Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A HOSE SPLITTER FOR A PNEUMATIC SEED DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1) Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a seeding implement and
more specifically to a seed distribution system for a planter
or grain drill having a hose splitter for distributing seed
from one hose to two or more row hoppers.
2) Related Art:
Seeders and planters which have individual metering
devices with corresponding hoppers located across the width of
the implement require individual filling of each hopper which
can be quite time consuming and inconvenient. In the past,
implements with a single material storage area often had
metering systems located a substantial distance from the
furrow opener, and seed placement with such implements was
less precise than those that have metering devices near the
opener.
U.S. Patent 5,161,473 discloses a pneumatic seed
distribution system for supplying seed from a central hopper
to row hoppers. In this patent a constant pressure fan
supplies air to a manifold through an air supply line. Seeds
located in a central hopper are directed through manifold
outlets into a series of individual hoses by the air stream.
Each hose is coupled to a row hopper and seed is transported
by the air stream through the hose to the row hoppers. The
row hopper directs seed to a seed meter which directs the
metered seeds through a seed tube into a planting furrow.
This seed distribution system automatically supplies seed to
the row hoppers as required.
When planting units are arranged in narrow row
configurations the planter needs more row hoppers and
therefore more hoses for routing seed from the central hopper
to the row hoppers. Spacing problems may occur at the
manifold. Air flow requirements also increase with more hoses
coming out of the manifold. Routing these hoses from the
central hopper to the row hoppers is also a problem.
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Current air seeders use various forms of splitters to
take seed from one main hose to several individual hoses.
Thus eliminating the requirement of routing individual hoses
back to the seed hopper.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an
improved seed distribution system for a planting implement
having fewer hoses.
It is a feature of this invention that primary seed tubes
extending from the central hopper are provided with a splitter
for dividing the flow of seed between at least two row
hoppers.
The seed distribution system of the present invention
includes an upright central hopper for containing a mass of
seeds. The input end of a seed tube projects into the lower
portion of the central hopper near the bottom of the seed
mass. A source of air pressure is communicated to the central
hopper in the area of the seeds to pneumatically capture seeds
and direct them to a primary seed tube. The captured seeds
are propelled through the primary seed tube to a splitter.
The splitter directs the captured seeds to a first or second
hopper tube. The first and second hopper tubes are coupled to
first and second row hoppers, respectively. Each row hopper
is provided with a seed metering device.
The seed is delivered from the central hopper to the
splitter by the primary seed tube. The splitter in turn
directs the seeds to the individual row hoppers. Under
perfect conditions, with a perfect splitter, the row hoppers
all fill simultaneously, and seed flow will be controlled by
the air flow through the seed puddles, as disclosed in U.S.
Patent 5,161,473, which is incorporated herein by reference.
However, in the vast majority of conditions, one row hopper
will fill before the other row hopper is completely full. The
full row hopper will continue to receive seeds filling up the
respective hopper tube all the way to the splitter. After the
hopper tube is filled the remaining seed delivered by the
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primary seed tube will be directed to the remaining row
hoppers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a seeding
implement including the subject air distribution system.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cros sectional side view of a
portion of the air distribution system.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear view of the hose splitter
wherein one row hopper is filled with seed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows a portion of a grain drill or similar
seeding implement 10. The seeding implement comprises a
central hopper 20 and a plurality of planter row units 14.
The central hopper 20 may be mounted on a trailing seed cart,
and the planter row units 14 may be mounted to a transverse
toolbar 15. A plurality of planter row units 14 would be
spaced along the toolbar 15 for depositing seed in the ground
in parallel rows. Each planter row unit is provided with a
furrow opener for forming a seed trench, a seed meter 38 for
controlling the rate at which seed is applied to the seed
trench, and a seed tube for directing metered seed from the
seed meter to the seed trench.
The central seed hopper 20 is provided with a pneumatic
seed distribution system 32 which supplies seed from the
central hopper 20 to individual row hoppers 34 on each of the
row units 14.
The central seed hopper 20 includes an upright,
transversely extending seed storage area 40 for containing a
mass of seeds and facilitating delivery of the seeds from a
bottom location 41 into the seed distribution system 32. The
hopper 20 includes upright front and rear walls 42 and 44 with
lower inwardly converging bottom portions 46 and 48 for
channeling seed to the location 41. A lowermost cleanout door
50 is hinged at 52 to selectively close and provide access to
the location 41 and the input area of the distribution system
32. The sides of the hopper 20 are closed by end walls 56. A
top 60 with inlet door 62 closes the upper portion of the
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hopper 20. When the doors 50 and 62 are closed, the hopper 20
is sealed so that the storage area 40 can be pressurized
during operation.
As best seen in Fig. 2, the bottom portion 48 which
extends inwardly from the rear wall 44 terminates at a central
location above the opposite bottom portion 46. An air
manifold 70 extends substantially the width of the hopper 20
and includes a forward wall 72 which projects downwardly from
the lower end of, and is perpendicular to, the bottom portion
48. The manifold 70 also includes a rear wall 74 extending
parallel to the wall 72. A bottom wall 76 closes the lower
portion of the manifold 70, and the bottom portion 48 defines
the upper boundary of the manifold which has a generally
rectangular cross section as shown. End walls 78 close the
sides of the manifold, with an air inlet 80 located in one of
the walls 78. An air supply line 84 attached to the inlet 80
is connected to the output of a constant pressure fan 86 to
supply air to the manifold 70.
A plurality of air supply outlets 90 are supported in
20 transversely spaced relationship along the length of the
manifold forward wall 72. The outlets 90 are straight lengths
of conduit with circular cross sections and end portions 92
which project into the lower portion of the mass of seeds
within the hopper 20. The inner ends of the outlets 90
25 terminate along the inner surface of the forward manifold wall
72. Preferably, there is an individual outlet 90 associated
with each of row units 14.
A primary seed tube 100 of circular cross section with
diameter less than the inner diameter of the outlet 90
30 projects through the rear wall 74 of the manifold 70 and into
the outlet. The inlet end 102 of the primary seed tube 100 is
located inwardly from the end portion 92 of the corresponding
outlet 90 with the distance (d) between the ends 102 and 92.
The primary seed tube 100 is slidably received in the rear
35 wall 74 of the manifold 70 so that the distance d can be
adjusted by moving the tube in the fore-and-aft direction.
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The seed tube 100 projects rearwardly and upwardly from the
rear wall 74 of the manifold 70.
Air blown into the air manifold 70 is directed through
the outlets 90 between the inner surface of each outlet 90 and
the outer surface of the end of the corresponding primary seed
tube 100 associated with that outlet. The air creates an area
of positive pressure and a dome-shaped area of air and seeds
110 in the seed mass at the end 92 of the outlet 90. The air
passing through the dome-shaped area 110 is exhausted through
the primary seed tube 100, in a direction directly opposite
the direction of input of the air. The moving air sweeps
seeds from the area 110 into the inlet end 102 of the primary
seed tube 100.
The seeds which are swept into the inlet end 102 of the
primary seed tube 100 are propelled through the tube to the
outlet end 103 that is coupled to the inlet 105 of the hose
splitter 107. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, the hose
splitter is an inverted Y-shaped member having an upwardly
extending inlet 105 and at least two downwardly extending
outlets 109. The downwardly extending outlets are coupled to
hopper tubes 111 for directing seed to the row hoppers 34. It
is important that the hopper tubes are angled downwardly to
allow seeds in these tubes to be emptied by gravity.
Each row hopper 34 has sidewalls and a converging bottom
portion 136 opening into the meter 38. The output end 106 of
the hopper tubes extends through the upper portion of the rear
sidewall and is supported within the hopper with the output
end adjacent the sidewall and directed downwardly toward the
bottom portion 136.
In perfect conditions with a perfect seed spitter, seed
is delivered through each hopper tube 111 to the row hoppers
34, the seed puddle in each row hopper 34 builds up toward the
output end of the hopper tubes restricting air movement. As
the seed puddle reaches a preselected level in the hopper 34,
the output end becomes restricted to the point seed can no
longer be propelled through the tube and seed delivery stops.
As the seed is dispensed by the meter 38 and the level drops
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in the row hopper 34, the restriction is removed, air flow
increases sufficiently so that seed delivery is again
commenced. Seed delivery to the hopper 34 then continues
until the seed again reaches the preselected level.
However, in the vast majority of conditions, one row
hopper may be receiving the majority of the seed from the hose
splitter. In this situation, illustrated in FIG. 3, the right
row hopper is receiving the majority of the seed. The seed
puddle fills the right row hopper and then the hopper tube
until it reaches the seed splitter. At that point when the
puddle reaches the hose splitter the seed in the primary seed
tube is directed to the left row hopper until the seed puddle
in that row hopper reaches the preselected level and restricts
the demand for seed from the central hopper.
It should be noted that the outlet 106 located in each
row hopper may comprise an air separation tube of the type
disclosed in U.S. Patent Application 08/049,890, filed 20
April 1993.
Having described the preferred embodiment, it will become
apparent that various modifications can be made without
departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the
accompanying claims.
