Air seeder with infinitely adjustable control valves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10470357-B2
Application number	US-201715710633-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2017
Priority date	Sep 21, 2016
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

An air distribution apparatus including a manifold body having ports with a delivery conduit connected to each port. A port valve is configured to communicate an interior of the manifold body with the delivery conduit associated with each port. A supply conduit is connected at an output end thereof to the interior of the manifold body and connected at an input end thereof to receive a product air stream with entrained agricultural products. An exhaust orifice is defined in the supply conduit and an exhaust valve configured to control a flow of pressurized air from an interior of the supply conduit through the exhaust orifice. The port valve and exhaust valve are controlled to operate oppositely to each other between their open and closed positions. The port and exhaust valves are also adjustable to intermediate positions between the open and closed positions.

First claim

We claim:

1. An air distribution apparatus comprising:
a manifold body, and a plurality of ports defined through a wall of the manifold body;
a delivery conduit connected to each one of the plurality of ports;
on at least one of the plurality of ports, a port valve configured to communicate an interior of the manifold body with the delivery conduit associated with the at least one of the plurality of ports;
a supply conduit connected at an output end thereof to the interior of the manifold body, and connected at an input end thereof to receive a product air stream with agricultural products entrained therein;
an exhaust orifice defined in the supply conduit, and an exhaust valve configured to control a flow of pressurized air from an interior of the supply conduit through the exhaust orifice;
wherein the port valve and exhaust valve are controlled to operate oppositely to each other between open and closed positions of each valve such that when the port valve is in the closed position, the exhaust valve is in the open position with the delivery conduit being disconnected from the interior of the manifold body and, when the exhaust valve is in the closed position, the port valve is in the open position and pressurized air from the interior of the supply conduit is prevented from flowing through the exhaust orifice; and
wherein the port valve and the exhaust valve are adjustable to intermediate positions between the open and closed positions.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the port valve and the exhaust valve includes a movable member that is positionable between the open and closed positions of the valve to adjust an extent to which the valve is open.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the position of the movable member is controllable by position feedback.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 including a sensor in each delivery conduit associated with the port valve to determine a flow rate of the entrained agricultural product, the sensor providing a feedback signal to control positioning of the movable member.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the exhaust orifice is open to atmosphere, such that pressurized air from the interior of the supply conduit flows through the exhaust orifice into the atmosphere when the exhaust valve is not in the closed position.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising an exhaust conduit connected at an input end thereof to the supply conduit and with an output end thereof connected to an exhaust destination, such that the flow of pressurized air flows through the exhaust conduit.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which the input end of the exhaust conduit is connected to the exhaust orifice.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 in which the input end of the exhaust conduit is connected to the exhaust valve.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the output end of the exhaust conduit is connected to the delivery conduit associated with the at least one of the plurality of ports such that the flow of pressurized air flows through the delivery conduit.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 comprising a valve assembly connected to the port, the delivery conduit, and the exhaust conduit, and wherein the port valve and the exhaust valve are incorporated in the valve assembly.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the port valve and exhaust valve are connected such that as the port valve is closed the exhaust valve is opened, and such that as the port valve is opened the exhaust valve is closed.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a size of the exhaust orifice is configured such that the flow of pressurized air flowing through the exhaust orifice when the exhaust valve is open is substantially the same as an amount of air flowing through the port when the port valve is open.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the delivery conduit is connected at an output end thereof to a secondary manifold.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising:
a plurality of port valves, each one of the plurality of port valves associated with one of the plurality of ports in the manifold body;
wherein the plurality of port valves and the exhaust valve are controlled such that as each one of the plurality of port valves are closed to intermediate positions, the exhaust valve opens to an extent such that the selected flow of pressurized air flowing from the interior of the supply conduit through the exhaust orifice substantially compensates for any decrease in flow through the plurality of port valves, and such that when the plurality of port valves are closed, the exhaust valve moves to the open position.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 in which the intermediate positions of the exhaust valve and the port valve operate substantially in an inverse variation relationship to each other.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the supply conduit extends substantially vertically up from the manifold body to a curved elbow and then extends substantially horizontally from the elbow and the exhaust orifice is defined in the elbow at an inner radius of the elbow.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the exhaust valve and the port valve are adjustable to intermediate positions such that flow through the exhaust valve substantially compensates for any decrease in flow through the port valve.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising:
a plurality of port valves, each one of the plurality of port valves being associated with one of the plurality of ports in the manifold body;
a plurality of exhaust orifices, each one of the plurality of exhaust orifices corresponding with one of the plurality of ports and each one of the plurality of exhaust orifices having an associated exhaust valve;
wherein the plurality of port valves and the plurality of exhaust valve are controlled such that as one of the plurality of port valves is closed to intermediate positions, the exhaust valve of the corresponding exhaust orifice opens to an extent such that the flow of pressurized air flowing from the interior of the supply conduit through the exhaust valve substantially compensates for any decrease in flow through the port valve, and such that when the port valves is closed, the exhaust valve moves to the open position.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 comprising a plurality of exhaust conduits, each one of the plurality of exhaust conduits being connected at an input end thereof to the supply conduit and with an output end thereof connected to an exhaust destination, such that pressurized air flows through the exhaust conduit.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 in which the input end of each one of the plurality of exhaust conduits is connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of exhaust orifices.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 in which the input end of each one of the plurality of exhaust conduits is connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of exhaust valves.

22. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the output end of each one of the plurality of exhaust conduits is connected to a corresponding delivery conduit connected to each one of the plurality of ports such that the flow of pressurized air flows through the corresponding delivery conduit.

23. An air distribution apparatus comprising:
a manifold body, and a plurality of ports defined through a wall of the manifold body;
a delivery conduit connected to each one of the plurality of ports;
on at least one of the plurality of ports, a port valve configured to communicate an interior of the manifold body with the delivery conduit asso

Assignees

• Bourgault Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Rice Haydon
• Jagow Scot

Classifications

• A01C21/005

  Following a specific plan, e.g. pattern · CPC title

• F16K37/0075

  For recording or indicating the functioning of a valve in combination with test equipment · CPC title

• A01C7/205

  comprising pressure regulation means · CPC title

• A01B49/06

  for sowing or fertilising · CPC title

• A01C7/088

  Sectional seeding · CPC title