement, such as a seed drill.

Background

There is a need to be able to empty any remaining material, in particular granular material, such as seed, fertilizer or pesticides, from agricultural implements intended for distribution of granular material to the ground on which the agricultural implement is travelling.

There is also a need to be able to easily collect such material that is emptied from the agricultural implement.

DE202014009404U1 shows a device for metering seed from a metering device in a seed drill, in order to determine the metering rate. The metering device has an openable wall section to which a container can be connected, so that the seed can be fed straight down into the container. However, the device shown in DE202014009404U1 is awkward to use, since it requires the operator to get underneath the seed drill.

An alternative solution for removing seed from the metering device is shown in SE532671 C, in which a valve is used to redirect the flow in a feed line just before a distributor head, so that any remaining material in the seed drill can be removed pneumatically.

There is a need for a simpler and more flexible solution for removing any remaining material from a seed drill.

Summary

One object is thus to provide a solution which in a simple and user- friendly way enables emptying and collecting of granular material from an agricultural implement, and in particular emptying and collecting of such small amounts of material as usually remain in the agricultural implement after a distribution activity has been completed.

The invention is defined by the attached independent patent claims, wherein embodiments are set forth in the attached dependent patent claims, in the description that follows and in the accompanying drawings.

According to a first aspect, a hand-held material conveyor is provided, comprising a casing, having an inlet and an outlet, an auger conveyor, which is received in the casing and extends between the inlet and the outlet, and a coupling device, which is connected to the auger conveyor and is adapted for being connected to a chuck of a hand-held power drill or screwdriver.

“Hand-held” means that the material conveyor is suitable to be handled fully by hand, i.e. not too heavy or too long to prevent an operator from carrying and using it without lifting aids. However, this does not exclude the use of lifting and/or positioning aids.

Such a material conveyor can be made at a low cost, since it can be operated using an arbitrary, and probably existing, chargeable power drill or chargeable screwdriver.

A further advantage is that such a material conveyor enables emptying of seed, for example, with much reduced dust formation, which is particularly advantageous when handling, for example, seed with dressing agent.

A portion of the auger conveyor exposed at the inlet can be formed by a rubber elastic material.

The portion made of rubber elastic material can extend across approximately 0.5-3 revolutions of the auger conveyor, preferably across approximately 1 -2 revolutions.

The rubber elastic portion reduces the risk of any damage caused by the auger conveyor, for example to the operator or to the equipment that the material conveyor is connected to.

A portion of the auger conveyor located at the outlet is formed by a material that has a greater bending strength than the rubber elastic material.

With greater bending strength, the safe transport of the material from the inlet to the outlet is ensured. A harder material also has, as a rule, a lower coefficient of friction, which leads to lower friction against the wall of the casing and thus less need for thrust.

As an alternative, the portion of the auger conveyor located at the outlet can be formed by a material having lower friction against the wall of the casing than the rubber elastic material.

The casing can define a feeder space, at least in part cylindrical, which interacts with the auger conveyor.

The casing can be cylindrical across essentially the whole length of the auger conveyor. The inlet can then be located at an end portion of the casing.

At the inlet, the auger conveyor can project past a distal portion of the casing.

By projecting from the distal portion, the ability of the auger conveyor to catch material can be improved.

The material conveyor can further comprise a feeder adapter or a hopper which is connectable to the inlet.

The collecting hopper can be adapted in shape and size to be connected to an outlet for emptying or tensile testing of a metering device.

The feeder adapter can have a coupling device for connecting to a metering device of a seed drill.

The coupling device can have means for engaging with the feeder housing, so that the material conveyor can be connected to the feeder housing in a stable manner, without the operator having to hold it firmly with manual force .

The inlet can be open in a radial direction and extend along an axial direction of the auger conveyor.

With such an aperture, the material conveyor can be used for emptying a seed drill that has an elongate aperture of feeding.

The material conveyor can further comprise at least one handle which, viewed in an axial direction of the auger conveyor, is arranged between the inlet and the coupling device.

The handle can in particular be located between the inlet and the outlet. The material conveyor can further comprise a protective cover, which extends at least across, and preferably past, the coupling device.

The protective cover can be formed to protect the drill or the screwdriver which is used for operating the material conveyor.

A second aspect relates to a method of emptying an agricultural implement for distribution of granular material to the ground on which the agricultural implement is travelling, such as a seed drill, comprising opening an aperture of emptying or tensile testing on the seed drill, so that material located in a material container and/or a metering device can fall down and out of the agricultural implement, connecting a material conveyor as described above to the aperture, and operating the material conveyor so that the material is moved by the auger conveyor from the inlet to the outlet.

The method can further comprise connecting a chuck of a drill or a screwdriver to the coupling device and operating said drill or screwdriver for driving the auger conveyor.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig 1 is a schematic perspective view of a material conveyor and a metering device, which can form part of, for example, a seed drill.

Fig 2 is a schematic perspective view of an exploded view of the material conveyor.

Fig 3 is a schematic perspective view of a material conveyor casing 10 according to an alternative or complementary embodiment.

Fig 4 is a schematic perspective view of a detail of the material conveyor.

Detailed description

With reference to Fig 1 and Fig 2, a first embodiment of a hand-held material conveyor will be described.

Fig 1 shows a metering device 2 that has an outlet 21 through which, in particular, any remaining material in the metering device can be removed. The metering device 2 shown can form part of a seed drill of an agricultural implement. Alternatively, the metering device can form part of a spreader of granular fertilizer or pesticides.

The metering device 2 can comprise one or more containers and one or more (not shown) feeder units, such as feed screws, feed wheels, Venturi nozzles or similar.

The outlet 21 of the metering device 2 can be openable for removing any material located in the metering device 2. For example, the outlet 21 can be provided with an adjustable door (not shown), which is pivotable, slidable or in any other way moveable between a closed and an open position.

The hand-held material conveyor 1 can comprise a casing 10. The casing can form a feeder space, which has a partly cylindrical cross section, in so far as at least a lower portion of the feeder space is cylindrical.

In the example shown, the casing 10 is substantially cylindrical and can have a length of approximately 0.3-2 m, preferably 0.5-1 .5 m. A diameter of the pipe can be 3-15 cm, preferably 4-10 cm or 5-7 cm.

The casing 10 can have a distal end 101 with an inlet 102. which is connectable to the outlet 21 of the metering device, and a proximal end 103 at which an outlet 104 is arranged.

An auger conveyor 1 1 is rotatable in the casing 10. The auger conveyor 1 1 has a helical flange and possibly a core.

The auger conveyor 1 1 can be arranged to interact with a partly cylindrical lower portion of the feeder space, so that material in the feeder space can be moved axially using the auger conveyor 1 1 .

A first portion 1 1 1 of the auger conveyor can be formed of a first material, and a second portion 1 12, which is located at the aperture 102, can be formed of a second material. The second material is softer than the first material, for example by having a lower bending strength than the second material.

As a non-limiting example, the first portion 1 11 can be formed of metal or of plastic, wherein the second portion 1 12 is formed of a rubber elastic material, such as rubber or thermoplastic elastomer. A coupling part 113 can be provided to connect both the portions 111 , 112. For example, the coupling part can be welded, press-fitted or glued to the respective portion 111 , 112.

As a non-limiting example, a length ratio between both the portions 111 , 112 can be in the range of 20:1 - 5:1 .

The second portion 112 of the auger conveyor 11 can extend out through the inlet 102.

As a non-limiting example, the second portion can extend out through the inlet with an axial length corresponding to 0.5-2 revolutions of the helical flange, preferably 1 -1.5 revolutions.

At the proximal end 103 of the casing 10 an outlet 104 is arranged, to which a collector (not shown), such as a sack or a bag, can be connected. The outlet can have a circumferential flange to facilitate fixing the collector, for example using an elastic belt, a cable tie or other tension device.

Alternatively, the outlet can be arranged across a bucket of a loader, such as a tractor loader, across a wheelbarrow, or similar. At a proximal end of the auger conveyor 11 , an end portion 13 is arranged with a coupling device 131 , which is adapted for connecting to a chuck 31 of a hand-held drill or screwdriver 3. The coupling device 131 can be formed as an elongate part with circular or polygonal cross section and a diameter in the range of 5-15 mm, preferably 6-13 mm. The cross-sectional area can be constant across the length of the coupling device. Alternatively, the cross-sectional area can be somewhat tapered towards its proximal end.

It will be noted that while a main part of the casing 10 can be formed by a pipe with a cylindrical cross section, an actuating part 14 of the casing can be formed by a pair of halves 14a, 14b, which can be mutually mirror-inverted to a vertical plane containing the rotational axis of the auger conveyor 11 .

The end portion 13 can be seated relative to the casing 10 or the actuating part 14.

The actuating part 14 can comprise the outlet 104, a protective cover 143 and a handle 141 , 142 intended to carry or support the device while it is brought into engagement with the metering device 2. The actuating part 14, 14a, 14b can also be arranged to provide an abutment, in order to prevent mutual pivoting between the material conveyor 1 and the drill/screwdriver 3. For this reason, the abutment can be composed of a lug or similar which bears against the casing of the drill/screwdriver. Alternatively, a good fit between the actuating part and the drill/screwdriver can be sufficient to prevent mutual pivoting.

The protective cover 143 can extend rearward from the coupling device 13 and can form a substantially semi-cylindrical weather cover for a drill or screwdriver 3 connected to the coupling device 13.

The protective cover 143 can have holes or recesses to allow access to controls of the drill or the screwdriver 3, in particular to gear controls 33 which are commonly used on the upper side of the drill or the screwdriver 3.

A feeder adapter 4 can comprise a casing 41 , which has a feeder interface 42 that can be adapted in shape and size to connect to, and possibly also engage with, an aperture of the outlet 21 of the metering device 2.

Furthermore, the feeder adapter 4 can have an outlet 43, which can be adapted in shape and size to engage with the distal end 101 of the material conveyor 1 . Specifically, a portion of the auger conveyor 11 projecting from the inlet 102 can extend into the casing of the feeder adapter 41 .

The outlet 43 of the feeder adapter can have an adjustable door 44, which is pivotable, slidable or in any other way moveable between a closed and an open position.

The operation of the material conveyor 1 for emptying any remaining seed in the metering device 2 of the seed drill will be described below.

A drill or a screwdriver 3 is connected to the coupling device 13 using its chuck 31 . Thus the auger conveyor 11 is operable using the drill/screwdriver 3.

The distal end 101 of the material conveyor is thus brought into engagement with the part of the metering device 2 in which the seed to be removed is located, for example by the distal end 101 being brought through an aperture of feeding, aperture of screening or aperture of emptying 21 . Alternatively, a feeder adapter 4 can be connected between the material conveyor 1 and the metering device 2.

According to a first example, the feeder adapter 4 can first be connected to the metering device 2, after which the door 44 is opened and the distal end 101 of the material conveyor is brought into the aperture 43.

According to a second example, the feeder adapter 4 can first be connected to the distal end 101 of the material conveyor, after which the feeder adapter 4 is connected to the metering device 2.

A collector (not shown) can be connected to the outlet 104, after which the material conveyor 1 is operated by means of the drill/screwdriver 3 being activated to operate the auger conveyor 11 , so that the auger conveyor brings material from the inlet 102 to the outlet 104.

When connecting and operating the material conveyor, an operator can preferably grip one of the handles 141 , 142 and the handle 32 of the drill/screwdriver 3.

As an alternative to a feeder adapter, a funnel-shaped device (not shown) can be provided, which can have an upward inlet and an outlet which in shape and size can be adapted to engage with the distal end 101 of the material conveyor 1 . Specifically, a portion of the auger conveyor 11 projecting from the inlet 102 can extend into the outlet of the funnel-shaped device.

The inlet of the funnel-shaped device can have surfaces of repose, which guide material received in the inlet to a space in the funnel-shaped device, in which it can be captured by the projecting portion of the auger conveyor 11 .

Fig 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the casing 10 and the auger conveyor 11 , where the aperture 102 extends along a longitudinal direction of the casing 10, so that a substantially semi-cylindrical aperture is provided in the cylindrical jacket surface of the casing, in which the auger conveyor 11 is exposed.

The semi-cylindrical aperture can be provided with surfaces of repose (not shown) along its longitudinal edge portions and/or along its transverse edge portions. Thus, a funnel-shaped device can be provided, which facilities the receiving of material in the aperture 102.

The portion of the auger conveyor 11 exposed to the aperture can be formed by the softer material, in the same way as described with respect to the second portion 112 above, wherein portions of the auger conveyor 11 that are not exposed to the aperture can be formed by the harder material as described with respect to the first portion 111 above.

It will be appreciated that the embodiments according to Figs 1 -2 and Fig 3 can be combined, by means of the material conveyor having both an end aperture, which is described with reference to Figs 1 -2, and an elongate aperture, as described with reference to Fig 3.

It is also possible to close one of the apertures when the other one is being used. For example, a circular or cylindrical end lid (not shown) can be provided to close such an end aperture 102 as shown in Figs 1 -2. Furthermore, a semi-circular elongate lid can be provided to close such an elongate aperture as shown in Fig 3.

Fig 4 shows the first portion 111 of the auger conveyor and its end portion 13 with the coupling part 131 and the bearing 132, which can be a ball bearing, which can engage with an end portion of the casing 10 or with an inner wall of the actuating part 14.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Hand-held material conveyor, comprising: a casing (10), having an inlet (102) and an outlet (104), an auger conveyor (11 ), which is received in the casing and extends between the inlet (102) and the outlet (104), and a coupling device (13), which is connected to the auger conveyor (11 ) and is adapted for being connected to a chuck of a hand-held power drill or screwdriver.

2. Material conveyor according to Claim 1 , wherein a portion (112) of the auger conveyor (11 ) exposed at the inlet is formed by a rubber elastic material.

3. Material conveyor according to Claim 2, wherein a portion (111 ) of the auger conveyor located at the outlet (104) is formed by a material that has a greater bending strength than the rubber elastic material.

4. Material conveyor according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the casing (10) defines a feeder space, at least in part cylindrical, which interacts with the auger conveyor (11 ).

5. Material conveyor according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, at the inlet (102), the auger conveyor (11 ) projects past a distal portion (101 ) of the casing (10).

6. Material conveyor according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a feeder adapter (4) or a hopper which is connectable to the inlet (102).

7. Material conveyor according to Claim 5, wherein the feeder adapter (4) has a coupling device (41 ) for connecting to a metering device of a seed drill, wherein said coupling device (41 ) is provided in the form of a casing that has a feeder interface (42).

8. Material conveyor according to Claim 4, wherein the inlet (102) is open in a radial direction and extends along an axial direction of the auger conveyor (11 ).

9. Material conveyor according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one handle (141 , 142) which, viewed in an axial direction of the auger conveyor (11 ), is arranged between the inlet (102) and the coupling device (131 ).

10. Material conveyor according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a protective cover (143), which extends at least across, and preferably past, the coupling device (131 ).

11 . Method of emptying an agricultural implement for distribution of granular material to the ground on which the agricultural implement is travelling, such as a seed drill, comprising: opening an aperture (21 ) of emptying or tensile testing on the seed drill, so that material located in a material container and/or a metering device (2) can fall down and out of the agricultural implement, connecting a material conveyor (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims to the aperture, and operating the material conveyor (1 ) so that the material is moved by the auger conveyor from the inlet to the outlet.

12. Method according to Claim 11 , further comprising connecting a chuck (31 ) of a drill or a screwdriver (3) to the coupling device (131 ) and operating said drill or screwdriver (3) for driving the auger conveyor (11 ).