Patent Publication Number: US-2023157202-A1

Title: Seed flow regulator

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/479,832, filed Jul. 22, 2019, which is a national phase entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application PCT/US2018/014824, filed Jan. 23, 2018, designating the United States of America and published in English as International Patent Publication WO 2018/136926 A1 on Jul. 26, 2018, which claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/449,479, filed Jan. 23, 2017, the entire disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to implements and application units for seed placement in a trench. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Planters are used for planting seeds of crops (e.g., corn, soybeans) in a field. Planters can have any number of desired rows. As the number of rows increases, the width of the planter increases. To allow for transportation of very wide planters, the toolbar of the planter can have sections with the outer sections constituting wings. The wings can be folded up to reduce the width of the planter. 
     Planters can also have mini-hoppers for storing seeds at each row on the planter. The mini-hoppers are supplied from a main hopper on the row unit with supply lines transferring seed from the main hopper to the mini-hoppers. 
     With mini-hoppers on rows that are on the wings, when the wings are folded up, the seeds in the mini-hoppers drain out of the mini-hoppers and back into the supply lines. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which: 
         FIG.  1    shows a side view of mini-hopper according to one embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    shows a side view of the mini-hopper of  FIG.  1    with the fill tube cover removed for viewing the fill tube. 
         FIG.  3    shows a top plan view of the mini-hopper of  FIG.  2   . 
         FIG.  4    shows a perspective view of the mini-hopper of  FIG.  2   . 
         FIG.  5    shows a side view of the mini-hopper of  FIG.  2    rotated to transport position when mounted on a wing. 
         FIG.  6    is a top plan view of the mini-hopper of  FIG.  2    with an elastomeric sheet material disposed in the fill tube according to one embodiment. 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective view of the elastomeric sheet material of  FIG.  6   . 
         FIG.  8    is an embodiment of an elastomeric member being a duckbill valve. 
         FIG.  9    is a perspective view of the fill tube from  FIG.  2    and including a flap gate according to one embodiment. 
         FIG.  10    is a side view of the mini-hopper of  FIG.  1    and further including a flexible member in the inlet line to the tube inlet according to one embodiment. 
         FIG.  11    is a side view of the mini-hopper of  FIG.  10    with the flexible member in a flexed position closing flow. 
         FIGS.  12  and  13    illustrate a mini-hopper  1200  in accordance with another embodiment. 
         FIG.  14    illustrates a side view of an inlet tube having a backflow preventer in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG.  15    illustrates an end view of an inlet tube having a backflow preventer in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG.  16    illustrates a perspective view of a backflow preventer in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG.  17    illustrates a single row unit  1700  of a row crop planter in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG.  18    illustrates a single row unit  1800  of a row crop planter in accordance with another embodiment. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Back flow prevention of material on a mini-hopper is disclosed herein. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Illustrated in  FIGS.  1  to  5    is a mini-hopper  10 . Mini-hopper  10  includes a hopper  20 , a fill tube cover  30 , a tube inlet  40 , and fill tube  50 . As viewed in  FIG.  5   , mini-hopper  10  is in a transport position. Material, such as seeds, will flow under gravity out of hopper  20  through fill tube  50  and out tube inlet  40 . 
     Mini-hopper  10  further includes a backflow preventer  60  as illustrated in  FIG.  6   . 
     In one embodiment, backflow preventer  60  is an elastomeric member  62 , which can be disposed in fill tube  50 . Elastomeric member  62  has a flexibility that allows elastomeric member  62  to open to allow flow into fill tube  50  to hopper  20 , and elastomeric member  62  will close or collapse to prevent gravitational flow from hopper  20  through fill tube  50 . 
     In one embodiment, elastomeric member  62  is a self-opening elastomeric valve that opens when a desired amount of pressure difference across the valve is applied. Examples of elastomeric valves include, but are not limited to, duckbill valves, dome valves, cross-slit valves, and slit valves. 
     In another embodiment, backflow preventer  60  can be an elastomeric sheet material  65  that can be disposed about tube inlet  40  and into fill tube  50  without attaching to fill tube  50 .  FIG.  6    illustrates elastomeric sheet material  65  disposed about tube inlet  40  and into fill tube  50 .  FIG.  7    illustrates elastomeric sheet material  65 . Elastomeric sheet material  65  permits flow from tube inlet  40  into fill tube  50  to hopper  20 , but elastomeric sheet material will collapse to prevent flow from fill tube  50  to tube inlet  40 . 
     In another embodiment, backflow preventer  60  can be a flap  68 , such as a flap gate illustrated in  FIG.  9   . Flap  68  is pivotably disposed in fill tube  50  to open when flow is from tube inlet  40  to hopper  20  and close under gravity when mini-hopper  10  is raised to the transport position. 
     In another embodiment illustrated in  FIGS.  10  and  11   , inlet line  100  with first line section  100 - 1  and second line section  100 - 2  is connected to the tube inlet  40 . Disposed between first line section  100 - 1  and second line section  100 - 2  is flexible member  70 .  FIG.  10    illustrates flexible member  70  in an unflexed state permitting flow.  FIG.  11    illustrates flexible member  70  in a flexed state blocking flow. Flexible member  70  flexes to the blocked state when mini-hopper  10  is in the transport position. 
     Illustrated in  FIGS.  12  and  13    is a mini-hopper  1200  in accordance with another embodiment. The mini-hopper  1200  includes a hopper  1220 , a fill tube cover  1230 , a tube inlet  1240 , and fill tube  1250 . Backflow preventer  1260  can be a flap, such as a flap gate  1260  illustrated in  FIGS.  14 - 16   . The backflow preventer  1260  is pivotably disposed in tube inlet to open when flow is from tube inlet  1240  to hopper  1220  and close under gravity when mini-hopper  1210  is raised to the transport position. 
       FIG.  17    illustrates a single row unit  1700  of a row crop planter in accordance with one embodiment. The row units are mounted in spaced relation along the length of a transverse toolbar  1708  by a parallel linkage  1716  which permits each row unit to move vertically independently of the toolbar and the other spaced row units in order to accommodate changes in terrain or upon the row unit encountering a rock or other obstruction as the planter is drawn through the field. Each row unit includes a frame  1740  which operably supports a seed mini-hopper  10 , a furrow opening assembly, a seed meter, a seed tube, and a furrow closing assembly  1740 . 
     Mini-hopper  10  includes a hopper  20 , a fill tube cover  30 , a tube inlet  40 , and fill tube. As viewed in  FIG.  17   , mini-hopper  10  is aligned horizontally with a ground surface in a working position for dispensing seed. 
       FIG.  18    illustrates a single row unit  1800  of a row crop planter in accordance with another embodiment. The row unit  1800  includes similar components in comparison to the row unit  1700  of  FIG.  17   . However, the row unit  1800  is tilted with respect to a ground surface in a transport position for transportation of the row unit. A backflow preventer as described herein prevents material, such as seeds, from flowing under gravity out of hopper  20  through fill tube  50  and out tube inlet  40 . 
     The row unit  1800  can be tilted by any angle  1891  (e.g., 0-90 degrees) from a ground reference  1890  to a tilted direction  1892 .