Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SEED TENDER
This invention relates to a seed tender which includes a discharge
arrangement for transporting the material from the transport compartments of a
container to discharge location, typically a seeder in the field.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a seed
tender comprising:
a container for mounting on a ground transportation vehicle;
the container having a plurality of separate compartments at separate
locations along the length of the container, each compartment having a bottom
discharge opening with a discharge control mechanism for allowing discharge of
material when required;
a conveyor belt extending along the container underneath the
discharge openings for receiving the material therefrom and transporting the
material
to a rear of the container;
and a discharge conveyor for receiving the material from a rear end of
the conveyor belt and for conveying the material to a selected location beyond
the
rear of the container, the discharge conveyor comprising:
a support frame;
a mounting assembly for mounting the support frame on the
container and providing a first swivel support for providing pivotal movement
side to
side of the support frame about a generally upstanding axis and a second
swivel
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support for providing pivotal movement up and down of the support frame about
a
generally horizontal axis;
a plurality of conveyor belt support sections each having one or
more support rollers for guiding the belt;
the conveyor belt support sections being mounted on the frame
such that they can be telescoped from a retracted position in which the
conveyor belt
support sections overlie one another to an extended position with which the
conveyor belt support sections are arranged in an extended row;
a belt arranged to fold in the retracted position and to be
unfolded and extended in the extended position such that the belt extends
along the
extended row to transport material to an upper end of the extended row;
and a retraction drive arrangement for driving extension and
retraction of the conveyor belt support sections.
Preferably there are at least three sections and more preferably four
sections so that the reduced length when retracted is able to stand vertically
upwardly along the rear of the container without reaching significantly higher
than
the container and the length when extended is sufficient to reach out to a
seeded
hopper.
Preferably the outer sections retract inwardly on top of each inner
section to form a stack of the sections.
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Preferably the frame of the innermost section is substantially
rectangular with the outer sections stacked on top of one another in a row
within the
frame.
Preferably the mounting assembly includes a pair of depending side
arms each arranged on a respective side of the rectangular frame and each
coupled
to the respective side of the frame to provide the second swivel support about
the
horizontal axis.
Preferably the mounting assembly includes a support bracket for
attachment to the container, the support bracket carrying a central hub
attached to
the side arms which provides a swivel about the upright axis.
Preferably a first section is mounted in fixed position within the
rectangular frame and each of the further sections includes a respective sub-
frame
which slides inside the frame so that each sub-frame slides inside a next
adjacent
sub-frame on top of the next adjacent subframe so as to form a stack within
the
frame.
Preferably each of the frames and the sub-frames is generally
rectangular in cross-section and includes parallel side walls each of which
slides into
the next adjacent subframe on a track.
Preferably each or the frame and the sub-frames has a cover panel
over the belt which slides underneath the cover of the next adjacent section.
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Preferably there is provided a hopper at the bottom of the discharge
conveyor and carried on the frame defining walls which converge the material
from
the conveyor belt.
Preferably the conveyor belt has a rear end thereof which is at a fixed
relative to the container so that there is no need for adjustment of the
position of the
conveyor and there is provided a discharge nozzle or chute at the end of the
conveyor belt which has walls arranged to direct material onto the bottom of
the
discharge conveyor within the hopper, the nozzle being pivotally adjustable in
a
direction longitudinally of the discharge conveyor so as to take into account
changes
in angle of the discharge conveyor.
Preferably the single belt is driven by a drive roller at the bottom end of
the conveyor with the belt wrapped around a cylindrical surface of the drive
roller
and the drive roller has a hydraulic motor which is mounted within the
cylindrical
surface.
Preferably the retraction drive arrangement comprises a chain
extending in serpentine manner around the sections and driven along its length
to
retract each section relative to the next.
Preferably the container has a base arranged to sit on a frame of a
separate trailer and the mounting assembly is arranged to mount the discharge
conveyor on the container separate from the trailer so that the whole assembly
can
be carried on a transport trailer of the type used for transporting
containers.
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According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a seed
tender comprising:
a container for mounting on a ground transportation vehicle;
the container having a plurality of separate compartments at separate
5 locations along the length of the container, each compartment having a
bottom
discharge opening with a discharge control mechanism for allowing discharge of
material when required;
a conveyor belt extending along the container underneath the
discharge openings for receiving the material therefrom and transporting the
material
to a rear of the container;
and a discharge conveyor for receiving the material from a rear end of
the conveyor belt and for conveying the material to a selected location beyond
the
rear of the container, the discharge conveyor comprising a belt and a
plurality of
guide rollers;
wherein the belt is driven by a drive roller at one end of the conveyor
with the belt wrapped around a cylindrical surface of the drive roller and
wherein the
drive roller has a hydraulic motor which mounted within the cylindrical
surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the seed tender according to the
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invention mounted on a trailer.
Figure 2 is an isometric view of the discharge conveyor of the seed
tender of Figure 1 shown in the extended position.
Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the discharge conveyor and
mounting assembly of the seed tender of Figure 1 shown in the retracted
position.
Figure 4 is an isometric view of the lower end only of the discharge
conveyor and mounting assembly of the seed tender of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a side elevational view on an enlarged scale of the
mounting assembly of Figure 3.
Figure 6 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale of the mounting
assembly of Figure 3.
Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the discharge conveyor of the
seed tender of Figure 1 shown in the extended position.
Figure 8 is a side elevational view of the discharge conveyor of the
seed tender of Figure 1 shown in the retracted position.
Figure 9 is a side elevational view of the discharge conveyor of the
seed tender of Figure 1 showing the discharge chute from the conveyor belt and
the
hopper of the discharge conveyor.
Figure 10 is a side elevational view of the discharge conveyor of the
seed tender of Figure 1 showing the belt drive.
Figure 11 is an isometric view of the belt drive of Figure 10
Figure 12 is a side elevational view of the discharge conveyor showing
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the chain driven retraction and extension system in the retracted position.
Figure 13 is a side elevational view of the discharge conveyor showing
the chain driven retraction and extension system in the extended position.
Figure 14 is an isometric view of the chain drive to the retraction and
extension system of Figure 12.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The seed tender 10 shown in the Figures comprises a container 11
formed of five compartments arranged end to end to form a complete container
with
side walls 12, a front end wall 13 and a rear end wall 14. The container is
shaped
and arranged to sit on a conventional trailer of the type deigned to transport
shipping
containers so that the base of the container sits on a longitudinal frame of
the trailer
with discharge openings of the compartments arranged in a row between the
frame
beams of the trailer.
Thus each compartment 15 has a bottom discharge opening 16 with a
discharge control mechanism 17 for allowing discharge of material when
required. A
conveyor belt 18 extends along the container underneath the discharge openings
for
receiving the material and transporting the material to the rear wall 14 of
the
container 11 where the material is discharged off a rear roller 19 of the
conveyor belt
18. This is best shown in Figure 9 where it can be seen that the belt 18
discharges
into a chute 20 which controls the discharge of the material from the belt.
The rear
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end of the belt at the roller 19 is at a fixed position relative to the
container. The
discharge nozzle or chute 20 at the end of the conveyor belt has side walls
20A, a
front wall 20B walls and a rear wall 20C arranged to direct material to a
bottom
discharge mouth 20D which controls the feed of material downwardly to prevent
release of material to the ground. The chute discharges through the mouth 20D
downwardly with the position of the nozzle being pivotally adjustable in a
direction
longitudinally of the conveyor belt 18 as indicated at 20E.
The seed tender further includes a discharge conveyor 21 for receiving
the material from a rear end of the conveyor belt 18 and for conveying the
material
to a selected location beyond the rear of the container. The discharge
conveyor
includes a rectangular support frame 22 which receives and contains the parts
of the
discharge conveyor and a mounting assembly 23 for mounting the support frame
22
on the container 11.
The mounting assembly as shown in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 23 includes
a pair of depending side arms 24 and 25 each arranged on a respective side of
the
rectangular frame 22 and each coupled to the respective side 22A, 22B of the
frame
22 at a pivot 24A, 25A to provide a swivel support about a horizontal axis
24B.
Movement of the frame 22 relative to the pivot axis 24B is effected by a
cylinder 24C
acting between a bushing 24E on the side 24A of the frame and a lever position
24D
on the arm 24 at a position spaced from the axis 24B. The cylinder is arranged
to tilt
the frame 22 between the positions shown in Figure 1 where the frame stands
vertically upwardly between the arms 24, 25, the position shown in Figure 3
where
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the frame is inclined upwardly and outwardly and to the lowermost position
where
the frame is close to horizontal. In order to allow the frame to move to the
raise
position, the arm 24 is supported at a position extending rearwardly on bars
24F and
24G and symmetrically the arm 25 is mounted on bars 25F and 25G. The bar 24F
connects to the bar 25F by a cross bar 24H and the bar 24G connects to the bar
25G by a cross bar 25H
The mounting assembly further includes a support bracket 27 attached
to the rear wall 14 of the container. The support bracket 27 carries a central
hub
27A defined by a pair of triangular braces 27B and 27C pivotally attached
respectively to the cross beams 24H and 25H which carry the side arms 24 and
25.
This pivotal connection between the bracket 27 and the cross bars 24H, 25H
provides a swivel about an upright axis 27D. Actuation of the movement about
the
axis 27D is effected by a pair of cylinders 27F and 27G which pull a chain 27H
back
and froth to drive a sprocket 27J attached at the hub 27A.
The mounting thus provides a first swivel support for providing pivotal
movement side to side of the support frame about the generally upstanding axis
27B
and a second swivel support for providing pivotal movement up and down of the
support frame about a generally horizontal axis 24B.
The discharge conveyor 21 as best shown in Figures 2, 7,8, 12 and 13
includes a single belt 21A which extends around a bottom drive roller 21 B and
a top
idler roller 21C so that in the extended position of the discharge conveyor
the belt
extends from the bottom feed end 21 D to a top discharge spout 21 E.
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Within the frame 22 is provided a plurality of conveyor belt support
sections 27, 28 and 29 each having one or more support rollers 27A, 28A for
guiding
the belt 21A. The conveyor belt support sections 27, 28 and 29 are mounted on
the
frame 22 such that they can be telescoped from a retracted position in which
the
5 conveyor belt support sections 29, 28, 27 and 22 overlie one another in
order to an
extended position with which the conveyor belt support sections are arranged
in an
extended row carrying the belt out to the spout 21 E.
The belt 21A includes a top run which extends between as a straight
line between the bottom drive roller and a top return roller and has a return
or bottom
10 run underneath the top run which is arranged to fold in the retracted
position so that
it zig zags back and forth within the retracted sections and to be unfolded
and
extended in the extended position. Thus in the extended position the belt
provides a
single flat top run to carry the material to transport material to an upper
end of the
extended row and a return run wrapped in zig zag overlapping manner around
guide
rollers through each section. In the retracted position the length of the
overlap
portion of the return run of the belt in each section increases to take up the
change
in length of the supporting frame.
There are four sections each of which has a length of the order of 8
feet so that the reduced length when all retracted is able to stand vertically
upwardly
along the rear of the container without reaching significantly higher than the
container and the length when extended is of the order of 32 feet which is
sufficient
to reach out to a seeder hopper.
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The outer sections 27, 28 and 29 retract inwardly on top of each other
to form a stack of the sections with the section within the base frame 22 at
the
bottom. The frame 22 of the innermost section is substantially rectangular
with side
walls 22A and 22B and with a top 22C and bottom 22D. The frame is formed by
trusses 22E extending back and forth to provide sufficient strength to hold
the
structure in the required shape and to provide cantilever support for the
further
sections. The section 27 is also formed of truss members and the sections 28
and
29 have solid side walls 28B and 29B. Each of the sections 22, 27 and 28
includes
a track 27C which allows the next outer section to slide inwardly with the
outer
sections stacked on top of one another in a row within the frame 22. The track
27C
includes an end roller 27D which provide the main support to the next section
and an
opposed end roller 27E which runs along the track.
Thus each of the frames and the sub-frames is generally rectangular in
cross-section and includes parallel side walls each of which slides into the
next
adjacent subframe on the respective track. As best shown in Figure 2, each of
the
frame 22 and the sub-frames has a cover panel 30, 31, 32, 33 over the belt
within
the respective section and the covers each slide underneath the cover of the
next
adjacent section.
As shown in Figures 3 and 9, there is provided a hopper 21K at the
bottom of the discharge conveyor at the top of the frame 22 and carried on the
frame
22, with the hopper defining walls which converge the material from the chute
20D of
the conveyor belt 18.
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A latch 33 is operable between the arm 24 and the frame 22 to hold
the frame in each of its positions when retracted and deployed to ensure that
the
frame remains at the required angle without possibility to inadvertently
collapse.
As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the belt 21A is driven by the drive
roller 21B at the bottom end of the conveyor. The belt 21A is wrapped around a
cylindrical surface 21 L of the drive roller 21 B and extends from the drive
roller 21 B to
an idler tensioning roller 21 M carried on a spring tension 21 N. The roller
21 B has a
hydraulic motor 21P which is mounted within and wholly contained within the
cylindrical surface 21L. In this way the arrangement is kept simple without
the
necessity for external drive motors carried on the frame which may interfere
with the
retracting action of the outer sections.
The sections are driven between the extended and retracted positions
by a retraction drive arrangement for driving extension and retraction of the
conveyor
belt support sections. This arrangement is shown generally at 40 in Figures 13
and
14 and comprises a pair of chains 41 and 42 on respective sides of the frame
22.
Each of these chains is driven along its length by a drive arrangement 43
driving a
pair of sprockets 41A and 42A through a chain drive 43A from a motor 43B. The
chains wrap around an idler sprocket 41 B and 42B. As best shown in Figure 13,
the
chains 42 and 41 extend in serpentine manner around the sections 27, 28 and 29
and is driven along its length to retract each section relative to the next.
For this
purpose, the chain defines an upper run 42U which extends to the inner end of
the
section 29 and acts, when the chain is driven to the left at the chain drive
43, to pull
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in the section 29. At the same time the chain has a lower run 42L which wraps
around a first sprockets 42R, 42S and 42T on the sections 22, 27 and 28 which
acts
to drive the sprockets 42X, 42Y and 42Z to the left acting to pull in the
sections 27,
28 and 29 symmetrically at a common rate of movement. It will be appreciated
that
reversing he action and driving the chain to the right wall act to deploy the
sections
to the extended positions.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein
above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made
within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit
and
scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying
specification shall
be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
