Device for delivering solid particles on demand, intended for agricultural machinery

Abstract

Device for delivering solid particles on demand, intended for agricultural machine, wherein the delivery on demand of solid particles to a receiving device is regulated, particularly in the field of technology for transporting solid granulated materials by means of an air stream, without being exclusive, in agricultural machinery when an air stream is used to transport seeds or fertilizer granules from at least one central hopper to the dosing/metering equipment located on the sowing unit, and including a source of pressurized air, a distributor of solid particles “S”, a hopper whose bottom feeds solid particles “S” to the distributor and a plate permeable to the passage of air and on which said particles “S” settle.

Claims

1. A device for delivering solid particles on demand of the type of agricultural machine comprising: a source of pressurized air creating an air stream, which enters a distributor of solid particles, said distributor being comprised by an envelope defined by side walls, a bottom and a dome, with a front end through which the air stream from the source of pressurized penetrates and a rear end wall from which at least one of an air outlet for the transport of the solid particles is formed; at least one main hopper comprising a bottom, wherein the bottom feeds a mass of said solid particles to said distributor of solid particles, which has a plate permeable to the passage of air and on which said solid particles settle and are subjected to at least part of said air stream from the distributor, particles that are sent by said air stream downstream of said distributor to at least one hose linked to said at least an air outlet from the distributor itself, an interior of said distributor, adjacent to the end opposite that of the air inlet, has an upper channel and a lower channel, both open towards an upstream end of the distributor, one being vertically superimposed on the other and separated from each other wherein the upper channel is defined between two substantially horizontal walls spaced apart, which ends downstream in a substantially vertical wall that rises from the bottom of the distributor, rests against the downstream edge of the plate permeable to the passage of air and extends above from the same to an intermediate height between said permeable plate and the walls of the hopper, defining a crest or free edge; at least part of an upper wall of the distributor that conforms to said upper channel is determined by the plate permeable to the passage of air in communication with the bottom of the hopper and on which the solid particles from the main hopper settle; a crest or free edge extends into a chamber formed by a second wall, spaced from a first vertical wall and which closes superiorly on the bottom of the main hopper, determining a passage between said second wall and said crest; a second wall is extended downwards, substantially parallel and separated from the first vertical wall until it reaches the bottom of the distributor and forming a vertical chamber, an outlet mouth of at least one of first conduit of a second passage communicating with said vertical chamber; the outlet mouth of the at least one first conduit of the second passage facing a second conduit axially aligned with the first conduit, an inlet mouth of which coincides with the second vertical wall, an opposite end of said second conduit being linked to at least one linked hose to metering means for solid particles; an air flow rate that enters the distributor is divided into two air streams, one upper and the other lower, the upper air stream entering said upper channel, while the lower air stream enters at least said first conduit that defines the lower channel leading to the vertical chamber through said first vertical wall; a first channel presenting means for regulating the flow rate of the first stream through a screened plate, the first stream determining an upward impulse solicitation on the solid particles settled on the permeable plate above the crest or free edge of the first vertical wall, determining a fall of said particles in the vertical chamber where the particles face the second stream coming from the first conduit of the second passage.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the lower wall of the first channel is a divergent oblique wall upstream of the first air stream, and the plate permeable to the passage of air is substantially horizontal and is a continuation of the dome of the distributor.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plate permeable to the passage of air is a sieved or perforated plate.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second passage is formed by a plurality of conduits, parallel to each other with a decreasing circular section, each one forming a venturi.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first channel presents a regulator of the air flow rate that enters it, selectively variable, chosen between a pivoting plate and a throttle plate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ATTACHED DRAWINGS

(1) In order to exemplify a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the following illustrative drawings are attached, supported by the description thereof given below, this embodiment should be interpreted as one of the many possible constructions of the invention, so it is not appropriate to assign any limiting value to it, including within the scope of protection of the invention the possible means equivalent to those illustrated; the scope of the present invention being determined by the first claim appended in the corresponding claims chapter.

(2) In these Figures, the same references identify the same and/or equivalent means.

(3) FIG. 1 shows, as already indicated, a known and typical prior art arrangement in which the arrangement of a blower, the main hopper, the location of the distributor device and the conduction hoses for the particles to the secondary hopper and dosing means are schematically shown.

(4) FIG. 2 shows in a partially sectioned perspective, a construction of the dispenser object of the present invention;

(5) FIG. 3 is section AA of FIG. 2.

(6) FIG. 4 illustrates section BB of FIG. 3, and

(7) FIG. 5 shows an enlarged detail of a construction of the present invention.

(8) FIG. 1 has already been described in the previous paragraphs. The object of this figure is to provide one of the many possible uses of the distributor (11) installed in an agricultural machine, a distributor that is the reason for the present invention.

(9) FIG. 2 shows in a partially sectioned perspective one of the possible constructions of the distributor (11) of the present invention, in which the entry of the air stream coming from (12,13) is indicated with (18), and as taught by the known prior art, it enters the dosed interior (19) of the distributor, which is ideally divergent, without this being exclusive, expanding until it adopts a rectangular cross-sectional configuration (see FIGS. 2 and 4). This interior (19) has side walls (20), a floor (21) and a roof or dome (22), these being preferably flat so as not to introduce factors of increased turbulence in the air flow that penetrates (19) from (18). Inside the inlet (18) the interior of the distributor is partially closed by a vertical partition (23), from which at least one conduit (24) arises, ideally a plurality of first conduits (24), parallel and substantially horizontal, whose respective inlet ports (25) communicate with the interior (19) in said partition (23) (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

(10) These first conduits (24) are arranged one parallel to the other and each have an outlet (26). Superior to these conduits there is a substantially oblique-horizontal surface (27), arranged separately and below the plate that defines the continuation of the dome or roof (22), determining between them a first substantially horizontal channel (28), open towards the interior (19) into which a first stream of air (Cs) enters (FIGS. 2 and 5), the first channel that is separated and isolated from the second channels (29) created by the summation of the first conduits (24) through which the second air stream (C.sub.i) enters. Indeed, the air stream (C) entering (11) through (18) according to the present invention is subdivided within the distributor into two streams: a first upper air stream (Cs) and a second lower air stream (C.sub.i).

(11) This first channel (28) ends downstream in a substantially vertical wall (30) that connects superiorly with a sieved plate (31) or porous surface to the passage of air. This sieved plate (31) substantially horizontal and in communication with the first channel of the distributor constitutes the floor for the reception by gravity of the granular particles (seeds) (S) that come from the main hopper (10), and downstream with respect to of the direction of advance of the air streams, as will be explained later, there is the continuation of the substantially vertical partition that has a crest (32) that, projecting above the air-permeable plate (31), defines a vertical space or chamber (33) between said crest plate (32) and to the opposite wall (10a), continuation of the hopper (10), being (10a) substantially vertical and perpendicular to the bottom surface (19) of the distributor (11).

(12) In said wall (10a) and axially aligned with each of the axes of the respective second channels (29) created by the summation of the respective first conduits (24), there are as many openings (34) belonging to second conduits (35) continuators of conduits (24), so that the conduits (36) defined there are separated and axially aligned with (29).

(13) The first substantially horizontal channel (28) exhibits a flow rate regulator.

(14) Said flow rate regulator can be generic, since what is desired is to place a device that allows the flow of flow rate (Cs) passing through the first channel (28) to be regulated at will. By way of illustrative and non-limiting example, this regulator has been represented by a pivoting plate (37) and actuated by a lever (38). It is also used a throttle type regulator (version not illustrated). As can be seen in FIG. 5, the position, according to the angular displacement “r” of the plate (37), determines the variation of the flow rate of (Cs).

(15) It is observed in FIG. 5 that in a preferred construction of the invention, but not exclusive, each channel (29) presents a gradient of decrease in its diameter, progressively decreasing from its inlet (23) to its outlet (26) where it flows into the vertical chamber (33) and there it faces axially aligned to the corresponding second conduits (36), which have a diameter with a progressively increasing gradient from their inlet (34) to their outlet (39), configuring for each pair of conduits (24,35) respective venturi.

Operation of the Present Invention

(16) With the aid of the aforementioned figures, the air driven by a fan (12) enters through (18) into the interior (19) of the distributor (11). There it faces the inlets of the upper channel (28) and the lower channel (29) and is subdivided into two streams, the upper (Cs) and the lower (C.sub.i).

(17) In the preferred construction of the invention, the upper air flow (Cs) penetrates through (18), and passes through the plate (31) permeable to the passage of air, which can be constituted by a sieved or perforated plate that conforms the extension of the dome of the distributor (11).

(18) The solid particles (seeds) “S” fall by gravity according to the arrow “Q” on said plate (31) and there they receive the upward solicitation “a” from the air stream (Ci) which makes the seeds “S” exceed the upper edge or crest (32) of the first vertical wall (30) and after surpassing (32) fall at “b” inside the vertical chamber (33).

(19) Upon reaching the bottom of said vertical chamber (33), the seeds receive the solicitation of the lower air stream (Ci), accelerated air stream inside the venturi, and said air stream expelled by the outlet (26) of the first section (24) of the second channel is introduced into the inlet of the second section (35).

(20) The flow regulator (37) allows the flow rate of (Cs) and (Ci) to be varied, with which the same distributor (11) can be used for a wide range of solid particles “S” depending on their granulometry, relative humidity and specific gravity.