Abstract:
The entire right, title and interest in and to this application and all subject matter disclosed and/or claimed therein, including any and all divisions, continuations, reissues, etc., thereof are, effective as of the date of execution of this application, assigned, transferred, sold and set over by the applicant(s) named herein to Deere &amp; Company, a Delaware corporation having offices at Moline, Ill. 61265, U.S.A., together with all rights to file, and to claim priorities in connection with, corresponding patent applications in any and all foreign countries in the name of Deere &amp; Company or otherwise.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to agricultural planting devices and, more specifically, to a device for decelerating seeds or other materials transported in an air stream to a furrow.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Transporting seeds and fertilizers and similar materials to the opener on a planter, seeders or other similar types of agricultural devices is commonly facilitated by directing air through a conduit and entraining the materials in the air stream for delivery to a furrow formed by the opener. The materials are transported at high speeds in the relatively high volume air stream and often bounce or are blown out of the furrow, especially if the air is exhausted out of the furrow. Seeds which bounce but remain in the furrow will not be properly spaced, and those which bounce out of the furrow or are not placed near the bottom of the furrow do not grow or germinate properly and fail to develop into healthy plants. Fertilizer or seed treatment that is misplaced is ineffective to nourish plants or protect the seeds.  
           [0003]    Seed brake devices for slowing down seeds prior to placement in the furrow typically involve impacting the seed against a mechanical device, but the impact often shatters or otherwise damages the seed and subjects the device to substantial wear. Ridges or steps anywhere in the seed path can damage seeds and result in wear of the device. Any narrowing of the path in the air system can result in flow restrictions and wear areas, and plugging by large seeds or trash is not uncommon. Further, if air is not exhausted from the stream the seeds can actually be accelerated again after initially being slowed, and such acceleration results in the seeds being blown or bouncing out of the furrow. Devices which reduce air velocity near the conduit exit often do not slow the seed sufficiently to avoid seed bounce in the furrow. Exhausting air presents additional difficulties relating to potential loss of some of the conveyed material through the air exhaust and the blowing of dust around the machine. If screens or other filter devices are used, the filters are prone to plugging and require cleaning or replacement. Providing a compact, inexpensive and reliable seed brake that does not damage seeds has been a continuing source of problems.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved material decelerating device for use in an agricultural air distribution system. It is another object to provide such a system which overcomes most or all of the aforementioned problems.  
           [0005]    It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved material decelerating device particularly useful in an air distribution system for an agricultural implement such as a planter or air seeder which eliminates or substantially reduces seed damage and material bounce. It is another object to provide such a device which reduces speed of the material just prior to the material entering a furrow. It is another object of the invention to provide such a device which obviates restrictions and screens or filters for the air distribution lines, thereby eliminating sources of wear and plugging.  
           [0006]    It is yet another object to provide a material decelerating device for an air seeding implement or the like which exhausts a substantial amount of air and reduces air velocity upstream of the material exit to prevent acceleration after the material has slowed. It is another object to provide such a device which reduces or eliminates the incidences of material bouncing in the furrow or blowing or bouncing out of the furrow. It is still a further object of the invention to provide such a device which is compact, inexpensive and easy to connect.  
           [0007]    It is another object of the invention to provide an improved material decelerating device for material transport system of an implement which places seed or other materials in a furrow, wherein the material is transported by a relatively high volume of air, and wherein the material is slowed and a substantial portion of the air is exhausted upstream of the furrow to reduce or eliminate material re-acceleration and improve material placement in the furrow. It is a further object to provide such a device which is relatively compact and inexpensive and easy to mount.  
           [0008]    It is still another object to provide an improved decelerating device for an air system that conveys seed or other similar material on an agricultural implement, wherein a substantial portion of the air is exhausted from the system upstream of the material exit area. It is another object to provide such a device wherein the exhausted air can be recirculated, returned to a material hopper or container on the implement, or directed towards the ground.  
           [0009]    A material decelerating device is described for gently slowing seeds or other materials in the air delivery system of an agricultural implement and for exhausting air from the system. The device as shown is generally in the form of a cyclone type separator connected to the delivery conduit directly above the seed boot on furrow opening device and includes a hollow body with an inlet opening generally tangentially into a cylindrical portion. A material outlet opens downwardly in the axial direction from a funnel-shaped portion tapering radially inwardly in the downstream direction. An opening near the top of the cylindrical portion exhausts air upstream of the material outlet to reduce the amount of air exiting the material outlet. The opening includes a cylindrical extension generally concentric with the portion and opening downwardly at a central location below the inlet so that the air escapes without loss of the material being transported.  
           [0010]    The device slows the material by centrifugal force without cracking or otherwise damaging seeds. Exhausting a substantial portion of the air near the furrow opening device prevents re-acceleration and seed bounce in the furrow. The device is compact and can be conveniently and easily attached directly above the furrow opening device. In one embodiment, the exhaust opens into a recirculating conduit which returns exhausted air to a location upstream of the device, for example, to an inlet on the system air source, to improve efficiency and reduce dust.  
           [0011]    In a further embodiment of the invention, a groove or coarse thread is provided on the hollow interior to help guide the material in a helical path towards the outlet. In one embodiment of the invention, a replaceable wear liner is also provided to extend the life of the separator. The liner which preferably is fabricated from an anti-corrosive and wear resistant material can be formed with a groove for material guidance or can be fabricated with a smooth interior.  
           [0012]    These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the detailed description below in view of the drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an opener assembly with a decelerator attached to the delivery tube of an implement.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the decelerator of FIG. 1.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is an alternate embodiment of the decelerator including a return line from exhaust connected to an air supply inlet or material container on the implement.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a decelerator with an integrally molded groove for guiding material towards the outlet.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a decelerator with a replaceable wear liner. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0018]    Referring now to FIG. 1, therein is shown a material placement device  10  connected to an implement frame tube  12  for forward movement (F) over the ground. The device  10 , which is shown as a grain drill opener, includes a drawbar or arm  18  pivotally connected by bracket structure  20  to the tube  12  and biased downwardly into ground engagement by a spring assembly  24  connected between the bracket structure  20  and lower aft end  26  of the drawbar  18 . An opener disk  30  is mounted at the end  26  for rotation about an axis offset from the forward direction for forming a narrow material-receiving furrow  34  in the ground. A depth gauging wheel  38  is mounted for rotation from a depth adjusting assembly  40  for rotation adjacent the leading face of the opener disk  30  to control furrow depth and to firm the soil on one side of the furrow  34 .  
         [0019]    A seed boot assembly  44  is supported from the aft end  26  adjacent the trailing side of the disk  30  in the shadow of the disk. The seed boot assembly  44  includes an upright seed tube  46  extending from a location above the arm  18  where the tube connects to the lower end of an upright conduit  48  which is part of an air distribution system  50 . Seeds and/or fertilizer or other material, indicated generally at  52 , metered from storage locations (not shown) on the implement is entrained in an air stream and propelled through the system for delivery to the assembly  44  and placement in the furrow  34 . The material  52  passes downwardly through the conduit  48  and the seed tube  46  and then exits the seed tube at an outlet  60  which opens downwardly and rearwardly into the furrow  34 . A seed bounce flap  64  extends downwardly and rearwardly from the aft end of the outlet  60 . A press wheel assembly  68  supported from the arm  18  behind the disk helps to firmly position the seed in the lower portion of the furrow and increase seed-to-soil contact. A closing wheel  72  collapses soil from the opposite furrow wall and firms the soil against the material.  
         [0020]    The air distribution system  50  includes a material supply conduit  80  wherein seed or seed and fertilizer or other similar material is conveyed by a volume of air from the storage location. A material decelerating device  84 , generally in the form of a cyclone separator, includes a hollow body  86  having a cylindrical portion  88  with a cylinder axis  88   a  (FIG. 2). The body  86  includes an upstream end  90  with an inlet  91  opening generally tangentially into the cylindrical portion  88  at the upstream end  90 . A downstream end  92  with a material outlet  94  opens downwardly in the axial direction and includes a truncated cone-shaped portion  98  tapering radially inwardly from the cylindrical portion  88  to the outlet  94  (that is, in the downstream direction). The body includes an opening  104  near the top of the cylindrical portion  88  for releasing air upstream of the material outlet  94  to reduce the amount of air exiting the material outlet. The opening  104  includes a cylindrical extension  106  generally concentric with the portion  88  and opening downwardly at a central location  108  below the inlet so that the air escapes without loss of the desired material being transported.  
         [0021]    The outermost end of inlet  91  is slotted at area  110  and has an inner diameter (D of FIG. 2) approximately equal to but slightly greater than the outer diameter of the supply conduit  80 . The supply conduit  80  is inserted within the inlet  91  and a clamp  112  is tightened against the outer end area  110  to retain the conduit within the inlet  91 . Placing the conduit  80  within the inlet  91  avoids a stepped area that could wear and be a source of damage to seeds. The lower end of the conduit  48  is secured to the upright seed tube  46  and the upper end is positioned over the outlet  94  and clamped to the downstream end  92  of the decelerating device  84 .  
         [0022]    The inlet has an axis  91   a  which is angled in the downward direction several degrees from an imaginary plane which extends perpendicularly to the axis  88   a  to impart a slight axial component to the material entering the device  84  so the material will be directed towards the outlet  94 . Preferably, the angle of the axis  91   a  to the plane is approximately five degrees. Seeds and other material entering the device  84  will tend to follow a helical path along the inner circumference of the cylindrical portion  88 . As the material moves towards the outlet  94 , the friction caused by centrifugal force gently slows the material without damage to the material. The material follows a helical path along the portion  98  and exits the downstream end  92 . A substantial portion of the propelling air stream exits the device at the opening  104  via the extension  106 . Preferably, the effective cross section of the opening  106  is greater than the area of the outlet  94  so the air can efficiently exhaust. With the device  84  constructed generally to the scale shown in the drawing figures, approximately ninety percent of the air is exhausted via opening  104 .  
         [0023]    The seeds and/or other material  52  drop under the influence of gravity through the conduit  48  and through the seed tube  46 . By eliminating most of the air from the material path and slowing the material directly above the seed tube, the velocity of the material is reduced substantially and material acceleration downstream of the decelerating device  84  caused by air flow is generally eliminated. Therefore, blowing and bouncing of material from the furrow  34  and bouncing of the material in the furrow are substantially eliminated. The device  84  is compact and easily attached directly above the opener between the conduits  48  and  80  behind and generally below the frame  12 .  
         [0024]    In an alternate embodiment (FIG. 3), a material decelerating device  84   a  includes an extension  106   a  which projects from the upstream end  90   a  and receives a return line  120  connecting an exhaust opening  104   a  with a remote location  124 . Preferably, the location  124  is part of the distribution system upstream of the inlet  91 . The location  124  can, for example, be the inlet of an air supply fan  124  or a material supply container or hopper at the storage location on the implement. The return line  120  can therefore be advantageously used for recirculation to increase air system efficiency, as well as to provide a generally closed system to reduce problems of dust and loss of fine material into the atmosphere without need for filters or the like. In a further modification, the location  124  can be an outlet opening closely adjacent or slightly penetrating the ground to direct dust and other fine materials on or into the ground. Preferably, the ground location is offset from the area of the furrow where the seed is being deposited at the time to avoid accelerating the seed or blowing seed or dirt from the furrow.  
         [0025]    In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a material decelerating device  84   b  includes an inlet  91   b  opening having a hollow body  86   b  having a groove  86   g  for guiding the material towards the outlet  94   b . The axis  91   a  of the inlet  91   b  is angled slightly towards the outlet  94   b  to impart motion in the direction of the groove  86   g  which is shown as generally helical. Air is exhausted via the extension  106   b  through the outlet  104   b.    
         [0026]    In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a replaceable wear liner  130  with an inlet accommodation opening  132  is slidably received within the hollow body  86  and is indexed with respect to the body in a conventional manner such as with a mating tab and groove so the opening  132  aligns with the inlet  91 . A cap  134  with an air exhaust extension  106   c  (partially broken away in FIG. 5 to better show the interior of the liner  130 ) includes a snap ring  136  which mates with a molded groove  138  in the top of the body  86  to secure the liner within the body with a bottom edge  140  of the liner terminating at the cone-shaped portion  98 . Air is exhausted through the extension  106   c  which opens through the cap  134  at  144 . Grooves  86   g  may also be provided in the liner  130  to help guide material towards the outlet  94 . In the embodiment shown, the grooves  86   g  help to guide the material in a helical path towards the outlet. Alternatively, the liner  130  can be non-grooved.  
         [0027]    The body  86  can be fabricated using any of a number of conventional methods including injection molding of plastic. The insert  130  can be fabricated from a wear-resistant plastic material or a corrosion-resistant metal such as stainless steel. Preferably, the insert  130  is fabricated from ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) or urethane.  
         [0028]    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.