Method and apparatus for sectional control of air seeder distribution system for a farm implement

Abstract

An air seeder includes a header including an inlet connected to a first hose through which a mixture of air and particulate matter enters the header. The header also includes a plurality of exit ports through which the mixture of air and particulate matter exit the header. Additionally, the air seeder includes a valve associated with each one of the plurality of exit ports. The valve opens and closes to regulate the flow of the mixture of air and particulate matter out of an associated exit port while also regulating a flow of purging air through the associated exit port.

Claims

1. An air seeder comprising: a header comprising an inlet connected to a first hose through which a mixture of air and particulate matter enters the header and further comprising a plurality of exit ports through which the mixture of air and particulate matter exit the header, and a valve associated with each one of the plurality of exit ports, the valve configured to move between a first position and a second position to regulate a flow of the mixture of air and particulate matter out of an associated exit port while also regulating a flow of purging air through the associated exit port.

2. The air seeder of claim 1 wherein the valve permits the purging air to flow through the associated exit port while blocking the mixture of air and particulate matter from flowing through the associated exit port while the valve is in the first position and wherein the valve alternately permits the mixture of air and particulate matter to flow through the associated exit port while blocking the purging air from flowing through the associated exit port while the valve is in the second position.

3. The air seeder of claim 1 further comprising a plenum connected to a second hose that receives the purging air and provides the purging air to one or more of the plurality of exit ports.

4. The air seeder of claim 3, comprising a blower that provides the purging air to the plenum and air for the mixture of air and particulate matter.

5. The air seeder of claim 3, wherein the plenum is disposed beneath the header.

6. The air seeder of claim 3, wherein the plenum is disposed beneath the header and circumferentially around the first hose.

7. The air seeder of claim 1 wherein the header has equiradially spaced exit ports.

8. The air seeder of claim 1 wherein a main portion of the first hose is substantially vertical.

9. The air seeder of claim 1, wherein the header is a main header that is connected to a plurality of secondary headers, and each secondary header is connected to a plurality of row units.

10. A method of operating an air seeder comprising: delivering a mixture of air and particulate matter through a first hose into a header of the air seeder via an inlet in the header that is connected to the first hose; and controlling a valve associated with one of a plurality of exit ports in the header to selectively permit the mixture of air and particulate matter to exit the header via an associated exit port in the header while also regulating a flow of purging air through the associated exit port.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the controlling the valve permits, when the valve is in a first valve position, the purging air to flow through the associated exit port while blocking the mixture of air and particulate matter from flowing through the associated exit port and permits, when the valve is in a second valve position, the mixture of air and particulate matter to flow through the associated exit port while blocking the purging air from flowing through the associated exit port.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising delivering the purging air via a plenum connected to a second hose that receives the purging air and provides the purging air to one or more of the plurality of exit ports.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein delivering the mixture of air and particulate matter through the first hose comprises delivering the mixture through a substantially vertical first hose.

14. The method of claim 10, comprising metering the mixture of air and particulate matter using a metering assembly.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising adjusting a speed of the metering assembly when at least one of the plurality of exit ports is closed to the mixture of air and particulate matter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout.

(2) In the drawings:

(3) FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a farm implement incorporating the principles of the present invention;

(4) FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the product distribution system of the farm implement of FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a main header and plenum of the product distribution system of FIG. 2;

(6) FIG. 4 is a top section view of the main header and plenum of FIG. 3 taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

(7) FIG. 5 is a section view of the main header and plenum taken along line 55 of FIG. 3; and

(8) FIG. 6 is a section view of the main header and plenum similar to the view shown in FIG. 5 but with exit ports of the main header fluidly exposed to a purging air flow according to one aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an air seeder 10 includes an air hoe drill 12 coupled to a towing tractor 14 in a conventional manner. As known in the art, an air cart 16 is coupled to the air hoe drill 12, and in the illustrated embodiment, is towed behind the air hoe drill 12. As also known in the art, the air cart 16 has a large hopper 18 that holds a quantity of particulate matter, e.g., seed and/or fertilizer, and a metering unit 20 that meters the particulate matter from the hopper 18 to the air hoe drill 12. The size of the hopper 18 may vary, but in one embodiment, the hopper 18 is sized to hold 580 bushels of particulate matter. One exemplary air cart is a Precision Air cart which is commercially available from CNH America, LLC.

(10) In addition to being mechanically linked with the air hoe drill 12, the air cart 16 and the air hoe drill 12 are interconnected by an air/product hose 22 and an air hose 24. Air is supplied to both hoses 22, 24 by a blower assembly 25 generally mounted adjacent the front of the hopper 18 and adjacent the metering unit 20. Alternately, the blower assembly 25 may be mounted rearward of the hopper or adjacent a side of the hopper, As known in the art, the blower creates a turbulent air flow that forces the particulate matter metered by metering unit 20 into and along air/product hose 22. The particulate matter is entrained in the air flow created by the blower and communicated from the air cart 16 through hose 22 to a main header or manifold 26 that is mounted to and supported by the air hoe drill 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the main header 26 is vertically oriented but it is understood that other orientations are possible.

(11) The main header 26 is a hollow conduit fluidly coupled in a conventional manner to hose 22 so that the product/air mixture P passed through hose 22 is delivered to the main header 26 and, more particularly, to a set of outlet or exit ports 28 formed in the main header 26. The exit ports are equiradially spaced about the upper end of the main header 26 and the openings of the exit ports 28 are equally sized.

(12) In operation, the product/air mixture is fed to the main header 26 and distributed evenly by the main header 26 to a set of primary conduits or hoses 30 that are flow coupled to the outlet ports 28. The primary conduits 30 are flow coupled to a set of secondary headers 32. The secondary headers 32 are similar to the main header 26 in that each secondary header 32 has a set of outlets 34, with each outlet flow coupled to a secondary conduit 36. Each secondary conduit 36 passes its portion of the air/product mixture to a row unit 38 which is configured in a conventional manner to deposit the particulate matter onto the seeding surface S.

(13) To provide sectional control but also prevent clogging of the conduits downstream of the main header 26, the present invention provides, in combination, a plenum 40 and a valve arrangement 42, as shown in FIGS. 4 through 6. The plenum 40 is mounted adjacently beneath the main header 26 and includes an air inlet 44 that is flow coupled to the air hose 24. In this regard, the plenum 40 is fed air from the same blower assembly that provides the forced air for passing particulate matter through hose 22.

(14) In the illustrated example, the valve arrangement 42 includes valves 46a, 46b, 46c, and 46d and each is configured to selectively expose a respective main header exit port to either the product/air mixture supplied to the main header 26 by hose 22 or to the volume of air contained in the plenum 40 that is fed air via hose 24. In one implementation, each valve has a gate 48 that is movable between a first position, shown in FIG. 5, in which the exit port is in fluid communication with the air/product flow Panda second position, shown in FIG. 6, in which the exit port is in fluid communication with the plenum 40. It is contemplated that the valves could be activated in a known or to be developed manner, such as by a linear or rotary actuator, generally shown at 47. Moreover, while a gate 48 is shown, it is understood that any known or to be developed mechanism could be used to selectively expose the exit port to the air/product mixture and the plenum of air. In this regard, when a valve is moved from the first or open, position to the second or closed position, the exit port associated with that valve when will be closed off to the supply of particulate matter in the entrained air flow, as shown in FIG. 6. As such, the secondary header flow coupled to that exit port will not be supplied product and the row units fed from that secondary header will not be fed product. However, to prevent clogging of the secondary header, the primary conduit that feeds the secondary header, and the secondary conduits, when the valve is moved to the second position, the exit port is exposed to the plenum of air A which functions to purge the downstream components of any particulate matter. When the valve is in the closed position, air only is fed to the row units associated with the closed main header exit port. Thus, the row units will not deposit product thereby enabling the implement operator to selectively control the application of particulate matter onto the seeding surface. This sectional control is believed to be particularly advantageous in avoiding the reapplication of particulate matter to a previously seeded or fertilized area. In another embodiment, the valve arrangement includes tandem pairs of butterfly valves. Other valve types could also be used.

(15) It will be appreciated that the main header described herein may take a form different from that shown and described and thus the present invention is not limited to the specific main header design shown in the figures. Additionally, while the plenum has been described as being mounted beneath the main header, it is understood that other mounting arrangements could be used. It is also understood that other mechanisms could be used to selectively expose outlet ports of the main header to a purging volume of air. Further, it is contemplated that the present invention could be used with one or more of the secondary headers.

(16) Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the speed or the displacement of the metering assembly is adjusted when any of the exit ports of the main header is closed to the product/air mixture. Adjusting operation of the metering assembly is preferred so that open ports do not receive excess particulate matter when any of the other ports are closed. It is contemplated that a controller (not shown) could receive feedback with respect to the number of dosed exit ports and adjust operation of the metering assembly automatically. For example, if twenty percent of the total number of exit ports of the main header is closed to the air/product mixture, the metering assembly is slowed by twenty percent.

(17) Many changes and modifications could be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. The scope of these changes will become apparent from the appended claims.