Abstract:
A hopper of a commodity conveyor apparatus for use with an agricultural implement has a bin configured to hold a volume of a granular commodity. The bin is movable between a first position at which the bin can be loaded with the granular commodity and a second position at which residual granular commodity can be recovered from the bin. The hopper further has a fill opening formed in the bin and adapted for loading the granular commodity into the bin when the bin is in the first position. A discharge opening is configured to be flow-coupled to the commodity conveyor apparatus and a container is removably attached to the bin for recovering the residual granular commodity from the bin when the bin is in the second position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to agricultural implements and, more particularly, to an apparatus for recollecting residual commodity from a fill hopper of an air seeder filling system. 
         [0002]    An air seeder is an agricultural implement that is commonly used to plant usually a seed crop in a large field. Air seeders typically have centrally located hoppers for seed and fertilizer which distributes them through an air stream to individual seed rows. It is convenient to fill, easy to clean out and move. Any crop that can be grown from seeds—which might vary is size from oilseeds to corn, can be sewn by an air seeder. 
         [0003]    The seed and fertilizer hoppers are usually carried on a large cart located behind or in front of the seeder. The air stream is created by a high capacity fan mounted on the cart which blows air through pipes located under the grain and fertilizer tank. Seed and fertilizer are metered out from the hoppers by a meter wheel that is turning in a ratio set by the operator for the proper seed rate or seed density. The seeds enter the pipe in the airstream and follow the pipes which terminate in the seedbed. Openers pulled through the soil make the opening where the seeds are placed. They are made of steel in the shape of points, discs or cultivator shovels. Once placed in the seed bed, the air is blown out the opening in the soil and the seed and fertilizer remain. The seeder can then pack the soil tight to retain moisture near the seed and harrow the furrows so the field is not rough. 
         [0004]    A typical air seeder has an agricultural commodity cart (“air cart”) comprising at least one, and commonly two, three or more tanks for carrying various agricultural products like seed and fertilizer. Although not always present, commonly there is a conveyor mounted on the cart for transferring agricultural product (“commodity”) from transport vehicles into the tanks. It is commonly seen as more convenient to mount a conveyor on the cart rather than on each transport vehicle, or maneuver a portable conveyor as a separate implement altogether. 
         [0005]    The conveyor is typically mounted on a pivot mechanism configured to allow it to be moved from a transport position, where the bottom end of the conveyor is raised for transport, to an operating position where the bottom end is lowered to receive a commodity from the transport vehicle, and is typically resting on the ground. The pivot mechanism also allows the conveyor to be maneuvered so that a spout on the upper discharge end of the conveyor can be maneuvered to direct the commodity from the conveyor into the filling hatch for each tank. Cart loading conveyors commonly include a hopper at the bottom intake end to receive agricultural product from the transport vehicle. Conventional cart conveyors typically comprise simply a straight tube with an auger inside to convey the product, and the hopper is simply mounted on the lower end. 
         [0006]    It is generally desirable to clean out the hopper when changing from one agricultural product to another in order to minimize contamination of the tanks with different agricultural products. On conventional cart conveyors, it is often possible to simply rotate the hopper on the conveyor tube such that the hopper is oriented downward. The auger can then be rotated in reverse so that material in the tube falls out of the lower end of the tube and into the inverted hopper and onto the ground. Other approaches include a hopper constructed with a cleanout port in the bottom of the hopper so that the auger can be reversed and the majority of material will fall out the cleanout port onto the ground. Some manual pushing of material is typically required to completely clean out the hopper. 
         [0007]    These conventional approaches to emptying the fill hopper are generally effective in removing the residual commodity, these approaches are wasteful in that the residual product is simply casted onto the ground. To avoid this waste, many end-users will place a pail or similar collector on the ground and raise the fill hopper above the pail. To empty to the residual commodity into the pail, the fill hopper must be reoriented, i.e., tilted, so that the residual commodity runs out of the fill hopper and into the pail. This tilting of the fill hopper can be laborious and awkward as the fill hopper is generally heavy and bulky and, thus, difficult to maneuver. And, depending on the amount of residual commodity in the fill hopper, repositioning the fill hopper can be particularly cumbersome. Similarly, the pail, which is commonly a larger container, i.e., 20 L, can also be difficult to maneuver. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The present invention is directed to a fill hopper for an air seeder conveyor. The fill hopper is configured such that a pail can be removably mounted to the fill hopper. The pail mounts to the fill hopper so that when the fill hopper is raised and rotated, the pail will move with the fill hopper. 
         [0009]    A number of different mounting structures may be used to removably mount the pail to the hopper. In one embodiment, the hopper has hooks that enable the bail of the pail to be hung on the hopper. The hooks are positioned such that the pail is substantially horizontal, i.e., parallel to the base of the hopper, when the hopper is in the being-filled (“operating”) position. The hooks are positioned so that the pail sits tightly against the sidewall of the hopper when the hopper is in the operating position. When the hopper is rotated to an upright position, the pail remains hooked to the hopper and thus rotated from the horizontal position referenced above to a vertical or upright position. In this position, the residual commodity from the hopper will empty into the pail. After the fill hopper is empty, slack between the pail and fill hopper can be introduced by lowering the conveyor slightly and unhooking the bail from the hopper. The pail can then be emptied in a commodity saving fashion and reconnected to the fill hopper or a new pail could be hooked onto the fill hopper. 
         [0010]    Therefore, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, a hopper of a commodity conveyor apparatus for use with an agricultural implement is provided. The hopper has a bin configured to hold a volume of a granular commodity. The bin is movable between a first position at which the bin can be loaded with the granular commodity and a second position at which residual granular commodity can be recovered from the bin. The hopper further has a fill opening formed in the bin and adapted for loading the granular commodity into the bin when the bin is in the first position. A discharge opening is configured to be flow-coupled to the commodity conveyor apparatus and a pail is removably attached to the bin for recovering the residual granular commodity from the bin when the bin is in the second position. 
         [0011]    In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a commodity conveying apparatus for use with an air seeding implement is provided. The apparatus comprises a conveyor having an intake end for receiving a granular commodity and a discharge end for passing the granular commodity into a seed hopper of the air seeding implement. A feed hopper is pivotally attached to the discharge end of the conveyor, and is pivotal between a commodity conveying position and a commodity recapture position that is upright relative to the commodity conveying position. The apparatus further comprises a bucket having a handle and a catch that captures the handle for removably attaching the bucket to the feed hopper. The catch maintains attachment of the bucket to the feed hopper when the feed hopper is pivoted from the conveying position to the recapture position. 
         [0012]    The invention may also be embodied in a method. The method is directed to recapturing residual granular commodity from a feed hopper of a conveying apparatus of an air seeding implement, and comprises attaching a pail to the feed hopper. The pail has an annular wall extending between an open top and a closed bottom surface collectively defining an annular interior. The method also includes tilting the feed hopper to an inclined position in which the closed bottom surface of the pail rests atop the ground and residual granular commodity in the feed hopper falls through the open top of the pail and into the annular interior of the pail. 
         [0013]    Various other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description and the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The drawings illustrate one preferred embodiment presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. 
           [0015]    In the Drawings: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an air cart having a cart mounted conveyor apparatus in the transport position; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the air car with the cart mounted conveyor apparatus in the loading position; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of a free end of the conveyor apparatus showing a fill hopper with a pail removably attached thereto according to the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3A  is a partial exploded view of the fill hopper taken along line  3 A- 3 A of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the fill hopper; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a side elevation view of the fill hopper in an operating position; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a side elevation view of the conveyor apparatus with fill hopper rotated to an upright position to place the hopper-mounted pail atop the ground; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a side elevation view of the conveyor apparatus with the fill hopper further rotated to empty residual commodity into the pail. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]      FIGS. 1-2  illustrate a commodity cart loading conveyor apparatus  10  having a commodity cart  12  comprising a tank  14 . In the illustrated example, the cart  12  has three tanks  14 . It is understood however the cart  12  could have fewer than three tanks or more than three tanks. Each tank  14  has a fill hatch  16  located at a top portion of the cart  12 . The cart  12  is typically attached to a seeding tool bar (not illustrated) that is operative to receive the agricultural commodities, e.g., seed and/or fertilizer, carried in the tank  14  through a system of air ducts, and deposit the material in the soil. Such carts are typically pulled either directly behind or sometimes directly ahead of such a tool bar. 
         [0025]    The cart loading conveyor apparatus  10  has an auger  18  inside a conveyor tube  20 . As known in the art, the conveyor tube  20  provides an elongate enclosure through which commodity can be conveyed from a fill hopper  22  to the fill hatch  16 . 
         [0026]    The conveyor tube  20  is mounted to the cart  12  such that the conveyor tube  20  can be moved from a transport position, shown in  FIG. 1 , to a filling position, shown in  FIG. 2 . In the transport position, the conveyor tube  20  is raised off the ground  24 . In the filling position, the conveyor tube  20  is rotated outward and downward so that fill hopper  22  sits atop the ground  24 . When the fill hopper  22  is sitting on the ground  24 , commodity can be loaded into the fill hopper  22  from a transport vehicle (not shown). In the transport position, the conveyor tube  20  extends generally rearward with the fill hopper  22  raised above the ground  24 . In the filling position, the upper (discharge) end  26  of the conveyor tube  20  is centered slightly above a fill hatch  16 . In a preferred embodiment, the upper end  26  of the conveyor tube  20  includes a chute  28  that extends generally downward into the opening defined by the fill hatch  16 . The conveyor tube  20  can be moved fore and aft to align the chute  28  with the fill hatch  16  of the tank  14  to be filled. 
         [0027]    With additional reference to  FIGS. 3 and 3A , the fill hopper  22  is pivotally attached to the lower end  30  of the conveyor tube  20 . An actuator  32  is interconnected between the lower end  30  of the conveyor tube  20  and the fill hopper  22 , and is operable to pivot the fill hopper  22  away from the conveyor tube  20 , as will be described more fully below, during emptying of the fill hopper  22 . 
         [0028]    With additional reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a container, which in the illustrated embodiment is a pail  34 , is removably attached to the fill hopper  22  by a pair of hooks  36 ,  38 . The pail  34  has a cylindrical container  40  defined by an annular wall  42  extending from a disc-shaped base  44  to an open end  46 . Near the open end  46  of the cylindrical container  40  is attached a bail  48 . The bail  48  is attached to the cylindrical container  40  in a conventional manner and thus is movable between a lowered position in which the bail  48  rests against the outer surface of the annular wall  42  or a raised position in which the bail  48  is centered above the open end  46 , such as for carrying. The pail  34  can be mounted to the fill hopper  22  by hanging the bail  48  on the pair of hooks  36 ,  38 . 
         [0029]    The fill hopper  22  is comprised of a bin  50  defined by a pair of sidewalls  52 ,  54 , front wall  56 , and rear wall  58 . The walls are interconnected to form an inverted tetrahedron shaped cavity  60 . An auger  62  is rotatably mounted to the front wall  56  within the cavity  60  is operable to feed commodity from the bin  50  to the auger  18  in the conveyor tube  20 . It is desirable that the intake for a conveyor be screened to sieve the commodity and prevent entry into the cart  12  of lumps or foreign objects that could plug the tubes that carry the commodity. Accordingly, a sieve screen or grate  64  is attached to the upper end of the bin  50 . 
         [0030]    Mounted just below the sieve screen  64  is a plate  66  to which the hooks  36 ,  38  are mounted. Each hook has a shank  68  that extends uprightly from the plate  66  to a bend  70  that turns downward to form a catch  72 . A gape  74  is defined between the catch  72  and the shank  68 , and is sized to receive the bail  48  when the pail  34  is hung on the fill hopper  22 . The hooks extend through a respective space (not numbered) in the sieve screen  64 . Additionally, the hooks  36 ,  38  are mounted to the plate  66  so that the distance therebetween results in the pail  34  being held snuggly against the front wall  56  of the bin  50  when the pail  34  is hooked onto the fill hopper  22 , as best shown in  FIG. 5 . As further shown in  FIG. 5 , when the fill hopper  22  is in the filling position, e.g., the sieve screen  64  parallel to the ground  24 , the pail  34  is also oriented parallel to the ground  24 . That is, the open end  46  and the base  44  of the pail  34  are perpendicular to the ground  24 . 
         [0031]    The pail  34  latches tightly onto the bin  50  which holds the relative position of the pail  34  to the fill hopper  22  when the fill hopper  22  is rotated from the filling position shown in  FIG. 5  to the upright position shown in  FIG. 6 . The fill hopper  22  is rotated relative to the conveyor tube  20  by actuator  32 , which in one embodiment is a hydraulic acutator comprised of a hydraulic cylinder  76  and a ram  78 . The ram  78  is connected to a linkage  80  that is connected to rear wall  58 . The linkage  80  includes an inner arm  82  that is connected to the ram  78  and an outer arm  84  that is connected to the rear wall  58 . The inner arm  82  is connected to the outer arm  84  by a pivot pin  86 . Thus, as the ram  78  is extended, the outer arm  84  rotates downward (clockwise in the figure), which causes the bin  50  to be roated to a generally downward position. It will be appreicated that the conveyor tube  20  must be raised slightly to lift the fill hopper  22  off the ground  24  so that there is ample room between the fill hopper  22  and the ground  24  for the fill hopper  22  to rotate downward to vertically orient the fill hopper  22 . 
         [0032]    As also shown in  FIG. 6 , when the fill hopper  22  is rotated to the upright position, the base  44  of the pail  34  is parallel to the ground  24  and thus conveyor tube  20  can be lowered so that the pail  34  sits on the ground  24 . In this position, the open end  46  of the pail  34  is effectively below the front wall  56  (lower wall in  FIG. 6 ) of the bin  50 , which allows residual commodity in the fill hopper  22  to flow by gravity and/or counter-rotation of auger  62  into the pail  34 . 
         [0033]    Turning now to  FIG. 7 , it is contemplated that the fill hopper  22  could be rotated further, which results in the fill hopper  22  being in an over-rotated or past-upright position but the pail  34  still securely seated on the ground  24 . Permitting limited over-rotation of the fill hopper  22  may improve the capture of residual commodity from the fill hopper  22  by enabling any residual commodity that is sitting against the front wall  56  of the bin  50  to be gravitationally fed into the pail  34 . 
         [0034]    After the fill hopper  22  is emptied, the conveyor tube  20  may be lowered slightly so that the otherwise snug fit between the bail  48  and the hooks  36 ,  38  can be released. This allows a user to remove the bail  48  from engagement with the hooks  36 ,  38  and unhook the pail  34  from the fill hopper  22 . The pail  34  can then be emptied and then hooked again to the fill hopper  22  or a new pail could be hooked to the fill hopper  22 . 
         [0035]    While the present invention has been described with respect to hooks for facilitating the temporary attachment of the pail to the fill hopper, it is understood that other types of latching structures could be used. 
         [0036]    The present invention has been described in terms of the preferred embodiment, and it is recognized that equivalents, alternatives, and modifications, aside from those expressly stated, are possible and within the scope of the appending claims.