Patent Publication Number: US-11019765-B2

Title: Double-shoot knife attachment

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/091,445 filed on Apr. 5, 2016, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The invention relates generally to agricultural implements, and more specifically to double-shoot disc openers for placement of seeds and/or fertilizer in the soil. 
     Certain agricultural implements may include disc-opener implements that are configured to generate trenches for seed or fertilizer placement as the agricultural implement is towed through a field. Disc-opener implements may include chutes to deliver seeds and/or fertilizers immediately after trenches are opened, in a single pass. In some applications, the disc-opener implement may include a packing wheel to pack the soil following the placement of the products. 
     In some applications, separation between seed and fertilizer may be desired. This is usually the case when the direct contact between seed and fertilizer may reduce the yield of a crop. In such situations, the disc-opener implement may include a disc to generate a trench and a tool to open a furrow separated from the trench. A first chute (e.g., a seed or fertilizer tube) may deposit a product in the trench, and a second chute may deposit a product in the furrow. The construction of the disc-opener implement may affect the trench and furrow formation, which can impact overall yield. Accordingly, it would be desirable to improve construction of the disc-opener implement. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     In one embodiment, a disc-opener implement for use with an agricultural implement includes a disc configured to form a trench in a surface of a field and a scraper adjacent to the disc. The disc-opener implement also includes a knife that is configured to form a furrow next to or into a sidewall of the trench, wherein the knife comprises a leading edge, and a portion of the leading edge is aligned with a trailing edge of the scraper along a lateral axis of the disc-opener implement. 
     In one embodiment, a disc-opener implement for use with an agricultural implement includes a disc configured to form a trench in a surface of a field and a scraper adjacent to the disc. The scraper is configured to deflect soil away from the disc and includes a trailing edge. The disc-opener implement also includes a knife configured to form a furrow next to or into a sidewall of the trench, and the knife includes an overlapping lip structure formed in a leading edge of the knife, wherein the overlapping lip structure overlaps the scraper along an axial axis of the disc-opener implement and is configured to block lateral movement of the scraper. 
     In one embodiment, an agricultural system includes a structural frame, a plurality of double-shoot disc-opener implements, each including a disc configured to open a trench. Each disc-opener implement also includes a scraper positioned adjacent to the disc and comprising a trailing edge and a knife configured to open a furrow adjacent to the trench. The knife includes a leading edge having a generally vertically extending portion that overlaps the trailing edge of the scraper along a lateral axis of the disc-opener implement. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an agricultural implement configured to tow multiple disc-opener implements having a knife, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of a disc-opener implement with a knife, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2B  is a side view of the disc-opener implement of  FIG. 2A , in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 3A  is a perspective view of a scraper and a knife that may be used in a disc-opener implement, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 3B  is a front view of the scraper and the knife of  FIG. 3A , in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 3C  is a side view of the scraper and the knife of  FIG. 3A , in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 3D  is a cross-sectional front view of the scraper and the knife taken in line  3 D- 3 D of  FIG. 3A , in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of a frame and a spacer structure that provides an alignment between a scraper and a knife of a disc-opener implement, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 4B  is a side view of the frame and the spacer structure of  FIG. 4A , in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of a knife having carbide sections placed in a cutting edge, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 5B  is a side view of the knife of  FIG. 5A , in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 6A  is a perspective view of a knife with an overlapping lip that provides an alignment between a scraper and the knife, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 6B  is a top view of the knife of  FIG. 6A , in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 6C  is a side view of a the knife of  FIG. 6A , in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 6D  is a front view of the knife of  FIG. 6A , in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded side view of a knife with an overlapping lip that provides an alignment between a scraper and the knife, in accordance with an embodiment; and 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram of a trench that may be formed in a surface of a field by a disc-opener implement, in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present application is generally directed to a disc-opener implement capable of forming cavities, such as trenches and furrows, in a surface of a field. The implement may include a disc configured to open a primary trench and a scraper that redirects the displaced soil away from the disc-opener implement. The disc-opener implement may also include a knife configured to form a second furrow separated from the primary trench. In some embodiments, the disc-opener implement may include a product chute configured to place products in the formed cavities. 
     The disposition of the knife may block undesired accumulation of soil redirected by the scraper in certain regions of the disc-opener implement. For example, an alignment between a leading edge of the knife and a trailing edge of the scraper along a lateral axis of the disc-opener implement may block the accumulation of soil between the scraper and the knife. In some implementations, the alignment may be maintained via a mechanical structure, such as a spacer. In other implementations, the alignment may be maintained by a mechanical structure that provides direct contact between the knife and the scraper, such as an overlapping lip formed in the leading edge of the knife. In some implementations, the knife may be provided with erosion-resistant sections (e.g., carbide sections, strips, or coating). The present application also generally relates to an agricultural system that employs multiple disc-opener implements configured to open multiple columns of trenches and furrows, simultaneously. The agricultural system may include disc-opener implements including a disc-opener, a scraper, and a knife. 
     Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a towable agricultural implement  10 , including multiple disc-opener implements  12 . As discussed in detail below, each disc-opener implement  12  includes a disc (e.g., coulter) configured to form a first trench in the soil, and a knife configured to form a second trench within the first trench. A product delivery assembly positioned behind the disc is configured to inject one or more products (e.g., seed, fertilizer, etc) into the trenches. As illustrated, linkage assemblies  14  secure the disc opener implements  12  to a tool bar  15 . In the present embodiment, each tool bar  15  includes 36 disc-opener implements  12 . Further embodiments may include more or fewer disc-opener implements  12 . For example, certain embodiments may include 30, 36, 40, 48, 60, 64, 72, 80, 96, or more disc-opener implements  12  per tool bar  15 . The tool bars  15  are coupled to a tow bar  18 , including a hitch  21 . The hitch  21  may, in turn, be coupled to a tractor or air cart such that the towable agricultural implement  10  may be pulled through a field in a direction of travel  16 . 
       FIG. 2A  and  FIG. 2B  show an example of a disc-opener implement  100  in a perspective and a side view, respectively. The disc-opener implement  100  may be described with reference to an axial axis or direction,  20 , a lateral axis  22  or direction, and a vertical axis  24  or direction. A frame  112  of the disc-opener implement  100  is attached to a towing system through linkages  102  and  106  and a shock absorber  104  (e.g., biasing member). The disc-opener implement  100  may be provided with a wheel  108  and a disc-opener  110 . As the disc-opener implement  100  is dragged in the direction of travel  16 , the disc-opener  110  may produce a trench in the soil. A depth regulator handle  126  may be employed to adjust the depth of the disc-opener  110  relative to the wheel  108 , which may determine the depth of the opened trench. A product (e.g., fertilizer) may be placed in the trench opened by the disc-opener  110  via a primary chute  124 . 
     The soil displaced by the disc-opener implement  100  may be redirected by a scraper  114 , which is attached to the frame  112  with a mount  116  (e.g., support structure) via fasteners  119  (e.g., bolts), in the illustrated embodiment. A residue blocker  117  may block the soil and debris displaced by the implement. As shown, the disc-opener implement  100  includes a knife  118  (e.g., knife attachment), which is configured to produce a second trench (e.g., furrow) in the soil, and which may be removably coupled to the frame  112  with an adaptor  120  (e.g., mount or support structure) and/or a spacer  132  (e.g., mount or support structure). The disc-opener implement  100  may have a secondary chute  121  that places a product (e.g., seed) in the furrow opened by the knife  118  through an outlet  122 . To pack the soil after the placement of product(s) in the opened trench, a packing wheel  130  may be connected to frame  112  using link  128 . 
     As noted above, the scraper  114  is configured to redirect the flow of soil away from the disc-opener  110 . Due to the configuration of the disc-opener implement  100 , the scraper  114  may direct the soil toward the knife  118 .  FIGS. 3A-D  illustrate a relative disposition between the scraper  114  and the knife  118 . Referring particularly to  FIG. 3B , as the disc-opener implement  100  is dragged, soil may be directed toward a first side  134  (e.g., first lateral side or right side) of the scraper  114 . However, in some situations, the soil may be directed toward a second side  136  (e.g., second lateral side or left side of the scraper  114 . 
     To block accumulation of soil in parts of the disc-opener implement  100 , which may lead to plugging or other undesired effects, care with the relative disposition between the scraper  114  and the knife  118  may be beneficial. In particular, alignment between the knife  118  and the scraper  114  may block accumulation of soil between the scraper  114  and the knife  118 . In some implementations, the knife  118  may be very close to contacting the scraper  114  (e.g., separated by less than or by approximately 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 centimeters along the axial axis  20 , or between approximately 0.1-3, 0.1-2, or 0.1-1 cm along the axial axis  20 ), as illustrated in  FIGS. 3A-D . 
     In certain embodiments, the knife  118  and the scraper  114  overlap along the lateral axis  22 . As shown in  FIG. 3C , the knife  118  includes a leading edge  198 . The leading edge  198  includes a first curve  200  (e.g., upper curve), a second curve  202  (e.g., lower curve), and a generally vertically extending portion  204  extending between the curves  200 ,  202 . The scraper  114  includes a trailing edge  208 . In certain embodiments, the generally vertically extending portion  204  overlaps and/or is aligned with the trailing edge  208  of the scraper  114  along the lateral axis  22 , as best shown in  FIG. 3D . In some embodiments, the generally vertically extending portion  204  may overlap and/or be aligned with the trailing edge  208  along an entire length of the generally vertically extending portion  204  (i.e., the entire length between curves  200 ,  202 ). In some embodiments, the generally vertically extending portion  204  may overlap and/or be aligned with the trailing edge  208  along greater than or approximately 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 95 percent of the entire length of the generally vertically extending portion  204 . 
       FIG. 4A  and  FIG. 4B  illustrate a structure that is configured to establish and maintain the desired alignment between the scraper  114  and the knife  118  discussed above. The spacer element  132  may be coupled to the frame  112  and the knife  118 , and may be dimensioned to provide a desired alignment between the frame  112  and the knife  118 . Since the scraper  114  is also mounted to the frame  112 , the spacer element  132  also establishes the alignment between scraper  114  and knife  118  discussed above with respect to  FIGS. 3A-D . 
     In certain embodiments, a position of the scraper  114  relative to the frame  112  and/or the disc  110  along the vertical axis  24  may be adjusted. Such a configuration may advantageously maintain a desired vertical position of the scraper  114  relative to the disc  110  (e.g., a portion of the disc  110  extends vertically below the scraper  114 ), which in turn causes the disc  110  to continue to cut the soil to form the first trench and blocks or prevents the scraper  114  from directly cutting the soil to form the first trench. Such a configuration may also advantageously enable adjustment of the position of the scraper  114  as a diameter of the disc  110  decreases over time due to normal wear. As shown in  FIGS. 2B and 3C , for example, the scraper  114  may be coupled to the mount  116  at a first position (e.g., lower position along the vertical axis  24  and/or rearward position along the axial axis  22 ) via fasteners  119  (e.g., bolts) extending through first mount holes  450 . The scraper  114  may be coupled to the mount  116  at a second position (e.g., higher position along the vertical axis  24  and/or forward position along the axial axis  22 ) via the fasteners  119  extending through mount holes  452 . Although the illustrated scraper  114  is configured to move to two different positions, it should be understood that any suitable number (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more) of mount holes may be provided. In certain embodiments, the knife  118  may be moved prior to or during movement of the scraper  114 . For example, the knife  118  may be moved along the axial axis  22  and/or along the vertical axis  24  by adjusting the relative location of a fastener  458  (e.g., bolt) within a hole  454 . In certain embodiments, the knife  118  may include grooves  456  that are configured to mate with corresponding grooves of the spacer  132 . The grooves  456  enable movement of the knife  118  along the axial axis  22  relative to the spacer  132 , the frame  112 , and/or the scraper  114 . In certain embodiments, the grooves  456  may enable such movement, while supporting or maintaining the knife  118  in a particular vertical position. Thus, the disclosed embodiments may enable the scraper  114  and the knife  118  to be moved relative to the disc  110 , the frame  112 , and/or to one another, thereby enabling the scraper  114  and the knife  118  to maintain the alignment and/or positions disclosed herein. 
       FIG. 5A  and  FIG. 5B  illustrate an example of a knife  302  having erosion-resistant sections  304 A-D (e.g., erosion-resistant strips or coating formed of carbide or other suitable material) along a cutting edge  305 . The sections  304 A-D may provide additional structural support, and may extend the lifetime of the knife  302 . In some implementations, the sections  304 A-D may also improve the capacity of the knife  302  to create the secondary furrow. In certain embodiments, a cavity  307  may be configured to receive or may include an additional wear resistant material. For example, an erosion-resistant material, such as carbide, may be placed within the cavity  307 , thereby protecting the bottom surface of the knife  302  and/or a portion (e.g., a corner) of the outlet  122  of the secondary chute  121 . In some embodiments, the cavity  307  may extend laterally and/or axially through a portion of the knife  118  that is positioned axially between the cutting edge  305  (e.g., sections  304 A-D of the cutting edge  305 ) and the outlet  122  of the secondary chute  121 . 
       FIGS. 6A-D  illustrate an example of a knife  402  with an overlapping lip  404 . As discussed above, alignment of the knife  402  and the scraper  114  may be helpful in reducing an undesired accumulation of soil in the disc-opener implement  100 . The overlapping lip  404  facilitates such alignment by providing a structure that may block or limit relative movement (e.g., along the lateral axis  22 ) between the scraper  114  and the knife  402 . For example, as the disc-opener implement  100  is dragged through a field, the scraper  114  may be driven laterally via contact with the soil or other debris. The overlapping lip  404  provides a bracing structure (e.g., blocking structure) for the scraper  114  to block lateral movement of the scraper  114 . A comparison between the side view in  FIG. 6C  and the exploded side view in  FIG. 7  illustrates the region of the overlapping lip  404  that may come in contact with the scraper  114  during operation of the implement to block the relative movement between the scraper  114  and the knife  402 . As shown, the overlapping lip  404  is formed along a leading edge  410  of the knife  402  and extends beyond (e.g., overlaps) a trailing edge  412  of the scraper along the axial axis  20 . 
       FIG. 8  provides a schematic diagram of a surface  584  of a field and a trench  586  that may be formed by the disc  110  of the disc-opener implements  110  disclosed herein, in accordance with an embodiment. The diagram also illustrates the furrow  588  that may be formed the knife, such as the knife  118 ,  302 , or  402 . 
     While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention. Furthermore, it should be understood that any of the features illustrated and described herein with respect to  FIGS. 1-8  may be combined in any suitable manner.